August 2010 Newsletter

Welcome!

The Teach Peace Foundation summer peace trip benefited from a wonderful team of 15 volunteers. Students and adult volunteers delivered life-changing "acts of kindness" in Liberia and Ethiopia. Below are some of the team accomplishments.

1. Medical services, food, and malaria nets for 62 disabled children in our Special Ambassador program.

2. Wheelchairs for 25 people, many who have never been in a wheelchair before, including Uriah who is shown in the picture on the right.

3. Seed delivery helping multiple villages and benefiting over 500 people.

4. Clean drinking water to save a group of girls and women from having to gather and carry water.

5. The gift of hope for a brighter future with education scholarships funding 27 students.

6. Delivery of over 700 pounds of donated items ranging from solar cookers, dental supplies, medical supplies, power tools, clothing, and educational materials.

7. Gifts of goat and chicken micro-businesses to help parents feed their children.

8. The creation of a model village to teach animal husbandry and agriculture skills.

9. Emergency food aid helping 80 disabled people each month.

Volunteer Endorsements

I want to thank you for allowing me to join the Teach Peace trip to Liberia and Ethiopia in 2010. It is one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime of 66 years, both professionally as a nurse and personally. It is indeed a life changing event. Lolita Samson (Teach Peace medical clinic lead nurse)

Teach Peace is an amazing organization that allows volunteers to deepen their knowledge about the world and inspires them to work toward change. Going to Liberia with Teach Peace was beyond amazing. My perspective on the world and life has changed in a very positive way. An experience like this cannot be explained in a matter of words, it is not until you witness Liberia with Teach Peace that you truly understand the amazingness of this organization. The people you meet will change your life. I can't wait to go back. Carmen Cueto (Student leader of the scholarship program)

Never before have I ever been so inspired by such an amazing group of people. I was lucky to spend valuable time with spirited and bright children. They taught me more than I have ever learned in a classroom. My experience opened my eyes and changed my perspective on life, not only while in Africa. I never believed that in such a short period of time the entire way I live could be so greatly impacted. I can't wait to return and continue to grow as a person. Renee Chiang (Student leader of the livestock delivery and model village education program)

My visit to the Liberia Mission and surrounding villages demonstrated how providing people with basic opportunities can help break the cycle of extreme poverty and instill a sense of dignity and hope for a better future. This experience as a Teach Peace volunteer was truly an education that opened my eyes and warmed my heart more than I could have ever imagined!
Bob Perkins (Leader for the solar cooking project and team member for the clean water project plus model village program)

It was truly an amazing, eye opening experience that has changed my life. I am extremely blessed to have been a part of this mission and look forward to future participation. Kerri Turmenne (Team nurse for the Special Ambassador program and field medical clinic)

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to go to Liberia with the Teach Peace organization. The trip was so well organized that we were able to participate in multiple worthwhile projects, including a medical mission, delivery of wheelchairs, delivery of seeds and animals, and activities with the children in a short period of time. The trip far exceeded my expectations from spiritual, educational and experiential perspectives and I look forward to working with this organization in the future. Kathy Duffy (Leader orphans and poor children activities)

I recently had the chance to see firsthand the work that Teach Peace is doing with people in Liberia.  I was truly impressed by the love and dignity this organization shows to the poorest of God's children while attending to their most basic needs for food, water, and education.  I am humbled to have had a tiny part in their astoundingly good works. Barbara Pawlikowski (Team photographer)

Recently I participated in a volunteer trip hosted by "Teach Peace" and David Dionisi. The trip was to two of the very poorest countries in Africa: Liberia (in West Africa and Ethiopia in Eastern Africa). We participated in providing several types of assistance, such as "seed stock" consisting of goats, chickens, and vegetable seeds, emergency food, scholarships, medicine and medical check-ups.  Teach Peace has a very important on-the-ground program in Liberia to assist disabled children living in rural areas. These children and their extremely poverty-stricken families are in need of food and the most basic of necessities. I am an "almost Senior Citizen", however, we had a majority of women and men who were college-age on this trip. Many of the Teach Peace young people experienced a real eye-opener in providing service to such poverty-stricken disabled youngsters. Everyone was fortunate to learn about these two countries and felt rewarded that we were able to help so many people.  Thank you Teach Peace for this opportunity! Joan Fabiano (Team member on eight teams)

Wheelchair Distribution

Uriah, 15 years old, has never been able to walk.  All of his years have been spent twisted up on a small throw rug in the dirt. In April his tiny hut burned to the ground. Uriah and his mother escaped but his primary caregiver, his grandmother, died of smoke inhalation and burns in her attempt to save her grandson. At that time Uriah and his family were taken in by neighbors and he was devastated by the loss of his grandmother.  

At the beginning of this newsletter you see his expression of joy at having received a wheelchair. This is what Eileen Rockensies, Ed Martin, and Jennie Martin helped make possible with their many hours of volunteer work enabling us to greatly leverage Special Ambassador donations and buy 25 wheelchairs. Shown on the right are Teach Peace Liberian staff members John Lackey, Dolley Gurley, and Martha Karnuah. Uriah is only one of so many who now live with hope and joy. One child was so happy to see his new chair that he asked, “Can I sleep in it all night?”

Field Clinic

We wish to thank the Liberia Mission, Inc. for all their assistance including providing Dr. Brian Chan to deliver medical services. Shown in the picture on the left is student nurse Carmen Cueto, lead nurse Lolita Samson, Dr. Brian Chan, Layne Payne and Renee Chang. The Teach Peace team provided a three day medical clinic for the disabled treating 150 patients. Some patients need follow-up surgery and care for severe infections. Dr. Brian Chan and medical team members Kerri Turmenne, Kathy Duffy, Erica Dewan, Matt Hayes, and Joanie Fabiano delivered medical services to disabled children in our Special Ambassador program.

Remembering Special People

We remembered Evie Perkins, Shawn Garvin and Pat Williams with village dedications in their memory.

Evie's husband, Bob, was present for the dedication in the town of Jehovah Outreach which is also the location for the first model village education center teaching animal husbandry and agriculture development.

Shown on the left is Bob after we had finished singing, dancing and delivering goats and chickens. The celebration was so wonderful that it is unlikely any of the Teach Peace participants will ever forget it.

Teach Peace Foundation Award Winners

We are happy to announce the 2010 award winners.

Awards are presented on September 21st (the International Day of Peace), during our student led Evening of Peace. Three award recipients will not be present to receive their award. Mordechai Vanunu is under house arrest in Israel, Irena Sendler passed away in 2008 and Teach Peace founding member Evie Perkins passed away on April 4, 2010.

Evening of Peace

The annual Evening of Peace awards dinner has been a big success since we first started in 2006. This year, September 21st is a Tuesday. The event is from 6-9 pm and at 600 Alhambra Blvd in Sacramento. Dinner tickets are $30 and a range of food options are available. Please show your support for our work helping young people become peacemakers and for the special people being recognized. For tickets and more information, go to http://www.teachpeace.com/eveningofpeace10.htm.

You can view past winners at http://www.teachpeace.com/awards10.htm.

Articles

Every day our members search for important developments to help us understand a range of peace and justice issues. In this effort we put the spotlight on important articles that are often bypassed by the media. To find out if you have missed important news, click here.

Be sure to read We Can't Forget the Holocaust by Carmen Cueto. Carmen is a sophomore at Seattle University and she interviewed Teach Peace Foundation member and Holocaust suvivor Leny Heymann as part of Carmen's preparation for a Teach Peace trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Her article, published by The Davis Enterprise on July 16, 2010 is also available by clicking here.

Would you like to volunteer to help greet people or with setup at the dinner?

Our members are the key to how we deliver acts of kindness here at home and around the world. We invite you to help us promote events and deliver them. If you are interested in helping us with the Evening of Peace, please call us at 530-554-7061.

Miss a meeting and want to stay in the loop?

Everyone is welcome to call in for meetings including board meetings and read meeting notes, which are online.

Next Africa Peace Trip - December

Teach Peace's Kevin Rockensies will be leading the next trip to Liberia in December. Anyone of high school age or above is more than welcome to participate and experience the trip of a lifetime.  Visiting the country is safe. You will have clean water and food that you can eat and there will be a direct flight from Atlanta to Liberia by the time we leave at the end of the year.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Kevin at 570-406-4533. Spending the Christmas season in a recovering country is extra special and we are confident that you will never look at life in the same way again. Changing one life at a time, like helping Ernest in the picture on the left or the sick baby Matt Hayes is holding on the right is what it is all about.

Special People

We were able to help people struggling to feed their children with a new seed program made possible by Ray Baglietto, the founder of Seeds to the World. Ray arranged for us to receive 100 pounds of seed packages. The response from Liberians was far greater than we anticipated. Dave Dionisi observed "people immediately began clearing land to plant the seeds and they were excited about the opportunity to provide their children with desperately needed food."

We wish to extend a big “thank you” to Danik Daniels for arriving early in Liberia so that he could meet as many Special Ambassador children as possible and complete the program audit. Danik walked many miles to see 60 of the Special Ambassador children in the field. In the picture on the left he is holding a little girl that is unable to move her neck. This little girl received a portable crib from Danik called a "Pack n Play" which will help keep her safe from many hazards including snakes.

For Ray Baglietto, Mat Travis, Amy Spelz, John Dewan, Jerome Cabeen, Clarisa Chavarria Cabeen, Bernardine Ileto, Dr. Brian Chan, Danik Daniels and the entire volunteer team, please know words can never fully express our gratitude.

Peace be with you, The Teach Peace Foundation team

PS. Below is a selection of photos and the full online album is at http://s760.photobucket.com/home/AfricaTrip2010/allalbums.