Jambo Friends and Family!

WE HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED! It was not the smoothest of travels (you may not recognize  us because our upper body strength has more than doubled due to hauling our 50 lbs bags across many airports) but all 24 bags, 2 handicap walkers and 12 team members have arrived :). As we are exhausted from hours of travel, we will keep this short but we wanted to let every we are here, we are are safe and we are very excited for the days and work ahead of us! Stay tuned for our future endeavors :)

With love and blessings:

Team Tanzania

Starlight, starbright

Wow! A lot was accomplished today. All the necessary meds were purchased and as always in Africa it took hours and hours, but we can now de-worm a kid for 3 cents, treat a kid with an ear infection for 80 cents, prescribe a zpak for 50 cents and treat a kid with ringworm of the scalp for a whopping 90 cents (the same treatment in the US would be $150).

During the long wait we ventured through Nairobi traffic to Nyumbani Village. A village run by the Jesuits, who care for those infected and affected by HIV, many of them orphans. We met with Father Francis who inspired us all. There is a team of Nursing students from Columbia College of Nursing traveling with HWB to Kenya in May who will spend some time there doing health education.

As we wound back through traffic we made it just in time to pick up the medications we had ordered and headed back to the hotel. On the way we saw wildebeest, gazelle and camels grazing in open fields.

Tonight, on the way back to the hotel room (after a plate of grilled goat meat and greens) we could see stars from horizon to horizon. It was magnificent.

Tomorrow promises to be delightful as we venture into the Nairobi slums to distribute reusable sanitary packs for The Red Elephant Project. 100 schoolgirls eagerly await our arrival. After that we will start the trek to Tanzania to meet the team when they land on the 7th.

I couldn't upload pictures to the blog tonight, so check out our Facebook page for pictures.

Lala Salama (good night)

Exciting day of meetings....

Today was filled with meetings. First there was church in a tent and later we met with pastors and community leaders. We now have several focus groups including a group of women for The Red Elephant Project, another group focused on education and starting a library through our Books Without Borders project, another group focused on water and sanitation and another group focused on outreach. What amazing and dedicated volunteers here in Kenya.
We also enjoyed the beauty of. Kenya as we walked to church this morning.

Don't forget to check out our Facebook page at:
 https://www.facebook.com/hopewithoutborders/
for more updates and pictures.

Packing Party -- 4 days until take off!

Greetings to all from the remainder of the Tanzanian team as we are getting ready to meet up with Julie and Lance in a few short days! Today we had our packing party in preparation for our upcoming adventure --which can almost always be considered an adventure in itself -- and I am happy to report we have twenty four 50 lbs (fingers crossed) bags packed and ready for take off! What an amazing experience it will be to distribute all of our amazing donated items! Excitement is in the air was we make our final preparations for Wednesday -- cannot wait to hit the ground running (or maybe a slow walk after our upcoming 16 hours of air travel...)! 

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Thank you to each and everyone of you who have supported us, whether it was through a donation, emotional support, in-kind donations or just encouragement -- we are forever grateful!

Happy New Year from sunny Kenya

Well, the 26 hours trip went smoothly. We landed safely into Nairobi around 6:30 am (9 hours ahead of the Midwest). We were met by the smiling faces of some of our volunteer staff and the radiant African sunshine! no problems with customs and all our bags arrived on shedule The bumpy ride to the hotel was uneventful and the landscape was lush and green. According to our driver 2015 was a poor year for tourist and he is hoping 2016 brings many tourist to Kenya!! After a delicious breakfast of eggs, beans and chapati we sat by the pool. Yes, we used sunscreen bu after 25 minutes I began to burn so I retreated to the cool shade and enjoyed the cool breeze, singing birds and an  African band who sang traditional Kenyan songs. Today is New Years day, so NOTHING is open, which is good as the Nairobi traffic was uneventful and quick.

Tomorrow is a day of planning and we hope to go and get the meds needed. We also heard that there are 100 girls who will meet us next week as we teach and distribute The Red Elephant packs.

So, it is almost 8 pm here and we are ready to get a good nights sleep. Lala salama (good night)

Mama Julie

Welcome to our adventure.....

We want to welcome each and every one of you to our travel blog. We can't wait to tell you what we are doing. If you want an email notification when we post, sign up on the right hand column under :"Sign up to follow by Email". You can also view this blog on your mobile device.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who have supported us, whether it was through a donation, emotional support, in-kind donations or just encouragement. We THANK YOU.

So, let's go on this adventure TOGETHER...me and you.

Kids in Tanzania in 2015 waiting in line for shoes.