Wagumu Camp Tree
In case you were wondering more about the Holy "Milk" Cow Fund, I will be posting the Who/What/Where/How in the following posts. Please post any questions you have regarding this project in the comment section and I will do my best to fill in the details.
WHO: WAGUMU CAMP'S BWILO SALAMU
I met Wagumu Camp when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania in 2006 in Nagaga Village. My first days in Nagaga were a blur of new faces and swahili conversations I didn't understand. One group, Wagumu Camp, stood out in their eagerness to work with me.
I was led to their meeting place, a humble tree by the roadside marked simply with a sign. They sat me down in a chair and began to perform for me- songs and dances all geared toward HIV/AIDS and health education. They wanted training, books, and guidance. Througout my two years of Peace Corps we did weekly lessons, village trash clean-ups, HIV/AIDS testing days, set-up their offices, as well as doing several large and small outreach projects in several villages reaching thousands of villagers.
The owner/caretaker of the milk cow will be Bwilo Salamu and his wife Hadija. Bwilo's story is one that is very common in Tanzania. As a young man he left the village to go to Dar es Salaam to seek his fortune. However, in Dar he became sick and was forced to return to the village. Back in the village, he tested positive for HIV. With the help of Peace Corps volunteer Michelle Choy and Wagumu Camp, he was able to more fully understand the virus and to begin ARVs. He met his now wife, Hadija, also living with HIV. I became great friends with Bwilo and his wife during my time in Tanzania. As one of my counterparts Bwilo helped me with many projects. Honestly, he may be one of the kindest and more generous Tanzanians I met during my stay there. Always bringing me food- such as eggs, cashews, bananas- and participating in the planning of many projects for orphans and vulnerable children, as well as bravely coming out to his community during his wedding in 2007 as living with HIV helping to eliminate stigmas in the village.
The owner/caretaker of the milk cow will be Bwilo Salamu and his wife Hadija. Bwilo's story is one that is very common in Tanzania. As a young man he left the village to go to Dar es Salaam to seek his fortune. However, in Dar he became sick and was forced to return to the village. Back in the village, he tested positive for HIV. With the help of Peace Corps volunteer Michelle Choy and Wagumu Camp, he was able to more fully understand the virus and to begin ARVs. He met his now wife, Hadija, also living with HIV. I became great friends with Bwilo and his wife during my time in Tanzania. As one of my counterparts Bwilo helped me with many projects. Honestly, he may be one of the kindest and more generous Tanzanians I met during my stay there. Always bringing me food- such as eggs, cashews, bananas- and participating in the planning of many projects for orphans and vulnerable children, as well as bravely coming out to his community during his wedding in 2007 as living with HIV helping to eliminate stigmas in the village.
Me and Bwilo at his Wedding
So, that is the basic story. I have stayed in contact with Bwilo by phone. He keeps me updated on the weather, crops, births and deaths in the village, and the ups and downs of village life. There is, of course, much more to the story. So many more experiences. Stories of tragedy and beauty, teamwork, and tenacity. I wish I could take you all there and show you the sign and the tree where this humble movement was born, march with you through the dustcloud a Wagumu Camp parade, and sit with you as hundreds of villagers gather in the dirt and climbitrees to strain to see the songs, dances, and lessons of Wagumu Camp.
Wagumu Camp Members at Art/Kite Camp for Orphans and Vulnerable Children
NEW TOTAL RAISED: $284
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