Religion

"This is my simple religion. There is no need
for temples; no need for complicated philosophy.
Our own brain; our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness."

-HH The Dalai Lama

Forgiveness

Can we forgive and not forget? Is it possible to forgive
and forget?
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, 11th edition,
the word forget is defined as: To treat with inattention or
disregard.

Therefore, if we are ready to forgive and not forget, then
we are saying we are forgiving; but will pay attention and
give regard to whatever the grievance was...

In his book Shining Through, Hugh Prather says this:
To forget does not mean that we become insensitive to
pain or underestimate the effects of tragedy on ourselves
or others. It simply means that we accept on faith that
peace can be brought into every situation and that God's
healing consciousness can sustain us through difficulties
and even personal devastation... Any form that fear takes
becomes less compelling when seen in the light of love.

Contents of My Life: Kate's Third Birthday

The Village Herbalist

Even though there was a major shift from traditional to
western medicine at the dawn of 19th century Africa,
to date, there are still several regions in which western
medicine remains inaccessible. These areas carried on
with the traditional methods of healing - some of which
have been incorporated into research for modern medicine.
It should not be lost that the majority of modern medicine
is deeply rooted in herbal extracts.

As culturally diverse as Africa is, the herbs used from
region to region are the same. You will find that one
healer treks for miles and miles to seek the advice of a
healer from another tribe. Healers are vast in classification,
ranging from gods/ancestor appeasers, to ghost exorcists,
to outright witches. This group does not believe in any other
religion but their own - the practice of witchcraft and the act
of bewitching.

Nevertheless, there is another category of healers which deals
purely in the school of thought that we get sick due to the
changes in environment and that what we eat can be supported
by the principles of equilibrium - which explains illness as an
imbalance of hot-cold, sweet–sour, wet-dry. It is typical to hear villagers
complain about malaria after the long "rain and dump" weather, as
mosquitoes multiply exponentially under such conditions. This category
of healer uses prayer to aid in the patients recovery, and will send the
patient in question to the hospital if the healing process is not met
with quick response.

Damar fell into this last category of traditional healers. She was a
devout Seventh Day Adventist. For the purpose of this blog I
will dwell on this group of healers - what they do, especially
what my grand mama did and which herbs she utilized.

*As a specialist in purging and emetic medicine, she had a very
strict routine. She could only see her patients in the morning,
with one condition: that you eat little or nothing the night before.
Anything after noon would only be dealt with if it was life
threatening. The emetic would make you vomit all the contents
of your stomach, (including all the rotten stuff) while the
purgatives would do the final cleansing of the body... talk about
natural laxatives...

Whenever the above mentioned would not work, only then
did she resort to ‘surgery’. By making three incisions just
below the diaphragm or wherever the pain was felt, she
would suction the disease by inserting a goat horn. I have
three scars in my own tummy as result of this procedure!

This rule did not apply to diseases such as colds and coughs,
which were treated in the evening using fumigants and
vaporizers. For a person suffering from chest congestion
Damar would boil eucalyptus tree leaves and bark , and cover
her patient with a blanket (water still boiling) so as to inhale
the steam.

For skin diseases resulting from a measles attack or scurvy,
she would prescribe the pungent 'bitter apple' (angw’e) while,
‘neem’ (arubaini) tree was left to deal with fever. For
bacterial infections and open wounds she would dispatch
the ‘Aspilia’ tree. If you had a stomach ache, you would not
escape the wrath of the very bitter, ‘bitter leaf’ (achak).
If you liked eating raw food (which was the norm in the fields)
and had worm infection, you surely had a date with a whole
cooked pumpkin plus the seeds. For those who could not
control their appetite and had constipation, Damar was more
than happy to dispatch a concoction of aloe plant mixed with
either senna (owinno) or mahogany bark.

Damar was not only a respected healer in Kagwa village,
but in the entire west Uyoma and beyond. This was not
due to her marriage to a famous traditional wrestler
Amos Ochiyo aka "Mahanya", but due to her natural
attunement with the environment. Having been born in
bushy and shrub-covered Sakwa, grandy learned to use
the herbs at an early age - a craft she perfected with time.
People would come from different parts of the country to
pay her a visit with different ailments. She provided them
with both physical and psychological treatments. She was
very compassionate, and never used this gift solely for
her own enrichment, but to serve others. I recall on more
than three occasions women flocking to her home with
sick kids but no money. She was more than happy
to help. Her favorite words were “When this child grows
up let her know who saved her life, and let her send me a
quarter kilo of sugar, now go in peace”. This was humbling.

One day while sitting around the fireplace, I told her I
wanted to have as many cows as my grand used to have.
This was the answer:

"If you really want to buy a cow and you don’t have enough
money, what do you do? Do you put the money away, wait, and
generate more? If the money can buy you two goats (m&f), then
go ahead and buy. After a year you will have begun to realize
your dream - the goats shall have reproduced and you will be
able to sell goats and buy a cow."

*The above mentioned herbs and trees are currently used
in western medicine.

When The Edges Crumble, Part II

Here is what I found out:
THE HIGHER SELF IS CONNECTED TO THAT OF OTHERS.

I love my life here in the Golden Isles, and can give many reasons
why. Among them (in my opinion), the teacher-to-child ratio in
the school system here is just right. Of course (as with any
“immigrant” family) there have been the related challenges. We
arrived in January, midway through the school year. My eldest
son Oscar (who was in the 10th grade in Kenya) was sent back to
the 9th grade… It was kind of demoralizing and many times,
regret started creeping in. Yet, something inside kept saying: it’s
just one year, let’s move on. This “setback” challenged Oscar to
set his eyes on the prize – to work hard, have fun and be the
best “Oscar” he could be. On May 30th of this year, we celebrated
his graduation from Glynn Academy – where he played soccer and
was in the ROTC as a second lieutenant. He is now a freshman
majoring in chemistry at Valdosta State University. I am very proud
of his achievements. The other two boys are also hustling. Allan
is playing soccer for Golden Isle Soccer Club U18, while his
younger sibling Brian is chasing the piece of dead leather at
Coastal Soccer Outreach. Brian is 12 and already playing with
U16… He is also learning fine arts at Glynn Middle School.
He plays the guitar… Way to, “Brayo”. Meanwhile, the two
princesses in the household give me a run for my time. Being
the father and nanny to Kate is a job I love, while Michelle will
always amaze me with her wit as I shuttle her to-and-from
school. Dealing with these two keeps me busier than a day’s
paying job.

The truth is: I love my life. Period.

Turning back to the center - it is here that I will not lose sight
of my purpose on this physical plane. Here, I realize it is best
not to focus on 'what I have lost; but on what I am becoming
due to the loss’. I have stayed away from the edges, as they
are too brittle. Turning to the center of my creation I seek
guidance and my archetype readily provides me with all the
help I need:

Venetia K. Hanratty-Saunders has been a key figure in helping
me realize my dream of serving others. She is the "editor in
chief" for Project Yongo, and has helped keep me in focus with
my life’s purpose… When my son Oscar was moving to Valdosta
to attend college, I went to hire a U-Haul. I became reacquainted
with Jim Bonds - it had been a year since we met. He asked what
I was up to, as he had heard about Sea Island laying-off 300 plus
employees. When I told him I was among them, he graciously
provided me with the keys to his 17-foot moving truck - free of
charge… Due to conflicting schedules and responsibilities,
shuttling Allan and Brian to-and-from soccer practice was
not something I could (realistically) do on my own every week.
When I shared this concern with Donna Johnson, she emailed
me right away saying she had instructed her son Stephen to
shuttle Allan. The Johnsons live 20miles from where we live.
The Saturday before last, there was a tournament in Jacksonville, FL.
Donna took Allan (along with some other kids) to the games. She is a
God sent Angel… what a phenomenal human being... Not to be left out
is my wife Susan. It is her paycheck we utilized for sending money to
Kenya to help with my Grand mamas Funeral. Susan, because of you
Damar had a decent burial. I am proud of you… And in the midst of
this, I am still looking for a job placement. My professional mentor
(and a man I am proud to call my friend) Charles Saunders has been
very instrumental in showing me how to find my way around the
“concrete jungle” using the good, old fashioned computer.

Next weeks posting will begin to uncover my grandma’s stories and
herbal/healing life.

Post Script: In 1992 I went my late grandma for advice about a
small business (like all “business people” I wanted to be a success).
Someone had told me, if you don’t have ‘JUJU’ power you will never
make it. So off I went with this to my secret keeper, and she giggled.
These were her words, and I will do the best I can to translate them
into English:

“There is no known medicine for business. The medicines I
have used for years are being truthful, being able to
accommodate my customers needs, and treating them
with respect - whether they are buying half or all my
merchandise; or just inquiring”.

-Damar Awino the Kagwa Village Herbalist 1906-2008

When The Edges Crumble

Coastal living will always bring one to the realities of
the ocean's high and low tides... Georgia’s coast is no
exception to this natural phenomenon. Whenever the
Atlantic decides to cleanse itself, the marshes of Glynn
are covered with water. It takes a split second for any
unskilled boater to veer off and ruin his precious vessel,
as the waters recede back into the ocean, leaving behind the
beautiful golden grass (not to mention a nose-blocking coral
stench), and the picture perfect rivers and streams meandering
to download their contents into the ocean.

This is the Golden Isles, home of the Sea Island venue for the 2004
G8 leaders summit, among other notable names.

In January 2005 I relocated to this beautiful region with my family.
Being my first time in the USA, I became lost several times on the
small island of St. Simons and its mainland gateway town
Brunswick... okay, so I had never owned or driven an automobile
before... and though I did not know anyone here (save my long-time
friends Venetia Hanratty and Charles Saunders who were very
instrumental in our relocation), I loved it from the start. The
ageless oaks and the beaches - even though you cannot see
when an alligator is scheming to have you for lunch.

Like the ocean, the "tides" of (Golden Isles) life also have their ebb
and flow, leaving one to wonder (if you are not connected with your
inner-self) why it must go down so low, and will it ever go back to
being a high tide again? The ups and downs are part and parcel to
our being. There is a time to plant and a time to reap. The lapse
between plant flowering and fruition can seem long. This is when
our spiritual steadfastness is tested. It is when the edges begin to
crumble.

On August 4th 2008 at 9:00am my edges crumbled. I did not
scramble because I knew that there was a "center" with a "source"
and all I needed to do was ask to be re energized. Imagine being
called into an office to be told “we have eliminated your position,
please give us the cell phone and any other keys, and the security
will escort you from the building”. What a seemingly shameful
way to leave the workplace I had given my "all" to... a job I thought
I would hold onto until my retirement. I had to remind myself that
it was my first job in America. Moreover, the schools were going back
in a week’s time, and I have four kids enrolled in school... ohhh wait a
minute, one being college-bound... hmmm... the edges are really
crumbling now. As I am penning this, my grandmother (my friend,
my childhood doctor, my icon) is lying instate waiting for burial on
Thursday and due to my circumstances I will not be by the graveside
to bid her farewell. She joined the other saint last Saturday at 6:00pm
Kenyan time, no more “wuon Olal” as she fondly called me.

The major question: how do I balance the tension of these two
extremes - how can I rise above all these joys and sorrows to
weather the storm below? How can I dance my way through
crisis lovingly and joyously, accepting that this is just a low tide
and the high ones are on the way? How do I face these realities
and still be at peace with my higher self?

Damar. Rest in peace. "Nya Ochiewo" fare thee well.
Awino sleep in peace. I love you as you loved me and
will cherish those moments we shared together.

-To be continued next week -

List of Items Needed

As promised, here is a list of items needed in order to
support the orphans' education:

Pencils
Pens
Erasers
Rulers
Notepads
T-shirts
Shorts (both sports & casual)
Shoes

Please send to either one of the following two addresses:

C/o Gereson Yongo
19 Galemist Lane
Brunswick, GA 31523

- or -

C/o Benta Aloo Odhil
PO Box 020-2038
City Square
Nairobi, Kenya

All donations are greatly appreciated & must be received by:
November 15, 2008

"What I know for sure is that what you give
comes back to you."

-Oprah Winfrey

Donating to the Needy and Ways to Economic Sustainability

Donkeys have always been referred to as the "beast of burden". They serve as our "flat bed truck". Owning one or two can help get one out of poverty, as they carry water to the arid areas, and bulky items to the nearest market place. Their care and maintenance is uncomplicated - they eat grass and sleep throughout the night and work all day.

These are the orphans talked about in my earlier posting. Here I am handing-over bales of maize flour, sugar and cooking oil. These are basic necessities which will sustain them for about one month. The cooking oil is for resale. It is repackaged in smaller sachets for the villagers at an affordable rate. This way they are able to purchase other food-stuffs, bathing soap and necessities. The profit from such a venture is always 70%.

In the upcoming weeks, there will be a "Donations" function linked to our blog for anyone wishing to contribute to our cause monetarily. In addition, I will post a mailing address and a list of "Items Needed" for anyone who wishes to contribute in that regard.

I am deeply appreciative of your heartfelt care and interest in supporting Our Vision: to help expand the wealth and beauty in this wondrous world we collectively call "home".

Why Now?

Every day the sun rises in the east, atop Got Huma (Huma Hills)
with a magnificent glow embarking on a westerly journey. A
journey summed with a spectacular set over Got Naya. In its
wake, scorched earth, withered vegetation, and many-a-time
some dead animals, while its beautiful golden embers later turn
to silver and shine on Lake Victoria.

As the sun, an Agok community child wakes up, too, beautiful
and innocent, to start a sure journey, hoping that today things
might be different. But the sun's glorious set brings a realization
that this was just another typical day. Another hopeless day.

A typical day: a day in which she wakes up with reed marks on
her face and arm, and saliva drool white on the corners of her
mouth. She uses her hand to smoothen the only daily clothing
(if any, which doubles-up as a pajama), blanket, and the formal
covering. She rolls her bed (reed mat, gunny sack, a cardboard
or an animal skin if she is lucky enough to have one) and places
it in a corner, looks for water to clean her face, and the rest is
gloom. 7:00 a.m. and beyond the horizon she can see the first
canoe approaching Gudwa beach. This is the critical time and a
decision must be made, either head to the beach, or to school
on an empty stomach. This is what I grew up in, and as it was
then, it is still today.

I have been going back to my village every year - in my words
to touch base with reality. This is a village I love. Despite all
the lack, they still show love. As a tradition, I usually buy sugar,
tea, salt and corn flour whenever I embark upon this trip, aside
from carrying anything ranging from painkillers and anti-
diarrhea medication to over-the-counter antibiotics. Of course,
don't forget about those used shoes and clothes I carry. In short,
I am a moving "Goodwill". While on the last trip, I had friends
visiting with me. My mother did not have the big chicken I was
looking for, so I sent the word out, who ever had one should
bring it.

Most of the time they would bring it for free as a sign of
kindness, but this year, the crops had failed and the water
hyacinth had covered Lake Victoria's shore. The canoe (baby
boats) could not dock, and the fishermen had to find other
beaches of call. Anyway, at around 9:00 a.m. a young girl,
probably twelve-years old came to our home. I saw her talk
to my mother and from a distance they appeared to be
bargaining on something. After a few minutes, my mama
beckoned me and informed me on what the girl was there for.
She had heard I wanted to buy a chicken and they had one.
The asking price was $2 but we could negotiate. I quoted
$1.50. As my mom offered this young girl a calabash of
porridge, she advised me to go and see the chicken before
making an offer. I promised this young girl that I would
be at their section of the village at around 10:00 a.m.

After she left, I enquired of my mother where their home
was and whose child she was. Mama informed me that she
was the daughter of Ochieng Ogola. Ochieng was my teacher
in middle school, a very enterprising young man. He and the
wife died of aids in 2002 / 2003. When I reached Ochieng's
village, what I saw shocked me. There were two other young
girls about eight and nine-years old, living in what used to be
their parents' grass thatched home. The first thing the
younger one said was that she was hungry and if I could just
buy the chicken so they could get food and a bar of soap to
bathe their emaciated bodies. Before I could enquire any
further on how long they had been without food, a frail looking
man in his late 30's came from the other hut. He called me by
my nickname. "Son of Agok is that you?" I responded
affirmatively. I recognized this man who used to be my fellow
herdsman - he would act as our leader. As other villagers, he
too was dying a slow death. An undiagnosed disease of which
I cannot speculate, but all said, he was in pain, surely, he was
in pain. It hurts to see another human suffer, especially when
all you can do is sympathise. That is what I did besides giving
Kenya shillings 100 ($1.30).

Back to the kids. They had been without solid food for two
days and they had not bathed for four. I was touched, moved,
and embarrassed for not doing anything about all this
suffering. I paid $10 for the chicken, and my wife Susan
gave them some clothes. Then we brought soap, corn flour,
food, sugar, salt and other necessities.

How could I have been so selfishly naïve about where I came
from? The big question on our minds was how could we help?
Whatever we brought was just for this one family. How many
were out there going through the same tormenting life? The
following day I went to the village chief to find out what the
government was doing to assist the villagers, and how I could
help. I did not get much for answers. Meanwhile, my wife
was in a conversation with a local women's group, finding out
how we could assist, what the immediate needs were, and what
age groups were being affected. After getting the answers, we
returned to Nairobi and established a contact with whom we
could stay in touch - this was to be a widow, Benta Aloo Odhil.

We agreed that any orphaned village kid should not leave
school for lack of school fees (high school) and she was to
check once every three months to provide updates. As for
the elementary school, I decided I would be sending money
every three months to buy school supplies. The big question
was how could I make this widow self-reliant while supporting
the schools? At this juncture I came up with a business model
whereby the widow buys the books from the wholesaler and in
return, I pay her the retail price. These books help in a class-
room of 40 pupils. January, 2009 will mark the second
anniversary of this project. Projects like these work and this
is a true testimony that it can be done.

This has given Benta hope that even though it will be three
months, there is something to look up for. Benta is now
responsible for ensuring that I am getting feedback on
the children's progress. She commutes every month
between Nairobi and Agok to check on the schooling
project. I have planned the next trip for January, 2009.

To date, this project has two kids in high school with hopes
that they will become what God has intended them to be.
I have done this with very minimal resources, and know
there are other kids out there who need our help...

One child at a time, one community at a time, one country
at a time, one continent at a time - together we will bridge
the gap. In my next post, I will address ways in which
you can help. I am ever appreciative of your readership
and your desire to support our efforts.

"Every one of us gets through the tough times
because somebody is there, standing in the gap
to close it for us." -Oprah Winfrey

Recommended Reading

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can
adjust the sails. "

-Bertha Calloway

Please follow this link:
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/446490/-/tj2y16/-/index.html

What is "Project Yongo"?

Project Yongo is my brainchild. Having lived and worked among
the poor in an AIDS ravaged community (among a plethora of
other diseases), I have decided to sensitize the world on the plight,
epidemic, and opportunities, which can be explored in order to
minimize, if not eradicate, the poverty within one African
community in Kenya called Agok village.

Agok village has lagged behind the rest of the country due to
cultural and political reasons, with the latter being the major
contributor. The post colonial Kenyan political system did not
favor this region. They were branded anti-government due
to the political ideologies of the country's first Vice President
who hailed from this region. This, coupled with cultural
beliefs in witchcraft (due to minimal exposure to modern
medicine, and women's inheritance), the AIDS epidemic, and
a poor infrastructure, has resulted in a lack of proper
educational materials and a high primary school drop-out.

Agok school was built through community efforts in 1972 to
cater to about 300 plus children from this village and its
environs. It was not until the mid 1980s that other
communities started to build primary schools. This is when
Buru and Ndonyo Primary Schools were born. These two
primary schools helped in off-loading the number of pupils
attending Agok, but it also meant that the limited resources
were to be divided amongst the three.

Meanwhile, for decades, the village's Gudwa Beach, has been
a beach of call for fishermen. This has had a negative impact
on the young girls in this society. Due to economic challenges,
they are forced to drop-out of school and marry some
fisherman because he can provide the much needed daily meal,
not only for the poor girl, but for her entire family.

The boys are not left out either, as they too opt out of school
to look for income-generating ideas namely fishing. This is
mainly because they cannot attend school on an empty
stomach. Even the battle hardened ones who want to continue
cannot. How does it feel to see your mama and siblings go
without food for days, only to beg from your age mate who
dropped-out earlier than you? These kids are left with very
little or no choice but to drop-out of school.

The same with AIDS orphans. The problem is this disease
kills both parents and leaves kids to take care of kids. At this
stage the choices are limited - either head to the beach and
get married or perish. And the circle continues.

In an effort to deal with the above mentioned socio-economic
ills, "Project Yongo" was born. If through it five kids (3 girls,
2 boys) can be educated up to college level, it shall have
attained its goal. Please remember the emphasis on GIRLS.
They have been told they cannot be anything in the society.
While other villages have women doctors, Agok prides itself
in none. My three sisters dropped-out of 10th grade not
because of lack but because they did not have anyone to look
up to. All they heard was 'why waste your time, get married
and start your family... nobody cares about your education'
and sure enough that is what they did, despite Mama and
Daddy's resistance. That is the focus of this project.
TO SEND A GIRL TO SCHOOL & TO EDUCATE THE ORPHANS.

Welcome

My name is Gereson Yongo. I am a native of Kenya, born in Agok
village of Nyanza province, a small community of about 4000 people
found in western Kenya. The son of Jenipher and Washington Yongo,
my father is a pastor at a local church in the village.
I am the second born of eight.

I was raised in the village of Agok at the shore of Lake Victoria.
Due to poor infrastructure or lack thereof, this village is inaccessible
during rainy season. It is a village with neither hospital nor electricity,
the nearest health facility being 20-miles away. This is where I
attended elementary school before joining Nyabondo High School in
Kisumu district and subsequently Kenya Utalli College in Nairobi, Kenya.

As any other local kid I had a rough time growing-up: going without
food, walking in bare feet, suffering from malnutrition-related
diseases, running 5-miles to and from school, balancing life between
herding cows and goats, attending school, taking care of my siblings
while my mother went to the city to sell dried fish. It took a village to
raise me. From my grandmother, uncles, nephews, and church
members to the next-door neighbor, everyone chipped in to help
send me to school.

After schooling I found myself with no option but to move to
Korogocho slums, Nairobi. I lived there for five-years, in a single
mud-wall 10 x 10foot room, with neither a bathroom nor running
water - not to mention electricity. The only good view I had every
morning was of running raw sewage in front of the house. It is in
the slums of Korogocho that I met the love of my life Susan Atieno.
As of May this year we have been married for twenty-years and
are blessed with five children. My eldest (who was born in the slums)
will be attending college this fall in Georgia, USA.

It is through hard work and dedication that I made my way out of the
slums, and I owe it to God's hands. I have worked with various
reputable hospitality organizations spanning three continents. With the
most interesting work life (in my opinion) being in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
where I lived for three-and-a-half years. I moved to the United States
five-years ago with my wife and five children.

I have participated in building churches and houses for the widows
in my village, and am currently supporting needy children through
educational funds. I have been a guest speaker in several churches
in Brunswick, Georgia and am presently working as an Outlets
Manager at a prestigious 80-year-old hotel in the coastal region of
Georgia, USA.

I believe all human beings irrespective of gender, race or religious
affiliation have latent qualities that can be tapped and molded into
whatever they want, and that poverty can be eradicated from the
face of the earth given the right tools to unlock that potential. The
key lies in education - both formal and informal.