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Update 47
Happy New Year!
Dear Friends, Kung Hei Fat Choi! It's almost Chinese New Year again. Hong Kong, the most frenetic city in the world, will soon close down for the biggest public holiday of the year. Since our last newsletter, we've had a life-changing trip to Africa and a battery-recharging trip to Australia. We saw many of you in Australia, which was a fantastic time to catch up on each others' lives. Sorry to those we missed out on meeting up with! By the way, we have added some people to the list today, so welcome to you! (to add/remove an address see note at bottom) ___________________________
SUMMARY
___________________________
* MORE FROM AFRICA
* TSUNAMI
* ASK US A QUESTION
___________________________
MORE FROM AFRICA
___________________________
Some of you have already seen our photos from the Africa trip, where we had a conference in Nairobi (Kenya), and then spent some time visiting groups in Uganda that had received goods from Crossroads. If you'd like to see the pictures, follow this link: http://www.matt-ad.com/photos.htm A few highlights from that amazing time include:
* Driving through Kibera, Africa's largest slum. We were amazed to see how 'normal' life was in the slums, with hairdressers, video shops and mobile phone card stalls, albeit thrown together out of mud and sticks.
* Being greeted with singing, dancing and high-pitched yodelling by the women of Kademi village, Uganda. A group working closely with their village had received a container of goods from Crossroads and these women had received clothing and other help from that container.
* Hearing the heartbreak of the poverty cycle in action described to us by everyone from Kenyan security guards who must live in the slums to keep costs low enough to make a living, to staff at a Ugandan NGO who are too poor to afford to buy beds for themselves.
* Experiencing the truly stunning landscape of Uganda - a fertile, lush country right on the equator. We even visited the very source of the river Nile!
___________________________
TSUNAMI
___________________________
It goes without saying that the Asian tsunami has been very much at the forefront of everyone's minds here in Hong Kong. Many Hong Kong'ers were lost, including two children and husband of one of our community volunteers. The Hong Kong community has rallied mightily, though, to donate an abundance of amazing goods.
One well-known sports clothing label offered 2 shipping containers of new shoes and clothing. Then, as our shipping department debated on whether to tightly ration valuable goods in stock like masks and disinfectant between tsunami consignees that needed them, we suddenly received a donation of 2/1/2 tonnes of face masks, and 1 tonne of alcohol gel. It's exciting to be getting these things donated at a time when they are so desperately sought after by the groups asking us for help.
Just yesterday, Adelaide spoke on the phone over a scratchy line to Indonesia to a lady coordinating the receipt of some of our goods to Aceh. This happens to be the same lady that the two of us spent time with on our trip to Indonesia last April, so we know her well. She told a sad story about the little town she was currently in, in southern Aceh. She said the townspeople described their amazement at seeing their familiar beach suddenly empty of water. The waves had receded far out to sea, and a bizarre sight met their eyes: hundreds of fish flapping about on the dry sand! Many of the children ran down to the beach to play with them and catch them with their hands. Adults followed, amazed and curious at the sight. Of course, it was only minutes later that these children and adults on the beach were swallowed up by the giant wave pummelling back into shore. Now, a month on, a lot of the survivors are living in camps, sometimes 20 people to a tent. Attempting to restore normality, the authorities have set up classrooms in tents for the children. Many of them, of course, have lost their parents and siblings so it's a miserable place at the moment, and very much in our thoughts.
The container we will send has goods that will be useful in the rebuilding stage of the community's recovery, such as school desks and chairs.
___________________________
ASK US A QUESTION!
___________________________
We're introducing a new section to our newsletters: 'Grill the Gows'. This is a spot where we'll answer questions thrown to us randomly by our large pool of correspondents (ie - you!). If you'd like to ask us any question about the work we do, the chicken's feet we eat, the life we live or anything else, hit reply with your question, and yours might be the one we answer in the next newsletter!
Thanks for reading and lots of love,
Ad & Matt
SUMMARY
___________________________
* MORE FROM AFRICA
* TSUNAMI
* ASK US A QUESTION
___________________________
MORE FROM AFRICA
___________________________
Some of you have already seen our photos from the Africa trip, where we had a conference in Nairobi (Kenya), and then spent some time visiting groups in Uganda that had received goods from Crossroads. If you'd like to see the pictures, follow this link: http://www.matt-ad.com/photos.htm A few highlights from that amazing time include:
* Driving through Kibera, Africa's largest slum. We were amazed to see how 'normal' life was in the slums, with hairdressers, video shops and mobile phone card stalls, albeit thrown together out of mud and sticks.
* Being greeted with singing, dancing and high-pitched yodelling by the women of Kademi village, Uganda. A group working closely with their village had received a container of goods from Crossroads and these women had received clothing and other help from that container.
* Hearing the heartbreak of the poverty cycle in action described to us by everyone from Kenyan security guards who must live in the slums to keep costs low enough to make a living, to staff at a Ugandan NGO who are too poor to afford to buy beds for themselves.
* Experiencing the truly stunning landscape of Uganda - a fertile, lush country right on the equator. We even visited the very source of the river Nile!
___________________________
TSUNAMI
___________________________
It goes without saying that the Asian tsunami has been very much at the forefront of everyone's minds here in Hong Kong. Many Hong Kong'ers were lost, including two children and husband of one of our community volunteers. The Hong Kong community has rallied mightily, though, to donate an abundance of amazing goods.
One well-known sports clothing label offered 2 shipping containers of new shoes and clothing. Then, as our shipping department debated on whether to tightly ration valuable goods in stock like masks and disinfectant between tsunami consignees that needed them, we suddenly received a donation of 2/1/2 tonnes of face masks, and 1 tonne of alcohol gel. It's exciting to be getting these things donated at a time when they are so desperately sought after by the groups asking us for help.
Just yesterday, Adelaide spoke on the phone over a scratchy line to Indonesia to a lady coordinating the receipt of some of our goods to Aceh. This happens to be the same lady that the two of us spent time with on our trip to Indonesia last April, so we know her well. She told a sad story about the little town she was currently in, in southern Aceh. She said the townspeople described their amazement at seeing their familiar beach suddenly empty of water. The waves had receded far out to sea, and a bizarre sight met their eyes: hundreds of fish flapping about on the dry sand! Many of the children ran down to the beach to play with them and catch them with their hands. Adults followed, amazed and curious at the sight. Of course, it was only minutes later that these children and adults on the beach were swallowed up by the giant wave pummelling back into shore. Now, a month on, a lot of the survivors are living in camps, sometimes 20 people to a tent. Attempting to restore normality, the authorities have set up classrooms in tents for the children. Many of them, of course, have lost their parents and siblings so it's a miserable place at the moment, and very much in our thoughts.
The container we will send has goods that will be useful in the rebuilding stage of the community's recovery, such as school desks and chairs.
___________________________
ASK US A QUESTION!
___________________________
We're introducing a new section to our newsletters: 'Grill the Gows'. This is a spot where we'll answer questions thrown to us randomly by our large pool of correspondents (ie - you!). If you'd like to ask us any question about the work we do, the chicken's feet we eat, the life we live or anything else, hit reply with your question, and yours might be the one we answer in the next newsletter!
Thanks for reading and lots of love,
Ad & Matt