AIDS Walk Africa 2007: Day 4

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3/14/2007

A one-hour old baby yawns in the maternity ward of the Nkoaranga Hospital.

Virtual Walk
AIDS Walk Africa 2007
Day 4 - Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Read Ramona's blog.

Pre-walk
Day 1  Day 2  Day 3  Day 4  Day 5

By Heather Mason Kiefer
Photos by Jon Hrusa

Nkoaranga Overlook Walk: 14.4 kilometers, or 8.95 miles

Highest elevation: 5,180 feet

The weather was cloudy and cool for the start of our walk this morning. We were dropped off close to River Trees on a shady road lined by huge jacaranda trees. We began climbing upward, but the incline didn’t compare to the beginning of Monday's walk.

As daylight breaks over the Meru foothills, walkers begin the day's trek.

About 30 minutes down the road we were met by Mama Janey, administrative secretary of the Ngyani-Meru Co-op and Coffee Factory, where coffee farmers

The walkers tour the Ngyani-Meru Co-Op and Coffee Factory.

throughout the area bring their beans to be weighed and processed for sale. Janey walked with us until we reached the co-op a mile or so later. After we arrived, she and another employee showed us around the factory and explained how the coffee is picked, sorted, weighed, and washed. We all agreed we'll appreciate our coffee even more tomorrow morning!

Before leaving the co-op, Chris Kibuku spoke to us about fatigue and urged us to take it easy if we started to feel tired. The speech was aptly timed because the route quickly became steep. Fortunately we had plenty of shade and a nice breeze to keep us cool.

Near the top of the hill, we were led through an inconspicuous iron gate with a small sign reading, "Mulala Agape Women's Group." What we found inside was magical. There was a small shop with a perfectly manicured garden and cottage. Over the hedge was a view of tree-covered mountains as far as the eye could see.

We dropped our backpacks, thrilled that this Garden of Eden was our lunch spot. Elizabeth Crocker, a walker and part-time yoga instructor, led a group of us in some stretches. Suddenly, a grandmotherly woman in traditional African dress appeared and began stretching with us. It was Mama Anna, head of the women's group and owner of this paradise.

Mama Anna (R) leads the walkers in a dance to lunch.

Mama Anna was the most dynamic person we've met so far in Tanzania. After our stretching exercise, she began laughing, singing, and hugging and kissing the walkers. She grabbed walker Mark Brown and they danced a little jig. She led a conga line of dancers and singers back to the lawn where our food waited. And we were all captivated by her. All too soon it was time to go. We hugged Mama Anna goodbye and filed back onto the road.

Elizabeth Crocker (L) and Marta Bejuk (2nd L) share a laugh with schoolchildren.

The road leveled out and we reached the Songoro Secondary School, the site of our next adventure. Several walkers and Foundation employees had arranged to donate some soccer balls and Frisbees to the school, and the kids came tearing down the hill to play with their new toys. The walkers fanned out to play with the kids, showing off their footwork skills and passing the Frisbee (or attempting to). Other walkers spent time talking with some younger children on the road, who clamored to get their photos taken and look at them on the camera. It was a huge, glorious melee.

Two schoolchildren smile for the camera.

The route was all downhill after leaving the secondary school. We passed the Songoro Primary School, where the children poured outside and engulfed us despite the teachers' best efforts to keep them inside. The descent then began in earnest, our calf and thigh muscles straining as we picked our way down the rocky path.

Just as we began to feel we couldn’t take another step we reached Nkoaranga Hospital, our final stop of the walk. Nkoaranga is an 80-bed hospital that receives support from the Foundation for both prevention of mother-to-child transmission and care and treatment services. The head physician, Dr. William Mulacki, met us in the driveway along with Dr. Chrispine Kimario, a care and treatment officer in the Foundation's Tanzania office.

We were led to a group of chairs under a tree behind the hospital where Dr. Mulacki gave us a short briefing on

Jessica Hancock shares a moment with a child at the Nkoaranga Orphange.

Nkoaranga's services and introduced some of his staff. After Foundation President and CEO Pam Barnes spoke briefly, hospital nurse Grace Sarakikya presented Pam with a bouquet of flowers handpicked from the hospital's gardens.

We then took a brief tour, which included a visit to the nearby orphanage run by the hospital. At Nkoaranga Orphanage, we cradled the babies, many of whom fell asleep in our arms, and played with the toddlers. One lucky walker, Maria Croccito, was spit up on by the boy she was holding — but she was having too much fun to care. After an hour of playing, we boarded our Land Rovers and headed home, exhausted but exhilarated.

Jessica Montilla plays with a child.

At dinner, Dave Van Note announced that the walking portion of AIDS Walk Africa was officially over. We didn't know whether to cheer or cry. Tomorrow we will complete two community build projects and we're looking forward to the change of pace. No doubt we'll sleep well tonight!