Election Day in Mozambique

Dear Friends, Hope you are all doing fine!

Here in Mozambique there is a lot of excitement as the Presidential elections are  this Wednesday!! There are a lot of Parades, dancing, loudspeakers, and campaigning. It is peaceful.

Of the many parties and candidates, we are quite sure that the ruling party, Frelimo, will win. The current President of the country- and of Frelimo- is Armando Emilio Guebuza, the wealthiest man in Mozambique(or one of them.)

Don’t know why we all seem to want to elect the wealthiest people in our countries who are so removed from the everyday concerns of regular people.

I hope Ms. Goodalls’ classes are following this African election. Perhaps you will get results before we do here. Let me know.
You know, there is an award given to an African leader each year who shows democratic leadership, perhaps steps down in a timely manner, etc. It is not being awarded this year.

ALL THE CANDIDATES PROMISE TO END POVERTY!!
I’ll introduce you to a  25 year old woman we visited last week. A medical student and I walked through a huge neighborhood to reach her. We went through garbage, standing water, tiny cement block houses, no plumbing, pit latrines, a press of humanity. This woman is HIV positive. Her husband died last year of AIDS. Her 4 month old baby is in an orphanage, as she can’t nurse him. Her 2 and a half year old is with her in a one room, hot cement block house. He’s had malaria and looks malnourished to me.
She depends on her brother who has a small Kiosk in the neighborhood selling small food items.

The Med student, Edy Nacarapa,, got her into a HIV support group where she gets beans, cooking oil, powdered milk, and emotional support.  He got the toddler to the hospital when he was sick. But she can’t work and is lethargic, as is the child. Her sleeping net to prevent malaria is all ripped up. She needs a lot of help. Multiply her by millions and where to start??

Each medical student has 3 families assigned to them in the “ghetto”. They are supposed to visit them once a month. Edy is doing a terrific job, but some of the students make up reports and don’t visit their families.

If anyone hears first as to who wins the elections and majority in Parliament, let me know. Meanwhile, take care!

All the best, Emily/Ms. Wesson

The Beira Corridor

Greetings All,

Hope this finds everyone doing super.  Almost half way through 1st Semester!!

I want to try to describe the Beira Corridor to you. This is a 300 Km road straight from Beira, across Mozambique to Zimbabwe.

When we lived in Zimbabwe, I  just itched to go down to the ocean from Zimbabwe to Beira on this road. But the civil war in Mozambique was full on and there was no way. People were ambushed and convoys blown up on the corridor. It was never a possibility to go. So now, living at the Mozambique end of the Corridor and traveling back to Zimbabwe through a peaceful country was profound and deeply encouraging that people can recover and have school, agriculture, safety, and life!!

This is the end of the dry season...rains start soon. People were burning the fields, everything was brown, on fire, smoky. Like Dante’s Inferno! It was pretty grim looking.

Along the way were many small villages...always  round mud huts with thatched roofs or cement block houses with metal roofs.  Today, Sunday, the road was full of people...walking, sitting, biking, driving. There is lots of truck traffic, too.

The bikers! On their single speed, they are carrying MASSIVE, HEAVY loads of wood or charcoal or their wife and baby, or friend, or chickens. It’s serious.

The women are carrying loads on their heads and babies on their backs. They are filling large water containers and carrying their families’ supply home on their heads.

Lots of people are selling tomatoes, bananas, green peppers, cashews, etc. Lots of little kids do this job.

There were many people heading back from church, walking a very long way. Also people sitting around visiting, as Sunday is a day of rest.

The trucks are loaded high and then there are people sitting on the load or on the cab roof, hurtling along at 60 miles an hour.

There are goats, cattle, dogs and chickens along the road, too. The Mango trees are loaded with fruit that will be ready when the rains start.

And potholes 1 foot deep, randomly scattered along the entire way. (We got a flat.)

You can easily find this road on the map. Find Beira on the Indian Ocean and you will see it is a straight shot to Zimbabwe. 

Sending many greetings and hope you are all fine.

Sincerely, Emily/  Ms. Wesson

Early Bike Ride

Greetings!!! Hope all is well at school, work,home!!

Due to jetlag, I was off on my shiny bike at 6AM last week. I headed along the sandy beach road of this city of half a million. For 15 minutes the street was empty, then at 6:15, it was suddenly flooded with elementary school kids,headed for school. They wear school uniforms..navy blue shorts and skirts, and light blue button down shirts. Everyone looked pretty tired, but one managed to shout,"Ola, Blana ! (branca in Portugese)

I passed the big orphanage for babies. The HIV Infection rate is 35 % in pregnant women, and women are infected at twice the rate as men.

Out on the ocean I saw hundreds of dugout canoes and larger, double ended dory-like boats headed out for fishing. It was quite a sight! A few have sails made of tarps, garbage bags, etc,, some have motors and many are paddled.

Beyond the fishing boats were quite a few huge freighters. This is a big, busy port and route from and to the East, and up and down the coast of Africa.  So exciting! My husband was friends with a captain from the Czech Republic and got to go out to his vessel. But alas, he was fired for being drunk on the job, so I missed the chance to get out on a freighter!!

Sending all the best. It is getting hotter by the day, as summer approaches.
Emily /  Ms. Wesson

Welcome to Peephole on Africa

Greetings, Friends!! Hope this finds EVERYONE doing fine!! I hope I am not
too presumptuous to write now and then to the conferences, but I would love
to share my time in Africa with you and have you feel like Beira is a
familiar place to you,too. And we have an extra room if you can get here!!

POA...PEEPHOLE ON AFRICA...as this is a tiny view of a vast, varied
continent. It's like writing on behalf of the United States from downtown
Orono.

I brought a new, shiny 7 speed bike to get around. Everyone has old, heavy,
very beat up bikes. I hate to have every one on the streets look at me an my
bike, but that's the breaks! I just try to sit up straighter!!

Next time I 'll write about my first bike ride. Have been looking for the
babies who sat in the sidewalk with no parents in sight last April. I think
they are mobile now..
Sending you all many greetings and wishes for a strong year!! Emily
Wesson....