Ruth (center) and assistants Doris and Josephine, are getting ready to use the newtruck to take some food to the orphans in Souza, Mbanga, Njombe and Penja.

The Friends ofWomen, Environment, and Health

May, 2009

Dodge Dakota finally reaches WEH workers

In February the 4-wheel drivepickup purchased by The Friends ofWEH for use in Cameroon finally wasturned over to Women, Environmentand Health. If only the truck could tellof its journey!

The Dodge Dakota shippedout from the harbor in Baltimore inlate November. The Friends of WEHboard members who were inCameroon in January got word that thetruck had arrived in the harbor atDouala while they were there, but alsolearned that clearing customs is a verycomplicated matter. In fact, the truckwas not released to WEH until after the boardmembers had left Cameroon. It was necessary to hirea customs broker, wait nearly a month, and paycustoms fees before it could be released. Then it wasdiscovered to have been dented on the passenger sideeither in transit or on the dock. But Ruth Titi-Manyaka (center) and her associates were overjoyedto receive it, and immediately put it to work on theroads to and in the villages.

Adopt-an-orphan program startedSeveral years ago the government of

Cameroon received a Global Fund grant to assistAIDS orphans and vulnerable children. Thegovernment selected WEH, among other non-government organizations, to do the work on theground. Since then, WEH has received quarterlygrants from the government to purchase groceriesfor the nearly 500 orphans it oversees, and to payschool fees and costs. This spring WEH receivedword that the Global Fund grant to the governmenthad not been renewed. Now what would WEH dowith the orphans who had come to depend on it?

When Linfield College students and staffheard, they recognized that this was a real crisis. In

an effort to keep children in school, they developeda “Sponsor-an-Orphan Program.” Ruth sent thenames of the children with the highest needs, theirstories and pictures. Students began to speak togroups about WEH, and to offer individuals,families and organizations the opportunity tosponsor an orphan. The first organization to requesta presentation was Kol Shalom, a HumanisticJewish Congregation in Portland, Oregon. Theresponse has been heart-warming as people expresstheir appreciation for being able to give in this way.

For more information, or to become involved inthis program e-mail Sherry Archer atsarcher@linfield.edu.

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The Board of The Friends of WEH sets new goals in online meetingDuring the first week in April, the members

of the Board of The Friends of WEH held its firstAnnual Meeting – online. Scattered throughout theWest from Seattle to Arizona, the board memberstook advantage of modern technology to hold themeeting. Using the pbworks website, the boardmembers all contributed to discussion of the itemson the agenda and cast their votes when relevant.The most important item was redefining the visionof the non-profit. Purchasing a pickup truck for usein Cameroon had been its first goal. Thataccomplished, new horizons needed to beestablished. It was agreed to pursue the following:

• Continue supporting the costs of gasolineand maintenance of the truck.

• Develop a pilot project of “adopting” anorphan or vulnerable child in Cameroon inorder to fund the child’s school fees,supplies, and other costs.

• Continue partnering with Linfield CollegeSchool of Nursing.

• Support WEH's dream of building a centerfor vocational and life skills training in themidst of the villages served.

To accomplish these goals, the board will continueto reach out to friends and associates who also wantto respond to issues of poverty in Africa. Thebroader the base of support, the stronger theresponse can be.

New officerswere elected in theonline meeting.President AllanAnderson hadrequested to stepdown as president, sohe was replaced byDavid Groff who,though he is retiringfrom his position asAssociate VicePresident forAcademic Affairs/Director of thePortland Campus, will remain deeply involved insupporting the Friends’ efforts in Cameroon. Hewill officially assume the office in July. SherryArcher and Carol Hosler were returned to the officesof Vice-President and Treasurer, respectively, andHosler will continue as statutory agent for thecorporation which is incorporated in the State ofArizona. Additionally, a new board member wasofficially added to the roster. Katie White, a nursingstudent at Linfield who participated in the internshipprogram in Cameroon, and who is graduating thisspring, will represent her class on the board.

More information about the board andminutes of the meeting can be found on the website:http://wehfriends.pbworks.com/

Millennium Development Goals provide a challenging agendaThe Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 thatrespond to the world's main development challenges.The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targetscontained in the Millennium Declaration that wasadopted by 189 nations and signed by 147 heads ofstate and governments during the UN MillenniumSummit in September 2000.

The eight Millennium Development goals are:

1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

2: Achieve universal primary education.

3: Promote gender equality and empower women.

4: Reduce child mortality.

5: Improve maternal health.

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

7: Ensure environmental sustainability.

8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development.

These goals synthesize, in a single package,the most important commitments made separately atthe international conferences and summits of the1990s. They recognize explicitly theinterdependence between growth, poverty reductionand sustainable development, and they bringtogether committed people from around the worldwho wish to address these issues. The Friends ofWEH, partnering globally with WEH, addressesvirtually all of the MDGs. It seeks to make theglobal circle of support even larger by invitingothers to respond to human need in concrete ways.

Allan Anderson retires asPresident of the Board ofDirectors.

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Linfield College’s mid-term internship

Student nurses save lives and are changed in the processIn January, fifteen nursing students from

Linfield College worked with WEH in Cameroon. Itwas the second mid-term multi-cultural internshipprovided by the college in Cameroon. The college,with its main campus in McMinnville, Oregon, andits nursing campus in Portland, has an excellentreputation for its cross-cultural programs.

The roots of the program go all the wayback to the 1960s when Friends of WEH president,Allan Anderson, set out to find backing to educatean African girl. That girl wasRuth Musunu (Titi Manyaka).After graduating fromLinfield in 1969, she returnedto Africa. In recent years thetwo paired up again andproposed to their alma materthat the partnership beestablished. The first “TeamCameroon” went to Africa in2007.

Again this winter, fornearly four weeks, nursingstudents went with WEH staffto villages in Cameroon,assessing the health needs offamilies, providing direct carewhen possible, and referring persons to communityclinics and hospitals when necessary.

This year’s students were accompanied byfour board members of The Friends of WEH. Directmedical care was provided by Barbara Stone, who isa nurse practitioner. The other board memberspresent were the Rev. Carol Hosler, one of thefounders of The Friends of WEH (and one of Ruth’sroommates at Linfield College), David Groff,Director of the Portland campus, and Sherry Archer,Linfield Assistant Professor of Nursing. Stone’shusband Joe also participated.

The powerful nature of the journey is bestdescribed in the students’ papers about theirexperience:

The students were hit in the face with therealities in developing countries. AlejandrinaAsuncion Felipe said, “In particular, I was reallystruck by the number of people suffering frommalaria and hunger, and how little it would take toimprove their lives. . . . Working with the Cameroon

population, the statistic that ‘thousands of peopledie from malaria throughout Africa every year,because they can't afford treatment,’ became a starkreality to me.”

Michelle Funes said, “I will never look athealthcare the same way again. . . . I didn’t reallyunderstand what it was like to not have access to anytype of healthcare at all. . . . There simply are nosafety net clinics or systems.”

The students found that they couldchange lives. Amanda Barlow said, “A migrantworker was given a mosquito net to protect herselfand her baby from malaria. That one mosquito net,which would not have been distributed had we notbeen there, perhaps saved two lives. I gave ajaundiced mother two months worth of prenatalvitamins which contain 100% of the dailyrequirement of iron. It is possible that this woman’seyes are now white and no longer bulge. It ispossible that she and her baby live because Linfieldnursing students came to Cameroon.”

The students gained cross-culturalcompetency. Katie White, who has been appointedfrom the group to serve on the board of The Friendsof WEH, said, “Through communicating with Ruthand WEH, we were given a lesson in culturalcompetency; we exercised our ability to interactwith other cultures. We also watched Ruth role-model cultural competency. . . . She sat with us,addressed our group’s values and beliefs and thenformulated mutual goals for the experience.”

Linfield nursing students are welcomed by a village chief to serve the people of his village.

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The students gained a whole newunderstanding of Public Health. Michelle Funessaid, “Partnering with the grassroots organization,WEH, was an astounding opportunity to experiencethe workings of public health. . . .I learned about theimportance of empowering women to impact changein communities, and the successes and challenges ofHIV adherence programs. . . . . I discovered theimportance of giving respect to community leaders,whether with visits or with whiskey.”

The students learned the value ofcollaboration. Chloe Buechler said, “ One of themost challenging portions of this trip, as well as oneof the most valuable, has been the work we havedone in collaboration with WEH. This NGO hasshown me that anything is possible if enough peopleare willing to put in the time and dedication. . . . .Through this collaboration I have gained insight intothe complexity of the health challenges of thiscountry.”

“As a group, we could not have gone intothe villages without the members of WEH educatingus about how individuals view certain ailments,helping us build trust and rapport with communitymembers, and being there to ensure that follow upwill be made,” said Sarah Shintaku. “Comingtogether as a group with members of The Friends ofWEH, Barbara, Joe, and Carol, and learning how toeffectively communicate and collaborate wasone of the most important components ofachieving our other objectives for the course –to understand the health concerns of acommunity and plan culturally.”

Bryaunna Totten said, “I learned howto collaborate with community members andorganizations . . . We experienced how roughthe process can be when bringing in individualideas without the support of local people. Onthe other hand, we experienced how thequality and quantity of our services greatlyimproved once local support and collaborationwere established.”

The students learned that you knowthings differently when you learn them firsthand. Lisbeth Pelsue said, “In returning to Portlandafter the experience of traveling in Cameroon I feellike I see the world through a slightly differentenlarged lens as compared to my perspective beforethis journey.”

Rosa Luy said, “It was amazing to learnabout a culture beforehand and then really

experience the culture. It was much differentfundraising and then seeing the faces of the peoplewe were actually fundraising for. . . . It wasextremely meaningful to be working with anorganization with a sustainable goal. . . . Most of all,I learned that there were many differences betweenus but so many similarities too, which makes theworld feel that much smaller.”

And the students learned importantlessons for their careers in nursing. AmandaBarlow said, “I realize that my view of my patientsand my approach to global health care must change.I cannot dwell on the things I could not solve or thepeople I could not help. Instead, I must focus on thegood that was done and handfuls and handfuls ofpeople that were helped by my presence.”

Michelle Funes said, “Because of myexperience I feel that I will not take health care forgranted and I feel even more strongly aboutimproving health and increasing access to healthcare around the world.”

“On the second day of assessments at theChief’s house of Mbanga,” said Leslie Kacalek, “Iwas pleading with a grandmother to take her twograndchildren to the hospital. They both had malariawith temperatures of 104° F. She was unsure howshe was going to get enough money to make ithappen. It was devastating to see the lives of two

children in danger because of what manyof us would consider pocket change. Iwrapped wet towels around thechildren’s heads to help cool them, andwe crushed children’s Tylenol into safedoses. I left this experience a differentperson. Under the mango tree, I learnedto be creative with what resources areimmediately available, the benefits ofteamwork with my partner and professor,and the importance of communicationand building rapport with who’sinvolved. . . . Most importantly, I learned

the calamity of malaria in Cameroon and its directeffect on children and families. I also learned thatthe need and desperation is overwhelming, and Isimply can’t save every life. I retreated to the busthrough the crowds of people pushing their babieson me, and had my first tears of mental exhaustion.”

Not everyone can experience what these studentsdid. Not everyone can learn of the needs first hand.But anyone can choose to be a partner to fightpoverty, hunger, and senseless death.

Hosler enjoyed holdingbabies the most.

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WEH and The Friends of WEH set their sights highNew and ambitious plans

were established over a lingeringbreakfast on a hot tropical morningin Cameroon in January.

Linfield’s nursing students,their advisors, and WEH volunteerswere on holiday for the weekend atthe ocean beach at Limbe. (WARMAtlantic waters!) With RuthMusunu Titi Manyaka, Director of WEH, the collaborative friendsdreamed big.

To do its work moreeffectively, WEH needs to developa vocational/life skills center in theheart of the villages it serves.Currently, the organization operateslargely out of Ruth’s home in thecity of Douala, and several borrowed or rentedspaces in villages. Space is scarce for classes,artisans, and guests. There is no space for studentswho travel long distances to pursue their vocationaltraining, and bulk beans and rice had to berepackaged for distribution on Ruth’s veranda.

WEH wants to build a training compoundwhich, eventually, would include all these functions.The plan is to develop the compound in phases,making sure that each new component in the plan isfully self-supporting before adding other

components. Hopefully, a decade or so from now,the compound will be a buzz of activity: women willbe in training to produce African ethnic fabrics andproducts. They will be learning to retail theirproducts while orphans learn welding, masonry andother building skills. Others will be learning moreefficient ways of growing crops including manioc,which others will purchase to make starch – aproduct widely used in Africa. Co-ops will becommon and resources such as water will be shared.Solar installations may feed power back into thegrid. Perhaps health insurance will have beennegotiated for participants.

And there are friends of WEH who arestrongly committed to seeing it through. Thecommitment of Joe and Barbara Stone and CarolHosler and Linfield College was only strengthenedby this winter’s visit.

It is possible to realize this vision, but it willtake the collaboration of many partners around theworld who are willing to give on a regular basis,major grants, and lots of matching funds.

Carol Hosler was tickled to share a greatAmerican wisdom with the Africans. “How do youeat an elephant?” “One bite at a time.”

Anyone up to a taste of elephant?

Breakfast confab, l to r: Linfield Assistant Professor Sherry Archer, WEH Director Ruth TitiManyaka, Joe Stone, Nurse Practitioner Barbara Stone, Linfield Portland campus directorDavid Groff, and Assistant Dean of Nursing Peggy Wros. (Photo taken by Carol Hosler.)

An elder in the village of Mangamba shows the Titi Manyakasthe property he would like to donate for WEH’s vocational/lifeskills center. Ruth is on the right; her husband Raphael is onthe left.

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Opportunities for partnerships in Cameroon continue to expandSeveral visits this winter in Cameroon

began laying seeds for possible partnerships in thefuture. Ruth Titi Manyaka, Barbara and Joe Stone,and Carol Hosler visited one of the hospitals in anetwork of hospitals owned and operated by theCameroon BaptistConvention. Earlier inthe year they had metTom and Edith Welty,American doctors who serve at one ofthe network hospitalsfor several weeksannually. They hadbeen very helpful in preparations for this winter’strip, and continue to be. Correspondence betweenNurse Practitioner and Board Member BarbaraStone continues, both with the Weltys and withpersonnel in Cameroon.

Another important contact was made withthe United Methodist Church in Cameroon. BoardMember Carol Hosler, though an Episcopal priest, iscurrently serving a Methodist congregation in thesmall Arizona town to which she retired. Desiring toadd another strand to the weaving of relationships,she contacted Methodist missionaries in Yaounde,the capitol of Cameroon. On the last day beforeleaving Cameroon, she and Barbara Stone rode theinterurban bus to Yaounde and met the pastor andseveral of his staff members.

The hearts of all thenurses and WEH Boardmembers went out to a smallclinic in Souza. A quick tourrevealed that the clinic isgrossly under-supplied.Dedicated nurses and healthworkers do the best they can with very little. Thestudents left medical gloves and unused medicineswith the clinic, and enough mosquito nets to protectthe dozen or so beds in the facility – especiallyimportant for the babies who are born there.

Hosler left amicroscope donatedby the clinic in hersmall town – andtaken in hersuitcase. It wasreceived on behalfof the clinic by themayor of the town.

Thus, the web of aid continues to expand as theFriends of WEH, formally partnered with WEH andLinfield College, seeks to respond to the incredibleneed in Cameroon.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Most importantly, make a contribution. It wouldbe especially helpful, even as the financialsituation in the U.S. remains insecure, to help thepoorest of the poor by committing to makeregular contributions. (See the attached donorform.) Your prayers for all that WEH and TheFriends of WEH are doing would also beappreciated.

And if you are receiving this newsletterby mail – and you have an email address – pleaseprovide that address. It will save us unnecessarypostage. Send your email address to:

carol_hosler@msn.com

WEB LINKS

http://wehfriends.pbworks.com

http://mycameroontrip.blogspot.com

http://npincameroon.blogspot.com

http://teamcameroon.shutterfly.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2JBU4Z5NhE

(In French) http://www.weh-fse.com/

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Friends of WEH Donation Form

Donor’s Name _____________________________________________________________________ Date ____________________

Email Address _________________________________________________________________ Phone ______________________

Mailing Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________

City __________________________________________State/Province _______________________ Zip Code ________________

Contribution amount _____________________

9 Is this a one-time contribution?

Or would you be willing to make a regular contribution for the ongoing work of WEH?

9 Monthly 9 Quarterly 9 Other __________________

Please put my contribution toward:

9 The greatest need

9 Mosquito Nets to prevent malaria in children and the elderly

9 Keeping WEH’s truck fueled and maintained

9 Matching fund for Life Skills/Vocational Center

9 Keeping a child in school

9 I have an idea about another way to help:

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to sponsor a child, contact the Sponsor Coordinator Sherry Archer at sarcher@linfield.edu

or write to her at: 3224 NE 17th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212

Signature ___________________________________________________________________________

Mail this form, with your check, to The Friends of WEH

PO Box 171

Kearny, Arizona 85137

Or you can make an online donation through PayPal at www.wehfriends.pbworks.com.

If you do, please send an email with the above information to the Treasurer: carol_hosler@msn.com