Bibi Jann

READ THE WHOLE STORY!

2013-01-24T06:17:00.000-08:00

At last we're able to share with our wonderful donors the exciting story of how Bibi Jann School and our projects evolved with THE SCHOOL THAT LOVE BUILT: A True African Adventure!

Here you'll journey with me to Tanzania, East AFrica on my first visit with Eric. Venture into the village of Mbagala. Fall in love with a handful of rag-tag AIDS orphans and poor children. Vow to help them have a real school. Become Bibi Jann, with projects ranging from school to orphanage to farm to GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA.

And you'll discover this fascinating country up close: Get caught in a riot while shopping. Meet artists, crazy chickens and former President Bill Clinton. Tour town with a gaggle of girls and you the only white person. Get robbed and suffer the futility of filing a report at with the polisi. And become friends with very poor people who still can appreciate life's joys.

THE SCHOOL THAT LOVE BUILT is Vol. 2 of the WHERE LOVE LEADS trilogy, costs just $2.99 and is easily downloadable to your computer or any reading device. And if you've ever contributed to Bibi Jann, you'll find YOUR NAME in a book!

Simply click on https://www.amazon.com/author/findjannbooks

DISCOVERING MBAGALA

2012-10-19T13:15:00.002-07:00

Sharing one's life and work abroad with family and friends is rewarding, an experience I had the summers of 2011 and 2012 with daughter Michelle Walton and her son Dorian (2012) and her daughter Ashley (2011).

My teenage grandchildren and daughter had met Fatuma Gwao when she came to the U.S. in Fall 2010, but meeting all the bibis, school kids, orphans and neighbors in Fatuma's village proved an educational and life-changing event.

They learned first-hand that religions can happily co-exist, that people don't need "stuff" to be happy, and that real problems exist in life beyond a dent in the new car. They learned how to cook on the floor, break a Ramadan fast, carry water on their heads, and kill a lion with a spear. You won't discover any of this at Disneyland!

Enjoy the pictures!

AH, KIDS - GIRLS AND GOATS

2011-02-12T23:40:00.000-08:00

This week in Dar has been a busy one for well, kids: Two-footed and four-footed.

Nineteen members of our new Smart Girls Club and four adults crammed into a van for an art field trip, with a break in-between art centers for ice cream. Fatuma and I conceived the idea for the club last June to help our older girls stay safe physically and sexually, make smart decisions and explore career opportunities.

The club began in August with Fatuma, school secretary Faridha and teacher Eva as leaders. The girls meet Thursdays in their snappy blue T-shirts with the red HIV ribbon and yellow lettering. They have colorful composition books to write in, thanks to Portland, OR friend Amy Minato's girls' group.

Smart Girls' parents and grandmas report the girls' attitudes, behavior and school grades have improved. And after their first fieldtrip to the nearby Temeke Hospital, some girls are aspiring to become doctors! Our goal is to offer alternatives to becoming teen moms and/or HIV patients.

This week, the girls visited Makutano House of arts and crafts to discover the many types of arts and how it is sold for a profit. We also dropped into the Tinga Tinga Art Co-Op, where the naive, colorful style of the late artis John Tinga is continued by family members and others. The girls each took home a sign with their names lettered on them

If any of you former scout leaders out there have suggestions for this group (so successful the boys are now demaning one!), please pass them on to us!

Saturday found Eric and I rumbling through dusty streets and crowded markets to the goat and cow auction. Here, a distant relative of Fatuma's helped us buy five goats with money earned by 5th graders at Sweden's International School of Goteborg Region. We bought a male and four females, three of whom are already pregnant.

Not surprisingly, my husband and I were the only wazungo (white foreigners) there. And boy did the folks get a kick out of this mzungo trying to tug these critters toward the pickup! These animals come from Singida, a more temperate central Tanzanian region, and must take anitib iotics periodically to prevent them from falling prey to diseases here.

By the time we jolted over miles of dirt paths to find our new shamba (3/4-acre farm), the goats were settling in to their new shelter of wood, wire and tin. They will graze openly with a goatherd watching them, and eventually - once the herd increases - will supply meat for our orphans, hopefully with some left over to sell.

More about the farm later. Below, enjoy photos of both Smart Girls and goats!

FOURTH GRADERS GET MY GOAT!

2011-01-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

What do 4th graders in Sweden have to do with goats in Tanzania?

Lots! Because these children at International School of Goteborg Region in Sweden's west coast have been busy raising money. Some did chores at home for extra money; others toted coins to school to create "money lines" to see just how far their change might stretch. These dedicated kids not only jump-started the school's fund-raiser for Bibi Jann before I spoke there last week, but they raised 3,565 SEK ($540) - enough to buy three goats for the project's new farm! Abnd even some left over to help finish the farmhouse.

These enthusiastic and generous students presented me with a huge check (see photo above), but teacher Beth Andersson and I still had to lug about 20 pounds of coins to the bank. (GRIPE: Why do Swedish banks refuse to accept coins but make you stand there and roll them yourself???)

In April, the rest of the elementary student body will raise more money for Bibi Jann by holding a Crazy Hair Day.

A huge asante sana to students, teachers, and principal for your committment to helping children so far away!

PACKING FOR TANZANIA...

2011-01-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Time for another warm month in Tanzania!

...Though I'm still warm with memories about Fatuma coming to America. Afyter three weeks as roomies, I'm eager to see my hard-wroking friend again. As most of you know, she's the original Bibi Jann school owner, now director of GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA. Husband Eric and I leave in early February for three weeks there, and I'll be posting more news from our several projects there.

But first, I'm off to Goteborg on Sweden's west coast, where American friends Beth and Christine are working with the American Women's Club and the International School there to arrange another round of fundraising. Both groups -- as well as the International Women's Club - have been such generous supporters in the past.

Which brings us to updates:

*With the $4,000 in donations and craft sales earned during her U.S. trip, Fatuma and the bibis have purchased a plot for a bibi-run farm, or shamba. Here they will raise crops and critters to feed their families and perhaps even have some left over to sell to villagers at a profit. The money bought land started a 3-room house, where the bibi families will take turns living in order to oversee (and guard!) the farm. Fatuma tells me that $2,400 is still needed to complete the little farmhouse. CAN YOU HELP?

*A March influx of student nurses from the University of Wisconsin to volunteer in Mbagala has prompted G-2-G to bring in more beds, tile the indoor toilets, etc. to accommodate the visitors. Enterprising Fatuma sees this as a way to utilize unused rooms in the Bibi House and earn some money for the organization. Louise Root-Robbins, who'll accompany the group, has discussed with me our idea of eventually running a small hotel for adventurous types - travellers and volunteers - who want to immerse themselves in the friendly Tanzanian culture. This could be our beginning. We still need bedding - and the complex lacks a much-needed water tank. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU MIGHT ASSIST WITH?

*The new, 6-acre Bibi Jann School campus is coming together, with generous help from a local Tanzanian Rotary Club saving much money on well drilling. The new campus - financed by donations by good folks like you through Salaama Tanzania -will take the school through 7th grade and eventually into secondary school. As classes move there, the present campus will revert to pre-school and new vocational classrooms. The school is run by its own board and funding by ST, which has tax-free status.

*This separation of the school and G2G enables Fatuma and I to concentrate on helping bibis and their grandkids. Since we've already accomplished so much since 2001 without the hassle of tax-free status, we've elected to keep things simple and continue that way. Every donation you make I send (or take) directly to Fatuma, the hardest-working. most responsible and conscientious woman I have ever met. Every dollar goes as you designate.

*Our six speaking engagements in the states, along with Facebook friends joining our cause, has brought in several new bibi family sponsors. Some donate $25 or $30 monthly; others give in lump sums. And several forego unneeded birthday, Christmas or Hanukkah gifts and make donations instead (the perfect gift!). Many of our grandmother-led families have no sponsors. WHAT A GREAT WAY FOR YOU TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!

*As a new school year begins this month in Tanzania, it's a perfect time to enable a child to attend school. They need school shoes at $15 a pair, school uniforms at $20, and school fees ranging from $150 to $250 (depending on grade level and school type).

*Our new Smart Girls Club for our older BJ girls - begun in September to add focus, responsibility and awareness to these pre-teen lives - has resulted in healthy and safety education, including a tour of and connection with doctors at Temeke Hospital. Some girls are now aiming at becoming doctors themselves! Thanks to Amy Minato of Portland, OR for donating journals to these girls, who are now learning a SMART way to live.

*Our September safari planning is underway - the perfect opportunity to meet BJ participants, tour Dar, visit an animal park and explore exotic Zanzibar for just $2,000 (not counting airfare). Want to join us?

A big "asante sana" to all of you!

FATUMA HITS NEW YORK!

2010-11-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

From the foot of Lady Liberty to the heights of the Empire State Building, from Central Park to Chinatown, from the Bronx's Grandparents Apartments to the World Trade Center Memorial Site -- Fatuma Gwao of Mbagala, Tanzania has "done" New York City!

Her reason for taking a bit from the Big Apple of course, was to present on a panel at Global Forum 2010 on our GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA program. But we also had time to sightsee.

We were even treated to a fine meal at an African restaurant and to front and center seats of "Lion King" by Bibi Jann supports Louise Root-Robbins and husband Ken. What a thrill that was!

Plus, Fatuma sampled different kinds of foods, including Italian and Chinese After visiting the Tenement Museum on the Lower Eastside, she noted that America's past (outside toilets and water taps, crowded housing, etc.) is very much Tanzania's present.

Enjoy the photos!

ADVENTURE OVER, REPORTS CONTINUE

2010-11-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

After three amazing weeks in America, Fatuma is safely back in Mbagala and Jann is in Portland for two weeks before returning to Stockholm.

So now we play catch-up, posting the pictures you"ll want to share with friends: our Tanzanian "Mother Theresa of Mbagala" trick-or-treating as Raggedy Ann and frolicking in her first snow at Mt. Hood with daughter Renee's family.

Yes, we were the oldest costumed kids on the streets, but I explained the candy would all be carried back to the delighted children of the village, where such goodies are called pee-pee. And bundling up to the snow, Fatuma claimed she could hardly walk, but she managed to sled and build a snowman with grandchildren Alexa, Eva, Chloe and Japanese exchange student Miho. The best part may have been warming up with cocoa in the majestic Timberline Lodge, a WPA project.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for reports and pix from our East Coast trip...

A TASTE OF TANZANIA

2010-10-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Part of the fun in exploring a different culture is sampling the food. Fatuma (who is used to hot food only) has done that here.

But then we turned the tables. She prepared a typical Tanzanian dinner for my family - masala rice with potatoes, lightly cooked cabbage with carrots and green pepper, a beef-tomatoe stew, chipati (thin bread), and more.

Not only was the food different for the Americans, but they were introduced to the muslim custom of having their hands washed at the table with a pitcher of water and bowl to catch it - plus they got to eat with their fingers (which the kids - including two Japanese exchange students - delighted in).

And Fatuma was able to cook it all on a 6-burner gas stove in a beautful huge kitchen instead of on the floor on a tiny charcoal stove! Though habit dies hard, and she did bend over to transfer one pot into another on the floor.

The next evening, we were treated to an eat-with-your-hands North African meal at Horn of Africa restaurant in NE Portland (local friends - if you haven't already, try this wonderful restaurant!). Friends Jeanne Kemp-Ware and Suzanne Graham, who visited Tanzania with us last year, joined us for a wonderful evening,sharing delicious food and the photos they took on our trip.

Fatuma and I also enjoyed a day trip to the Oregon Coast. Photos below!

COLUMBIA GORGE "DISCOVERED" BY TANZANIAN

2010-10-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

The scenic gorge that took millions of years for the Columbia River to carve was explored in just a few hours Wednesday by Fatuma.

A break in the bad weather enabled her to savor vistas of both Mt. Hood and Mount St. Helens as we drove east along the Oregon/Washington border. Neither is Mt. Kilimanjaro -- climbed by hundreds of tourists annually in her native Tanzania -- but my favorite East African enjoyed it al in her typical, silent fashion.

Accompanied by 18-year-old granddaughter Ashley, we made the usual stop at Bridge of the Gods for the Charburger burgers amid Indian artifacts before moving on to Bonneville Dam, where we caught a barge going through the locks (making the concept of this water elevator easier to understand. We glimpsed the turbines which create the electricity sold all over the Northwest, and peered out over and into the fish ladder which enables the salmon to return from the sea to spawn in their native creeks. At the fish hatchery nearby, we marveled at the nearly 9-foot sturgeon and leaping salmon, then marveled in the mists of mighty Multnomah Falls.

Sure, we Oregonians make this a part of our usual houseguest route, but seeing it -- and explaining it -- to someone with no concept of the technologies involved nor experience of the vistas and history of the gorge make it all new to me again.

A few photos below...

A FANCY FOOTWASH

2010-10-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

The woman walks miles through the pot-holed, dusty paths of her village, solving people's problems. So it somehow seemed fitting that Fatuma deserved a - well, pedicure.

At least that was the reasoning of my oldest daughter, Renee, who insisted on treating our Tanzanian guest to this little American luxury. I equivocated for myself - a waste of money, yet another example of American indulgence, ya da ya da. She insisted, I relented, and all three of us now have the fanciest toes in town. Fatuma found the experience so delightful, I treated her to a manicure, too. After all, when you've been invited to the NYC mayor's Gracie Mansion, one must look nice!

Before having the dust of Mbagala scrubbed from her feet, Fatuma spoke at my youngest granddaughters' school and soon had the 3rd and 5th graders counting in Kiswahili. She got a school tour, enjoyed a school lunch and shivered on the playground while the kids showed off their athletic prowess.

Enjoy the pictures below.

INTERPRETING AMERICAN CULTURE

2010-10-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

Acclimating my friend Fatuma to American culture here in Portland before hitting the East Coast is touching, hilarious and...well, ridiculous!

Explaining things (such as trash compactors, hotel doormen dressed absurdly, robotic dogs, massager chairs, fog machines, etc.) makes one realize how much life in the United States is grounded in unreality, excess and waste.

My daughter's Renee's "appliance tour" - dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, compactor, microwave, garbage disposal - had Fatuma agape yet appreciative, but things got crazier when son-in-law Tom introduced the fog machine (well, it IS Halloween!) and disco lazer light tosser (dancing dots all over the room!). Then the kids got the robotic dog, to the delight of the two real dogs dressed in Halloween costumes.

Renee and Tom treated us to a kids concert, where pirates were the theme. The massager chair at Brookstone was a highlight at Washington Square Mall, where it can be hard to discover to just how to turn on the bathroom taps and toilets flush magically...

Just like when the house held teen-agers, my phone rings constantly - for Fatuma. Seems the whole village of Mbagala has checked in to make sure she's OK - with little regard for the 9-hour time difference (or is it 10?). The computer stays busy too, with emails home to chronicle each day's wonders, along with a report of two new pairs of shoes!

And then there are the small gaffes - like serving one's Muslim guest a Hawaiian pizza - pineapple and you-know (think about it). And Americans not knowing that the proper way to greet is with book-end embraces on BOTH cheeks. But everyone's heart is in the right place, and I'm proud of the friendliness of fellow Americans as I explain she's a visitor and they welcome her so heartily and allow more than three garments in the fitting room.

Back in Mbagala village, where Fatuma is a respected leader, her home is filled with people and demands for food, money, solutions to assorted problems.

Here in Multnomah Village, she's got her feet up in front of the fireplace with a cup of tea, trying to stay warm. We watch the video "Bambi" one evening, and the next she falls asleep over "your book about the magic wind" - (THE WIZARD OF OZ).

Life is sweet.

(enjoy photos below)

OREGON PREMIERE A SUCCESS!

2010-10-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

How wonderful it was to look out at the audience Oct. 23 and see so many dear faces of people I who have built Bibi Jann School with their donations over the years!

The Oregon premiere of the documentary about us and craft sales brought in $1,600 for the bibis and their AIDS orphans in GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA. Most of the those present had not yet seen the film, and emphathetic sobs were audible. (Copies can be ordered at www.olddogdocumentaries.org).

Thanks to family members and friends who helped make this event possible. Nine people indicated interest in an upcoming safari to Tanzania. There's nothing more fun and satisfying than introducing friends to a place and people I care so much about, and seeing how the travel opens their eyes. The 10-dayTanzanian trip includes time in the village at our project, a guided tour of Dar es Salaam, two nights in Mikumi National Park seeing the animals, and a visit to exotic Zanzibar -- all for about $2,000, not including roundtrip airfare to Africa. Time is not yet set, but in summer or fall 2011.

COMING TO AMERICA!

2010-10-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

She's always dreamed about coming to America.

But then, dreams are nothing new to former school teacher Fatuma Gwao. When we met in 2000, she had a foundation of bricks in the dusty front yard of her home in the village of Mbagala, south of Dar es Salaam. Her dream was to build a real school, and with the help of people like you, Bibi Jann Day Care Center became BJ School up to 5th grade with nearly 200 students. Now, plans are underway (see http://www.salamatanzania.org/) to build another campus for expansion to upper grades.

Fatuma couldn't have dreamed that a documentary would be made about the gramma project which ensued. But the Old Dog Documentaries film, "Grandmother to Grandmother:New York to Tanzania", resulted in us both being invited to present on a panel at The International Forum for Child Welfare's WorldForum 2010 in New York.

It would be impossible to drop out of the sky into the Big Apple - especially when you've never flown. So I'm bringing her first to Portland, Oregon, where the first Bibi Jann donors live. She'll acclimate to our culture here among family and friends, before headingNov. 2 for the East Coast and numerous engagements.

To follow Fatuma's schedule and track her impressions, we'll include a calendar of events as a regular feature on this page, and add posts regularly with photos.

Meanwhile, join us for the Oregon premiere of the film Sat., Oct. 23 at Multnomah Arts Center in Multnomah Village in SW Portland 3-5 p.m. And it's free, with wonderful door prizes from generous village merchants, Tanzanian crafts for sale, information on joining us for a safari, professional Tanzanian photo exhibit, a raffle, refreshments and much inspiration!

Fatuma may be a bit overwhelmed, but we promise to inspire you with how much two determined women and people like you can make a big difference in this world!

Gothenberg Turns Out for Bibi Jann!

2010-05-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

You just can't beat the good people of Götenborg (Sweden's largest town after Stockholm)! Whether they are Swedes, Americans or ex-pats from other countries,they are enthusiastic about supporting our work with AIDS orphans in Tanzania.

We've enjoyed past support from the American Women's Club, International Women's Club, International School Gothenburg Region, and others there in the past. This west coast city is pronounced "Goteeborry" in Swedish and in English is spelled and said "Gothenberg."

And mid-May brings more enthusiasm from AWC!

On Friday, May 21 at 7 p.m., attend the club-sponsored cocktail party with entertainment by the Yale Alley Cats, the top-notch a capella group from Yale University (they've sung for every U.S. president since their 1943 founding!). The gala will be held at the elegant Överås Mansion at Danska Vägen 20 in the Örgryte area of the city.Jane's Place is catering, and there'll be some goodies from Tanzania for sale! Tickets are 3000 SEK, payable Plusgiro 50 55 17-3 but tickets are limited, so act fast! Follow it all at http://aidscharityconcert.blogspot.com.

Saturday, May 22 at at 5 p.m., AWC again sponsors the Yale Alley Cats in a free concert at Oscar Fredrik's Kyrkan - the perfect place for runners and fun-seekers to head after the big half-marathon ends. A club cake sale and donations will also support our orphans. The singers will provide a whole different program from that at the cocktail party.

Be there for some delightful entertainment, yummy food, and a great cause!

ROADMONKEYS CLIMB KILI, WORK AT BJ SCHOOL

2009-08-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

What can 10 vacationers do to pay back a country for the pleasure it's afforded them?

Join a group such as Roadmonkey, founded by New York Times reporter Paul von Zielbauer. Roadmonkey represents the new travel trend of philanthropical adventure. You enjoy a country, then pay it back.

In June, Paul and Stef Levner lead 10 adventurers to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, after they'd raised some $11,000 among their friends and families. After the successful trek up Africa's highest mountain, the group traveled south to Dar, checked into a seaside hotel, and set to work.

The all-woman team plus one husband built school desks, installed a pure water system (so water needn't be boiled before use), got the school cooks up off the floor by puting in two gas stoves, and painted and decorated classroom walls.

Paul says the adventurers put in long, tough days under the broiling African sun, surprised the local (male) work crew with their skills and fell in love with the children.

"Spending time at Bibi Jann was an amazing experience," says Jo Ellingson, a New Yorker designer raised in Oregon. "The community and school is filled with such love and light that will be with me forever. It is a wonderful thing you and Fatuma have built.

"I treasured every moment there - from building a relationship with
the guys that took us under their desk-building wings,to watching George (and
all of the teachers) light up the smiles of the children. Fatuma with Halima
graciously took us into their house everyday and made us feel like we were home.

"And of course all of the kids...in the school and on the dusty streets...holding
your hands,running into your arms,and just showing you how happy they were.
Unforgettable. I especially fell in love with the little girl in the golden
floral dress. She had the absolutely best giggle I have ever heard."

Roadmonkey's first trip was to Vietnam, where they built a playground for HIV-infected children. The remainder of the money raised for the Tanzania trip will be used to complete the Bibi House for homeless grandmothers and their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren.

Learn more about Roadmonkey Philanthropical Adventure www.roadmonkey.net and enjoy photos posted below.

Help me get rid of this music/noise!

2009-03-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

I made what I thought was a clever slide show, and got stuck with this horrid music, which I can't control. It's not to my taste, nor does it fit this site. I managed to delete the slide, but the noise stayed! How do I get rid of it - anybody???

WHAT A SAFARI!

2009-02-20T05:37:00.000-08:00

Wow!

How do you pack a orphans' house dedication, film premiere, East African cultural immersion, safari where you witness a male lion with his head inside a giraffe he's just killed, plus an exploration of exotic Zanzibar --- into just 10 days?

Well, 17 Americans, Swedes and a Brit just did it, on our first Bibi Jann Tour in February 2009.

Most of the travellers were good friends, and have helped build our school and now bibi house. What a great group of people!

Here's what some had to say about visiting our Bibi Jann project in the village of Mbagala, Tanzania:

LIZ: You have achieved so much, but there is clearly a need for more financing. The enthusiasm of the children shows how lazy and complacent we are in the west. We take our education for granted and don’t value the opportunities we have assuming that even if we don’t make an effort we will be taken care of. I have taught for 30 years in England and Sweden and never seen such joy in learning or so many white shirts!! How do they do it without water or electricity? Coming home I really see my home in a different light having seen how proud they are of so little.

GLENNIS: What I liked best? Meeting Bibis and the school children in the village, something one couldn’t expect during an “ordinary” tour.

JEAN: Awesome. I will carry images of the village, the school, the homes, the people in my heart forever. I want to return. Everywhere I met wonderful people.

ANDREE: This is what makes your trip so special; getting an in-depth view of life in the village, meeting the bibis and the kids; seeing how everything you’ve done has helped change their lives. I think it would be great to spend a couple of days helping teach the kids or doing crafts with the bibis – it would make the experience even more meaningful.

JUDY: "Educaton, Education is the Gateway!" Clearly the children enrolled at Bibi Jann's school are fervent believers in their school's motto. Watching the bright faces of the children as they entertained the "dignitaries" with songs sung proudly about their school brought smiles to our faces and pride to our hearts. Yes, the buildings are simple by our standards and there is more need than you can fathom whichever way you look, but the overriding impression that I and my family took away was not of despair, but of joy. The smiling faces. The small hand slipped into yours as you're walking down the street. The beaming faces of the Bibi's as they sang their welcome. Such warmth.

All of us were in the village for the dedication of soon-to-be finished Gerrit Brokx/FAWCO House, which will house five grandmas ("bibis") and their orphans families. The Dutch (Brokx)trust and American women's clubs world-wide build this complex - with a big hand from the Wicklow, Ireland Rotary club and generous individuals. Karel van Kesteren, Dutch ambassador to Tanzania, presided at the deication and ceremonial tree-planting. Plus prayers from a Muslim iman and two Christian pastors, dancing and singing by the orphans and a feast for everyone present!

The complex consists of individual bedrooms for bibis and kids, a dorm for the older boys, toilets, a big livingroom/meeting/work space for all 24 of our bibis, a detached kitchen, guest rooms, and four small stores along the street for bibis to conduct their businesses.

The same evening back in Dar, we held the world premiere of "GRANDMOTHER TO GRANDMOTHER: New York to Tanzania" by Old Dog Documentaries (go to their website to buy a copy!). What a delight to hear some 80 orphans shout and cheer as they spoted themselves and their friends in the movie! We hope the film will air on public television.

The premiere shared the spotlight with an exhibit of Tanzanian quilted wallhangings by Bibi Jann Designs (that's me). We sold about one-third of them, and the bibis sold their crafts and food, bringing in over $1,000.

The trip was so successful - and others wanted to come but couldn't then - that we'll be doing another. Think it would be especially interesting to do a specialized one for fabric fiends - creating batiks alongside the bibis and taking lessons in applique from a women's co-op on Zanzibar.

Check out photos at the bottom!

INAUGURATION DAY LETTER

2009-01-20T01:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends! As I write this here in cold, cold Sweden, I'm glued to the inauguration day ceremonies on CNN. I was inspired to write a letter to my children and grandchildren to define what this day means to me - as a person who recalls the terrible strife on the part of black Americans to achieve their rights, and a an American living in Europe and working in Africa.

Here is that letter:

January 20, 2009
Barak Obama’s Inauguration Day

My Dearest Children and Grandchildren (for you to print and save),
All of you are aware that today is a special day: the first African-American will be sworn is as President of the United States. It’s an historic moment.
Yet I wonder if you can realize just how historic, and what it means from my perspective of 64 years.
The TV, magazine and newspaper images I saw as a young woman of integration efforts in the south are unforgettable: Four little girls dead in a black church bombing. White men and women – mothers, yet – shouting and spitting on little black children as they walked to their first day in what had been an all-white school. Snarling dogs attacking demonstrators. A white woman shot as she marched in protest.
All these people wanted, black and white, were for all Americans to enjoy the same rights promised by our constitution.
You know my father was politically conservative, and he dismissed Martin Luther King Jr. as a Communist, meaning it was all some kind of a plot and therefor meaningless.
In my heart, I longed to join those marchers, those protestors and make a difference. But I’d married young and had babies, so I couldn’t hop on a bus and head for the south.
Ironically, tomorrow I’ll jump on a plane for East Africa to prepare for the tour of Americans and Swedes I’m leading, organize the dedication of the house we’ve built for AIDS orphans and their grandmas raising them, buy shoes with donor money so kids can attend school, and get ready for world premiere of the film documentary about our GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA project.
It seems only yesterday that I marveled as you, my daughters, chanted the old childhood rhyme of “Eeny Meeny, Miny Mo” … but caught a tiger by the toe. I was promoted to “correct” you and raise the N-word we’d chanted. But then I caught myself, realizing how symbolic this word change was in just one generation.
I never dreamed I’d become known as Bibi Jann, working with AIDS orphans in Tanzania, where I’ve seen the excitement about Obama’s election. Living abroad, and being “out here” in the world, it’s obvious how much the politics of our country affects others around the globe. Electing a half-black man, who has so inspired Americans and others, shows that we’ve come a long way, indeed. Our country’s constitution and all it promises as an example to the world shines bright today, and I’m proud to be an American.
It’s easy to take that all for granted when you live in the U.S. It’s easy to spout “We’re the greatest” without reflecting on what that means. It’s easy to become arrogant, to think that we always know what’s best for the world – as our last president did – and become hated for it.
Since moving to Europe, some of you have accused me of “hating America.” My response was that patriotism is NOT about believing whatever our government tells us, but about ensuring that our government adheres to the tenets of the Constitution. I’m the first person to feel tears when I hear our National Anthem, but after today I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to admit while traveling that I am American.
Know that today – half a world away from you in Sweden – I’m glued to the inauguration on CNN, hopeful that because of Barack Obama, the United States of America and the entire world will be a better, safer place for you to grow up and grow old in.
His election is the legacy of the black Americans who protested, the white Americans who marched beside them. And I like to think I’m a part of them now, helping African children find their way out of poverty and disease through education.
Daughters and son: Raise your children to respect others, stand up for what’s right and never take their educational opportunities – or citizenship – for granted. Grandchildren: Help make our world a better place each day by doing something good, whether it’s being a good friend, getting a good grade, picking up some litter or righting a wrong.
Like President Obama says, WE are the change this world needs.
Love,
Your Mom and Grandma
Jann Mitchell
Stockholm, Sweden

OBAMA FEVER BIG IN EAST AFRICA!

2008-10-23T05:03:00.000-07:00

‘’Ever since you moved to Europe you hate America!”

My teen-aged grandson hurled the accusation three years ago as we argued politics in my kitchen outside Stockholm. Obama was not yet the hope heard ‘round the world.

In fact, so many American ex-pats held little hope then. Bush had been re-elected despite our efforts, and all we wanted was for the embarrassment and shame to end. Living outside what my Swedish husband once called “the American bubble” put us on the front-line for criticism of our government’s actions at home and around the world. The empathy heaped on us after 9/11 was squandered; some of us actually lied while traveling, claiming to be Canadian.

Today, there’s no need. My “Obama in ‘08” button is a giveaway during yet another visit to Tanzania, East Africa to visit my school and orphanage at Bibi Jann Children’s Care Trust near Dar es Salaam. I haven’t experienced such an international ice-breaker since trading JFK coins with Peruvians in 1977.

Obama frenzy is hotter than the Dar days.

In the warren of crafts stalls at Mwenge, one store sports a new sign: The Barack Obama We Hope Shop. At the police station where I report my stolen bag, the cop begs for my button (but I’ve already lost enough!).

On the ferry to Zanzibar, a young man confides he actually met the Big Man in Muncie, Indiana while visiting there. “Yes, my country needs him,” I reply.

“The WORLD needs Obama,” corrects another passenger.

“I’m Canadian, and we’d all vote for him if we could,” offers a balding man with a seasick bag at the ready.

In the marketplace, a man smiles in recognition and follows me, calling, “Mrs. Obama, Mrs. Obama!” A tall Masaii tribesman beams brightly above the colorful beadwork at his neck, hails me with his spear and delivers an unlikely campaign speech in English.

I’d once explained to my grandson that patriotism wasn’t automatically swallowing whatever the President said. Rather, it was ensuring that the U.S. Constitution was upheld, respected. Now, I wished I could convey to Americans back home that their votes affect not only us, but the world.

Standing in our embassy in Dar awaiting my emergency replacement passport, I joined two Tanzanian guards watching the vice presidential debates on an overhead television. The pair was rapt, glancing from the screen only when I snorted disagreement or cheered approval.
I suddenly wished all Americans were as interested in the campaign, as well-informed as people half a world away.

Back home in Sweden, I’m visiting my step-children in Old Stockholm when I overhear a American accent. “Have you voted?” I interrupt in passing. “Already have,” the young man answers, not even breaking his stride.” Without having to ask, I know for whom. Outside the military, ex-pat Republicans are as rare as a smiling security official.

And in Goteborg on the west coast, my friend Beth and I commiserate in disbelief about our brothers – hers in North Carolina, mine in Alabama. Both have swallowed the propaganda that Obama is actually a Muslim, funded by terrorists intent on taking over the U.S. Government from the inside. “Have aliens stolen his brain?” Beth muses.

Yet in Holland, two Americans abroad for their first time wonder whether I fear my Muslim friends in Tanzania. They were the first to comfort me after 9/11, I explain patiently, the first to lend me money recently when I was robbed. The “M word” does not automatically translate to the “T word”, I long to shout at people like them and my brother.

Today, there’s more than my Obama button drawing nods. I sport a gray, Tanzanians For Obama T-shirt, his face tri-colored in green, yellow and black like the Tanzanian flag.

But my sentiment – my patriotic HOPE – is strictly red, white and blue.

DOCUMENTARY FINISHES FILMING!

2008-10-19T01:37:00.000-07:00

A long-planned dream is coming true: A documentary film about the school and GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA program of Bibi Jann Children's Care Trust!

I was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania late Sept.29-Oct. 7 to be interviewed and filmed by Anne Macksoud, John Ankele and Nick Blair of Old Dog Documentaries. They specialize in films on social issues. We also welcomed African-Americans from a similar program in The Bronx, also featured in the film.

What a shock Dar and the village of Mbagala were for these street-savvy city folk: big bugs, squat toilets, different foods. But they loved meeting our grandmas and kids, dinner at the American Ambassador's home, and a safari through Mikumi Wildlife Park. Groups of our "bibis" and kids came along for the various outings, including the ferry boat ride to Zanzibar, which the Americans missed when they decided to return home early.

The documentarians are enthusiastic about the upcoming film, and are graciously cutting a smaller version for us to show for fund-raising. Hopefully, you'll soon be able to see us on TV - or at one of the premieres we hope to hold in New York City, Dar, Portland OR and Stockholm.

Our American visitors were so touched by the poverty yet goodness that they found among the Africans, that they left clothes behind and are now gathering goods to ship to Tanzania. Enjoy some photos below.

PREPARING FOR AMERICAN VISITORS

2008-08-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

The excitement is growing, as Americans around the world prepare to descend on Dar es Salaam and our GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA program.

The first week of October, we'll welcome several African-American grandmothers and their grandchildren from the Presbyterian Senior Services grandma apartment project in New York City. They are visiting - and perhaps even discovering their roots - as part of the documentary film project mentioned below. They'll spend at least two days with their counterparts, as well as tour Dar and even take a safari to an animal park.

Black Americans often think they will blend right in visiting African countries, but many I know have been surprised at how it takes more than skin color to blend in. Why? We Americans - no matter what our ethnic heritage - give ourselves away with our openness, style of dress (tennis shoes, shorts, logo T-shirts, baseball caps) and our tendency to be a little loud!

Here in Sweden, where I live, it's fun to pick out the Americans among the many tourists sightseeing in Stockholm. And I'm usually right - tho sometimes I encounter a Canadian.

The first two weeks of February, Americans who lives overseas - as well as some from Oregon - will join us to open the new bibi house, tour Dar, visit the same Mikumi park, and ferry to Zanzibar.

Get ready for a life-changing trip, friends!

COME ON SAFARI WITH BIBI JANN!

2008-04-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Don't miss this unique, personal, inexpensive travel opportunity to see the best of Africa as you've always wanted to! All Bibi Jann sponsors and supporters are invited. See information at bottom.

YOU OUTTA BE IN PICTURES...

2008-03-30T02:48:00.000-07:00

Cameras were rolling in early March as orphans and bibis chronicled their sad stories of loss to AIDS.

But children singing, dancing, studying and playing were also captured by Old Dog Documentaries, Inc., an American film production company, at our project in Mbagala outside Dar es Salaam.

“The Grandmother to Grandmother Documentary Film Project” is a collaboration involving Dartmouth Medical School, Dartmouth College’s John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Bibi Jann Children’s Care Trust, The Grandparent Family Apartments Project (New York City), and the documentarians.

In late August, several African-American grandmothers and their grandchildren will travel from the Bronx to to Dar to meet their counterparts. I'll be there too, welcoming sister Americans and being interviewed myself.

The documentary - to be shown on television and in universities - will show the commonalties of grandmothers who have taken over the raising of their grandchildren because the young parents are on drugs, in prison or victims of the AIDS epidemic.

"We were all inspired by the positive images of the trip which are filling 15 hours of video tape," documentarian Anne Macksoud said after four and a half days of filming.

She continues: "When we got to Mbagala and met the grandmothers, we realized that our idea of bringing them back to NYC was not realistic - we had not imagined the conditions of poverty that we would see. Resources spent for a trip to NYC could better be spent on food."

Instead, they hope to film the Americans joining the African bibis in their Saturday craft-making sessions - and taking some lessons in batik-making and weaving. We may also take everyone on a field trip to a nearby animal park, the beach, etc.

How exciting! My hope is the Americans will "discover their roots" and feel a sense of kinship, and the Africans will realize even further what a caring and friendly nation we are.

Old Dog has graciously offered to cut a shorter version of the film for us to use for fundraising-purposes for GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA (known locally as BIBI-2-BIBI).