• Have you awoken to Elephants' calls and risen with the sun on an African savannah? • Have you walked the sands of the Kalahari desert, and overlooked the wetlands of Namibia?
• Have you witnessed the Zambezi River descend Victoria Falls?
• Have you seen the Milky Way come alive and lost count of meteors as you fell asleep under the stars?
• Have you agreed to marry 7 sisters in a small Botswanan border village?
I'm happy I can answer "Yes" to all of the above... except that last one, it still haunts me.
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| Victoria Falls from Botswana |
I spent each day with families and children in remote villages playing games, talking about the weather, sharing meals, carrying water, and getting a glimpse of daily life in the heart of Africa.
5 weeks,
21,700 miles, and two showers later the return on my investment far
exceeded my expectations. I was broke. But I had something I never had
before, Perspective.
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| Endless beauty across the African plains. |
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| No safari needed |
Many people have asked me about Africa and what my experience was like. I think my response usually sounds something like this...
I stole this from WaitButWhy.com because its awesome.
Here is their original blog: Traveling To The Third World Is Great And Also It Sucks
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| From Botswana to Zambia, and then Zimbabwe |
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| Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe |
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| Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe |
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| Savannah in Botswana |
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| Remote village in Botswana |
I love this music video because it really captures the beauties of Africa. It takes me back to that African savanna, to a place that I never fully left, almost 15 years ago.
What this video doesn’t show are the hardships experienced every day in Africa. Some of the most basic conveniences in the western world are nonexistent in rural villages. It is particularly challenging for anyone battling cancer. Treatment facilities are scarce and sometimes hundreds of miles away.
Much of my immediate and extended
family have been to Africa but one of my cousins, Jon Heller, now lives
in Maputo, Mozambique with is wife Layne and their three girls, Anaya,
Jovi, and Karasi. They see these hardships every day through their work
with the Oncology department at the Central Hospital of Maputo, the only
government hospital offering Chemotheraphy.
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| Jon, Layne, Anaya, Jovi, and Karasi |
Here is a short video Jon and Layne published in 2013 sharing their vision for Casa Ahava
Have you or someone you love been impacted by the devastating impacts of cancer? If you have made it your mission to fight cancer maybe you would consider partnering with Jon and Layne, and Casa Ahava to love and care for the people of Mozambique fighting that same battle.
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| A day out at the beach |
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| Vôvô Inês and Tia Rosa |
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| Pedro |
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| Rosa |
Please visit their website to keep up with the work and the progress of their House of Love. www.jonandlayne.com
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| Me at 18. The kid on the left doesn't look too happy :) |
- David West
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