[Scpg] Saturday Nov 8th Ojai Fundraiser for Africa Global Resource Alliance /Tanzania/Permaculture

[Wesley Roe and Santa Barbara Permaculture Network]

Hi-

Please spread the word on this great fundraising event  Saturday  Nov
8th 7:30PM in Ojai at Sacred Space 410 Bryant 
Cir, Ojai, CA.. Global Resource Alliance is based 
in Ojai and is doing amazing work in Africa in the areas of
permaculture, holistic medicine, AIDS support, and more.

For More Information

If you have questions regarding Global Resource Alliance,

Global Resource Alliance, Inc.
963 Oso Rd.
Ojai, CA 93023
PHONE: (805) 646-4439

E-mail us: 
<mailto:info at globalresourcealliance.org> 
info at globalresourcealliance.org



Global Resource Alliance
  http://www.globalresourcealliance.org/about.htm


History

Global Resource Alliance, Inc. is an 
all-volunteer 501(c)3, non-profit organization 
headquartered in Ojai, California. It was founded 
in April 2002 to provide financial and technical 
support to community organizations in the world's 
least developed regions working for social, 
economic and environmental change.

Vision
We believe that each person on earth has a right 
to the resources necessary to enjoy a life of 
dignity and an environment that fosters personal 
growth and development. We believe that natural, 
holistic and environmentally sustainable 
solutions are the best path, and that through 
sharing, cooperation, accountability and 
grassroots participation, this vision can become 
a reality.

The strong community spirit found throughout 
Tanzania, and other African nations, has given 
rise to a host of non-profit, community based, 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated 
to one aspect or another of sustainable community 
development. We feel fortunate and honored to 
collaborate with these organizations in achieving 
our shared goal of bringing hope, joy and 
abundance to communities shackled with poverty, 
malnutrition and disease.

Kinesi Village Project

GRA is currently focusing much of its attention 
and resources on a rural East African community 
called Kinesi Village. Like many small villages 
in the Lake Victoria region of Tanzania, average 
per-capita income is less than 50 cents a day. 
Many of the comforts we take for granted - like 
safe water, plumbing, electricity, telephones and 
television - remain distant dreams to all but a 
handful of village residents.

The Kinesi Project is GRA's small contribution to 
meeting the 
<http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/goals/index.htm>United 
Nations Millennium Development Goals, which aim 
to halve the number of people in the world 
suffering from abject poverty, hunger and lack of 
access to clean water and basic sanitation by the 
year 2015.

GRA and its village partners have identified nine 
key areas of development essential to achieving a 
life more abundant for the people of Kinesi:

Water resource development - focusing on primary 
("earth generated") groundwater sources
Alternative healthcare - with special attention to malaria control
Education - enhancing primary & secondary school enrollment and facilities
Microfinance - small loans to promote micro-enterprise activities
Organic gardening and permaculture
Appropriate technology - utilizing wind and solar energy
Sustainable housing - using stabilized earth block
Sanitation - promoting the use of simple composting toilets
Care of orphans and disabled members of the 
community, such as those impacted by the AIDS 
pandemic.

All GRA's programs and projects are designed and 
implemented in collaboration with local residents 
and organizations through a process called 
Community Participatory Development, where all 
residents are represented and claim a stake in 
the positive outcome of projects.
Hopefully, the natural, holistic and sometimes 
unconventional approaches which prove successful 
in Kinesi will serve as models for other 
sub-Saharan communities striving to improve their 
quality of life by living in harmony with nature 
and working cooperatively to ensure that each 
member of the community enjoys a life of dignity, 
joy and abundance.


Water is essential to overcoming hunger, poverty 
and disease, yet worldwide, more than one billion 
people still lack access to safe drinking water. 
Five million people, mostly children, die each 
year from water-borne diseases - double the 
number of deaths caused by AIDS. Some 60% of all 
infant mortality is linked to infectious and 
parasitic diseases, most of them water-related.

In December 2003, the UN General Assembly 
proclaimed the years 2005 - 2015 to be the 
International Decade for Action, "Water for Life" 
- an international drive to bring safe water and 
basic sanitation to communities around the world. 
The goal set by the 
<http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/index.htm>UN 
Millennium Project is to halve, by 2015, the 
proportion of people without sustainable access 
to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

GRA has responded to the call by initiating a 
bold and unconventional water resource 
development project called "Maji Mengi" (Abundant 
Water). Utilizing innovative techniques developed 
by the late Stephan Riess, of Ojai, CA, we will 
begin drilling boreholes and developing wells in 
communities throughout the Mara region of 
Tanzania suffering from severe water shortages. 
The project's leader, Pal Pauer, is a protégée of 
Riess with over thirty years experience locating 
and tapping the abundant, crystalline water found 
in fractured primary rock.

Kinesi, a village of 5,000 residents in the 
Tarime district of Tanzania, will be the first 
site developed beginning September, 2007. 
Residents presently use polluted, untreated water 
from Lake Victoria for drinking, bathing, 
cooking, irrigation and laundry. Clean, safe 
water will not only dramatically reduce the 
incidence of cholera, typhoid, dysentery, 
schistosomaisis and other parasitic infections, 
but also demonstrate the potential of "earth 
generated" water to enhance the quality of life 
in communities currently without access to safe 
sources of water.

About Primary Water
Primary water is created within the Earth's 
interior and travels toward the surface via 
fissures and fractures in primary rock. It is 
accessed by drilling directly into bedrock, often 
at depths of just 150 to 300 feet. Also referred 
to as new, juvenile, or earth-generated water, 
discussions of primary water can be found in 
modern literature, although it is not generally 
recognized by the hydrological community. It's 
potential to ameliorate the world's growing water 
crisis remains largely unrealized.

Evidence of primary water comes from a variety of 
sources. Natural springs, for instance, can be 
found throughout the world that have been 
producing thousands of gallons of pure, fresh 
water per minute continuously since biblical 
times. Many of these, like the Fountain of Apollo 
in Libya and the Ain Feigh in Syria, have seeded 
civilizations. Others, like the giant spring 
gushing from solid granite in Kings Canyon 
National Park, are merely wonders of nature.

In addition to these naturally occurring springs, 
primary water is often encountered accidentally 
when tunneling through rock for mines, roadways 
or waterways - even at high elevations, far above 
any drainage basin. The famous Comstock silver 
mine on the Eastern slope of Mt. Davidson near 
Nevada City, for example, pumped over 5 million 
gallons a day out of flooded mineshafts until the 
pumps failed and the mine was closed in 1886. In 
the 1950's water was struck tunneling through the 
Santa Ynez Mountains in Santa Barbara that flowed 
at over 13 million gallons a day. Construction 
was halted until the gushing fissure could be 
sealed.

Many castles in Europe, built hundreds of years 
ago on high rocky promontories, have wells hand 
hewn in solid rock that have been producing 
fresh, pure water non-stop for centuries. More 
recently, in the past ten years, exploration 
projects in Sudan, Somalia and the West Indies 
islands of Trinidad and Tobago have successfully 
tapped the abundant water locked in fractured 
bedrock. By defying conventional hydrological 
wisdom, an innovative engineering company was 
able to obtain yields of up to 50 times that 
estimated by the "experts", at a fraction of the 
cost of other alternatives.

Utilizing techniques perfected over many decades 
of experience, GRA's primary water project will 
demonstrate practical, economical approaches to 
locating and tapping the Earth's abundant water 
to meet the needs of communities suffering from 
severe water shortages.




Organic Gardening

Organic gardening is a method of growing food 
without the use of chemical fertilizers, 
pesticides or genetically modified organisms 
(GMOs). Instead, mulch and organic compost is 
used to enhance soil fertility and natural 
botanical substances like neem are used to 
discourage pests. Fruits and vegetables grown 
organically are high in enzymes, vitamins and 
minerals, making them both more delicious and 
more nutritious than conventionally grown 
produce. By eliminating the damaging effects of 
synthetic and chemical inputs, the local 
environment also benefits from growing food 
organically.

Currently, GRA is funding organic gardening 
projects in both Musoma and Kinesi Village. Both 
courses are lead by Jackson N'garaga, a local 
expert and talented, caring teacher with over 10 
years experience in organic agriculture.

In Musoma, guardians of AIDS orphans 
participating in the GRA funded Lea Mtoto (Care 
of the Child) program have received training in 
organic methods and many have established gardens 
at their homes. Those lacking sufficient space 
have come together, with the help of Jackson and 
Lea Mtoto social worker Christopher Gamba, to 
create an extensive and productive community 
garden on about two acres of land near Lake 
Victoria.

In Kinesi, a village of 5,000 residents on the 
shore of Lake Victoria one hour by boat from 
Musoma, Jackson is conducting the first ever 
organic gardening program for about 75 adults and 
over 100 8th grade students. The local government 
has donated 2 plots of land for use by the 
students who are enthusiastically creating 
productive gardens to grow food for the entire 
student body. The year-long program is funded by 
the New England Biolabs Foundation and includes 
an art component for all participating students.

Tree planting campaign

Trees are a wonder of nature and an abundant 
source of many resources essential to the path of 
sustainable development. In addition to food, 
fuel and medicine, they provide shelter and shade 
for humans and animals, enrich the soil, increase 
precipitation, prevent soil erosion and enhance 
the natural beauty of any environment - among 
many other blessings.

Inspired by Wangari Maathai, recipient of the 
2004 Nobel Peace Prize and the founder of the 
Green Belt Movement, GRA is committed to helping 
grassroots organizations in Kinesi Village and 
the surrounding Lake Victoria region plant 
thousands of trees over the next several years. 
These trees will be used to create natural 
fencing, desalinate the soil and provide 
medicinal and nutritional supplementation for the 
people participating in the tree planting 
initiative.

Permaculture
In October, 2007, we will host 
a<http://www.globalresourcealliance.org/events/Permaculture.htm> 
<http://www.globalresourcealliance.org/events/Permaculture.htm> 
Permaculture Design Certificate course for area 
residents and students from around the world 
interested in exploring the potential of 
permaculture for sustainable development in a 
rural, East African environment.




Alternative Health

We believe that natural, affordable, locally 
grown herbs and trees provide an important, and 
often overlooked, solution to the many health 
challenges facing residents of Tanzania's Lake 
Victoria region. Our main efforts in this area 
has been promoting the use of neem and moringa 
oleifera and increasing the resources available 
to volunteer midwives struggling under very 
difficult circumstances to assist women in rural 
areas give birth at home.

For several years, we have also been providing 
financial support to the AIC Clinic, one of the 
regions only health clinics growing, preparing 
and prescribing natural remedies to prevent and 
cure many of the diseases endemic to the area. 
Much of AIC's inspiration and practical knowledge 
comes form the German NGO, anamed (Action for 
Natural Medicine), which presents week long 
intensives each year at the clinic.

Moringa Oleifera
Moringa Oleifera, a fast growing, drought 
resistant local tree, is said by practioners of 
Ayurvedic medicine to prevent over 300 diseases. 
The leaves of the moringa tree also have 
extraordinary nutritional value - 7 times the 
Vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the Calcium of 
milk, 4 times the Vitamin A of carrots, 3 times 
the Potassium of bananas and twice the protein of 
yogurt. They make a perfect and economical 
supplement to the diet of people in the region 
that both strengthens the body and prevents many 
common diseases.

Because of moringa's amazing health benefits, GRA 
subsidizes its purchase for the daily use by 
hundreds of orphans in the programs we fund.

Moringa seeds are also well known for their 
ability to purify water. Most people in the area 
don't have access to clean water, and can't 
afford charcoal to boil water from polluted 
sources before drinking it. Typhoid fever, 
cholera, and parasitic infections are the all too 
familiar consequences. GRA has funded several 
programs by local non-profits that include 
instruction in the use of Moringa seeds for water 
purification.

Neem
In natural medicine, the neem tree (Azadirachta 
indica) is recognized as an effective treatment 
for many diseases. The first records of its use 
date from about 4,500 years ago. And although 
neem has been used in India for thousands of 
years, this natural treatment was not introduced 
to the Western world until recently. The uses of 
neem are many and varied - crop protection, 
insect repellent, treatment of various skin 
disorders as well as systemic bacterial, viral 
and fungal infections and for the prevention and 
treatment of malaria, among others.

In 2005, GRA introduced a homeopathic neem 
tincture in the Lake Victoria region that was 
originally developed by the 
<http://www.abhalight.org/>Abha Light Foundation 
in Nairobi, Kenya for the prevention and cure of 
malaria. This homeopathic remedy is an ethanol 
based tincture carrying the medicinal properties 
of neem leaves. The tincture is easily produced, 
and a six-month supply for one individual in 
Tanzania costs only about 40 cents US.

GRA is training small groups to produce the 
homeopathic neem tincture to offer for sale 
within their communities. We are also supporting 
studies in the region conducted by a local MD, 
Dr. Makuke, to determine the preparation's 
effectiveness. The region's top public health 
officer has also expressed interest in the use of 
neem drops and would like to involve the 
government in further studies. Preliminary data 
suggests that the neem tincture is highly 
effective for malaria prevention, as well as in 
treating patients with chronic malaria.

Home Birth
Most women living in rural villages in the Lake 
Victoria region give birth at home, with the help 
of other women that have received some training 
and basically work for free. On our last visit to 
Tanzania, we became aware of the difficult 
conditions under which they operate and the scant 
resources available to support this important 
event in a human being's life. GRA has responded 
to the need of making home birth safer, providing 
grants for basic tools like pots to boil water, 
scissors to cut the umbilical cord, clean cloths 
and bicycles to facilitate fast transportation 
for midwives.


Malaria Control

Malaria is the number one health challenge for 
people living in the Lake Victoria Region of 
Tanzania. According to UN estimates, one child in 
Africa dies every 30 seconds from malaria. It 
accounts for 1 in 5 childhood deaths. GRA is 
responding to this crisis by promoting and 
subsidizing the use of a homeopathic neem 
tincture effective in preventing malaria and Long 
Lasting Insecticide Treated mosquito bed Nets 
(LLITNs) - through what we call the Buzz-Off 
Malaria Campaign.

Neem tincture
In natural medicine, the neem tree (Azadirachta 
indica) is recognized as an effective treatment 
for many diseases. The first records of its use 
date from about 4,500 years ago. And although 
neem has been used in India for thousands of 
years, this natural treatment was not introduced 
to the Western world until recently. The uses of 
neem are many and varied - crop protection, 
insect repellent, treatment of various skin 
disorders as well as systemic bacterial, viral 
and fungal infections and for the prevention and 
treatment of malaria, among others.

In 2005, GRA introduced a homeopathic neem 
tincture in the Lake Victoria region that was 
originally developed by the Abha Light Foundation 
in Nairobi, Kenya for the prevention and cure of 
malaria. This homeopathic remedy is an ethanol 
based tincture carrying the medicinal properties 
of neem leaves. The tincture is easily produced, 
and a six-month supply for one individual in 
Tanzania costs only about 40 cents US.

GRA is training small groups to produce the 
homeopathic neem tincture to offer for sale 
within their communities. We are also supporting 
studies in the region conducted by a local MD, 
Dr. Makuke, to determine the preparation's 
effectiveness. The region's top public health 
officer has also expressed interest in the use of 
neem drops and would like to involve the 
government in further studies. Preliminary data 
suggests that the neem tincture is highly 
effective for malaria prevention, as well as in 
treating patients with chronic malaria.

Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLITNs)
Most malaria carrying mosquitoes bite at night, 
making mosquito bed nets especially important in 
the prevention of the disease. When treated with 
insecticides, their effectiveness is greatly 
improved. Trials with treated mosquito bed nets 
in the 80's and 90's showed that they reduced 
deaths by an average of 20% and malaria incidence 
by 50 % in children less than five years of age.

There are a couple difficulties with this type of 
net, however. One is the fact that they need to 
be re-treated every 2 to 4 months to remain 
effective. Often, this step is skipped by users 
who either don't realize the importance of 
re-treating their net, or can't easily afford the 
frequent purchase of additional insecticides. 
Even when nets are re-treated, the residual 
insecticides are usually improperly disposed of 
and find their way into the local environment. 
Another drawback is the net's relatively short 
useful life of just 2 to 3 years.

In the last few years, to overcome these 
shortcomings, Long Lasting Insecticide Treated 
Nets (LLITNs) were developed. These nets, 
originally from Japan but now manufactured in 
Tanzania, have permethrin, an insecticide deemed 
safe for children by the World Health 
Organization, embedded in tough plastic fiber. 
Their insecticidal properties remain effective 
for about five years, which is also the life span 
of the net.

GRA has subsidized an average of about 85% of the 
LLITN's US$ 7.00 purchase price for over 5,000 
families living in Musoma and Kinesi Village. 
Since 2 to 3 people generally sleep under the 
same mosquito net, the total number of 
individuals benefiting is considerably higher.

Much remains to be done, however, as only a small 
percentage - some estimates as low as 1% - of the 
children in Africa sleep under mosquito bed nets. 
GRA will continue to raise funds to address the 
challenge of malaria far into the future.



Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Mosquito Net in action


   Sustainable Technology

GRA's pursuit of sustainable technologies, 
focused in the rural Tanzanian village of Kinesi, 
is still in its infancy. Included under this 
heading are future projects in solar energy, wind 
energy, jatropha oil cook stoves and compressed 
earth block construction.

In early 2006, we completed our first sustainable 
housing project using compressed earth block. 
Bricks are generally manufactured in Kinesi 
Village by forming blocks from soil high in clay 
content and then firing them for 24 hours in 
large, outdoor, mud-covered stacks. The resulting 
bricks are irregular, brittle and generally have 
to be carried, usually on one's head or the back 
of a bicycle, a considerable distance from the 
firing site to the construction site. Worse yet, 
the process exacerbates the already severe 
problem of deforestation and diminishes air 
quality in the village.

We heard about a motorized compressed earth block 
machine manufactured by a South African company 
called HydraForm. It was advertised to produce 
about 1,000 interlocking bricks per day that 
could be stacked without mortar for the first 12 
to 15 courses, saving a considerable amount of 
time and money in the construction of a dwelling. 
We decided to build an experimental house using 
these bricks and donate it to someone in the 
village. Fortunately, we were able to rent a 
HydraForm machine from Madaraka Nyerere, youngest 
son of Tanzania's founding father, Julius Nyerere.

UVIMAKI Rural Development Association, one of our 
local partners, chose a woman named Agnes to 
receive the donated home. She is over 70 years 
and was living at the time with two AIDS orphans 
of primary school age in a one room, mud and 
stick home. The older boy, Sheban, fishes in Lake 
Victoria, and sells whatever fish is left over 
after satisfying the nutritional needs of the 
household. On a good month, the family may earn a 
mere seven or eight dollars.

Agnes was overjoyed upon completion of the house 
which ended up costing a total of just under 
$3,500. While the final product was quite 
acceptable, we decided that a manual earth block 
press was more appropriate for the area, 
considering the high initial cost of the 
HydraForm equipment and ongoing expense for fuel, 
maintenance and transport - not to mention the 
noise pollution and air pollution that 
accompanies its use.

In March, 2007 a volunteer from GRA and a brick 
maker from Kinesi Village will undergo two weeks 
of training at Auroville, India in the use of 
their highly acclaimed Auram 3000 earth block 
press. If the equipment meets our expectations, 
GRA will import one or two presses to Kinesi to 
be used by village-organized sustainable building 
cooperatives.


GRA Fund for Microfinance

Microfinance - making small loans to poor 
families that enable them to create and maintain 
their own micro-enterprises - has proven to be 
one of the most successful approaches to 
sustainable poverty reduction. These loans 
empower borrowers - predominantly women - to 
create their own path out of poverty through 
personal initiative and the use of their own 
creative potential.

Our Fund for Microfinance is invested in small, 
registered microfinance organizations that have 
received technology and training in computerized 
accounting from GRA and have proven themselves to 
be effective in financial management and 
committed to the needs of the poorest of the poor.

To date, GRA has invested over $33,000 in 4 
different rural East African microfinance 
organizations. Interest revenue derived from 
these investments supports our work with AIDS 
orphans, constituting an important source of 
sustainable funding.

By Fall, 2007, we expect to complete a handbook 
titled QuickBooks for the Small African 
Microfinance Organization, written in conjunction 
with our Tanzanian partner UVIMAKI Rural 
Development Association.



GRA is addressing this demand for educational 
opportunities through scholarships, 
infrastructure grants and “Abundant Living 
Education” programs.

Our scholarships include secondary school and 
vocational educational grants to AIDS orphans in 
GRA funded programs and post secondary education 
scholarships, including the "Bernard & Ethel 
Achterhof and Robert & Gertrude Muir Scholarship" 
to the best student each year at the Buhare 
Community Development Training Institute in 
Musoma.

"Abundant Living Education" grants go to 
individuals and organizations providing 
practical, hands-on educational projects in the 
following areas:

Organic farming and permaculture
Alternative healthcare
Malaria prevention and control (for example, production and use of neem drops)
Water resource development (for example, water purification with moringa seeds)
Appropriate technology (for example, fuel efficient stove production)
Micro-enterprise development
AIDS education and awareness (for example, supporting a local theater group)
FGM awareness and prevention
Vocational training (for example, tailoring and bicycle repair)


AIDS Orphans Support

GRA is committed to supporting AIDS orphans in 
the Lake Victoria region through our partnership 
with several non-profit organizations in the 
area. The need far outweighs our ability to meet 
it, but we do our best to respond to the growing 
demand. Already, hundreds are being helped by our 
combined efforts, and we hope to reach many more 
as time goes on.

One of the organizations funded by GRA is the 
Ukombosi Nursery School, provides meals, clothes, 
education and loving attention to nearly 200 
children each day. These children spend several 
hours daily at the facility, and then return to 
the homes of their guardians. Without Ukombosi's 
help, most of these children would go to bed with 
tattered clothes and empty stomachs. The orphans 
range in ages from 4 to 7 years.

Another project funded by GRA is Lea Mtoto (Care 
of the Child), organized and operated by 
Foundation HELP, Tanzania. The program provides 
essential support for about sixty AIDS orphans 
including:

Organic food
Basic healthcare
School uniforms and supplies
Emergency healthcare for guardians
Micro-finance credits for guardians
Training in organic gardening for participating families
Secondary school tuition
Vocation training for students not attending secondary school

In addition to direct support, GRA promotes 
microfinance as a way to increase the incomes of 
families taking in orphans by allowing them to 
start or expand micro-enterprises - raising 
chickens, sewing clothes, repairing bicycles, 
selling vegetables and the like. To date, we have 
donated $5,500 to create special funds for cero 
interest loans to AIDS orphans guardians.



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