Illness and Inspiration

Sarah H has been pretty sick for a few days, and perhaps inevitably (as she is my perpetual roommate) as soon as she started feeling better i began to feel ill. It has been difficult fully engaging with our experiences through the haze of illness and medication, but yesterday’s events managed to somewhat break through the haze.

We began the day with a presentation by a park official named David. He outlined for us the national parks of Tanzania and particularly the threats that Kilimanjaro National Park faces. We were amazed at the large percentage of Kilimanjaro trash that cigarette butts make up. I thought it was difficult enough to breath at base camp without smoking. We also noted how many people appeared to be carrying over the maximum amount of weight allowed into the park. What I was most intrigued by, and what I think what was most relevant topic to our project, was the various outreach and community work that one sector of the national park is doing. This includes donating a portion of the park’s proceeds to the neighboring communities and regulating the water sources of the mountain. I’m sure that those who went into the field today will come back with more information on how the local communities are affected by the park and the mountain itself, and I’m eager to hear what they’ve learned.

When we were unable to gain access to Kilimanjaro National Park due to money constraints and paperwork formalities, Bryan did some quick thinking and implored our guide for the day, Ephraim, to take us to one of the forest reserves where he works. After traversing dense jungle and narrowly escaping mud puddles whose murky green depths promised all kinds of unknown wildlife, we entered a wide clearing. In the center was a huge tree, 180 years old, and breathtaking. Monkeys scampered on the branches around us. We marveled for several minutes.

These miracles of nature are among the reason Africare is developing the Kilimanjaro project. The effects of water pollution, soil erosion, and other factors damage these forests, maybe irrevocably so. They also affect the people who live in the surrounding communities. We split up the team today, those who are sick trying to recover and those who are well heading out into the field. As I attempt to overcome my own ailing immune system my mind continuously returns to the body of that giant tree, and who will make sure that it remains healthy and unhurt as time passes.
-Liz