Honesdale, PA/ Dyberry Township — On Monday, April 21, four athletes from Cameroon in West Africa achieved their dream of running in the Boston Marathon. Hosted by the Himalayan Institute since their arrival in the U.S. on April 15, the athletes ran as part of the Elite Group in the 112^th Boston Marathon—the first time athletes from Cameroon competed in the prestigious Marathon.

The three men and one woman from the Milano Kumbo Sports Academy in Kumbo, Cameroon, finished the 26 mile race with impressive results despite the cold temperatures prior to the start of the race.

In the men’s elite group of 14,844 runners, Eric Mangeh Mbacah (age 24) took 32^nd place, while Justilin Foimi (age 23) took 39^th. Januarius Bongkiyung (age 35) also made an impressive finish in the men’s elite group at 598^th. In the women’s elite group of 10,439 runners, Immaculate Wirngo (age 23) placed at 1,058. “Running in the Boston Marathon and finishing in the top 1% to 10% of all racers makes us very happy,” said Wirngo. The athletes overcame many obstacles to reach the Boston Marathon.  “We didn’t have the means available for extensive training and only had two weeks of training with the National Coach, which changed us completely.

Even though we had a lack of money, we were still able to come thanks to the support of the Himalayan Institute and Milano Kumbo Sports Academy. We’ve now seen this race with our own eyes and I’m feeling fantastic,” said Bongkiyung. He went on to say “We’re proud to make history for the people of Cameroon. Our training at the Academy has gone a long way, and I’m hoping we can continue our work and return next year.” After the race, Foimi said “We’re amazed at our performance and wonder how much more we could have done if we had proper [warm-up] facilities.” Mbacah summed up the sentiments of his fellow runners: “We’re extremely happy to realize our dream to take part in an international competition like the Boston Marathon and meeting athletes from Kenya and other countries. This is what we have been dreaming of.” 

At a celebratory dinner hosted by Ipswich Rotarians in the suburbs of Boston, Rachel Williams, District Literacy Chair, remarked “It was inspiring to see the determination of the human spirit. These athletes came from difficult circumstances yet they succeeded in such an important race.”

The Cameroon delegation included Mr. Roland Kiven Mbenkum, Executive President, Milano Kumbo Sports Academy, Mr. Jean Claude Kammogne, National Coach for long distance and mountain races, and the team physician, Mr. Amougou Oyono. Institute representatives also accompanied the delegation to Boston. “We did more than we expected,” said Mbenkum. “Our runners were among the top 50 in wave one” he continued. “The U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon telephoned me and she will receive us at the airport when we return to Cameroon. As a Boston native, she is very proud of our accomplishment in this race.” The delegation leaves for Cameroon on April 24.

Operated entirely by volunteer support, the Milano Kumbo Sports Academy is a leader in community sports and youth programs in Cameroon. It was conceived and founded by Mbenkum, who is also President of the Kumbo High Court. He had a vision to serve the community and underprivileged children by offering a constructive and empowering alternative to the petty crime and unrest he observed in his judicial practice. “In the High Court, you see kids going to jail for small things…the Academy gives them a chance to use their natural talents to do big things. You can see that they want to do something” he said. “The runners have accomplished so much on their own running in Cameroon has lost its challenge for them. International races are the next step. With a lot of willpower and contributions from many directions, what seemed very far has now been achieved.”

While Africa is a land of wonder, I will start with the basics. I am safe and living at an elevation of 6200 feet in the northwest province of Cameroon. The city of Kumbo where I live is absent of paved roads and prosperity. The electricity varies throughout the day, but has been available to us most of the time. Water and water pressure is much less reliable and so bathing becomes a privilege, not a right.

The food is grand and plentiful, our cooks are well-trained in vegetarian fare. Due to a recent and rare fine of maple syrup, we have had real pancakes on occasion.

The people of this land go out of their way to greet us at every step.

You could spend your entire day greeting people and never get to the market. They rush up with an arm extended with loud and grand proclamations that “you are welcome!” This greeting is recited 3-4 times during a single handshake and is repeated during the farewell.

It is very sincere and very heartfelt. If you came to join me, it would be immediately clear that “you are welcome” here!

The two-story building where I live is solid concrete. Very clean and safe and filled with great people here on a mission. It is our own building and thus, it is easy to feel at home, but it seems more like a long-term summer camp experience. Four of us are from the USA and another married couple is from India. Our staff of administrators, gardeners, guards, housekeepers and cooks all live nearby. Their English is great and they are eager to teach me Lamso (the native tongue), pigeon English and French. However, keep your expectations low.

The nights are hard for me, boredom comes easy. The flying battalions of bugs are attracted to even the smallest light, thus my night time reading is uncomfortable and night time strolls have been prohibited by storms which turn the red clay roads into an ‘ice-like’ ribbons of slipping and sliding. It is the rainy season right now, so the land is lush and green. But walking is a skill.

Mango season is about to begin and we can hardly wait. Bananas, papaya and pineapple appear at every meal while mango slowly starts to gain marketshare at the table.

I try to leave my bed early, make chai and start my day. Waking early 

– 3 am or 4 am – is not difficult at all when bedtime is 9 pm.  More to come! –blair

Boy Scout Troop 111 from Waymart PA

The April 19^th Great Honesdale River Cleanup was a major success thanks to volunteers led by the Himalayan Institute, Honesdale Rotary, and Boy Scout Troop No. 111.  The hardworking group picked up trash on both sides of the Lackawaxen River, from the Main Street Bridge to the Wayne County Prison, as part of a larger Pennsylvania, the Great PA Cleanup.  Alliance Landfill and Waste Management provided the container and supplies and Beans Roasting House provided refreshments.

Among the many bags of trash pulled from the river, notables pulled from the banks of the river were two tricycles, bowling pin, a hairdryer, a shopping cart, a street sign, and a toilet seat.

“It was eye-opening to see what people throw into the river,” said one younger volunteer.  “Even though I didn’t mind spending my day outside, it could have been better spent. I hope that everyone thinks twice before dumping trash out in the open.” 

For more information about the Great PA Cleanup visit http://www.greatpacleanup.org/

(Honesdale, April 8, 2008)… A child crippled by polio is not just a Life Magazine photo from the last century; the disease still afflicts families throughout the world. “Every day, 30,000 children under the age of five die, most of them from preventable causes like measles, malaria, pneumonia and polio,”  incoming Rotary International President Dong Kurn Lee told Rotarians at the recent training conference for incoming presidents in Parsippany, New York.

“When I first saw this number 30,000,” said Mr. Lee, “I thought it must be per month or year. I was shocked to learn that it was by day.”

Honesdale and Hawley Rotary Club members returned from the meeting inspired not only by Lee but by Rotary International (RI).  The group spearheads the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with national governments, World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF. Since 1988, the incidence of polio has been reduced by more than 99 percent.  At the time, more than 350,000 children were paralyzed every year in more than 125 endemic countries.  Today, only four countries remain which have never stopped endemic transmission of polio:  Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. In 2007, 1,308 cases were reported worldwide. 

Honesdale Rotary’s President-elect Brian Fulp said local business and community leaders could help by donating time and money and just spreading the word. “The need for clean water and basic healthcare services around the world is great, but even a little bit of effort from everyone of us can make a difference. Look at what Rotary’s done already and it’s committed to finishing the job.”

Many Rotarians have taken periods of time off from their busy schedules to help vaccinate children in faraway countries—and it’s made a difference.

Kim and Mitschele of the Hawley Club are pictured with Mr. Lee and Brian (right) at the seminar.

Released Nov 26 2007
 
EVANSTON, Ill. (Nov. 26, 2007) Rotary International today announced a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will inject a much-needed US$200 million into the global campaign to eradicate polio
a crippling and sometimes fatal disease that still paralyzes children in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East and threatens children everywhere. The Rotary Foundation has received a $100-million Gates Foundation grant, which Rotary will raise funds to match, dollar-for-dollar, over three years.

The Evanston-based volunteer service organization will spend the initial $100 million within one year in direct support of immunization activities carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a partnership spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF. The polio eradication grant is one of the largest challenge grants ever given by the Gates Foundation and the largest grant received by Rotary in its 102-year history. Since 1985 Rotary has contributed $633 million to the eradication effort.
 

Honesdale, PA­— Honesdale Rotary hosted A Taste of Africa fundraising event at Himalayan Institute Main Street on Friday, March 14. The event attracted over 100 from as far away as Cameroon in West Africa and as near as Hawley. Honesdale residents, the Hawley Rotary, and Himalayan Institute staff, volunteers, and guests enjoyed African cuisine consisting of Jollof rice, fried plantains with peanut sauce, Puff Puff, Mango Pie, and Lemongrass Tea.. Guests were entertained by live African drumming by Obi Kaye throughout the evening, and participated in a tournament of a Cameroonian game of Mancala.

This event kicked-off the campaign to raise funds for the Kumbo Public Library Project in Cameroon, Africa.  Honesdale Rotary is spearheading the fundraising efforts and working to join hands with other Rotarians from around the world. Already underway are challenges made to Rotary clubs in Japan, India, Curacao and the U.S. With a project goal of $200,000, the funds will help in building the largest and first library in the region, serving a population of more than 50,000.

The benefit raffle for Honesdale Rotary’s Africa ’08 Project is ongoing. Raffle tickets are available through local Rotarians. Ticket sales support the Cameroon Empowerment Projects.

For more information contact Rotary President-Elect Brian Fulp at 570-647-1514 or visit HonesdaleRotary.com for more information.

Honesdale Rotary’s First Thursday’s Event was a great success.  First Thursday is a monthly event used by Rotarians as a chance to include families, friends and business associates in a casual atmospher of fun and friendship. 

Nearly 30 attended the event at Tick Tock’s Restaurant in Honesdale, PA.  The next event is April 3rd, 2008.

Honesdale Rotary has been instrumental in helping the Kumbo Rotary club navigate the waters of creating a new club in Kumbo, Cameroon, West Africa.

The aspiring club has already sprung into action and made a request to Honesdale Rotary for a donation that would allow a local hospital to install a generator in it’s operating room.

Honesdale Rotary agreed to send the donation.

Read the request letter here.

Honesdale Rotarian, Matthew Douzart, helps load one of the final boxes of books that will be housed by the new Kumbo Public Library, in Cameroon, Africa.

 As part of a Humanitarian Project supported by the Himalayan Institute, Honesdale Rotary his spearheading the fundraising efforts to help make this library a reality.

 The Himalayan Institute has just opened its first HI Community Center in Cameroon, Africa and now serves a community of more than 50,000 people. Along with other rural empowerment projects, they have been working with the Kumbo City Council to create a public library.

Yesterday we loaded a 40’ container bound for Africa. And just in time- it was a beautiful day and about 80 people turned out to help load the container. One day later and we would have been working in snow!

The story was the lead on WNEP TV at 5:30 yesterday evening, channel 13 TV at 5:00 –and in the Times Leader Newspaper today.

Times Leader Story:
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19321330&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416046&rfi=6

WNEP:
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=7907051&nav=menu158_2>

For more about Honesdale Rotary and its projects visit
www.HonesdaleRotary.com

If you bought a root beer from the Honesdale Rotary at last summer’s Roots & Rhythm Festival, you helped both the Rotary and the Festival. Rotary members today presented a portion of the proceeds to the festival’s sponsor, the Greater Honesdale Partnership.

“Honesdale Rotary supports projects around the world, such as the eradication of polio,” said Rotarian Brian Fulp, “but some of our most meaningful projects are right here at home in Honesdale.”

“Our Fun Family Root-Beer Stand at the Festival was created to raise money and awareness within Honesdale about all our projects,” explained John Van Horn, Treasurer for Honesdale Rotary.

The Roots & Rhythm Music and Arts Festival, approaching its third year, is a free event in Honesdale’s Central Park.  The Rotary club welcomed getting involved, said Van Horn.

“Our members were very fond of the Festival and could easily see the positive impact it has on our community, so we worked with the R&R committee to license the Festival’s logo for our root beer mugs. We enjoy being a part of it.”

Honesdale Rotary is dedicated to community and worldwide service. The members live the motto “Service Above Self” by volunteering and supporting projects locally such as Amba Wellness, an affordable blood screening program; Dorflinger Days; Little League and more. Its most recent project may be the boldest in the local club’s 80-year history. Working with the Himalayan Institute, the Honesdale Rotary club is spearheading a fundraising effort to help launch a public library in Kumbo,Cameroon, Africa—a community of 50,000 residents.

“Honesdale Rotary’s strength is its members and its network of friends that spans the globe,” said Rotarian Lisa Champeau. “We like to think we can accomplish anything we put our minds to—and in June, that will be selling root beer for a good cause. Stop by and enjoy one!”

The Rotary is open to all. To see how you can become a member or for more information about its projects, visit HonesdaleRotary.com or call Brian Fulp at 570-647-1514.