Featured Article
The cows came home

I walked into the village meadow of Usabamba at 13,000 feet in Peru. Paulino, our local partner had brought me up there with a good friend from Seattle- Malte Kluetz. We stood around waiting, but wasn’t sure what for. Slowly, and I mean slowly, villagers began walking into the field leading their cows. This was the same village I had visited with a group just 9 months prior and we had come up with the idea of buying some cows to provide both milk for the youth and manure for fields. So here were the cows. They were beautiful! Each cow owner quietly, yet proudly brought their heifer out for me to see. There was a perma-grin on my face as some of the men began thanking Crooked Trails for their cows and explained what the cow had meant to their family. Beer was brought out, and in typical Peruvian style there were only 3 small glasses to be shared by all. So a beer was poured, a small amount spilt to the earth as an offering to Pacha Mancha, then the glass was drained. The drinker fills the glass and walks to another who it is offered to. I loved the process of celebration which felt more like a ceremony than a party.

Crooked Trails supporters had donated enough money to purchase 7 cows, 5 of which were pregnant- so they now have 12 cows in this small impoverished high altitude village in Peru. The next step is to impregnate all the cows to grow the herd. I asked if we needed a bull and the men let me know that they would be using artificial insemination. I commented that some poor bull was missing out on some action and they all laughed and offered more beer to the ground.

As we were talking in the field and sharing beer, a few youth walked up carrying a huge, very professional looking billboard with details of the project. I expected a band to start playing next, but all I heard was the constant bellowing of cows (these highland cows love to talk) and the wind through the mountains. It was surreal.

When the visiting and cow photography was over I was lead to a house for a traditional dinner of cuy y papas- guinea pig and potatoes. As we ate, the eldest son of the family stood up to make a very formal presentation of what I quickly realized could be one of our next projects- sustainable appropriate technology kitchens. I was thrilled at the end of his explanation and I know you will be too. For more info read the next story.

Appropriate technology changes lives in Peru

…So using mostly local materials, this new system has allowed smoke to escape, heat to remain, less wood to be burned and hot water to flow.

18 years old Roggue is Quechua and lives in the village of Usabamba. He stood in front of us and very formally explained the details of the new adobe kitchen he had built. He had gone to a training institute where he has just learned about this new appropriate technology. He showed us the orno (oven) which had three levels to it for baking, drying and warming. It was curved and made from adobe (dirt and straw). The design of this particular type of stove was extremely efficient and used only twigs to cook. In addition the warmth from this stove kept the entire room warm which at 13,000 feet is a serious problem and as the young man noted “the cold is hard on our elders and the young”. Homes in Peru have no internal heating and are about as cold inside as they are outside in the winter. This little oven had warmed the kitchen and dining area by at least 15 degrees.

Then he began to explain how the stove worked and how efficient it was. To the right of the stove was a 10 gallon water container hung on the wall about 2 feet above the stove. There was a tube from the container that allowed water to flow down to the stove where the tube was metal and the water heated and then returned to the container via another tube. From there one more tube lead down to the sink so that gravity fed hot water was available. In addition there was a hood of sorts above the stove that collected the smoke and released it outdoors. In most homes the smoke collects in the thatch rafters making soot in the home a problem and causing lung problems for family members. So using mostly local materials, this new system has allowed smoke to escape, heat to remain, hot water to flow and less wood to be burned. I watched and listened and my mind was racing…. What would it take to get this in all the homes of Usabamba? I know there are 30 families so it couldn’t be that hard. This project is also something that can built fairly quickly and would make a great service project for groups. Each system costs about $200 for materials. Over the next few months Crooked Trails will be working with the leaders of Usabamba and with our partners in Chinchero to begin to develop the details of how to bring this new technology into homes that desperately need it. As always the project must be sustainable and the community must be a driving force with commitment to see it through. This project has this with a young man ready to lead the way. He stood there smiling about what he had learned and built for his family, and stated that it was his goal to help others. I smiled thinking; and we can help you do that.

If you are interested in this project in Peru please email me and let me know and I will keep you on a list of supporters. chris@crookedtrails.org

Crooked Trails Co-Hosts Malian Musician, Issa Bagayogo
Don’t Miss this Concert!
Crocodile Café
August 5th , 8 PM  $15

Grab your friends and your dancing shoes and head out to the Crocodile Café on August 5th to help us welcome Issa Bagayogo one of Africa’s most unique artists. Mixing up acoustic traditions from his home country of Mali with elements of rock, funk, dub and electronica his music prompted FRoots magazine to write, "When Issa plays, only the dead stay still".

His home country of Mali is one of the ten poorest nations in the world, and one in which economic and professional opportunities tend to be shaped by one’s caste and ethnic origins. This hasn’t stopped Issa who has become well recognized for his subtly insistent voice and his skillful talent on the n’goni (a three-stringed lute that is popular throughout western Africa).

Opening set will be talented DJ/Producer Maga Bo who mixes diverse sounds culled from pirate cassettes bought on the street in various parts of the world, MP3s from the internet, obscure vinyl found in underground shops, original beats, unreleased remixes and exclusive tracks. He will also join Issa Bagayogo onstage.

If you need more convincing, check out the video link and myspaces!!

http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/artists.php?artist=Issa_Bagayogohttp://www.vimeo.com/4787893http://comandodigital.com/kolleidosonic/?page_id=2

"Fund Our Destiny"

Our Maasai Partners: The Maasai Association headed up by Kakuta Ole Mai Mai, are having their annual fundraiser at the Woodland Park Zoo. We encourage you to attend.

Karibu! (welcome)

"Fund Our Destiny" will raise vital funds to support healthcare, drought relief, education and conservation for the Maasai people of Merrueshi community in Kenya.

Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Woodland Park Zoo's Rain Forest Food Pavilion

For more information email us at: treasurer@maasai-association.org

Shelley Seale’s book is NOW available.

Shelley Seale is a Crooked Trails volunteer and avid supporter. She is also an amazing writer, traveler and activist. For the past several years Shelley has been working on her new book: The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India.

Shelley’s narrative non-fiction book depicts her journey into orphanages and through the streets and slums of India where millions of innocent children live without families. During her three years of writing The Weight of Silence, Seale has befriended and told the stories of many children – and has born witness to their struggles first hand.

Foreword by Joan Collins.

Buy the Book: http://weightofsilence.wordpress.com

ISBN: 978-0-9802323-7-0

Email Shelley: mail@shelleyseale.info

4th Annual Casino Night-loads of fun for a great purpose: the construction of a school in Nepal

Nicole Juracek a long time Crooked Trails supporter has spent the past 4 years conducting annual fundraisers to help build schools in Nepal. This spring we had our fourth annual Casino night.. aka “Gamble with a Purpose” Participants had a great time playing black jack and other card games and took their winnings and bid on auction items. We raised almost $3000. The total cost of the school construction project in Nepal is $27,272. 25% of the costs is to be raised by the community along with the donation of the land and labor and 75% is to be raised by Crooked Trails. Crooked Trails has thus far raised $12,000. This school will enable girls to attend the upper levels of education. Currently there is no upper school for them. When Nicole was in Nepal a few years back she asked all the girls she was talking to if their mothers could read. Not one of them could answer “yes”. We are hoping to change that for the next generation with the building of this school. If you would like to donate to the school please send checks to: Crooked Trails Att: Nepal school project: PO Box 94034 Seattle WA 98124

We hear you! Scheduled trips return:

We have received numerous emails from people wanting us to continue our scheduled departures. So this fall we will have 4 programs and next year will offer 4-6 scheduled programs to: Peru, Nepal, and Kenya. We will have the 2010 schedule up soon.

For this fall:

Thailand: Service program in the south replanting mangrove forest. Nov. 13-21 $1800

Nepal: Service program building a school. November 14-28 $1980

Kenya: Visits to Maasai community with safari. Nov 1-11 $3800

Guatemala: Exploration of culture and nature. 8 days TBA in December: $1390

New Guatemala Program.. shorter and better-8 days in paradise!

“Land of the Eternal Spring”

Date: TBA in December

Spend 8 days immersed in the rich & colorful culture of this amazing country. Visit ancient Mayan ruins, live in a cooperative Mayan farming community, and experience the spectacular natural beauty of Lake Atitlan & the colonial splendor of Antigua. The program begins in Guatemala city and then moves onto one of the most well-preserved ancient pre-classical Maya sites in Guatemala. We will be visiting an organic coffee and macadamia plantation owned and operated by a cooperative of forty Guatemalan families. Relax by cascading waterfalls with crystal clear water and learn about edible and medicinal plants, while taking in breathtaking views of the volcanoes Santa Maria and Santiaguito. We will have an extended visit with EDELAC which provides quality education and rehabilitative programs for disadvantaged, abused and orphaned children in Xela.

No trip to Guatemala is complete without experiencing one of the most beautiful lakes in the world: Lake Atitlan which is ringed by rugged green ridgelines and towering volcanoes. And of course we will visit the famous Mayan market town of Chichicastenango and visit a local women’s weaving cooperative. The final day will be a wonderful visit to the colonial capital of the Spanish conquistadors, La Antigua. Join us on this exquisite trip to this inspiring Central American country; seeing the sites and meeting the locals. For the full itinerary email info@crookedtrails.org

Program Cost: $1390; includes all lodging, transportation, meals, tours and guide fees. Does not include international airfare to Guatemala. Crooked Trails can help book your flight or you may book on your own.

Discovering the "true meaning of Christmas" in a Hilltribe village in northern Thailand.

By Todd Parks – Crooked Trails guide

My first trip to Thailand was in the fall of 2000. I had announced to Chris (Crooked Trails co-founder) that I wanted to be a guide for Crooked Trails. She wondered about my qualifications. So I flew to Thailand to grow some. It was my first trip to Pang Sa village north of Chiang Rai which was the site for our first service project. It is not too far off the beaten path in the golden triangle. Mostly a Lisu village, it later filled with Lahu, Muslims, and Ethnic Chinese people who traditionally have not had the benefits of Thai citizenship. For generations, Hill Tribe people have lived in a somewhat mobile agrarian manner depending on fluctuations in land availability, opportunity, and political climate. These days, that is no longer the case.

We spent 10 days in Pang Sa helping to finance and build a community center in the village. My buddy Steve and I lived with a family with five girls aged 2 thru 14. The parents, Asapa and Asama were my age. They lived as family famers with their eldest already outside of the home working. I was truly touched living with this wonderful and loving family in a bamboo house situated on the edge of the jungle. It was a challenge each day to be up earlier enough to beat the girls to their chores. I marveled at how helpful 6 and 8 year old kids could be within the daily family economy.

We returned the following year and again stayed in the Bie Pah household. It was my intention to remain in close contact. I didn't. And 7 years passed.

Last winter I coerced three dear friends into a Holidaze in Thailand with me. On Christmas day we hiked from Jabusii to Pang Sa to visit my family after a 7 year absence. I was really excited and a bit nervous. Asapa and Asama were home along with their 4th and 5th daughters Asu and Avu. Seems that Ale and Asame had both "finished" school and now lived and worked with the eldest Ami in Bangkok. With our friend Poo acting as a translator, we learned that after "6th grade", without financial assistance, most hill tribe kids end up going to Bangkok to work long days for about $1.50 a day. Village life and shrinking possibilities make it difficult for families (especially girls) to continue to live and work together. I realized that without something short of a miracle, Asu would soon join her sisters in Bangkok. Further schooling that would include English and other vocational skills is only available in Chiang Rai an hour and many dollars away.

And so I discovered the "true meaning of Christmas" once again, in a Hilltribe village in northern Thailand. I committed to the family that I would help Asu go to school and continue her education and try to break the cycle of broken families. Through Crooked Trails I would like to assist Asu and Avu to access academic opportunities and to perhaps one day make it to college. Please consider helping us with the cost of a week's worth of latte's or an i pod app download. Send donations to: Crooked Trails PO Box 94034 Seattle WA 98124

Yours,
Todd