Back from Davos!

Many of you have probably seen me on TV lately. I am sorry, but someone hacked my blog after the TV-interview. I have no idea why. Anyway, I have had an amazing week in Davos. So many exciting things happened. Among many things, I participated in a meeting with Oil- and Energy Ministers from Norway, Nigeria and South Africa. I met top politicians from the government of Kenya. I went to a Microsoft meeting where I stood one meter away from Bill Gates, listening to his discussion with some professors for half an hour. I was also a reporter in a meeting that was about unemployment amongst young people in Europe. It was called “Preventing a lost generation in Europe.”

I learned about social media and how they affect the world and what is happening on that marked in the different parts of the world, from China to Africa. I ate a lot of good food and met extremely many people; Ministers, royals, top leaders and professors from all over the world because they have the world’s best universities.

Now I am back home and this week has been quite busy with media, both at God Morgen Norge (Good morning Norway), NRK, some news papers and radio. Follow link underneath to watch the TV-interview.

http://tv.nrk.no/serie/dagsrevyen/nnfa19012813/28-01-2013#t=31m55s

Furthermore, I have started a new semester at the university where I learn about skin and skin diseases. First I thought that would not be so exciting, however only after two days I thought it was quite interesting because many of the children in Kenya have a skin disease called ringworm. Now I have learned that ringworm of the skin is an infection caused by a fungus, and that it is contagious if you touch it. This skin disease often gives a pattern in the shape of a ring on their heads and it actually looks like fungus. It usually starts as a little ring which then expands and grows bigger. This skin disease is very common in Kenya.

Fortunately, in the midst of everything that has happened lately, I have also been able to enjoy some really good days of skiing in the forests around Oslo. It has been fantastic and the conditions have been great.

Thank you for all the nice comments that many of you sent me on Facebook and email.

Have a good weekend!

Anne Louise!

The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are so kind. They really have a heart to lift up young people!
The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess of Norway are so kind. They really have a heart to lift up young people.

Me and other "shapers" met Huguette Labelle who has served for over 19 years as Deputy Minister of Canadian Government departments, inkluding Secretary of State, Transport Canada, Public Service Commission and Canadian International Development Agency.

Me and other «shapers» met Huguette Labelle who has served for over 19 years as Deputy Minister of Canadian Government departments, including Secretary of State, Transport Canada, Public Service Commission and Canadian International Development Agency.

To hear and read more about Huguette Labelle, click link below:

Huguette Labelle at World Economic Forum in Davos 2013

It was not easy to come close to Bill Gates, but I got very close in the end and got to listen as he discussed with professors from Harvard og Stanford, cool! :)

It was not easy to come close to Bill Gates, but I got very close in the end and got to listen as he discussed with professors from Harvard og Stanford, cool! :)

Together with some other shapers - you don't have to change the world - but you can!

Together with some other shapers – you don’t have to change the world – but you can!

Discussing goals for the millennium due in 2015. The question they gave us was: What new goals shall we set? I was a bit annoyed over the fact that we didn’t work on HOW to achieve these goals – it helps little to have big goals if you don’t have a serious and realistic plan how to achieve them!

Discussing goals for the millennium due in 2015. The question they gave us was: What new goals shall we set? I was a bit annoyed over the fact that we didn’t work on HOW to achieve these goals – it helps little to have big goals if you don’t have a serious and realistic plan how to achieve them!

Davos

Amongst the people here were the Danish Prime Minister and Gordon Brown.

Amongst the people here were the Danish Prime Minister and Gordon Brown.

Nimret has made a lot of new technology and started two big companies before he was 25 years old.

Nimret has made a lot of new technology and started two big companies before he was 25 years old.

Davos

One of many meetings at Davos

Photoshoot at the Norwegian hospital, Rikshospitalet - quite embarrasing.. :)

Photoshoot at the Norwegian hospital, Rikshospitalet – quite embarrasing.. :)

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Hi everyone!

A lot is happening these days. I’ve just finished my exams in medical science (heart, lungs and kidneys), and exciting things are happening all over the place. The children’s centre KCDC Kantagi Children Development Centre in Kenya is completed. They’re going to start interviewing applicants for the positions there and choose children (based on a number of criteria). A committee is in charge of choosing children for the centre based on their need to stay there. This is to ensure that the chosen ones are the ones that need it the most. Most of the children there will either be orphans or from homes with no follow-up and they’ll be extremely poor. We from Norway are not capable of imagining what this is like.

Furthermore, we’re getting closer to finishing the development centre (which I’ve written a lot about previously). It will be very exciting to get it up and running. REC has sponsored solar panels and Willhelmsenorganised free shipping of these. The solar panels are currently on their way to Kenya.

Back here in Norway, I’ve just visited the Crown Prince and Crown Princess at their home (Skaugum). This was for the event “Vismennenes dag 2013” (“Wise Men’s day 2013”), and young people involved in all kinds of social work in Norway participated. The theme for the event was cruelty, and the Crown Princess told us she wrote her postgraduate thesis on cruelty. It is a very interesting topic, as bad stuff is happening all over the world, and there are evil people out there doing cruel and evil things. We discussed why people are evil, and our conclusion was that we find it easier to recognise evil in others than in ourselves, and that we all have some evil in us. As a Christian, I also believe in the Bible which states that all humans are evil and we all do evil things, but we can also be forgiven by Jesus. The Bible also tells us that we can flee from the evil and chase the good, and we can fight evil with good. This is something I always try to do. I thinkindifference is one form of evil. It is easier to take action when people close to home are suffering; however, these days it’s not that difficult to travel (even though it might be far)to help people in need. This is something we all should think about. Another thing that comes to mind is also a passage from the Bible, and it says that lovecast out all evil. I think lack of love can be one definition of evil, just as darkness is a lack of light and cold is a lack of warmth.

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We are making cash!

Hi to all of you who follow my blog! I hope you are doing good!

In the villages in Kenya, a lot of things are happening these days. Here is a photo of the Development Center which is now being roofed:
This weekend, I talked to Samuel who is leading our projects in Kenya. He was really excited, telling me that the onions produced in the schools are selling for 20-30 shillings. They harvest a lot. To compare, a day salary in Gombolo is around 100 shillings. (6,5NOK or 1 USD). The income is used to purchase food for the children in the primary schools. 1 kg white mais costs almost the same as one onion (38 shillings). Earlier, we fundraised cash for school-food, now the schools buy the food themselves. Thanks to all of you who are helping us changing the world for so many people, especially the smal children that nobody cares for!

Here are photos of the greenhouses in the schools, some papaya trees and some onions comming up:

It´s really cool that we are actually making money! Instead of just spending again and again like traditional aid.
This is skomawiki and a papaya tree in Kikuyuni Secondary School:


Some ladies are fetching water from the borehole we made in Kikuyuni village:


Here is also a photo of our third children center, which is in Katangi, it will open in January:

Right now, we are looking for sponsors for the bright and needy students who will start Secondary school in January. If you understand Norwegian, please look at this video:

You can help in various ways. Look at this: Help 100 youths to start school in January
Of the 100 students we would like to sponsor, 28 are from our 2 children centers.

I really hope some of you can afford to help these youths, its just 85 NOK per moth (That is 14 USD) – that will cover for their secondary education.

Anne Louise

Postet i business, Children, kenya, Projects

Update from Kenya and life in Norway!

Hi! Long time since I have been blogging, it does not mean that nothing is happening:

Last week, they were finnishing our 3rd children center (sponsored by the wedding of Thomas and Siri), which is built in Katangi:

Some children came to see what is happening. A commity will select the most needy children that will join in, during December and January.

Last week, Katangi Dispencary / birth clinic got water. We have been piping 3,3 km. from Mweleki Borehole:

 

This is the government borehole where we get the clean water:

 

This is the birth-clinic that has got water:

The locals are now building Gombolo Development Center:

The toilets were painted last week:

Early November, the people in the village had a gatherering with more than 500 people present. They were using our 3 tents (btw – that business is going good and generates an income for the children center mentioned above) They were praying for the building process of the development center:

In Norway, life is good for me.

I am in school every day, learning about the lungs, the hearth and the kidneys and how to treat patiens with problems in these brilliant systems.  And I read a lot!

I had a great time with some friends at a conference for christian medical students, some weeks back, this is me and my friend Helena:

 

At the 17th of october, I was joining Global Dignity day. Together with the  Governing Mayor of Oslo, I was discussing dignity with a class at Ullern Secondary School:

Tonight I am goint to London, I will have a meeting with Coca Cola tomorrow, discussing their 5by20 program – their vision for this program is to economically empower 5 million women within 2020.  I hope that I can contribute something.  I have many good ideas.

Have a nice week!

Anne Louise

 

 

 

 

Postet i Projects

Funeral Business for Kidz!

Here are some photos to illustrate whats going on!

Right now, we are doing several things. First of all, we are building a big development center in Gombolo (the village where these projects initialy started in 2008):

photo (17)

Here they measure where to build the development center (over). A lot of the materials have already arrived on site (under):

photo (18)

Thanks to Thomas and Siri (who told their wedding guests to give money), we are also building a new children center in a town called Katangi:

photo (14)

Here are the toilets comming up:

photo (15)

This picture makes me happy:

Daniel, Susan and Ester

It´s of Suzan, Daniel and Ester, they are the first 3 students we have sponsored through secondary school. The last months, they have been working in our projects in Gombolo, however, right now they are taking a computer course before they will start college next year.

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Suzan and Daniel to the right.

One of our innovative projects is actually a business for funerals. Sounds good?! It is for weddings too. And for other occasions which may need some tents. We are renting them out every weekend, the surpluss will go to run the children center in Katangi (mentioned above):

photo (16)

This time, it was a funeral which needed tents for shading. We make money every weekend, and I love it, because soon and very soon, a lot of children will benefit from this in the new center!!!!

I hope that we can start such projects along all the charity-projects, it will make them undependent of support from Norway. Which is so important in a long term point of view.

I am so proud of Samuel and Mary who are in charge of all the projects in Kenya. We had a long talk at skype today, Samuel was reporting non stop for 1 hour from all what is going on! And we were not half way down the list. They will wake up at 5 and go to the village saturday morning (from Nairobi).

I just got a photo of Mary, I call her MOREMBO, cause she is very beautiful:

photo (13)

Have a nice weekend :)

Anne Louise

 

 

Postet i business, Children, education, kenya, Projects