Inspirational Young Woman Works to Make an Impact in AfricaBy Allison Neves
Raised in the Monterey Bay area of California, Angie excelled in academics and the arts and was eventually placed in her school's Gifted Students program. Angie attended California's prestigious Cal Poly University, where she graduated with a degree in Business Administration. After graduating from Cal Poly, she moved to San Francisco where she studied acting. Angie has always had a passion for the theatre and what at times seemed to be an insatiable thirst for culture and knowledge, but it was early in her adult life that Angie discovered her true passion for giving back to her community. "The first time I volunteered was in college. I volunteered for the Special Olympics. I escorted a polio-challenged teenager named Dan to his relay races, " added Ms. Ruiz. While living and working in San Francisco, Ms. Ruiz also volunteered for Meals-On-Wheels where she made weekly visits to the elderly and even organized a Thanksgiving Dinner for San Francisco’s homeless community. ”I knew that I would eventually want to volunteer abroad. In 2004, I began to research international volunteer opportunities. I came across Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS), an organization that had volunteer programs in several developing countries around the world." Angie was troubled by the on-going headlines regarding the soaring death rate due to AIDS in Africa. She decided to take action and do her part. Through CCS, Angie was placed with WAMATA, a leading non-government organization that raises HIV/AIDS awareness through out the country of Tanzania. WAMATA reaches local communities through their drama group, which performs stage plays and songs to educate and raise awareness. During her time in Tanzania, she came to understand that illiteracy was an integral part of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Angie saw this as an opportunity to help. With assistance from an African woman who had a prominent position in CCS Tanzania, she started a school to help 27 students, many of whom were WAMATA volunteers who had never been educated. She hired a staff of 10 including a head mistress, six teachers and three coordinators.
Projects for Kitumusote include: a Community Plant Library/Herbarium, a medicine clinic, a self-sustaining Tree-Planting Program and a women's Cooperative Community Center that will provide local alternatives for effective dissemination of educational information to the community. Ms. Ruiz will be traveling back to Tanzania in December 2005. Below is an excerpt from Angie’s Tanzania travel diary. It started with my six-hour shuttle ride from Kenya to Tanzania. The shuttle or "daladala" as it is called here was an experience in itself. It was raining and we rode through miles of desert, plains, and mountains. I saw camels and wild ostrich running through the roads and on the sides of the road. Ostrich are quite a sight in the wild, so tall and graceful. I saw many Masai with their spears and colorful robes. Beautiful reds and deep purples, so beautiful to behold. Many herd cattle and sheep…even the little ones with their little spears! I finally arrived in Arusha, Tanzania and was taken to the CCS compound where I am staying. I am stationed in Tengeru just outside of Arusha. Tengeru is a small village in Tanzania about 100 miles south of the border between Tanzania and Kenya. It is comprised of little more than little shacks with aluminum, mud brick, brittle wood, or thatched roofs and walls. Running water and electricity are a luxury and very few have it. The CCS compound is set among this village and although the compound is equipped with running water, showers, flushing toilets and electricity, there are some days when we just don’t have it. Most villagers use the nearby stream for bathing and washing clothes. I am amazed at how harmonious everyone lives. The people are so extremely friendly and I am greeted everyday by every passer-by with "Jambo, habari!" which means, "Hello, how are you." Greetings are an integral part of the culture. Everyone is warm and friendly and I feel incredibly welcomed. Humanity. This word keeps popping into my mind as I go about my daily activities here. I am experiencing humanity in its most raw form. I realize it is so much easier to experience out of my comfort zone and away from my material possessions. My volunteer placement is with WAMATA, a leading non-government organization that raises HIV/AIDS awareness. I've learned that 4 out of every 10 people have HIV here and most die quickly from AIDS. I have also learned that larger cities in Africa have well-funded HIV/AIDS NGO's and awareness is higher; however, it is these small villages that need educating the most. The government does not fund public education; therefore, most people are illiterate. In fact, I’ve learned that illiteracy is an integral part of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
So that has been my first week. I think I may pop over to the village movie theatre which is really nothing more than a little room with a T.V. and 5 benches...I saw Terminator 3 playing the other day and people could not believe that the Terminator was my governor! I find it is a great place to visit with villagers and practice my Swahili. In light of recent natural disasters that have had a tremendous impact on the lives of those living in the tsunami affected countries in South East Asia and the storm-battered US Gulf Coast region, Angie hopes that her story and her experience in Africa will inspire others to get involved in both local and international philanthropic efforts. Whether it’s volunteering one hour a week at a local seniors or community center or whether its giving $5.00 to a worthy cause…. every little bit counts and every little bit helps. Each one of us can make a difference and leave this world better than when we entered it. As Angie’s favorite quote from Gandhi reminds us, “Be the Change You Wish to See in the World.”
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Not just another pretty face...and definitely not your typical Hollywood starlet, Angie Ruiz, put her film schedule on hold for three weeks last year as she traveled to Tanzania to work on an educational project designed to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Little did she know, that her three weeks in Africa would inspire her to continue beyond her already honorable philanthropic endeavors to create her very own environmental and educational programs for Tanzania’s Masai community. Read on to discover how this young woman discovered that she could make a global impact…
Then another opportunity presented itself. Angie met environmental anthropologist and Fulbright scholar Stephanie Hauck while visiting a Masai village in Tanzania. It was with Ms. Hauck's help that Angie started Kitumusote. The aim of Kitumosote, which means, "we have discovered" in Swahili, is to relieve poverty of the Masai people an indigenous society with a rich a vibrant oral history, and aid in reforestation of their land that is continually stripped due to farming.
November 19, 2005 - I have been in Africa now for about a week and can't believe how quickly the time went by. I have experienced so many amazing things and this has only been my first week.
There is a problem with discrimination among infected people, which WAMATA is trying to alleviate through awareness. Most infected people are kept in a room in one of the shacks and depend on home visits. Sometimes, their families poison them because they cannot afford to take care of them. I did my first home visit to an infected child yesterday and I am working on getting him sponsored so he can be properly cared for. I delivered food and gathered information about his health. I do the home visits Tuesday and Thursday, raise awareness on Wednesday, and have meetings with other NGOs in the time in between. I also help the WAMATA volunteers with their reading and English so they can understand the English pamphlets on prevention. I am currently working on creating an AIDS DAY festival to raise funds for this organization.