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It is much faster to post pics and update Facebook than it is to update this blog. Follow the link below to keep up with me and our journey though Kenya and Tanzania. I will update the blog fully once I return to the states and have better band width.

http://www.facebook.com/shawnvierra?ref=profile

Asante Sana! - Thank You!

Getting ready to head out on lake. The boat was taking on water and the engine wasnt doing well. You can see all the local school kids that left school to come and watch.

Just Pictures

This is at my table at the Kilaguni Resort in Kebweze. There is a watering hole that attract wildlife form miles around. When we got to the resort the night before it was pitch black and as we walked through dimly lit the open air lobby we saw a family of elephants 50 yards away at the flood light lit watering hole. It was amazing!

After an Skype session with my beautiful wife, 2 kids, and my bro Cody I was spent. I was ecited to sleep in an actually bed. (I hate sleeping sitting up like the plane required us to do for the last 2 nights) I slept like a champ until we were woken up by the alarm, we had to have a 2 night bag ready to go by 8:30 am so that we could make the 3 hour drive to Kwebeze and meet the Mayor and his team to discuss with them our plans to build dams, and bring food, medical, & educational supplies to his constituency. We also had trucks meeting us a 3 villages later to drop food off.

We skipped breakfast and piled into the stretched Land Cruiser and embarked.

The lengthy bumpy drive was our first opportunity to see Africa in the daylight. We left the city behind and started to see what I had expected Africa to look like; Baboons, Zebra, Giraffes, Gazelles, and more right on or near the road. We (Ron, Justin, Ryan, Jason, Brad, Benson, Kye, & Myself) starting speculating on what we were going to actually be doing and reminding ourselves that we were in Africa in the first place. We stopped at the Hunters Lodge (about 5 minutes from our first destination) to eat and wait for a call from the Mayors office letting us know that they were ready for us.

The Lodge was a quiet place with outdoor dining right next to a spring fed lake. An incredible setting for our first lunch in Africa. Ron, Jason Draper and I, stood on the bridge drinking Stoney (an African take on Squirt that has become my drink of choice here) and talking about how we can make the Dam projects happen. Our lunch was sent to our table and we had received the call so I had to inhale my Lamb skewers and rice as we walked to the Cruiser. The Lamb was freaking great and has become my entree of choice here. We were all excited like a football team getting ready for the big game, this was our chance to initiate the Give A Dam campaign for real.

We drove into a small, dusty town, that looks less like a place the Mayor would live and more like a ghost town left destitute by lack of rain over the last 5 years because of world wide climate changes. And truly the latter was exactly what it was... a ghost town inhabited with a happy, hard working people, that were ready for a chance to raise crops and more livestock with increased water tables and irrigation. They have to walk over 8 miles daily to retrieve water needed to water crops, cook, and drink. Leaving children home unattended and hungary. This was the first time we had a chance to see what we had all be talking about for months prior to organizing this trip. We were greeted by a group of people that have to be seen to be understood. Their appearance is hard to describe. If you can imagine what a homeless person would like if they were given $20 bucks at the DI to get a nice outfit for this meeting. That is what they all looked like, the Mayor look healthy and well dressed but everyone else look needy. We met the Mayor of the largest Constituency in Kenya and his team in his office and then walked with him past his armed guards to the board room. He introduced us to his team and gave a brief breakdown to all of us about what was happening in his area of authority Kwebweze (KA-bway-zee). In short a lack of water has caused a detrimental domino effect that was causing his people to starve and wither. Ron was asked to speak and without my prior knowledge he called me up to discuss my plans and talk more about the Give A Dam campaign. The news was received with praises and thank yous from the group. Now Give A Dam was officially more than an idea. It was a need that had to be met. These people, and not just the 20 in the room, but the hundreds of thousands scattered across miles and miles of land were counting me an my team to "bring the rain". We have to deliver!

The meeting adjourned and we were rushed to waiting vehicles, after piling in the Cruiser again we followed the Mayor in his Toyota SUV and the 2 military vehicles and headed to the first food and supply drop point. This was already more of a show than I thought it would be. The received us very well at the Mayors office, adding the military escort was over the top I thought....

It turns out the armed guards escort was not a flex of muscle or a fanning of the political feathers for the Mayors new friends. This is what awaited us at the first drop point.

Over 1000 villagers came to thank us with songs and dances they prepared. What a way to spend your first day in Africa, definitely an experience I will not soon forget! This was just the first stop we still had 2 more to go.

I will let the pictures tell most of the story from here on out, a lot of our experience will be captured on video as well.

Ill add more pics when I get back from the Open Air Market...

Arriving in Africa

July 28th, 2009 - "Give a dam" - We took off from SLC laid over in Detroit where we met up Jesse Den Herder (The 3rd partner in ActionProfiles.com) his wife and son Jonah, it was good to finally meet him face to face for the first time. He is a great guy and incredible designer. We then headed to the Netherlands where we had a 2 hour layover. Holland airport was cool. Lots of mini VanGough museums and art. We walked the airport a few times and then hopped on our 2nd 8 hour flight to Nairobi. After 20 hours of travel we were there.

The Picture is of our decent to the Netherlands.

I arrived in Nairobi from the Netherlands at around 8pm. Walking out of the terminal was a little surreal. 30 Kenyans were grouped together holding signs with passengers last names scribbled on scrap pieces of paper, waiting for their passengers to de-plane. I wasn't expecting to see my name being held up, but there is it was. VIERRA - DRAPER. Draper is an engineer from St. George that is here helping us design the dams in drought areas of Kenya. My company (ActionProfiles.com) is raising money to capture rainfall and tap ground springs in drought areas of Kenya with the incredible assistance of InOurOwnQuietWay,com. Hence the campaign name "Give a Dam" and the trip to Africa in the first place. We were escorted through customs by a lady sent from Vice Presidents office to assist us in getting through all the red tape of international travel. She left us with her assistant at the baggage claim. She was not big or strong, but she handled our heavy bags like they were throw pillows and she wouldn't let us get touch our bags, out them on the cart, or even push cart to the van. Almost like it was rude of us to try.

After waiting for our luggage for 45 minutes, (we found out that they just throw your bags on the ground if you don't get them the first time they go around the carousel), we were escorted to met with Benson and they loaded our bags into the van. Nairobi city is a business and tourist destination and as I was expecting included crowded streets and crazy drivers. People walk up and down slowed traffic to sell anything from Teletubby blow up chairs, razor kits, and bananas, to knock off Puma hats and peanuts. THe drive was short and there wasn't much to see because of our late arrival.

We arrived at the Nairobi Serena Hotel (image at left) at around 10pm. Greeted in the lobby by Ron Hatfield the Founder and CEO of QuietWay & the film crew Ryan and Brad, and photographer Justin. The hotel is amazing, way nicer that what I had hoped for. We sat down in the African art clad reception area adorned with Tribal masks, spears, elephant carvings and incredible paintings and as a group talked about our agenda with Benson as the live African music poured from the nearby bar. Benson is a Kenyan Native, that now lives in Texas. He is a local celebrity for not abandoning Kenya after leaving to America, but rather bringing people like Ron from QuietWay who are interested in helping out those who need a hand up. Benson is somehow very influential and very well connected. Although, you cant tell by his constant joking and antics. I didn't realize how much of a help Benson would be in the coming days.

We decided that dinner would be a good place to have Ron catch me up on the groups doings, so we all headed to the Hotel Restaurant. They tried to explain the things that they had all experienced over our Seafood and steak dinners, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for what we were about to do the following day....

Africa - Introduction

To make it easy for friends and family to keep up with me I decided to start a blog (even though I have no idea how to blog) but hopefully it will help. I will try and update everyday and add pictures along the way, it has been the most incredible experience, I never imagined I would be in some of the situations I have been in so far.

From feeding the poorest of the poor, to meeting with the Vice President of Kenya, having monkeys throw nuts at me and being honored by 1000's of Kenyan's it has been truely unbelievable. Stay tuned for daily breakdowns and pictures.