Enyo, I am honored. Your beautiful words come from your incredible ability to empathize with the human spirit. My time in Togo with the villagers of Glei gave me newfound energy to make a difference...because I can and because everyone deserves basic human rights: the right to an education, the right to clean water and the right to basic health care. These are all the things that the rural villages of Glei are living without. 

Your tireless energy, your fearless leadership, your incredible strength, stamina and persistence, your optimism and your will, Enyo, will propel BCB to help the villagers realize their potential.  This is just the beginning.

Words dissolve in Wordless moments!   A poem for Liz Maxwell of BCB who came to Lome, Togo Jan 2010 and went into villages in the rural areas of Atakpame.  She met with chiefs, school teachers, parents, little boys and girls living in some of the worst conditions in the world silently and invisible.  We are working in the Invisible Villages of Togo.  I honor Liz, and profound gratitude for her.  It is rare in life that one finds a powerful and willing soul to share the weight of action and change with because it is such a daunting pursuit and the road is endlessly long… Imagine then, my intense humility in acknowledging that I have found that in Liz Maxwell, without whom I and BCB could not continue!  We are an unbreakable team and we will reach the highest peak of that mountain top where when we look down, we see the world as it should be, as we have all envisioned it with so much more abundance in all ways and all aspects.  As she and I sometimes say, the best in me recognizes and is one with the best in you!  I love you and thank you!    Namaste!

by enyonam  Nanevie, founder of BCB

My words dissolved into the mist when Liz Maxwell arrived to Lome.

Connected as friends, who have become sisters,

There is no better bond or kinship as that, which is united to uplift the world,

5 years ago we met, in a Wordless Moment, there were words…

“No Worries, we will totally do it” of Liz

5 years later, through hills and unclearly marked terrain

We both dreamt bigger dreams, and birthed BCB

Daring to send love over the seas onto a continent

With power of the hidden kind and love SO Solid it almost becomes unseen

 In our little cars us two and then four and then 7 in the villages of Atakpame,

Sliding into Madjamakou, we shared magic and Wordless Moments,

We shared love and hope, we shared truth and promises kept, and we shared humanity

So often money is given and not the heart of men/women to those disadvantaged

We of the order of BCB give both!  OFF WE GO and 50 children funded for school

BCB children of the Stars and Starlets Program.  To send a child to school is $2.50

See their smiles, see their thanks, see their love, see their pride, pouring forth

So we saw the Wordless Moments, and more magic shall we create,

 More children in the schools,

More food and water for all especially the children to eat and drink

More action & action & action & action & action & action and action

More hope and love for the children and villages in West Africa, and the WORLD

More unity and more innovative approaches shall we create….in so doing

 As Liz and I and the team of BCB are dancing the dancing and walking the walk

And tangling in the wonder of humanity, you too will come to KNOW

All the greatest sages have told to ‘serve another human being is to serve yourself”

And the highest calling in all the forms it appears, in Wordless Moments.

There is a sacred joy that is only found, when you look in the eyes of someone you can or

Have helped in some way that has made their life better, that you really see yourself! 

In that WORDLESS MOMENT when you see that we are inseparable,

TRULY WE ARE THE WORLD and THE WORLD IS ONE, US!

 We ask you to join us and experience wordless moments.

Today we are going into the village of Madjamakou, which is the first village where we will build a water pump! This is in the central region of Togo.   This area is about 3 hours from the city, which is Lome.  Bertin, our driver Innocent and I are going and we will be preparing the way for our convening next week with Liz Maxwell, who will be coming to visit the villages next week. This is her first time in Africa and it will be an incredible experience.  So off we go.... more to come later.

Bertin, BCB Lome Field Coordinator and I are going to meet with a project counselor here by the name of Ben, who has offered his services and has mastered the ngo industry!  He is going to help us finalized our water pump budget, and is willing to be an overall guide to our work, as he has such extensive experience.   

In the afternoon we are going to our third water company to get rates to compare to the companies we have met with. 

I am also in the process of completing my questionnaire/application for a water leadership program!  A totally FULL day ahead of us! 

In the evening today, we will be completing Liz's program for her visit. Again, I am so proud and overjoyed with our progress.

Please support us and donate for our water pump.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Saturday was my birthday and one of the most amazing days I have had in a while.  First the fact that in my life, I am where I have always dreamt of being was a big factor in the extent of my joy!  I am doing the work I have always dreamt of doing. I am willing and able and honored to have the chance to do this work and work hard I am and will!  Working to raise the quality of life in rural villages is a challenging yet awesome experience.

On Saturday, I had a meeting with BCB team members and we are organizing Liz Maxwell's trip to Lome in a few weeks!  

On Sunday I went into the village of Vogan and took a lot of pictures, spoke to villagers.  The issues there are the same as everywhere else.  In that village though Togolese citizen, came a built a pump that is the same type that BCB wants to build.  I as overjoyed because this pump looked exactly as the one I envision BCB building!  There are so many possibilities, and few if any limits.

I want to share with all of you how unbelievably amazing Liz Maxwell is!  As one of the pillars of Building Community Bridges, she is fearless!  Despite the fact that she is working a full time job, as well as earning her Masters degree at NYU, she is basically putting in full time with BCB.  How she is doing it is the miracle to me.  Because of our excellent  team work, we were able to coordinate between myself, the bank and Liz, with Liz closing the deal of addressing our bank issues regarding our online donations system.  As a result of her relentless efforts, as well as her work with our vendor we now have our online donations system up and running like a charm.  PLEASE DONATE AND GET YOUR FRIENDS INVOLVED.  I applaud and am deeply grateful for Liz Maxwell, without whom BCB would NOT be possible!  LIZ THANK YOU!

To the world, a very bright and beautiful 2010!  Welcome to 2010!  Let's make this year magic!  Let's make this year the year where we will beauty onto this earth with the good works we do.  May this year be of incredible health, wealth, joy, and the fruition of all we desire!  Be blessed!

BCB Family!

I am exhausted.  Today, I spend most of the day working on BCB Intranet and virtual office system, uploading files onto our system.  Yesterday was a BIG DAY for BCB!  We have finally completed the process of now anyone from anywhere in the world can simply go onto our website and donate!  What amazing progress.  Paysimple is a wonderful program, but not quite as simple as implies, but its okay!  It is done!  Please support us, now we can really start raising funds for our water pump!

Much love to all of you!

We have achieved a milestone today.  We now have our own internet connection or terminal I should say, registered in Togo.  BCB now has a permanent Togo number which will be posted tomorrow.  I am using our internet now to post this blog.  I am elated actually …. no more hot steamy internet cafe's to do my work and clear communication line for us.  And soon I will be calling BCB team.  I hope that everyone is well and preparing for the Thanksgiving holidays.  We all have much to be thankful for.  I in particular am grateful and thankful for BCB’s awesome team! 

Next goal will be to get mailing address for BCB! 

Sundays in Lome are truly quiet days.  Everyone is relaxing before the work week.  Most establishments are closed and the people move at an even slower pace than during the week.  I am at an internet cafe now, and am very please that I am the only here, :) it makes for a faster connection.

Today I will be working on our grant application!  I am excited because I feel this is our grant.  I am also getting ready for Monday, where I will be meeting more companies that build wells.  I am getting a total understanding of what the work exactly will entail.  I am optimistic that we will get more funds and secure the supplies we need to do our work!  I encourage everyone to begin to blog.  Let use this method to stay in constant communication!  I hope you all have a wonderful day.  I must say I love the sun in Lome, even though it is very hot, there is something about very bright bright sunny day!

more later
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