Those were the sobering first words in the warning letter I received from the U.S. State Department in March 2013, shortly after getting my visa to Burundi – and less than one month before my scheduled departure for Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi.  In 2012 I had signed on as the Project Redwood class sponsor for Village Health Works (VHW), the Burundi-based non-governmental organization founded by the heroic East African Deo Niyizonkiza.  Once VHW was approved as a grantee I was determined to get over there, to witness first-hand how our funding was being put to work in a country where 80% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day.   “Are you still sure you want to go?” my wife Melinda kept asking. “I’ll be fine,” was my pat answer, “living in New York for past 30 years has prepared me for anything.”

Well, I was wrong.  Not that anything violent happened.  Fortunately, I was removed from any semblance of violence, largely due to the fact that as a visiting guest from the United States.  VHW provided me the ultimate consideration — two armed guards in camouflage uniforms, each carrying a loaded AK-47, who accompanied me whenever I left the VHW campus.

But what I was totally unprepared for was the incredible cultural immersion and exposure to the rhythms of Burundian life that I received during a life-changing three day visit, a visit that forever altered my view of the world and underscored why our work at Project Redwood is so important and why we must continue.

The funding that VHW receives from Project Redwood is applied to support specific projects that address expanded healthcare, agricultural capacity, and livestock sustainability. And all are implemented by the dedicated VHW staff in Kigutu, a small village located in the mountains, about an hour from Bujumbura.

The vital role that VHW plays in the lives of Burundians is profound and includes a wide range of impact including medical care, food production, job creation, mental health, and women’s empowerment.  The statistics are grim.  There are only 200 trained doctors serving the entire country; that’s one doctor for every 35,000 citizens.  People travel by foot for days to receive medical care at VHW, and not just Burundians.  VHW draws patients from neighboring countries including Tanzania from the east and the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the west.  During my visit, I stayed in a VHW dorm along with most of the other staff.  I roomed with four Burundian doctors, which means my roommates represented 2% of all the doctors serving the country.

I have far too many unforgettable memories from my visit to describe them all, but let me share three experiences that stand out:

Harvest Day

Every quarter VHW organizes a “Harvest Day.” The many farmers participating in the various food co-operatives come together to celebrate, sell their goods, and receive recognition for notable gains in production and profit.  After returning back to New York, I learned from our VHW liaison Alyssa Yamamoto that they actually moved the date of the April 2013 Harvest Day to coincide with my visit, to allow me to participate.  I was invited to address the gathered crowd of over 100, and to hand out the certificates of achievement.  I never felt more honored.

A Grim Visit to Rumonge 

Rumonge is a small town located a half hour drive from Kigutu.  Before VHW was founded in 2007, the tiny government hospital in Rumonge was the only healthcare facility serving the region.  This hospital is still in operation and VHW doctors insisted that I see it to fully understand the deplorable state of medical care in Burundi.

What an eye opener this was!  The facility is over 50 years old, without any sign of renovation or computerization and still using what appeared to be a haphazard manual patient filing system.  The recovery rooms, designed for two at most, were overflowing.  The lone surgery room was from a different era, with blood splattered walls, unwashed surgical instruments in the sink, and no evidence of technology.  The visit vanquished any uncertainty I may have held regarding the harsh and unacceptable reality of healthcare in developing nations, and removed any doubt regarding the direct and immediate impact that Project Redwod can make through our grants of $25,000.

Invictus  

My last night at VHW had a magical moment that can’t be scripted.

After our usual dinner of rice and beans, I thanked and toasted my hosts, and suggested that we all view Invictus (Latin for unconquered). That’s the film directed by Clint Eastwood that tells the true story of how Nelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South Africa, strategized to unify his apartheid-torn nation through the universal language of sport.  Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run for the 1995 World Cup.  I had the DVD with me, to watch during the long flight home, but when I suggested this to the VHW staff they loved the idea.  The film has one of the most uplifting endings you’ll ever see, and sharing this with an audience of cheering Burundians is a moment I’ll always cherish.

Top Ten Tips

If you’re a Project Redwood sponsor or partner, and have the opportunity to visit one of the programs we fund, I wholeheartedly recommend taking the time and spending the money to make the trip.  To see our dollars helping people and changing lives will be nothing less than life changing for you as well! Let me close with my Top Ten tips to help make your visit a little more enjoyable:

Do your homework in advance on both the country and the organization you’ll visit.  You may already know a fair amount about the organization but be sure to also read up on the destination country. This helped tremendously when I visited Burundi, a place I knew virtually nothing about.

Speak to others who have visited.  Village Health Works put me in touch with a American doctor based in New York, Tom McIntyre, who visited VHW just three months earlier.  Tom provided valuable and current insights on the local people, their customs and culture.

Find out which vaccinations you need and allow plenty of time to get them.  For many countries in Africa, shots are either required or recommended for malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, and hepatitis A.  You can’t inject all at once so allow plenty of time

Confirm way in advance that your passport is updated and whether you need a visa.  As with getting shots, allow plenty of time.  If you do get caught in a jam, there are several expediting services that can renew a passport in three days but they’re expensive and not 100% foolproof.

Be sure to take the proper clothing, including comfortable shoes, a sun hat, and microfiber clothing, of course.  But before leaving for Africa I found an anti-insect shirt made by ExOfficio – the smartest purchase I ever made.  I have no idea how it works but I never got one mosquito bite.

Take plenty of backup for your camera, both battery power and data storage, as there are no camera shops where Project Redwood’s projects are located. This is likely to be one of the most iconic trips you’ll ever take and you don’t want any regrets.

While touring the work sites, avoid being the “MBA Know It All.”  Rather than spewing answers try asking a few questions first.  Be ever mindful that you are a guest in their country.

Be prepared to be treated like royalty.  When in a country where 80% of the people live on less than $1 per day, imagine how the locals view us.   This may be the closest we ever come to being treated like rock stars, so enjoy it but stay humble.

Meet and talk with as many of the locals as possible, rather than staying safe with other Westerners.  In Burundi my richest, most memorable experiences involved learning about the concerns, hopes, and aspirations of locals.

Don’t go empty-handed!  Anything from socks and t-shirts to fruit and candy will be incredibly appreciated.  I brought over two pounds of beef jerky, which evaporated in 24 hours.  I understand they still talk about “the kind man from New York who gave us dried meat.”