Back from Lushoto

Brandy Robinson
Tuesday April 01, 2008

For some the visit to Lushoto was an opportunity to see some familiar faces and for others it was a first hand look at the devastation poverty and AIDS has had on an African community.

Community Foundation representative Jeannette Vatter along with Hearts for Lushoto representative Barbara Matheson, accompanied the municipal delegation that included director of information services and economic development Nesen Naidoo, Coun. Kyle Archer and his wife Sheryll, and town office executive assistant Kristina Vallee, to Lushoto mid March. The delegation went to discuss municipal issues relevant to the ongoing partnership between the communities.

The partnership with Lushoto began as a municipal twinning project, funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Canada International Development Agency.The partnership began in 2004 and was designed to teach principles of transparent governance. Since that time delegations from both communities have made several visits to one another’s country.

Although Vatter and Matheson accompanied the delegation their agenda led them to discuss education; specifically AIDS education and adoption laws.

Vatter, who has been to Lushoto previously, has seen some tremendous milestones reached by the community. “There has been some noticeable differences; the community has hired an AIDS co-ordinator to provide education to schools, and the Lushoto orphanage is going ahead very strong,” says Vatter. AIDS and malaria had a devastating effect on the adult population leaving many children orphans. “It was like a whole generation was depleted because of the AIDS epidemic,” says Vatter.

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