Dear friends of Tikondane,
For the first time we had a lady from USA who is black. She has a fabulous job, counseling on the internet wherever she is, and her twin children are at university. But she suffers travelling through Africa (22 countries already) when seeing tourists photographing children, shown overseas as “hungry”, “poor” or otherwise lesser than white people.
I tried to tell her that many visitors hopefully get a different picture, namely that of people who are competent within their circle and, what is more, friendly, generous and happy. Now there she was really debating whether that was happiness or contentment. Well, whatever it is – I wish you as much happiness or contentment as the people here have and I promise, you will have a good Christmas! But, please keep helping us, life here definitely is not easy – God be with you, Elke
SOCIAL WORK AT TIKO
From its inception, Tiko has offered HIV@AIDS counseling, which has continued and is probably quite unique in the region.
Susan, a member of the team since 2020, has undergone further training and can now discreetly help with family problems. She has about 30 client consultations per week.
These mostly concern family planning, teenage pregnancies, or conflicts among family members. She has referred two young men to therapy for their mental health issues. As a concrete contribution to AIDS prevention, she distributes free condoms, an average of 250 per week. With a view to the reductions in financial aid from the USA Susan was so worried about being able to continue that Mustapher had to go to the Department of Health repeatedly and ended up with ten full packets – enough condoms to supply the men in the area for the next few years.
PR FOR VEGETABLE RINGS
The Tiko Survival Package, a concept for yearround vegetable cultivation in the hungerstricken province of Katete, is gaining increasing recognition. So far, 160 farming families around Katete are participating. In November, the provincial government’s agricultural coordinator wrote an enthusiastic letter of recommendation, which the Tiko team hopes will open doors for other institutions in the province. He expressed his admiration for the results of years of work and recommended the concept for educational purposes.
Elke plans to take his letter first to the management of St. Francis Hospital. On the hospital´s extensive grounds she intends to set up a kind of open-air showroom for the vegetable rings, which are central to the innovative cultivation method. There, they are to attract widespread attention, as well as at another location near the palace of the Chewa tribal chief. To secure funding for the project, two fundraising appeals are currently running on the online platform Global Giving.
A NEW NAME AND A NEW LOOK
Who do we want to be, and how can we better express what makes Tiko special? Elke and the team asked themselves this summer. The result was a name change: “Tiko Eco Lodge” now adorns the welcoming sign at the entrance.
This emphasizes the central role that ecology plays in Tiko’s guiding principles. At the same time, the sign makes it clear that Tiko is more than just a place to stay. It is also intended to be a driving force for the progress of the community that lives and works there. The inviting character of the grounds is further enhanced by the renovation and cleanup work that Chrissie spearheaded throughout the summer. She had the main guest buildings refurbished and personally cleared the undergrowth. It’s no coincidence, then, that the Zambian Tourism Authority awarded Tiko a star, one of only 31 establishments in the entire country to receive any distinction. Claudia, a tourist from Berlin, highlights the lodge’s special appeal: “Tiko was the only lodge that not only offered access to a wildlife park, but also provided insights into the people of this country, their daily lives, and their customs,” she writes. “That’s exactly what I was looking for.”
DONATION DRUM BEATEN
The additional donations that Tiko regularly receives from individual partners are particularly important for new projects. For example, the students of the Georg- Schulhoff-Realschule in Düsseldorf raised more than 3,000 euros. On one day, many children skip school to work for companies or private individuals. For ten years now, their earnings have gone to Tiko. It’s a wonderful idea that also benefits the German children. They gain initial work experience and learn about the living conditions of their peers in Zambia in their lessons.
Meanwhile, in Alicante, Spain, our volunteer Chrissie was again out organizing. For the second time, she invited her former colleagues from the EU Intellectual Property Office to a concert (see photo). This time, ticket sales and donations raised 1,000 euros.
AT 86 – TIKO’S CHEF RETIRES
He will be missed, his friendly smile, the concerned look on his face as he would suddenly appear at the door with breakfast if, in his opinion, you hadn’t arrived on the porch early enough. Edison was the chef at Tiko’s Restaurant for more than 20 years, and he was an institution. At 86, he has now retired because his heart could no longer withstand the strain of the work he loved so much.
He has devoted fans in frequent visitors Jan and Gonda from Belgium. They once bought a new mattress for him, and when they found out that the mattress was too big for the house they paid for an additional room in the house – to fit the mattress! For his retirement they decided a comfy chair was in order.
His successors, Triphonia, Martha and Agnes, are now sharing the duties in the kitchen. They trained under Edison, so the food will certainly taste just as good as ever.
Happy Christmas – Kisimasi and a bearable new year
Elke and the crew
Tiko online!
Just in case you haven’t seen them, here are the links to our social media on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and even Linkedin.
And all information about visiting, volunteering and rooms on our website: Tikondane.org
– For donation information please have a look on ‘Support Tiko‘, Global Giving, our fundraising page at DonorSee or Tribuntu –
