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Birthday Memories from Chad

Last year I celebrated my birthday in a special way. I was working with World Concern's Kenya team in Narok and due to the Post Election Violence from earlier in the year there were many displaced people living in camps which we were managing. Together with my staff I was able to do a late night distribution of blankets and other basic household goods to a few hundred families in one of the camps we were serving. It was great being in a position where I was able to give gifts on my birthday. For me, giving is always better than receiving.

This year made for yet another interesting birthday in Africa as I was in the country of Chad which will be my home for the next 2 months. Chad is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world ranked by the UN as the 5th poorest country in the world, with 80% of the population living below the poverty line. Recently, the Darfur crisis in Sudan has spilt over the border and destabilized the nation, with hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees living in and around camps in eastern Chad. However, while in the capital city of N'djamena it is easy to forget these realities- especially on your birthday.

I arrived in country on the morning of my birthday (1:30am) but after getting a few hours sleep and having an 8am meeting with the French Development Agency I was able to go out to enjoy a nice dinner with a few new friends- John, a consultant we have hired to do an assessment in Chad and Greg who is Kenyan and is our Goz Beida (field) Finanace Manager who happened to be in the capital. I indulged with a delicious t-bone steak, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables and ended with a nice ice cream sundae. I suspect this is the last nice meal I will have in the coming months and definitely the last ice cream I will see in a few months. Where I am going fresh milk is not seen, nothing really stays cold as there is no power and it is usually very hot. Today it is 36 Celsius or 95 Fahrenheit! With that in mind I promise I enjoyed every bite! Here's to another year of adventure and learning and loving life!

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