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. DUNDEE' PRIVATI INVESTOR. INC. 1 Diamond Surgeon General recommends Community minded professionals working for you. Proud Sponsor of Whitchurch-Stouffville's "Little Chips" Soccer l GUIDII 'Ill'fl IIIAGIIII' (OI'AI' Peter Bond and his wife, Yvonne, visited Igoma, anunia for the third time this spxing as part of the Stouffville lgoma Partnership prograip. _ When the couple first joined an 511’ team in 2003, 'it sounded like a M interesting opportunity to broaden our scope," said Peter. The couple were intensely affected, not only by the poverty they encountered, but by the warmth of those they came into contact with. “They are so welcoming. They become a part of your family._' l’eter was also struck how uncomplain- ing people were. 'At the c inic there would be people coming first thing in the morning and perhaps they might not even be seen that day. Yet here, if we’re kept waiting 20 minutes, we get really fnrstratedi ‘ II a.I.-u .4 n " The u'uual phase of the Urafiki Health Centre was completed in Ma 2003 and opened that September with a ska f of ei t. 'It was open from 8 am. to 8 pm; now it a open 24 hours a Partnership brings hope for the future in I goma By Kate Cildexdale Stouffville Free Press day, seven days a week,’ Peter said. Each time he and Yvonne returned, ‘we found that we were seeing hope in people's eyes and our func- tion was to try and_enc9ur_age that bope.’ On their first day back this spring, ‘we noticed immediately that there seemed to be a new sense of entrepreneurship, and a lot of the children looked healthier,’ he noted. As well as helping out with building and training proj- ects, and hanging hundreds of mosquito nets to provide protection from malaria, SIP also funds educational programs for young people, which enable them to find jobs and support their families. VVlth a number of differJnt groups involved in lgoma projects, he was impressed at how well everyone worked together. 'One of the neat things that hap ned involved a lady who had lost her husban . He had been a carpenter ‘There are opportunities at very little cost to help someone establish a business and it’s fun to see some of the things that come to fruition. We found that one of the cooks at the place where we were staying came directly from the SIP education program.’ over the years, during the missions.’ When he died, his wife and five children were destitute, said Peter. 'She was going to lose everything and had very little hope of a good future.’ Volunteers got together and finished building a home for her and her family. 'As she was taken to the house you could see the expression on her face changes. @091 sorrow to icy? _ 'I' aim it’s import'ax'n for people in Stouffville to know that SIP has a huge impact on the community, makin it a healthier and better place to live (or chi] ran and their fami- lies." Every cent donated to SIP goes directly to the work in Igoma, since all volunteers raise money to cover airfare and accommoda- tion. And it's not just the people who go to This ydar’b tearn was involved in building a new extension to the clinic, which will house a mother lggma who make tfie differehcc; Peter strgssedr. “ here’s a lot of hard work done by many, mag/people} not just the team that went." Soc HOPE on page 27