It's On!

In Australia we are in the midst of a Federal Election. Our prime minister tweeted the announcment with the above heading to let the country know the long anticipated election was happening on 7 September.

Well after a couple of years (since 2010) I have made the plans to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in January 2014. This will be a charity climb and if you would like to join me and a mate please email me at eddieozols@gmail.com for an climbers pack with all the information you will need.
Looking forward to the challenge. More info at https://www.whiffyskunk.com/freepdfhosting/payment/free/2046709907.pdf

Job Satisfaction

One of te amazing things in my job with Anglican Aid (www.anglicanaid.org.au) is the stories I get to read from our partners in Africa. Disability is difficult in a developed nation so imagine the difficulty of being disabled in aculture where disability is seen as a curse and witch doctors are consulted to assist families with the perceived shame of having a disabled child.
The following link is a short summary of the disability project supported by Anglican Aid ina really remote part of Tanzania called Karagwe. Google it to see how isolated. Committed Anglican Church of Tanzania staff work tirelessly to ensure every person can reach their full potential.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=664331526928981&set=a.604266046268863.1073741825.203304343031704&type=1&theater

Ise-somo Visit 2013: Day 22: Youth Event at the Factory, Springwood

Ise-somo Visit 2013: Day 22: Youth Event at the Factory, Springwood

The dead at sea | Defence against the dark arts | Blogs

The dead at sea | Defence against the dark arts | Blogs
My friend Michael Jensen has authored a blog on the death of asylum seekers, seen from the air but whose bodies were not retrieved by Australian Navy some weeks ago. This article is well worth reading.

Is Child Sponsorship Effective

A recent report by the University of California San Francisco measured the success of child sponsorship. Not surprisingly it found that outcomes for children being sponsored were positive. The link provides a view worth thinking about. Watch for more posts.http://markmcpeak.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/some-thoughts-on-child-sponsorship/

April 25 ANZAC Day in Australia is World Malaria Day. See what Anglican Aid is doing in Africa to reduce malaria's impacts on children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Amazing how such a small creature can kill so many. In 1980 I carried the dead body of a child in a refugee camp to the mortuary. She died of falciparum malaria. OK and recovering in the morning. Dead six hours later. Still a big killer in Africa of children

http://anglicanaid.org.au/overseasdevelopment#malaria_awareness_prevention_and_treatment_project

Andie (Andrew) Steele Smith - The Justice Blog: Be Still And Know That I Am God

Andie (Andrew) Steele Smith - The Justice Blog: Be Still And Know That I Am God: I have been reflecting lately on Psalm 46 and wanted to share some thoughts on this wonderfully simple and yet incredibly powerful passage o...

My Life has Changed

I started working in February for Anglican Aid http://anglicanaid.org.au/ a faith based organisation which has international development projects in Africa and Asia. I was employed as Office Manager but I have many and varied duties which include all aspects of looking after the office as well as responsibility for African projects.I have been impressed by the quality of work done in Africa through our partners in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. A little money from Australia goes a long way in Africa and is transforming communities where we work.

Hard to believe that less than two months ago I was driving to work and home in a job which was effectively subsidised by the taxpayers of NSW. This job seeks to encourage and engage donors and our projects are reliant on being able to do that. My boss is in the last week of a four week, 2,500km cycle ride "Smashing Cycles of Poverty" tour raising awareness on global injustice.

Is this the best job I have ever had? I really think it is!

 My boss David Mansfield in yellow

 We work amongst street kids in Ethiopia

 Malaria education and provision of nets is saving lives in Africa
An income generation project in Uganda is assisting people to feed their families, send kids to school and build concrete housing rather than the thatched houses which are easily destroyed in bad weather

A Long Time Between Blogs

It has been three months since my last post. A lot has happened. We have decided to downsize and late in 2012 bought an apartment in Wollongong planning for the future when we are not working. We have since sold our home and are in temporary accommodation for some weeks awaiting the finalisation of the apartment.

I also changed jobs. Having wanted to get into the aid and development sector full time I was fortunate to obtain a job with Anglican Aid http://anglicanaid.org.au/ which is the overseas aid agency of the Sydney Anglican Diocese. Apart from managing the office I have responsibility for the African projects we support in about 10 African countries.

Life is somewhat unsettled as I settle into a new role and we await our apartment being certified as ready for occupancyAnglican Aid

Our house which we left after 10 years.