Volunteers: American Rescue Team International

This is a photo of the members of the American Rescue Team International, a non-profit organization of volunteers that went to Malawi to help us in the mission of saving the life of Gabriel Buchmann.
The crew in the photo is made of: Randy, Adam, Ashley, Marcel, Laurie, and David Facundo

Thank you very much!

Update

Hi everyone,
We still don't have THE big news we are waiting for, that Gabriel has been found alive and is on his way back home. Although we have some positive news.

Last Monday (27th July), they finished searching the whole area between Chisepo Hut, where Gabriel was last seen, and the top of Mulanje Mount, the Sapitwa Peak, where he was heading for. One would normally take three hours to cover this distance on foot. The rescue team looked for him in each hole of each cave, each bush. They still haven't found any signs of our dear friend.

The local guides in Mulanje see this as a positive thing, so do we. This is the coldest bit of the mountain, so in a way it's good to know that Gabriel is not there. This is another reason for us to believe that he is lost in the forest area in the middle of the mountain. In the past, people who got lost in this same area for up to three weeks have been found alive.

So we are focusing all our efforts in the search for Gabriel in this forest area. We have eight Canadian and American rescue experts starting to help in the search today Wed (29th July).

Thank you very much for all your help. Please let's keep sending Gabriel positive thoughts, strength and energy. We believe we can help him a great deal by sending him love and light, even if we are physically away.

We will keep you posted.

TV piece in Brazil about Gabriel

Although the piece is in Portuguese, you can see a bit of Gabriel's mother, Fatima Buchmann, and his girlfriend, Cristina Reis.
Cris is on her way to Malawi today (28th July).

Donate with Paypal

We are really in need of extra funds to keep the search for Gabriel. We have sent a group of VOLUNTEERS American and Canadian rescue experts to the Mulanje Mount, in Malawi, to help us find Gabriel. These experts are volunteers, they won’t be paid for their job, but we will have to pay for their flights and travel expenses.

As requested by many of our international friends, we have now added and option to donate using Paypal. Please click the Donate button in the right-hand side of this page.

Email written by Gabriel to his family

This is an email Gabriel wrote to his family on the 1st of June 2009. This will help you to understand the wonderful young man he is...and a few reasons why we will NOT give up on finding him alive.

Dearest mom, girlfriend and João, my top partners in this amazing backpacking trip, my dearest little sister,
After more than a week of a full-on experience into the heart of Africa, I’ve found this cyber café in Jinha, countryside of Uganda, just in front of river Nile…to I write you to say that I am truly overwhelmed and life is wonderfully good!
My days in Africa have been absolutely fantastic!!! After spending a few days in the house of a refugee from Congo in Nairobi, don’t ask me how I ended up in the remote village of the masais in Kenya, where I spent days running after giraffes, zebras and antilopes carrying on a spade and arrow. I was having a truly tribal experience, sleeping in these people houses and all that….oh, and among all my adventures in Kenya, I ended in style! I did a bike safari with my masai friend in a stunning national park…
So I’m preety roots here, walking for a week wrapped up in one of those colorful pieces of fabric, carrying on a stick of wood and a steal spade…all I know is that since I’ve arrived in Africa I haven’t seen ANY muzumgo (white man), besides myself…

Oh, by the way, in the middle of all that today I sent a child to school!!! It’s a long story, but to keep it simple, after spending a whole day walking around a small village in Uganda with a boy that, among other things, introduced me to his family, which lives in totally misery, and then for coincidence I went visiting this public school and was talking to the director, so I decided I would pay the enrollment fee and all the expenses so that this boy could go to the school until the end of the year…

The best about being in Africa is that only here I can travel the way I’ve always dreamt. Today for the second time I stayed at a hostel since I arrived in this continent, all other days I stayed and had meals with the locals, spending less than 3 dollars a day, which has allowed me to distribute the rest of my daily allowance among those who helped me along the way by feeding me or by receiving me in their homes. I am overwhelmed to live such adventure...making a real journey into the heart of Africa, a totally non-touristy one, in a sustainable way, being able to help a few Africans on the way...here with almost nothing you can make a huge difference in people’s lives...for instance with only 12 dollars I paid my friend’s rent in Congo for the whole month. With only 40 dollars I paid for one year of such a cool school for this other boy....

I could write for hours and hours about this first week in Africa, I am truly overwhelmed, this is all beyond my best expectations…but I’m writing just to say hello, because this night I took 4 different boats to cross a river from Kenya to Uganga, then I spent the whole day visiting farmers, schools, etc, all in this very remote village in the middle of nowhere in Ugana…I’ve met incredible people along the way and each day these people will introduce me to new people…and with each of these connections I go slowly diving into the heart of Africa…I’ve really created an incredible network of people around here.

Next week, after paying homage to the genocide victims in Ruanda and god-knows-what in Burundi, I will visit a diamond mine and a pigmeu community in the Congolese jungle together with the brother of a friend, then I’m off to a refugee camp in Tanzania where the uncle of another friend lives, to see if I can find an affordable way to climb Kilimanjaro…and then I will wait my gorgeous Cris to arrive in Dar es Salaam to yet another incredible honeymoon.

Ok, one paragraph about my two best friends in Kenya.

Alex Alembe. He was doing the last year of engineering in Uvira, his hometown in Congo. One night a group of men invaded his house. They killed his mother and his youngest sister, but he scaped through the window. He ended up in a refugee camp in Tanzania, where he stayed for 4 years, married a Tanzanian and had three kids. He moved to the outskirts of Nairobi where he spent the last years bringing gold and diamonds from Congo and selling them in other countries of East Africa. He managed to build a comfortable house for his family and several orphan kids. In the way back from one of these trips, he was stolen in the bus, they took everything he had, suitcase, money, diamonds, passport. He lost everything. He moved with all his family to a 12 square meter house. Despite all this shit, he carries on with 3 social projects, giving breakfast to 20 kids every day, helping the widows victims of Aids and organizing a football match every afternoon. He is saving saving whatever he can to run as a local mp in Congo in the next election.
TIA. This is Africa.



Leonard. He is a Massai who’s mother received me at her house in Itwatso Ogindong. He was doing the last year on administration at the university of Nairobi. After three years of a dry season in the massai land, he had to quit university to bring the catlle belonging to his family in search of a better place, where they find some grass. He walked 500km in 8 days, conducting 100 animals, crossing cities, including the Nairobi airport! He struggles to preserve the massai culture and dreams to marry an American woman, preferably fat. He baptized me with a massai name, Lemaya. His brother Brain, 20, is highly respected in their tribe. At the age of 14, he killed a lion and therefore was seen as a mature man. When he was 15, he married a 12 year-old girl, and another one, 13. His parents chose both. He gave me his spade as a souvenir.
TIA. This is Africa.

Gotta go now.
Mom, sorry I haven’t called for so long. Will do my best to call you from Kampala tomorrow. Cris, will write you in a while….
Johnny, enjoy Russia brother! Russia Haracho! Russia Kracivaia!


Kisses,
Gabriel

Regardand - Français

Ça c’est l’historie de Gabriel Buchmann. Gabriel est un économiste français-brésilien, de 28 ans, qui est disparu au Mont Mulanje il y a 11 jours. Mont Mulanje est situé dans le Malawi, pays Centre-Africain, et un des plus pauvres dans le monde. On a besoin d’aide pour maintenir l’intérêt des médias sur le cas, et garantir la continuité de l’engagement et de l’appui gouvernementale. On explique comment a la fin de ce texte.

Pendant toute l’année dernière, Gabriel Buchmann a voyagé dans dizaines de pays en Asie, Moyen Orient et Afrique. Toujours avec peu de ressources, hitchhiking (stops) et avec l’aide de la population locale. Son objectif était de connaître le monde, ses beautés, ses douleurs, ses erreurs, la pauvreté, l’injustice des homes envers la nature et lui même.

Gabriel est un brillant économiste. Dans le bac brésilien, il a été le premier dans la classification générale de PUC-Rio. A l’université, il a fait deux cours: Economie et Relations Internationales. Pendant ses années à l’université, il a gagné 2 bourses d’étude pour l’Europe, en la Science-Po française et puis dans l’université de Madrid. Il était retourné au Brésil pour conclure son projet final en Reforme Agraire et puis, il a commencé la maîtrise dans PUC-Rio, ou il a défendu sa thèse sur l’interaction parmi éducation, fertilité et le système politique brésilien.

À la fin de la maîtrise, il a travaillé dans l’évaluation de divers programmes gouvernementaux dans le centre de politiques sociales de FGV (Fundação Getúlio Vargas). Ça serait sa préparation pour le doctorat en économie de la pauvreté, chez UCLA.

Avant le doctorat, Gabriel a dit qu’il avait besoin de comprendre et de regarder la pauvreté de plus près, et c’était une de ses raisons pour le voyage dans Asia, Moyen Orient et Afrique. Pendant son temps dans l’université Gabriel a pris un vol dans l’avion du service postal aérien brésilien vers l’Amazonie, ou il a escaladé le Pic de Neblina et a vécu dans les pauvres communes locales. Il a aussi laissé Rio de Janeiro pour passer quelques mois au nord-est du Brésil, ou il a visité les plus pauvres cités et a resté chez le peuple local. Son intérêt était ses vides, ses problèmes et comment ils survivront.

Gabriel crois qu’il a besoin de vivre et de connaître avec proximité le sujet de ses études.

Ci-dessous, une portion de son email écrit au premier de juin:
« Le meilleur ici en Afrique c’est pratiquer ce que j’ai toujours idéalisé… Aujourd’hui je serais en un « hostel » pour la deuxième fois dès que j’étais arrivée au continent africain, tous ces jours j’ai dormi et mangé chez le peuple local, consommant 2 ou 3 dollars chaque jour. De cette façon j’ai peu distribué mon budget journalier parmi les personnes qui ont me recueilli, donné de repas, etc. Je suis très content avec ça : vivre grandes aventures et réaliser un voyage profond dans le continent africain, absolument non touristique, très durable, et en transferrant 80% de mes dépenses pour les africains pauvres… et ici, avec presque rien, vous pouvez faire une différence substantielle dans les vies de ce peuple… mon ami du Congo, par exemple… avec 12 dollars j’ai payé son montant du loyer résidentiel mensuel (pour lui avec sa famille)… pour un garçon, avec 40 dollars j’ai lui garanti une année entière dans une très bonne école…

Malawi était le dernier pays dans le Project de voyage de Gabriel. Son vol de retour à Rio était prévu pour ce 28 Juillet. Gabriel est disparu il y a 11 jours maintenant, mais en 1994 une personne a resté 3 semaines seule dans la même montagne de Malawi, et a être trouvé vivant! Il en a d’autres cas des recherches et sauvetages qui ont bien fini.

We need your help to keep searching for Gabriel - English

We are sending a group of American and Canadian rescue experts to the Mulanje Mount, in Malawi, to help us find Gabriel Buchmann, who’s missing since Friday 17th July. One of the reasons why we are asking for donations is because these experts are volunteers, they won’t be paid for their job, but we will have to pay for their flights and travel expenses.
This team will help us solve the problem of lack of human resources to continue the search over land. There is still a massive forest area that hasn’t been covered. Having these experts focusing their effort and skills on the top the mountain will allow the rest of the team, formed by local Malawians, to explore the forest area in search of Gabriel.

The rescue experts are due to travel to Malawi still today and will probably start working in Gabriel’s rescue by tomorrow, 28th July. You can learn more about these experts at http://www.amerrescue.org/

Many thanks to everyone!

About Gabriel Buchmann

Gabriel Buchmann, 28, went missing on Mount Mulanje in Malawi, southeast Africa, on Friday 17th July. The Brazilian economist got lost when trying to reach the highest peak on his own. He has reportedly dismissed his guide and, hour later, the weather conditions got severely worse.

A search and rescue operation with up to 50 people has been set up but, after 10 days of tireless efforts, his location is yet unknown. There are reasons to believe that Gabriel might have escaped to an area of forest west of Mulanje. In 1994, a Malawian citizen was found alive after wandering for three weeks in the area.

This is why his friends and family will NOT give up on finding him. It is important to keep this story alive in the international media, so as there is enough public pressure on the authorities to keep searching until Gabriel is brought back to safety.

Please, forward this email to your contacts in the media, government, NGO community and ask your friends to do the same. It will only take you 2 minutes and you could be helping to save the life of a very special young man.

You can get in touch with us on ajudegb@hotmail.com

GABRIEL’S JOURNEY

Gabriel Buchmann has been travelling around the world since June 2008. Malawi would be his last stop before returning to Brazil on July 28th. In search of a better understanding on global poverty, Gabriel backpacked across more than 28 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. He was doing so with a budget of less than 20 dollars a day. He would usually stay with locals, sharing whatever he could save of his daily budget with the people in need he befriended.

Gabriel is a brilliant economist. With a BA in International Relations and Economics, he pursued an MA in Economics at PUC University in Rio de Janeiro. He has been awarded with a Fulbright scholarship and will (we believe he will!) start a PHD in Public Policy at UCLA this coming Fall.

He could have found a job in any investment bank in Brazil or Wall Street and hit the jackpot. But Gabriel has always wanted to make better use of his talents. He considered unbearable the idea of waking up every day to go to work on a mission to raise a company’s profit by 3% a year. He wanted to make this place a better world, and off he went on this global trip, to get to know the poorest countries, to understand what is out there to inspire his work as economist.

This is an excerpt of an email written by Gabriel to his family on the 1st of June.

“the best about being in Africa is that only here I can travel the way I’ve always dreamt. Today for the second time I stayed at a hostel since I arrived in this continent, all other days I stayed and had meals with the locals, spending less than 3 dollars a day, which has allowed me to distribute the rest of my daily allowance among those who helped me along the way by feeding me or by receiving me in their homes. I am overwhelmed to live such adventure...making a real journey into the heart of Africa, a totally non-touristy one, in a sustainable way, being able to help a few Africans on the way...here with almost nothing you can make a huge difference in people’s lives...for instance with only 12 dollars I paid my friend’s rent in Congo for the whole month. With only 40 dollars I paid for one year of such a cool school for this other boy....”

Sobre Gabriel Buchmann - Español

Esta es la historia de Gabriel Buchamann. Gabriel es un economista brasilero de 28 años de edad que se encuentra desaparecido desde el viernes de la semana pasada en el Monte Mulanje, localizado en el Centro-Africano Malawi, uno de los países mas pobres del mundo. Precisamos de la ayuda de todos ustedes para mantener esto en los medios de comunicación y de esta forma garantir la continuidad del apoyo del gobierno. (Al final del mail encontraras la forma en que podes ayudarnos)
A lo largo del último año, Gabriel Buchmann viajo por decenas de países en Asia, Oriente Medio y África. Este viaje lo estaba realizando con pocos recursos, y gracias a la ayuda de personas locales. Su intención era conocer el mundo, sus bellezas, sus dolores, los errores, la pobreza, y la injusticia del hombre contra la naturaleza y contra sus semejantes.
Gabriel es un economista brillante. En el examen de ingreso a la facultad obtuvo el mejor promedio, realizo dos Universidades Economía y Relaciones Internacionales. A lo largo de la facultad gano dos becas para estudiar en Europa, el la Science-Po Francia y luego en la Universidad de Madrid. Luego volvió a Brasil para completar su monografía sobre la reforma agraria. Mas tarde realizó una maestría en la Universidad Católica (PUC) de Río de Janeiro, la cual finalizo con una disertación sobre la interacción entre la educación, fertilidad y el sistema político del país.
Al terminar la maestría, ingreso al centro de políticas sociales de la Fundación Getulio Bargas (FGV) donde trabajo en la evaluación de distintos programas del gobierno. Esta sería su preparación para su doctorado en economía de la pobreza, en la Universidad de California.
Antes de su ingreso al doctorado, Gabriel decía que precisaba entender la pobreza de más cerca, y esa fue una de sus razones para su viaje a Asia, Oriente Medio y África. Desde la época de la facultad Gabriel ya se había interesado en los problemas sociales, en esa época decidió subir a un avión del correo aéreo nacional para insertarse en el Amazonas, donde convivió con las comunidades pobres del lugar. Abandono el verano Río de Janeiro para pasar meses en la ciudad Nordestina, donde vivió junto a las personas mas pobres y humildes de la región. Su interés era la vida de ellos y sus problemas.
Para Gabriel, su camino era “conocer y vivir”. Este es un segmento del e-mail que el escribió el primero de Julio. (Vea más información en el blog: http://ajudegabrielbuchmann.blogspot.com/)
“ Lo mejor de todo es que aquí en África estoy consiguiendo poner en practica el viaje que siempre soñé.... hoy es la segunda noche que pasaré en un hostel desde que pise el continente, el resto de los días dormí y comí en la casa de las personas del lugar, gastando unos 2 o 3 dólares por día, lo que me permitió día a día distribuir mi daily Budget entre las personas que me hospedaron, alimentaron, etc.. estoy muy feliz de poder estar viviendo una gran aventura y realizando un viaje de una profunda inmersión en el continente africano, totalmente antiturística, y de una forma totalmente sustentable, transfiriendo el 80% de mis dinero para las personas mas pobres de África…. Aquí con un simple aporte uno puede hacer una gran diferencia en la vida de las personas… es eso amigos, por ejemplo con 12 dólares pague el alquiler mensual de una de las personas que me alojo, y con 40 dólares garantice por un año los estudios de uno de sus hijos, en un instituto muy bueno..”
Malawi era el último país que el iba a visitar. El dia 28 de Julio estría volviendo a Rio de Janeiro. Ya paso 1 semana que Gabriel se encuentra desaparecido, los familiares y amigos tenemos fe de que Gabriel se encuentre bien aguardando por nuestra ayuda. En 1994 un Malawiano paso 3 semanas perdido en el monte, y fue encontrado por un grupo de rescate. Hubo otros casos de rescate en donde fueron encontrados exitosamente. NOS AYUDAN A MANTENER LA LLAMA DE ESTA BUSQUEDA PRENDIDA!!
COMO AYUDAR:
Necesitamos mantener este caso en los medios de comunicación, para eso les pedimos que por favor utilicen todos los recursos que estén a su alcance.
Aquí pueden ver algunas sugerencias:
1- Reenvíe este e-mail a la mayor cantidad de personas que pueda
2- Envíe este mail pata periodistas y bloggers. Tenemos que divulgarlo en la prensa escrita y en los medio digitales. En varios diarios los columnistas colocan su mail, pueden contactarlos y contarles sobre este caso.
3- Colocar un link en su twitter, fecebook, MSN. Nuestro Twitter es ajudagabriel.
4- Hacer comentarios en las noticias que aparecen en los diarios digitales.
RECIBA UNA ACTUALIZACIÓN DE LA SITUACIÓN DE GABRIEL:
Mande um e-mail para ajudegb@hotmail.com
CLIPPING DE NOTÍCIAS:
Helicóptero começa buscas por brasileiro desaparecido na África
G1.com.br - ‎23/07/2009‎
Um helicóptero começou as buscas pelo economista Gabriel Buchman no monte Mulanje, no Maláui, na África, nesta quinta-feira (23). ...
Helicóptero sobrevoa área onde brasileiro sumiu no Malauí
Estadão - ‎23/07/2009‎
RIO - Um helicóptero começou a sobrevoar nesta quinta-feira, 23, o Monte Mulanje, no Malauí, onde o economista franco-brasileiro Gabriel Buchmann, ...