Hi All
Greetings from
Africa (Tanzania)
Wednesday, Thursday
9,10 January 2013
An exhausting 22-hour journey
The flights from Vancouver
to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro International Airport, though a
science in stamina, always seem to bring pleasant surprises, in this case,
meeting other NGO’s embarking on similar inspiring adventures; Sally, a 40ish
blonde American, visits Arusha regularly to help with English training for
Tanzanian primary school teachers; Anna, an adventurous young twenty-something
woman is on her first visit importing school supplies to an Arusha orphanage;
and Francis, a Dutch KLM stewardess, participates in the company’s “Wings Of
Support” initiative that offers aid to needy third world children.
Saturday 12 January
2013
Mathew’s new car – what a ride
The 3-hour ride to the
school sites on the narrow bumpy roads is a little unsettling at the best of
times, but in Mathew’s new car and with his limited driving experience (just
graduated from a driver’s training course), it proved to be just a little more
harrowing. Speeding down hills, wandering over the white line, sometimes being
totally in the oncoming lane only to return at the very last minute, using the
cell phone, braking too late over speed bumps that catapulted us out of our
seats, were a few of the instances that caused sudden increases in my blood
pressure and produced a few “mild” expletives (that exceed the censor level of
this blog). Like a kid with a new toy, however, Mathew was so excited to own a
car that he tended to tune out my comments, and actually, I found it all very
amusing. His pride in his new “status” showed when we arrived at his hometown
of Karatu; he proudly and slowly cruised down main street, honking and waving
at friends and strangers alike.
a construction masterplan
The remainder of the day
was devoted to schools masterplanning discussions at the District offices. The
meeting with Lazaro Titus, District Chairman, and the two village mayors, Peter
Hayshi and Winner Msemo, described the school organization and clarified
concerns shared by the charity directors and myself that the schools would be
properly sustained. Schools are located in Wards that make up the Village
structure. Villages are organized into Districts. The eyes and ears of each
school’s day-to-day operation is the local Ward’s School Committee, ie, a
Chairperson and 4 men and 4 women. The School Committee reports on day-to-day
issues while the Mayor and his Ward Councilors make major funding decisions and
requests to the District. The School Committee reports to a Ward Education
Officer who reports to the District Education Officer. A District School
Inspector reports on building maintenance that is handled by the Village
office.
One important issue I had
was property ownership. The Mayors confirmed the transfer of titles of the
lands that were donated by local farmers. The properties now belong to the
villages.
Teacher procurement is a
critical issue. Gongali’s four classrooms have only two teachers. Kilimamoja’s
first two classrooms built last September have approximately 80 children
enrolled but are still waiting for teacher allocation. It’s optimistic that
they will be available shortly. Since the national Ministry of Education
allocates teachers based on the “squeaky wheel gets the grease” system, Lazarus
ensures his squeaks are deafening.
The main agenda item was
deciding on the next buildings to be built at Gongali and Kilimamoja, and
perhaps the new site at Ayalabe village. After much discussion, the 2013
construction priority is a new Teacher’s Residence at Gongali and a 2-classroom
building at Kilimamoja. Subject to more available funding, we may be able to
add a much-needed water system and perhaps solar power at Gongali, and a
Kitchen and Dining Hall at Kilimamoja.
Interestingly, throughout
the discussions, I noted a wonderful passion and excitement from Lazaro and the
Mayors on all matters education. They insisted on their personal involvement.
Lazaro again brought up his personal project to build a Teacher’s College at
Ayalabe. As described in a previous blog, it is in conjunction with a new
primary school that we may be able to help with.
Sunday, Monday
13,14 January 2013
site inspections and technological hope
It was good news for our
construction project and even better news getting new technological information
on electrical, water collection and hygiene support systems for the schools. On
Sunday morning, en route to the Kilimamoja site, Mathew and I visited Lazaro
Titus at his home for an arranged meeting with a solar design and installation
contractor. Roof-mounted solar panels at Lazarus’ home provide power for
lighting, as well as power for his refrigerator and outlets for charging
(computers, cell phones, cameras). We worked out the design and elemental costs
for a typical school site. I now have all the information I need to phase in
solar power to the schools. Solar panel systems are relatively expensive
(around $12,000 for the entire school), but as an initial phase at Gongali, we
may be able to provide a few panels to do one classroom building and a
teacher’s residence.
We then proceeded to the
school site, and were very pleased to discover a new route in the maze of rough
dirt paths to the schools that cut out most of the bone-jarring bumps and ruts.
Construction of the residences is almost complete – just painting left. Builder
Fabian is doing well, considering ongoing challenges with workers’ truancy and
sickness, and will have a nicely finished building in time for the opening
celebrations this coming Sunday.
 |
| Kilimanjaro School Site – new Teacher Residences at right |
 |
| the new Teacher Residences |
On Monday we were invited
to visit Mayor Peter Hayshi’s home for a demonstration of a typical biogas
installation. Peter was “at the office”, so his wife Fortunata (another very
apt name) described the system. For the uninitiated, it is based on the
bacterial fermentation of cattle droppings and human waste in an underground concrete
tank that produces methane gas building pressure that forces itself as clean
fuel through a pipeline connected to a kitchen stove (think propane burner
type) with options for gas lighting as well. All that is needed are two buckets
of manure per day. The manure is mixed with two buckets of water and dumped
into a small concrete well connected by a pipe to the tank. Fermented waste is
forced out under the pressure caused by the gas to another small adjacent
concrete tank and is used for fertilizer. Great recycling! With a strike of a
match, Fortunata demonstrated the stove and lights. As far as use in school
applications, I’m not sure…it would mean having to own and manage cattle. But
who knows?
 |
| home biogas installation – “fuelled” by only 2 cows |
Fortunata is also the
Chairperson of the Gongali School Committee. We took the opportunity to discuss
their roles and responsibilities, to name a few; maintenance, security, pupil
(and teacher) discipline, parent-provided school supplies, co-ordination of
enrollment, and thrice-yearly reports to the Mayor and Council. She described
the many difficulties raising the needed funds, but was cautiously optimistic
of the future. After a snack of warm milk (heated by the gas stove) and
cucumber slices, we warmly hugged and thanked her for providing such a wealth
of good information.
At the nearby Gongali
school site, I was treated to some welcoming singing by the three classrooms
that were in progress, and afterwards, had some serious discussions with the
two teachers, Medard John and Sarah Mollele, about much-needed water supply.
“Mr Alan, we thank you so
much for the classrooms, the kitchen and our homes, but we are really
struggling for water supply,” Sarah said. “The village is delivering one
container each week, but it is depleted very quickly. There is barely enough
for drinking and cooking, but what about bathing and watering our garden?”
Previously, we had planned
to connect underground piping to a water line a kilometer away, but Fabian
advised that since it has no flow during dry periods it would have to be backed
by rainwater collection. Sarah pointed out there is enough rain each year
during the rainy season to completely fill a tank and that that would help
solve the bathing and garden watering. I decided then that this would have to
be the next project for this site (and felt badly that we could not have addressed this sooner).
Thursday 17 January
2013
Dr Hilonga
I finally met Dr Askwar
Hilonga, PhD, a Tanzanian who ecstatically contacted me after bumping into the
PSFA website a year ago. We had been communicating ever since. Askwar grew up
with Mathew in the village of Gongali and is a fine example of the dogged
determination to succeed despite the many obstacles facing a poor village
family. And did he succeed! He’s now a lecturer at the Nelson Mandela
University and as a personal enterprise, has founded and registered his new
organization, TAHUDE - Tanzania Human Development Foundation, whose “ambition is to utilize different talents of men
and women who wish to effect positive changes in the lives of people.”
Check out their website.
 |
| L to R: Dr Hilonga, Mathew, Nelson Mandela, Alan, Shukrani |
We met with Askwar and his
Tahude partner Shukrani Majogoro and waxed philosophical for several hours about
how we could work together towards “building community”, in particular, as it
relates to education and school building. They have chosen the village of
Nambala next to the university as their implementation model where a recent
successful initiative is the creation of a micro-financing system. Poor farm
families contribute 5,000 Tanzanian shillings (about $3.20) each month into the
communal pot. There are about 30 members so far. Anyone can take loans out at
small interest rates to grow small businesses and farm operations. Later we
visited a site that they purchased with hopes of building a much-needed new
school in this area. And finally, we wrapped up an amazing day with a visit to
Shukrani’s home where we witnessed yet another biogas installation. This one
provides all their cooking needs from only two cattle.
Friday 18 January
2013
Arrival of the Stringams
On Thursday, we picked up
our project donor Michael Stringam, his wife Charlotte, and her mother Lillian
at midnight at the airport and got them settled in by 1:30AM. After a good
rest, on Friday, Claud, Mathew and I briefed them on the school ceremonies and
their subsequent safari tour.
But Friday was not without
a significant event. I was wonderfully surprised by a text message from Claud
at 8:00AM, proudly announcing the arrival of a baby girl just 3 hours previous.
Later, after the Stringam brief, Mathew and I discussed the all-important issue
of the baby’s naming. Some of you readers of my book “From Clay To Classrooms”
may recall Mathew, in the tradition of using the name of a significant person
in the family’s life at the time of birth, named his new little baby after my
wife Maureen. The birth coincided with the completion of the first two
classrooms at Gongali in November 2010. Interestingly, Claud’s little
daughter’s arrival coincided with the completion of this project, so we
discussed the obvious options for the name; “Charlotte” or “Lillian”. Claud
eventually picked Lillian since it sounded more Sawahili; Lillian Claud Goi.
What now remained was when and how to surprise Lillian. Claud decided an
appropriate time would be at a get together at his home on the way to the
airport on Tuesday. At that time, she could also see the baby.
Saturday, Sunday
19,20 January 2013
The opening celebrations
I enjoyed sharing in the
excitement of the Stringam’s first impressions and ongoing discoveries of the
beauty of Tanzania and the charm of its people. We headed out to Karatu and the
“Tanzanice Lodge” on Saturday and spent a relaxing day preparing speeches
(partly in Swahili) and enjoying the wonderful hospitality of the lodge staff.
The next morning’s arrival
at the school site was as amazing as the previous visit last September when we
opened the first two classrooms. Three lines of children led by a teacher
danced and sang a greeting and shook hands with the dazzled Stringams.
 |
| singing pupils greeting us |
A colorfully dressed group
of women then filed past, chanting a soft melodic tune. They led us to our canopied seating
area, where energetic men performed the traditional jump dance to the strong synchronized drumbeat of two lithe women. Three rows of
school-uniformed pupils then marched in to sing the Tanzanian patriotic song;
very sweet.
Next was a dance by a group
of local women who invited Charlotte to join in. She did so, with gusto,
swaying from side to side, clapping and spinning to match their moves. The
locals were impressed with her enthusiasm.
 |
| dance entertainment |
Mayor Winner Msemo’s
greeting speech (translated phrase by phrase in English by Mathew) vigorously
expressed gratefulness for the new teacher’s residences and promised the
village’s utmost effort to obtain the two needed teachers for them.
I introduced the Stringams
in Swahili; “Habari za leo mabibi na mabwana. Ninayofuraha kuwa hapa
kuwakaribisha familia ya bwana Michael Stringam, mama Charlotte na bibi
Lillian” ambaye ni mfadhili wa jengohili.” (Good day, ladies and gentlemen. I
am pleased to be here to introduce the family of Michael Stringam, his wife
Charlotte and her mother Lillian, who are the generous donors of this project).
The remarkable aspect of
this event was the cultural exchange between two nations; the Osoyoos tribe of
southern British Columbia and the Iraqw tribe of the Karatu District. Charlotte
is the granddaughter of an Osoyoos chief. After opening his speech with a
couple of lines of reasonably-spoken Swahili, Michael continued in English with
Mathew translating to the crowd gathered in a large semi-circle in front of the
head table. He presented Mayor Winner gifts intended for the teachers; 72
colourful backpacks, one for each of the new pupils. Charlotte had had her
Osoyoos tribe’s emblem stitched on the flap of each backpack.
 |
| Lillian presenting gift to elder |
Next was Lillian's presentation of gifts, "elder to elder", presented to twenty-two of the village's well-respected seniors.
 |
| Charlotte presenting “dream-catcher” gift to Mayor Winner |
Charlotte then
explained her tribal origins and proceeded to present gifts to the various
VIP’s. Village and district officials each received a “dream catcher”. This consists of 2
overlapping 3” metal rings with various feathers attached below. The rings have
threads woven across the circle, its purpose as Charlotte described; “when you
hang this above your bed it will catch the bad dreams and allow only good
dreams to pass through to you as you sleep.”
 |
| Michael presenting drum gifts to Village Chiefs |
The most
significant gifts were the two hand drums with drumsticks given to the two
tribal chiefs, their leather surface painted with a bear on one and a turtle on
the other.
 |
| Michael receiving gift of giraffe from Village Chief |
 |
| Michael and Charlotte - wrapped in a "conjugal" blanket |
The final act of the
exchange was the amazing performance of the senior tribal chief, who first
asked permission of the head table to speak in the tribe’s native language. He
then led the village audience in a chant as he danced to the rhythm of his own
singing, culminating it by rallying them three times with a peppy cheer.
 |
| ribbon cutting for new Teacher Residences |
At the ribbon cutting that
followed, Michael Stringam and Mayor Winner did the honours to officially open
the new teacher residences. We took photos of the Stringams against their
dedication plaques, toured the finished product and received some good feedback
on its design from Peter Hayshi, who stated that the design of these
residences, along with that of the classroom buildings, would be used on all
other (ones we would not be doing) future school projects in the region.
 |
| dedication plaque |
Over dinner back at the lodge, as we reflected on the day’s colourful events, I reminded myself how lucky I am to be having these amazing experiences of sharing in the transformation of a community; of seeing their joy and appreciation of our work, and their sincere commitment to maintain a successful school operation. During the meal, however, Claud the excited father innocently slipped out the news of the birth of his little daughter to which Michael immediately questioned; “What are you going to name your little girl?” During the pregnant pause that followed, Claud, Mathew and I exchanged glances. The cat was out of the bag. Puzzled by the hesitation, the Stringams and I watched as Mathew and Claud proceeded to have a quick discussion in Swahili. The result is what I have come to admire about Claud (and Mathew) and most Tanzanians I have met; their directness and honesty. Claud first explained the “custom” of the naming and then announced; “Lillian”. It took a moment to register with Lillian, then she and the Stringams, looking somewhat embarrassed but grinning broadly (and with a few tears), vigorously shook Claud’s hands in appreciation.
Monday, 21 January
2013
Gongali decisions
It was an early rise for Claud and the Stringams as they left by 6:30AM for a 1-day safari tour of the Ngorongoro Crater that was less than an hour away to view the many species of wildlife, including the “big five” that luxuriate in the lush plentiful confines of its 20 km diameter.
 |
| plaque dedication - Sang and Alicia classroom |
Later in the morning, Mathew and I drove to the Gongali school site for a photo of the plaque dedicating the first classroom to donors Alicia Lee and Sang Han.
We arranged to meet on site with Mayor Peter Hayshi and builder Fabian to seriously discuss water supply to the site as well as another teacher’s residence. Subject to funding, we will install underground piping to connect to an existing water line about a kilometer away, ending as at Kilimamoja with a concrete tap enclosure. We will also provide a roof gutter and 3,000 liter SIM tank system behind the kitchen building for general use as well as a roof gutter and 1,500 liter SIM tank system at the end of each residence. I agreed to send plans for pricing as soon as I returned to Canada.
 |
| The Gongali school site - Jan 2013 |
The way to sustainability
After dismissing her class
for the morning, Sarah Mollele, Gongali school’s resident teacher, excitedly
approached me at the end of our meeting and said; “You must see our garden
before you leave.” She led me to the plot of land behind the residence where,
in the few short months since I had been here last, she had transformed an
empty area into a bountiful garden growing soya beans, spinach, mchicha leafs
(great Vitamin C content) and pumpkin. Ingeniously, to keep the chickens out,
she cordoned off the garden with collected firewood branches stored around the
perimeter, using the firewood as needed for cooking.
 |
| Sarah’s garden |
Her look changed to sadness
as she explained; “The plants have grown from recent rains, but are now in
danger of drying up.” When I told
her of our plans to provide water systems within the next few months, I was
rewarded with that wonderful characteristic feature of so many Tanzanians; a
generous and beaming smile. To me, Sarah is a hero. Under such adverse physical
conditions that seems unimaginable to our western thinking, she is succeeding
to not only educate and look after her 30+ pupils, but to manage her own
household. “I work hard to survive,” she said with resolve. “This is my home now,
this is my community.” I admired her determination. Hopefully we can continue
with the planned support systems (water supply, solar power and perhaps biogas
fuel) so that her life will be a little easier and her children will have a
better chance.
Tuesday, 22 January
2013
We’ll be back soon
On the way to the airport,
we visited with Claud Goi’s family to see little “Lillian”. She was a beautiful
healthy 7-pound baby girl, 5 days old now. They have an interesting custom; the
mother remains in bed to bond with the baby for 40 days…and the husband
unbegrudgingly assumes the household duties. How great is that for her?
 |
| Lillian and Lillian with mother Valerie Goi |
This trip was incredible.
The Stringams had an experience that, for them as well as me, was rich
beyond expectation. How often does one get to be part of a cross-cultural
exchange between the tribes of two distant continents with such colourful and
diverse customs? Thank you, Michael, Charlotte and Lillian. PSFA and the
village of Kilimamoja are indebted to you for your generous contribution and
for making a difference in their lives.
On the technological side,
we now have a few possible solutions to improve the quality of village and
school life. And from our planning perspective, the priorities of the next
projects for the remainder of 2013 are clearly in focus:
- a Teacher’s Residence at Gongali
- piped water supply and rainwater collection at
Gongali
- a two classroom building at Kilimamoja
- a Kitchen/Dining Room at Kilimamoja
A heartfelt thanks to the
past donors that have made our projects possible. Please continue to support
our valuable work.
PS. My mom Gladys
celebrated her 90th birthday while I was at the Gongali school site.
I mentioned this to Sarah and surprisingly, she quickly suggested that she and
a few other teachers as well as the mayor sing happy birthday. So I quickly got
my camera and managed to video it. Check it out on YouTube:
And while you’re at it,
check out this one of a few of Sarah’s kids and me from my September 2012
visit:
End of Update
