It is difficult to say goodbye to our WellShare family. We had a nice dinner Friday night with staff and shared toasts. Staff said we should make this our first home, not our second (it isn’t going to happen). We received beautiful gifts to treasure always. While we miss family and friends, there is also a strong pull to this beautiful country and its wonderful people.
That same day we had an amazing surprise. As you may remember from our last entry, someone squeezed through a window to steal our two iPods, binoculars, and our (fortunately) backup camera.
With a long face, Jolene told us there was a problem getting our police report. Then her expression turned to a grin as she told us why. Culprits broke into the home of a government official here, and he went into high gear to track down his goods. The good news for us is his thieves were our thieves.
The Karatu police recovered our stolen items and returned all but the camera on Friday, and the camera is on the way! We were told by a couple of people the police would find our goods, but we were doubtful. What a nice cap to a wonderful trip!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Last days in Africa
An ancient place -
We left out of our safari post our stop at Oldupai Gorge which is considered the birthplace or cradle of man. In layers of volcanic deposits 300 feet deep archeologists have peeled back 2 million years of history. In 1959, Mary Leakey found a 1.8 million year old hominoid skull and later at Laetoli south of the gorge, she found hominoid footprints 3.75 million years old. Scholars have traced the probable migration routes from here to populations all over the world through DNA testing.
In our last post, we mentioned a meeting with the Hadzabe tribe, which live in an area south of Karatu. It is the only tribal remnant of ancient Paleolithic times on the continent and believed to be the most ancient tribe in Africa.
Nairobi -
Now, back to this most recent week; in the fall while we were in CA meeting with possible NGO partners we had dinner with Martin Fisher, the CEO of KickStart, an appropriate technology NGO whose main products are irrigation pumps. We have known of them and supported them for a long time, because Aaron did his Stanford MBA internship with them in Nairobi and then went to work for them in San Francisco after he graduated. (Martin has a PhD in engineering from Stanford, hence the connection.) Sharon offered to do volunteer work for them when we return to the US. So after reviewing her resume, Martin and others at KickStart decided that they could use her help with training. We went to Arusha on Friday, spent the night, and took the bus up to Nairobi on Saturday. Because of road construction (by the Chinese) the trip took 7 hours.
We were picked up by Bitenge Ndemo, a friend of Bill Drake and Anne McLaughlin. He went to the U of M and lived in MN for about 11 years. Bill met him through the International Center and helped him get a job at Medtronic. After returning to Kenya he completed a PhD in England. He was a university professor in Kenya when the government picked him as Permanent Minister of Information and Communication. Ndemo is very dedicated to improving the lives of people in the country, especially those in rural areas. He and his wife Pamela were gracious hosts, welcoming us to stay in their beautiful home, and taking us to the oldest country club in the city, dating to 1906 when of course blacks were not allowed. We met other relatives and also got some real exercise for a change, walking on the country club track. Unfortunately, Pamela was not feeling well, but Ndemo played tennis with Ruth, Barak Obama’s step mother, as they do every Sunday. Afterwards, we had a nice discussion with Ruth, who is from Boston but has lived in Kenya for 45 years.
We went to the KickStart guesthouse on Sunday night and had a pretty intense two days. We visited farmers who were using the pumps and described how it had changed their lives. One man was growing herbs on 1/6 of an acre and watering with a bucket. He got a pump and now has ¾ acre and of course more than one crop a year. He can afford to have his three high school children in private schools. Another woman had a nursery and she has expanded greatly since she saw a pump demonstrated and bought one to replace her bucket irrigation. We met a couple of dealers and with several staff people at KickStart. This is a very impressive organization whose employees have a very high level of skills. Sharon is hoping she will be able to provide them with useful tools as they are growing very quickly.
Nairobi was a bit of a culture shock with all the industry, large population (4 million), terrible traffic, diversity of wonderful restaurants, and showers with pressure and hot water!
Back in Karatu -
It was a nice homecoming to Karatu on Wednesday. We made it in time for the 30th birthday party of one of the ex-pats and it was great fun to realize all the friends we have made here. It is a second home.
Rick is back to editing videos and Sharon is orienting our “replacement” volunteer. Ellen moved to Tanzania six months ago intending to spend two years here with another organization. That has not worked out and she has decided to work with WellShare and continue our efforts with the women’s groups. We are thrilled to know there will be someone here to follow up with the partnerships that are coming together and continue to find other avenues to get training and income generation to these women.
It has been a busy and satisfying time here. If things progress as we hope, we can be comfortable knowing that we have indeed made a difference. What a high that is!
We left out of our safari post our stop at Oldupai Gorge which is considered the birthplace or cradle of man. In layers of volcanic deposits 300 feet deep archeologists have peeled back 2 million years of history. In 1959, Mary Leakey found a 1.8 million year old hominoid skull and later at Laetoli south of the gorge, she found hominoid footprints 3.75 million years old. Scholars have traced the probable migration routes from here to populations all over the world through DNA testing.
In our last post, we mentioned a meeting with the Hadzabe tribe, which live in an area south of Karatu. It is the only tribal remnant of ancient Paleolithic times on the continent and believed to be the most ancient tribe in Africa.
Nairobi -
Now, back to this most recent week; in the fall while we were in CA meeting with possible NGO partners we had dinner with Martin Fisher, the CEO of KickStart, an appropriate technology NGO whose main products are irrigation pumps. We have known of them and supported them for a long time, because Aaron did his Stanford MBA internship with them in Nairobi and then went to work for them in San Francisco after he graduated. (Martin has a PhD in engineering from Stanford, hence the connection.) Sharon offered to do volunteer work for them when we return to the US. So after reviewing her resume, Martin and others at KickStart decided that they could use her help with training. We went to Arusha on Friday, spent the night, and took the bus up to Nairobi on Saturday. Because of road construction (by the Chinese) the trip took 7 hours.
We were picked up by Bitenge Ndemo, a friend of Bill Drake and Anne McLaughlin. He went to the U of M and lived in MN for about 11 years. Bill met him through the International Center and helped him get a job at Medtronic. After returning to Kenya he completed a PhD in England. He was a university professor in Kenya when the government picked him as Permanent Minister of Information and Communication. Ndemo is very dedicated to improving the lives of people in the country, especially those in rural areas. He and his wife Pamela were gracious hosts, welcoming us to stay in their beautiful home, and taking us to the oldest country club in the city, dating to 1906 when of course blacks were not allowed. We met other relatives and also got some real exercise for a change, walking on the country club track. Unfortunately, Pamela was not feeling well, but Ndemo played tennis with Ruth, Barak Obama’s step mother, as they do every Sunday. Afterwards, we had a nice discussion with Ruth, who is from Boston but has lived in Kenya for 45 years.
We went to the KickStart guesthouse on Sunday night and had a pretty intense two days. We visited farmers who were using the pumps and described how it had changed their lives. One man was growing herbs on 1/6 of an acre and watering with a bucket. He got a pump and now has ¾ acre and of course more than one crop a year. He can afford to have his three high school children in private schools. Another woman had a nursery and she has expanded greatly since she saw a pump demonstrated and bought one to replace her bucket irrigation. We met a couple of dealers and with several staff people at KickStart. This is a very impressive organization whose employees have a very high level of skills. Sharon is hoping she will be able to provide them with useful tools as they are growing very quickly.
Nairobi was a bit of a culture shock with all the industry, large population (4 million), terrible traffic, diversity of wonderful restaurants, and showers with pressure and hot water!
Back in Karatu -
It was a nice homecoming to Karatu on Wednesday. We made it in time for the 30th birthday party of one of the ex-pats and it was great fun to realize all the friends we have made here. It is a second home.
Rick is back to editing videos and Sharon is orienting our “replacement” volunteer. Ellen moved to Tanzania six months ago intending to spend two years here with another organization. That has not worked out and she has decided to work with WellShare and continue our efforts with the women’s groups. We are thrilled to know there will be someone here to follow up with the partnerships that are coming together and continue to find other avenues to get training and income generation to these women.
It has been a busy and satisfying time here. If things progress as we hope, we can be comfortable knowing that we have indeed made a difference. What a high that is!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Vanishing Tribes
At the end of our trip last year we had the really amazing experience of going to the pre-wedding ceremony for one of the staff. (And now, he and his wife have a baby!)
This year we had another unique experience. On Saturday, there was a meeting of two tribes called by the ward chairman in an effort to address their problems. There were about 160 people there, mostly men. The tribes were the Tatoga, a pastoral tribe similar to the Maasai. They had been forced off their good lands by the Maasai who were more fierce.
The other tribe is the Hadzabe, a very small tribe of 500-2500 people, depending on where you draw the line of ethnic purity. They are the only hunter-gatherer tribe left in Tanzania and as you can see by the numbers they are dying out fast. Hadzabe too have been pushed off good hunting lands and squeezed by farm development and pastoralists until they are left with little land and it is very poor. They are having great difficulty finding enough wildlife to survive and it really shows. While most of the men seem fairly healthy, many of the women are very thin. We were told the men go out to hunt and may find small birds which they eat on the spot. However, they don’t bring a kill home unless it is something big, which is rare, so the women and children suffer. Because of this, many died last year during the drought. Some of the old Tatoga women also were skeletal.
The Tatoga were obviously wealthier with their beads, brass jewelry wrapped up their arms, legs and around their necks, beaded hair (on the men) and cell phones. The Hadzabe men dress in shorts, with fabric or leather tied over one shoulder, carrying their bows and arrows. The meeting was held in Swahili and translated into the tribal languages.
After official presentations, the people spoke, often quite passionately, about their problems and needs. In the past it has been difficult to get the Hadzabe children into school. The children have to attend a boarding school because it is so far away. They talk in terms of the government “taking” their children and worry about losing their culture. It sounded rather similar to the issues of Native American and Australian children. In addition, they have traditionally moved around constantly. However, now their territory is smaller and, as it is more difficult to eek out a living, they see it is critical for their children to have an education as they will have to live a different life. That was their main concern; how to get a school in their area so the children can go home at night. Plus, while primary education is free, uniforms and shoes are expected and they have almost no income to buy such things. If they go to school without them, the children feel embarrassed and are teased by others. The Tatoga also worry about cultural dilution and uniform costs, so both tribes would like a school in their area.
The other issue they raised was health care. The facilities are far away and they lack funds to get there and pay for services. They cited an example of a problem delivery. It took so long for aid to arrive that the baby died and the mother was in grave danger. The Hadzabe had been pretty protected from HIV, but it has begun to show up. Experience with other isolated groups is that it arrives late and then spreads very fast. So there is deep concern about what will happen to these nutritionally compromised people with little access to education that may protect them or to necessary health care.
The tribes decided to make monthly contributions to a fund for a school and health services. However, they are struggling to find a way for the Hadzabe to contribute since they have almost no cash income. Tourists come to visit the tribe or go hunting with them, but while the tourists pay a handsome fee, the tribe only sees 15,000Tsh, about $11, for a whole group of tourists and it must be shared by all the tribal members who participate. In addition, tourism, especially in this area which is a distance from the wildlife parks, is reported to be down. Hopefully, they will organize and demand a better share of the funds!
The needs of these communities are great, and additional funding will have to be found to bring very basic health and education services to them.
Lights! Camera! Action!
Suddenly Rick has become a videographer and editor. WellShare periodically hires a local drama troupe to put on skits and creatively deliver health messages, such as during market days.
They are now developing videos to show during educational meetings. Since most villages have no electricity, using media like this is extremely popular. Last week they recorded a variety of scenes to teach sanitation, with Rick operating the camera. It was an all-morning affair and great fun. This week will be busy editing the material.
As we experienced last year, new tasks we never anticipated come up that help us develop new skills (how does this camera work?), use skills we didn’t expect to need here, and make our time here so interesting. Every day is a new experience.
Rick has also been able to offer lots of help with computer problems. He has been very valuable in the office.
We feel things are coming together. Now, organization leadership will need to make connections so microfinance and farm projects can get started. It looks like some of the women’s groups will soon be able to start training and begin on their path to income generating projects, and hopefully, a better life for themselves and their children.
We have also had our first encounter with the polisi (that wasn’t on the road). We went home for lunch to find our ipods, camera and binoculars missing from our locked house. All the windows except one are barred. The one that is not is in our bedroom and it is an emergency exit. Unfortunately, we have not felt compelled to keep it locked. It is in a secluded place and the dog had probably snuck out of the yard. We could not believe that anyone could get through the little window, but on closer inspection, we could see footprints where someone had landed after jumping out of the window. Today it wasn’t muddy enough to have good footprints! It was probably a kid. He must have climbed the tree outside out window, jumped over our concrete fence topped with iron spikes and been able to scramble back out again. Another lesson in diligence, I guess. Fortunately, we had the good camera and GPS with us and he didn’t take the voice recorder, which we have been using for interviews.
This year we had another unique experience. On Saturday, there was a meeting of two tribes called by the ward chairman in an effort to address their problems. There were about 160 people there, mostly men. The tribes were the Tatoga, a pastoral tribe similar to the Maasai. They had been forced off their good lands by the Maasai who were more fierce.
The other tribe is the Hadzabe, a very small tribe of 500-2500 people, depending on where you draw the line of ethnic purity. They are the only hunter-gatherer tribe left in Tanzania and as you can see by the numbers they are dying out fast. Hadzabe too have been pushed off good hunting lands and squeezed by farm development and pastoralists until they are left with little land and it is very poor. They are having great difficulty finding enough wildlife to survive and it really shows. While most of the men seem fairly healthy, many of the women are very thin. We were told the men go out to hunt and may find small birds which they eat on the spot. However, they don’t bring a kill home unless it is something big, which is rare, so the women and children suffer. Because of this, many died last year during the drought. Some of the old Tatoga women also were skeletal.
The Tatoga were obviously wealthier with their beads, brass jewelry wrapped up their arms, legs and around their necks, beaded hair (on the men) and cell phones. The Hadzabe men dress in shorts, with fabric or leather tied over one shoulder, carrying their bows and arrows. The meeting was held in Swahili and translated into the tribal languages.
After official presentations, the people spoke, often quite passionately, about their problems and needs. In the past it has been difficult to get the Hadzabe children into school. The children have to attend a boarding school because it is so far away. They talk in terms of the government “taking” their children and worry about losing their culture. It sounded rather similar to the issues of Native American and Australian children. In addition, they have traditionally moved around constantly. However, now their territory is smaller and, as it is more difficult to eek out a living, they see it is critical for their children to have an education as they will have to live a different life. That was their main concern; how to get a school in their area so the children can go home at night. Plus, while primary education is free, uniforms and shoes are expected and they have almost no income to buy such things. If they go to school without them, the children feel embarrassed and are teased by others. The Tatoga also worry about cultural dilution and uniform costs, so both tribes would like a school in their area.
The other issue they raised was health care. The facilities are far away and they lack funds to get there and pay for services. They cited an example of a problem delivery. It took so long for aid to arrive that the baby died and the mother was in grave danger. The Hadzabe had been pretty protected from HIV, but it has begun to show up. Experience with other isolated groups is that it arrives late and then spreads very fast. So there is deep concern about what will happen to these nutritionally compromised people with little access to education that may protect them or to necessary health care.
The tribes decided to make monthly contributions to a fund for a school and health services. However, they are struggling to find a way for the Hadzabe to contribute since they have almost no cash income. Tourists come to visit the tribe or go hunting with them, but while the tourists pay a handsome fee, the tribe only sees 15,000Tsh, about $11, for a whole group of tourists and it must be shared by all the tribal members who participate. In addition, tourism, especially in this area which is a distance from the wildlife parks, is reported to be down. Hopefully, they will organize and demand a better share of the funds!
The needs of these communities are great, and additional funding will have to be found to bring very basic health and education services to them.
Lights! Camera! Action!
Suddenly Rick has become a videographer and editor. WellShare periodically hires a local drama troupe to put on skits and creatively deliver health messages, such as during market days.
They are now developing videos to show during educational meetings. Since most villages have no electricity, using media like this is extremely popular. Last week they recorded a variety of scenes to teach sanitation, with Rick operating the camera. It was an all-morning affair and great fun. This week will be busy editing the material.
As we experienced last year, new tasks we never anticipated come up that help us develop new skills (how does this camera work?), use skills we didn’t expect to need here, and make our time here so interesting. Every day is a new experience.
Rick has also been able to offer lots of help with computer problems. He has been very valuable in the office.
We feel things are coming together. Now, organization leadership will need to make connections so microfinance and farm projects can get started. It looks like some of the women’s groups will soon be able to start training and begin on their path to income generating projects, and hopefully, a better life for themselves and their children.
We have also had our first encounter with the polisi (that wasn’t on the road). We went home for lunch to find our ipods, camera and binoculars missing from our locked house. All the windows except one are barred. The one that is not is in our bedroom and it is an emergency exit. Unfortunately, we have not felt compelled to keep it locked. It is in a secluded place and the dog had probably snuck out of the yard. We could not believe that anyone could get through the little window, but on closer inspection, we could see footprints where someone had landed after jumping out of the window. Today it wasn’t muddy enough to have good footprints! It was probably a kid. He must have climbed the tree outside out window, jumped over our concrete fence topped with iron spikes and been able to scramble back out again. Another lesson in diligence, I guess. Fortunately, we had the good camera and GPS with us and he didn’t take the voice recorder, which we have been using for interviews.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Back to work
Back to Work
Back from safari, we are again working on our project. And, that has us reflecting on our circumstances.
First, Minnesota International Health Volunteers (now WellShare International) has been wonderful to work with. They see possibilities. They understand the relationship between health and financial circumstances.
Our two months last year was a chance for us to understand their program, focusing on maternal and child health. We were so impressed with the relationships they had (and have) in the villages. More than that, the impact has been truly impressive. As required by their funder, an independent evaluator came last summer to measure the program goals against accomplishments. The report delivered a glowing assessment.
We developed some thoughts of what we could do beyond our stay in 2009. These ideas were not in the original program goals, but again, the organization saw possibilities. We were encouraged to explore our ideas, meet with other organizations to find out how other programs work, and even if partnerships might be possible. We were hoping to find synergy in the different strengths of two organizations.
We’ve learned a lot, been excited about developments and sad when some failed to materialize, made many mistakes, but are excited about how the work is progressing.
Second, we’ve discovered a special freedom working as volunteers, working for free. After all, what can they do, fire us? (Well, yes they could.) It does require an organization willing to let volunteers use their individual talents, and we have had that opportunity. It makes it enjoyable to go to the office, or get into a vehicle for sometimes challenging drives to be with villagers. It has been fun!
Third, we love Tanzania. We have had phenomenal experiences in one of the best wildlife areas in Africa. The weather has been fantastic. But most important, the people are truly wonderful. There is a strong Tanzanian staff here, and it is so interesting being in the villages, finding out as best we can, how they work. Guidebooks often encourage doing some cultural tourism. We’ve had a special opportunity that most don’t get.
Since our safari we have been very busy meeting with several organizations, exploring if their programs could work with ours. We are seeing some interesting partnership possibilities including: saving and loaning money (microfinance) to help the village women gain financial literacy and funds to start a business, and farmer field schools to develop agricultural or animal husbandry and marketing skills. We are hopeful we can make connections soon and have the project on its way by the time we leave.
In addition, there have been a number of other tasks we have been involved with including helping with computer presentations, brainstorming incentives for behavior change at the village level in the areas of health and sanitation, and fundraising.
We do have a social life, and one night in particular stands out. An American has a get together every couple of weeks with a theme. Last Friday, the day niece Lynnea and Kyle got married in Mexico, she had a burritos and Margarethas night. Perfect timing. Congratulations from all of us Lynnea and Kyle.
Back from safari, we are again working on our project. And, that has us reflecting on our circumstances.
First, Minnesota International Health Volunteers (now WellShare International) has been wonderful to work with. They see possibilities. They understand the relationship between health and financial circumstances.
Our two months last year was a chance for us to understand their program, focusing on maternal and child health. We were so impressed with the relationships they had (and have) in the villages. More than that, the impact has been truly impressive. As required by their funder, an independent evaluator came last summer to measure the program goals against accomplishments. The report delivered a glowing assessment.
We developed some thoughts of what we could do beyond our stay in 2009. These ideas were not in the original program goals, but again, the organization saw possibilities. We were encouraged to explore our ideas, meet with other organizations to find out how other programs work, and even if partnerships might be possible. We were hoping to find synergy in the different strengths of two organizations.
We’ve learned a lot, been excited about developments and sad when some failed to materialize, made many mistakes, but are excited about how the work is progressing.
Second, we’ve discovered a special freedom working as volunteers, working for free. After all, what can they do, fire us? (Well, yes they could.) It does require an organization willing to let volunteers use their individual talents, and we have had that opportunity. It makes it enjoyable to go to the office, or get into a vehicle for sometimes challenging drives to be with villagers. It has been fun!
Third, we love Tanzania. We have had phenomenal experiences in one of the best wildlife areas in Africa. The weather has been fantastic. But most important, the people are truly wonderful. There is a strong Tanzanian staff here, and it is so interesting being in the villages, finding out as best we can, how they work. Guidebooks often encourage doing some cultural tourism. We’ve had a special opportunity that most don’t get.
Since our safari we have been very busy meeting with several organizations, exploring if their programs could work with ours. We are seeing some interesting partnership possibilities including: saving and loaning money (microfinance) to help the village women gain financial literacy and funds to start a business, and farmer field schools to develop agricultural or animal husbandry and marketing skills. We are hopeful we can make connections soon and have the project on its way by the time we leave.
In addition, there have been a number of other tasks we have been involved with including helping with computer presentations, brainstorming incentives for behavior change at the village level in the areas of health and sanitation, and fundraising.
We do have a social life, and one night in particular stands out. An American has a get together every couple of weeks with a theme. Last Friday, the day niece Lynnea and Kyle got married in Mexico, she had a burritos and Margarethas night. Perfect timing. Congratulations from all of us Lynnea and Kyle.
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