Returning to Tanzania

On January 11th we are leaving again for Africa and returning to the US March 23rd. We are excited about the trip and the goals we have set for ourselves.

The organization is WellShare International, formerly known as Minnesota International Health Volunteers. In Tanzania they focus on the health of mothers and their children. Maternal health has long been given poor attention in the developing world, with most organizations concerned about the children. Of course, if there isn’t a mother to care for them, the health of the kids may be in jeopardy.

A part of WellShare’s effort is developing Survive and Thrive Groups (STGs). Here, young mothers learn more about taking care of themselves throughout their pregnancy and after delivery, along with the health of their child. These groups are led by traditional birth attendants (TBAs) who receive education to improve their skills from WellShare.

Our last trip focused on the effort to develop income-generation projects for the STGs, so these women have the financial resources to keep themselves and their child healthy. In addition, time and again across the developing world, and perhaps worldwide, it has been shown that women spend their income wisely on the family and its well being, rather than entertainment, alcohol, and so on.

For several months we have been doing research on what strategies work in assisting women to earn income. This included meeting with several NGOs (non-governmental organizations) here and in CA. It has been a fascinating process and we (hopefully) have learned a great deal about what works and how it might be sustainable. We also looked at specific issues such as water sourcing, clean water and lighting to determine if there might be income opportunities related to them.

During the first month we will meet with various organizations providing services in Tanzania, including agriculture agents and micro-finance projects. We expect to spend a great deal of time in villages, trying to understand as best we can how they function, how their economy works. We developed an extensive questionnaire which WellShare’s staff in Tanzania has been translating. The staff is wonderful, and we know we will learn a lot from spending time with them, along with the village visits.

In mid-February we will take a week or so off for a trip to Kenya. We will be meeting with KickStart, the organization Aaron worked for as an intern and then after graduation from his MBA program. KickStart has a very successful model of selling appropriate technology products, such as irrigation pumps, that have transformed lives as people go from subsistence to profit-making farming. We also expect to meet with an NGO in western Kenya that specializes in helping women develop enterprises in remote villages.

There will be periodic updates to this blog about what we are learning and doing. And, we are always happy to hear from you if you have the notion to send us an email.