Back in Tanzania

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Hamjambo familia na marafiki, (Hello family and friends),

We received a wonderful welcome when we arrived; lots of smiles, hugs and “karibu tena”s (welcome again). It is so wonderful to be here in our second home with this welcoming, warm group of people.

OUR WORK
Our first few days here have been very exciting! WellShare received an exciting email that day from an organization in California that we visited in ’09 and again last December. Our goal was to establish a partnership with them, to help fund and expand some of the income generation projects we have been working on.

The Executive Director, Project Manager and board members are going to be in Tanzania in February and would like to come to Karatu to see more of the project. Organization members visited twice last year. When we visited them in December they indicated they would not be coming to Karatu and might not even have time to meet us when they were in Arusha, so clearly something has changed. In addition, they invited us to present a concept paper to them for possible funding of STG (Survive and Thrive) groups’ income generating projects. These are the groups of young single mothers who are receiving health education. Our role has been to help them identify and begin income generating projects. We are very excited with their growing interest in WellShare’s work here and look forward to showing them how incredibly effective this program has become.

In addition, we want to present a second concept paper to them. Last year we attended (and blogged about) a fascinating meeting with two tribes, Datoga and Hadzabe. Their respective ways of life can create conflict. The Datoga are pastoralists, similar to Maasai. Hadzabe are the last full time hunter-gatherer tribe in Africa, with estimates of their population ranging from 500 to perhaps 3,000; no one really knows, in part because of their wandering ways. As pastoralists like the Datoga, and agriculturalists expand, the Hadzabe are losing areas they can forage and hunt.

The meeting exposed the problems that the two tribes face. They need outside help for public health education, health service delivery, and education. For the Hadzabe, who are beginning to recognize their way of life is coming to an end and who don’t have a cash economy, education has been particularly difficult. They need help with school uniforms, shoes, and trying to develop a school to meet their special needs.

WellShare has already made an impact with their public health programs, but more needs to be done. We have in mind a comprehensive program that would be based on the Hadzabe’s requests, adding more public health and health care, financial literacy (a surprising number of tourists go to live with them for short periods to experience their way of life), improving their income so they can contribute to solutions, help to educate both children and adults, and developing agricultural alternatives if they are interested. In addition, their hope is to develop a cultural center, which could attract more tourists and allow them to continue at least parts of their way of life. All the while the programs have to be designed to eventually become self sustaining without outside organizational support.

Elsewhere in the district, the micro savings groups that were set up as a result of our efforts last year are going very well. The women have managed to save much more than we expected, and have moved into developing profitable businesses. The groups have thanked WellShare for providing this important education and empowerment program for them. We hope the organization WellShare is partnering with will get continuing funding so we can expand to more villages this year.

OUR ENVIRONMENT
The weather here started very differently from prior years. The short rainy season in Nov. and Dec. has not occurred, but there has been lots of rain this month. It rained about three times a 24 hour period since we have been here, often a deluge. We are told it is more rain than the rainy season usually produces. Of course the famous Karatu mud has been a challenge. Rick nearly slipped twice and driving is just like being on icy Minnesota roads. But the dust is down! The last two days have been glorious. As in the past the temperature ranges between the high 60s F and about 80 F, with low humidity (we just had to rub it in for all of you in the northern U.S!).

We went to the market Saturday. While buying vegetables, a tall Maasai standing next to me started a conversation. He introduced himself as Alan and told me he was Maasai which I told him was obvious (from his attire). He said he was born in Ngorongoro Crater and now lives on the rim. (The government allows them to herd in the crater but they can no longer live there.) He asked where we were from, why we were here and for how long. His English was excellent and we asked where he had learned it. He had finished high school and was hoping to go to University when he had the money. The Maasai are very wealthy in cattle, but they will not sell them for any reason. He looked to be well off but would have to find the cash for school. He was quite a bit older than college age, but it is very common here for people to leave school to work and then return, sometimes repeatedly. So some of the Maasai too are changing, getting educations, but preserving their dress and culture. The dress of women in Karatu has also changed over time. We saw few women in pants our first year, but it is becoming more common.

We look forward to getting out to the villages again next week.

Kwa heri sasa (goodbye for now).

Sharon and Rick