Ouch! Oh, sorry. You caught us pinching ourselves again, checking that what we have been experiencing is real. We’ve returned from four days on safari, and to our amazement, it was even more stunning than what we experienced last year.
It started with our first trip to the Serengeti. This vast national park has an amazing diversity of wildlife. The challenge is to be in the right place at the right time. People can drive for hours and see nothing but pretty birds (a worthwhile experience on its own; the Serengeti has more than 530 species of birds). For most people, the goal is to see the most elusive species, including lions, cheetahs and leopards, especially the last two which are often not seen.
The first afternoon we spotted a leopard in a tree. A short time later we saw another prowling in the grass. It was an exciting start. This day and the following we saw elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, several varieties of gazelles, hartebeest, topi, eland, impalas (not the car!), reedbuck, dikdik, crocodile, jackal, hyenas, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, and an amazing variety of birds, including ostriches.
This was a camping trip. Our organization has tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses and the other necessities. We had a guide and cook, making this a bit decadent. The first evening we sipped wine and watched as they set up our equipment. Sharon organized the menu, and we supplied the food to keep the costs low. However, the cook wasn’t used to the choices we made (not surprising, some of you will say who know our tastes), and so Sharon had to do a lot of coaching.
We also had two other travel companions. Dorothy is the finance director for WellShare International, and was visiting to introduce the office here to new accounting procedures. She quickly signed on to the trip. In addition, we brought along Rehema, our invaluable coworker for the village assessments we are doing. She is from a larger city east and south of where we work, had never camped, and had never seen an elephant in the wild, let alone some of the other creatures we saw.
The first evening, a group of elephants wandered by our campsite at dusk, one less than 50 feet from our tents. They got Rehema’s attention, and she didn’t sleep much. That night, with a new moon, clear skies and less atmosphere since we were at about 5,000 feet, the stars were astounding.
The next day was probably the highlight of our trip. We went by a group of six adult female lions and two cubs. They were well hidden in the grass and didn’t seem about to move. So, off we went to see more of the Serengeti.
We were surprised by the diversity of the landscape. From movies and other images, we thought it was a vast, flat savannah, endless grasslands dotted with acacia. It is certainly that, but so much more. There are the remnants of ancient volcanoes, hills, areas of forest, and something called kopjes. The latter are sudden outcroppings of rock that surprised us each time we saw one, looking so out of place poking through the flatlands. The amazing sunlight in this part of the world is even more pronounced in the Serengeti. The film “Out of Africa” captured this caressing, glowing quality of the light very well.
After a couple of hours and of course more views of so many animals, we returned to where the lions had been resting in the grass. We were the only vehicle, and they were now alert. What appeared to be the lead lion was very interested in a herd of cape buffalo (yummy). The lions began to creep forward and it appeared there might be a hunt on. However, the buffalo seemingly sensed danger and nearly all of them fled.
Rather than drive off, our guide decided to wait. After some time, the lions apparently decided hunger was setting in and it was time to act. Instead of waiting for the buffalo to wander closer, they moved forward; much to our surprise it was more like a line, rather than a pack. The lead lion finally made her move, all alone, and the chase was on as the buffalo were off in a cloud of dust.
For whatever reason, when the lion stopped her chase, a number of the buffalo went after her! A new chase was on. Then, the pursuit was reversed, and she was chasing her pursuers. Again, there was a change, and the buffalo chased her. It was fascinating.
Meanwhile, to our curiosity, the rest of the lions had held back. Fortunately, Sharon turned away from the various pursuits and looked back. One buffalo had stayed behind from the pack. We had noticed this and found it curious. Suddenly, another lion went after this loner, and Sharon called our attention to this amazing spectacle. The lion jumped the buffalo, and over time, she brought the victim down. Animal Planet couldn’t have gotten a better view. The rest of the lions joined in and brought the inevitable to a conclusion.
This may sound gruesome, but somehow in that setting it doesn’t seem so; it is simply how life is on the Serengeti.
By now we had been joined by another vehicle, who radioed others, who talked with others, and now there were more than 40 vehicles watching nature unfold. It got crowded.
The next day, we were fortunate enough to see a cheetah. They are elusive and beautiful creatures, and we were very lucky.
Alas, it was time to leave the Serengeti. On the way out, we passed by the site of the kill. In a tree were four of the lions, now with very full bellies. Nearby were two males, yawning but otherwise overseeing the carcass of the buffalo, having done nothing to help with the hunt. Oh my, did the women in the group have something to say about males!
Next, we drove across the area between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, retracing our steps. Here, there were tens of thousands of animals, truly countless. There were wildebeest, zebras, Thompson gazelles, Grant gazelles, impalas, elephants, giraffe, and thousands of storks. It was an amazing site.
That night we camped on the rim of Ngorongoro crater, with a beautiful view. It is the world’s largest, intact volcanic caldera not filled with water. It was quite cold, and we were decked out in stocking caps and gloves. It is a lovely place.
The next day in the crater (called the Garden of Eden by A Thousand Places to See Before You Die), we were again treated to wondrous sites. Because of the steepness of the caldera along with rich grasslands and available water, there is a rich diversity of wildlife that mostly stays year round. For example, located here is the endangered black rhino, with only 30 in the crater. We saw five! We were fortunate to see another cheetah, along with many thousands of animals. Here we were, again in a zoo, except we were in a cage called a Land Rover, and the animals were free. The whole trip was phenomenal.
And the misadventures? Well, we were doing it on the cheap, and the provider sent along a wonderful guide with a truly awful vehicle. There probably had been no maintenance in a long time. Soon, we found that to start it, we had to push the Land Rover so the driver could pop the clutch. Imagine that in lion country! The list of other problems is long, but there are some funny stories along the way with pictures. If you are curious, we will be happy to ramble on when we see you.
Now, we are back and plunging again into our project. It feels as though we are having an impact, and making progress. But this entry is too long, and so that report will have to wait until our next update.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Talking with villagers
Sunday we visited Karatu market, a bustling, dusty, noisy place full of smoke from rice, sweet potatoes and meat roasting on open fires, hawkers with bullhorns and vendors shouting out their prices. Cows, goats and sheep are traded so there were many Maasai there. A special treat that day was honey being sold by a Maasai woman in robes and beads. To keep the bees away she had a small pile of cattle dung smoldering at her feet.
The major villages have this type of large market once a month. We went to another on Saturday which was smaller but just as noisy and boisterous. Of course, the young men want to sell us jewelry, carved Maasai figures, kangas (fabric), and follow us around hoping we will change our minds. You can also choose from an amazing variety of used clothes and shoes, electronics, kitchen needs, hardware including used bolts and hinges, and so much more all spread out on the ground on plastic tarps. We visited these markets to ask questions of the sellers and buyers in our continuing effort to gather information on how the economic life for villagers in this part of the country works.
Jolene, the country director, calls what we are doing an asset assessment. What do villagers have, how do the seasonal changes affect them, what would they like they don’t have now, what are the challenges, and what are the niches that the women’s groups we are working with can find to generate income?
And so, we created questionnaires to fit a variety of roles villagers perform, in an effort to get a better understanding of their lives. Jolene feels we are getting good and useful information about village life and the economics. But we find when we get back to the office to compile the information, we need to continue modifying our questionnaires. Sometimes it is difficult to convey the intent of the question to our interpreter (who is excellent) due to language or culture differences and sometimes the question apparently does not have much meaning to the village person. It has all been so very interesting.
This past week, we were back again in the villages. Many of these seemed wealthier; in one, most of the farmers had a plow! We visited on the day government food aid was being distributed, as a result of the lack of harvest in the drought last year. As we drove up to one, a meeting of the villagers was going on with many people, mostly men, sitting under the trees and listening to the leaders. It seemed to be a very spirited meeting about who would get the free or low-cost maize and beans.
This village had a spring and the water was piped to some of the fields for irrigation. The spring’s pressure was amazing and the water was carried quite a long distance; we hadn’t seen anything quite like it in Tanzania before. They had also created a lambo, which is a shallow pond. It is an important resource for cattle and goats, some herded long distances to drink since the surrounding areas where they aren’t able to irrigate are very dry. In village after village, water access is a critical issue. This village with its spring was unique in our experience here. Last year, in another area, we saw large irrigated fields, but it seemed only the large farmers had the irrigation.
We have discovered that a few of the villages have an agriculture expert who travels the village and advises farmers on issues of modern seeds, fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide use, and plant diseases. We have also seen field terracing that was taught by an NGO, and demonstration plots led by Farmer Field Schools (Makiko knows all about them) through another NGO here. It has been helpful that Sharon has a family background in farming and Makiko has tried to educate us about the work of FFS. The farmers reading this would be shocked to hear that some get only ½ liter of milk a day from their cows. This surprised us until we realized it is from meat cows, not the diary breed which can give up to 20 liters. The quantity varies dramatically depending on whether it is the dry or rainy season, and if they are grazed, which most of them are. Some of the dairy cows are in zero grazing programs at least some of the time which means they are contained and fed, and their output is higher.
Last week we had a meeting with some of the microfinance providers in the area to learn what has worked and what the challenges are. We are really most interested in finding a way for the women to save money so they can grow their enterprises and have funds for emergency needs once they get started. On Saturday we were out with the District Medical Officer and happened upon a community meeting of just such a group. Thirty people were meeting in the village office as they do once a week to make a contribution to a joint fund which is then used for emergencies or business loans. It looked to be a very cost effective approach and we are looking forward to learning more about how they work, and how the model might be applied to the groups we work with.
Last Saturday we took a long walk up the local hill that sprouts three cell phone towers. It was quite steep; we felt like goats. We generated quite a few stares because we don’t think many wazungu (foreigners) make this trek. It was fun to get out of the town a little and see what goes on in the local “suburbs”. It was a great view despite the haze and we could see Lake Manyara, the heart of a major wildlife park.
We are planning a camping safari to the Serengeti next week. It is migration and birthing season for the Wildebeest, when there are 8,000 births per day. We will probably revisit the Ngorongoro Crater, a wonderful wildlife area. Another volunteer went to the Serengeti a few weeks ago and found out in the morning there had been a pride of lions outside all night. Of course, being such a light sleeper, Sharon would have known about it.
As we mentioned in our last post, it had rained and was very green when we got here. However, it seems we have brought the sun. Although there have been a few night showers, the farmers are again badly in need of rain. The hot wind blows every day. It feels warmer to us this year than last. It has thundered and black clouds loomed, but it seems to have rained everywhere but in Karatu.
The major villages have this type of large market once a month. We went to another on Saturday which was smaller but just as noisy and boisterous. Of course, the young men want to sell us jewelry, carved Maasai figures, kangas (fabric), and follow us around hoping we will change our minds. You can also choose from an amazing variety of used clothes and shoes, electronics, kitchen needs, hardware including used bolts and hinges, and so much more all spread out on the ground on plastic tarps. We visited these markets to ask questions of the sellers and buyers in our continuing effort to gather information on how the economic life for villagers in this part of the country works.
Jolene, the country director, calls what we are doing an asset assessment. What do villagers have, how do the seasonal changes affect them, what would they like they don’t have now, what are the challenges, and what are the niches that the women’s groups we are working with can find to generate income?
And so, we created questionnaires to fit a variety of roles villagers perform, in an effort to get a better understanding of their lives. Jolene feels we are getting good and useful information about village life and the economics. But we find when we get back to the office to compile the information, we need to continue modifying our questionnaires. Sometimes it is difficult to convey the intent of the question to our interpreter (who is excellent) due to language or culture differences and sometimes the question apparently does not have much meaning to the village person. It has all been so very interesting.
This past week, we were back again in the villages. Many of these seemed wealthier; in one, most of the farmers had a plow! We visited on the day government food aid was being distributed, as a result of the lack of harvest in the drought last year. As we drove up to one, a meeting of the villagers was going on with many people, mostly men, sitting under the trees and listening to the leaders. It seemed to be a very spirited meeting about who would get the free or low-cost maize and beans.
This village had a spring and the water was piped to some of the fields for irrigation. The spring’s pressure was amazing and the water was carried quite a long distance; we hadn’t seen anything quite like it in Tanzania before. They had also created a lambo, which is a shallow pond. It is an important resource for cattle and goats, some herded long distances to drink since the surrounding areas where they aren’t able to irrigate are very dry. In village after village, water access is a critical issue. This village with its spring was unique in our experience here. Last year, in another area, we saw large irrigated fields, but it seemed only the large farmers had the irrigation.
We have discovered that a few of the villages have an agriculture expert who travels the village and advises farmers on issues of modern seeds, fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide use, and plant diseases. We have also seen field terracing that was taught by an NGO, and demonstration plots led by Farmer Field Schools (Makiko knows all about them) through another NGO here. It has been helpful that Sharon has a family background in farming and Makiko has tried to educate us about the work of FFS. The farmers reading this would be shocked to hear that some get only ½ liter of milk a day from their cows. This surprised us until we realized it is from meat cows, not the diary breed which can give up to 20 liters. The quantity varies dramatically depending on whether it is the dry or rainy season, and if they are grazed, which most of them are. Some of the dairy cows are in zero grazing programs at least some of the time which means they are contained and fed, and their output is higher.
Last week we had a meeting with some of the microfinance providers in the area to learn what has worked and what the challenges are. We are really most interested in finding a way for the women to save money so they can grow their enterprises and have funds for emergency needs once they get started. On Saturday we were out with the District Medical Officer and happened upon a community meeting of just such a group. Thirty people were meeting in the village office as they do once a week to make a contribution to a joint fund which is then used for emergencies or business loans. It looked to be a very cost effective approach and we are looking forward to learning more about how they work, and how the model might be applied to the groups we work with.
Last Saturday we took a long walk up the local hill that sprouts three cell phone towers. It was quite steep; we felt like goats. We generated quite a few stares because we don’t think many wazungu (foreigners) make this trek. It was fun to get out of the town a little and see what goes on in the local “suburbs”. It was a great view despite the haze and we could see Lake Manyara, the heart of a major wildlife park.
We are planning a camping safari to the Serengeti next week. It is migration and birthing season for the Wildebeest, when there are 8,000 births per day. We will probably revisit the Ngorongoro Crater, a wonderful wildlife area. Another volunteer went to the Serengeti a few weeks ago and found out in the morning there had been a pride of lions outside all night. Of course, being such a light sleeper, Sharon would have known about it.
As we mentioned in our last post, it had rained and was very green when we got here. However, it seems we have brought the sun. Although there have been a few night showers, the farmers are again badly in need of rain. The hot wind blows every day. It feels warmer to us this year than last. It has thundered and black clouds loomed, but it seems to have rained everywhere but in Karatu.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Back in Karatu
It feels like coming home to return here. It was wonderful to see Jolene, the country director, and the staff again and be greeted as familiar friends. It is so beautiful here. It is warm, sunny and breezy; perfect Minnesota days. There has been rain so it is green, unlike last year. The rolling hills and mountains are a wonderful contrast of red and green. Some of the trees are blooming, and of course the birds are amazing.
We plunged right into our project. We had sent the questions we wanted to ask in the villages and Jolene and Innocent had organized them and made some changes. So we started from there, and had it translated by a very talented young woman, Rehema. Her English is excellent and she could quickly translate the documents. She happened to walk into Jolene’s office the week before we arrived looking for work, which was so fortunate for us.
We were eight in the Toyota Land Cruiser going to Endobash where we spent the week in the guest house there. We visited a different village each day, and each village was different.
When you visit a village you sign in with the village officer. We were able to interview these men, several farmers, traditional birth attendants, young single mothers in the Survive and Thrive Groups and some shopkeepers. We saw several schools and visited the wells or pumps. The village people were, as last year, happy to see us and most generous to spend an hour with us answering detailed questions about agriculture, transportation, water issues, family, work and other aspects of village life. Our days were long, but very interesting.
Some of the issues that stand out: schools are generally overcrowded and understaffed and resourced. One primary school we visited has 800 students and 8 teachers. They use benches with attached tables for desks, which is common here but the children were so crowded that I don’t know how they could write. Still there were not enough desks for the 118 students in the room so many had to stand at the back of the room. In one village a TZ NGO had planned to build two classrooms. But the village chairman was very effective and organized village labor so they were able to get three rooms for the cost of two.
In talking with one of the farmers who had good English, he asked how big farms were in America. When I told him several hundred hectares, he said “That is not a farm, that is a plantation!” Some farmers here are lucky enough to be able to plow with bulls, but once the crops are up the fields are full of men and women with hoes working very hard.
The last village we visited was very isolated. They were about 6 kilometers off the road. The village road was clearly washed over during the rains. Several stretches were just rock jumbles. We were one kilometer from the meeting site when the road ended in a drop off into a dry gully. Often the car can drive down into these and up the other side, but it was so steep and deep that we could not cross. So we walked the rest of the way. But this means the village is cut off now, even when it is not raining. How do they get a pregnant woman to a clinic? The houses here were very spread out, so it seemed very sparsely populated. The water source, a spring, was about 3 kilometers from the site of the office and the only one for the whole widespread village. Life there is clearly very hard. Yet this is the place we saw many white butterflies flitting among the flowering shrubs and trees.
We had a new cultural experience. Rick got up Monday morning to find a goat hanging from the tree outside our room in the courtyard of our guesthouse. They proceeded to skin and slaughter it right there. Then on Wednesday, they did it again. Our tree had a crook in the branch at just the right place, I guess.
Another interesting experience: we stopped at a Catholic mission in one village. There were women sitting under trees in groups waiting to have petitions heard. We walked over to one group of about 12 to interview them. Soon, the women were migrating from every direction; I suppose to see what was going on. Soon we had over 60 women and even some men in our group. Some were very outspoken in answer to our questions and clearly wanted to be heard.
We also enjoyed some stimulating after hours discussion with staff about various issues in the country and the challenges they face.
This week we are in the office translating Rehema’s notes, compiling the information to see what we know. Then, it will be out to the field again.
We plunged right into our project. We had sent the questions we wanted to ask in the villages and Jolene and Innocent had organized them and made some changes. So we started from there, and had it translated by a very talented young woman, Rehema. Her English is excellent and she could quickly translate the documents. She happened to walk into Jolene’s office the week before we arrived looking for work, which was so fortunate for us.
We were eight in the Toyota Land Cruiser going to Endobash where we spent the week in the guest house there. We visited a different village each day, and each village was different.
When you visit a village you sign in with the village officer. We were able to interview these men, several farmers, traditional birth attendants, young single mothers in the Survive and Thrive Groups and some shopkeepers. We saw several schools and visited the wells or pumps. The village people were, as last year, happy to see us and most generous to spend an hour with us answering detailed questions about agriculture, transportation, water issues, family, work and other aspects of village life. Our days were long, but very interesting.
Some of the issues that stand out: schools are generally overcrowded and understaffed and resourced. One primary school we visited has 800 students and 8 teachers. They use benches with attached tables for desks, which is common here but the children were so crowded that I don’t know how they could write. Still there were not enough desks for the 118 students in the room so many had to stand at the back of the room. In one village a TZ NGO had planned to build two classrooms. But the village chairman was very effective and organized village labor so they were able to get three rooms for the cost of two.
In talking with one of the farmers who had good English, he asked how big farms were in America. When I told him several hundred hectares, he said “That is not a farm, that is a plantation!” Some farmers here are lucky enough to be able to plow with bulls, but once the crops are up the fields are full of men and women with hoes working very hard.
The last village we visited was very isolated. They were about 6 kilometers off the road. The village road was clearly washed over during the rains. Several stretches were just rock jumbles. We were one kilometer from the meeting site when the road ended in a drop off into a dry gully. Often the car can drive down into these and up the other side, but it was so steep and deep that we could not cross. So we walked the rest of the way. But this means the village is cut off now, even when it is not raining. How do they get a pregnant woman to a clinic? The houses here were very spread out, so it seemed very sparsely populated. The water source, a spring, was about 3 kilometers from the site of the office and the only one for the whole widespread village. Life there is clearly very hard. Yet this is the place we saw many white butterflies flitting among the flowering shrubs and trees.
We had a new cultural experience. Rick got up Monday morning to find a goat hanging from the tree outside our room in the courtyard of our guesthouse. They proceeded to skin and slaughter it right there. Then on Wednesday, they did it again. Our tree had a crook in the branch at just the right place, I guess.
Another interesting experience: we stopped at a Catholic mission in one village. There were women sitting under trees in groups waiting to have petitions heard. We walked over to one group of about 12 to interview them. Soon, the women were migrating from every direction; I suppose to see what was going on. Soon we had over 60 women and even some men in our group. Some were very outspoken in answer to our questions and clearly wanted to be heard.
We also enjoyed some stimulating after hours discussion with staff about various issues in the country and the challenges they face.
This week we are in the office translating Rehema’s notes, compiling the information to see what we know. Then, it will be out to the field again.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Saving the Best for Last
Our final week was perhaps the best, and our description will work backwards, starting with the last two days in Tanzania.
One of the staff members, Honest, was married March 21st, unfortunately after we left Tanzania. However, in preparation for the wedding, a reception was held in the village of his bride, Natalia. It was in Byno, a village in Mbulu district south of Karatu, about 3-1/2 hours over the usual nasty roads.
Mbulu is quite different than Karatu. The rolling hills reminded us of areas in New Zealand, minus the sheep. It appears to get more rain as the landscape is a beautiful green, with pastures and cultivated fields. Karatu has suffered from lack of rainfall in recent years and the fields reflect that.
The reception was the ceremony for the family to give Natalia to Honest, and the only opportunity for most if not all of them to celebrate. Honest and Natalia are getting married in Moshi, near Mount Kilimanjaro, more than six hours by road away from Byno, the latter having no public transportation.
We were the only non-Tanzanians at this event and were treated like family. We were the first to eat, had a special place in the temporary shelter where the wedding party sat, and had the best view during the entire celebration.
The evening was filled with song, villagers coming into the shelter to congratulate the bride and groom to be, apparently passing on advice with good wishes, and eagerly having their pictures taken by us.
Unfortunately it started about 8 PM, so many crammed into the house of Natalia’s family. Eventually, because of the rain, a significant number had to stay the night, and we were fortunate to be given the only bed.
The next morning featured a procession out of the village, with family members walking with the bride back to our Land Cruiser (there is no road to the part of the village where the celebration took place so we had a 15 minute walk up and down a slippery, muddy path). Again there were songs, this time accompanied by tears as the family said goodbye.
Our two months in Tanzania were filled with wonderful experiences, but these two days were the highlight of our time there. We felt privileged to be a part of it all.
After reading our previous blog entries, someone asked if all we did was have fun. Well yes, because our volunteer work was fun, and we did have things to do in the office, going every day from 8AM to 5PM. More or less.
To summarize, MIHV is in the Karatu district of Tanzania to help improve the health of mothers and children under five. Part of that is creating Survive and Thrive Groups, designed specifically for young single mothers and their children, who have very few resources and are very vulnerable to health problems. A goal is to develop income-generating activities for them, and our time was focused on that. As you perhaps read earlier, we spent time in the field to get a feel for the project and the culture in the area. From there we designed training materials to help with marketing, and developed tools for running the businesses. We also created an Excel training to help improve the skills of the MIHV staff, who use the software for data gathering and analysis.
The days leading up to Honest and Natalia’s reception were spent in the office, finalizing these projects and spending more time with staff going over the materials we left. The last day we brought in lunch and showed pictures from our travels in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Peru and the United States.
Before we went to Tanzania, it wasn’t clear how we might contribute to the project, since it is a public health organization and that isn’t our background. MIHV is doing wonderful work in Karatu, working hard to make the project sustainable after they leave. At the end we hope the resources we left behind will add to that effort. Beyond that, the opportunities to experience the culture, to visit the villages, and peek into a slice of life there was amazing. In addition, we saw some beautiful parts of the country, and were in some of the most famous places in Africa for wildlife safaris. Sharon has described the whole experience as “phenomenal”, and it was.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure.
One of the staff members, Honest, was married March 21st, unfortunately after we left Tanzania. However, in preparation for the wedding, a reception was held in the village of his bride, Natalia. It was in Byno, a village in Mbulu district south of Karatu, about 3-1/2 hours over the usual nasty roads.
Mbulu is quite different than Karatu. The rolling hills reminded us of areas in New Zealand, minus the sheep. It appears to get more rain as the landscape is a beautiful green, with pastures and cultivated fields. Karatu has suffered from lack of rainfall in recent years and the fields reflect that.
The reception was the ceremony for the family to give Natalia to Honest, and the only opportunity for most if not all of them to celebrate. Honest and Natalia are getting married in Moshi, near Mount Kilimanjaro, more than six hours by road away from Byno, the latter having no public transportation.
We were the only non-Tanzanians at this event and were treated like family. We were the first to eat, had a special place in the temporary shelter where the wedding party sat, and had the best view during the entire celebration.
The evening was filled with song, villagers coming into the shelter to congratulate the bride and groom to be, apparently passing on advice with good wishes, and eagerly having their pictures taken by us.
Unfortunately it started about 8 PM, so many crammed into the house of Natalia’s family. Eventually, because of the rain, a significant number had to stay the night, and we were fortunate to be given the only bed.
The next morning featured a procession out of the village, with family members walking with the bride back to our Land Cruiser (there is no road to the part of the village where the celebration took place so we had a 15 minute walk up and down a slippery, muddy path). Again there were songs, this time accompanied by tears as the family said goodbye.
Our two months in Tanzania were filled with wonderful experiences, but these two days were the highlight of our time there. We felt privileged to be a part of it all.
After reading our previous blog entries, someone asked if all we did was have fun. Well yes, because our volunteer work was fun, and we did have things to do in the office, going every day from 8AM to 5PM. More or less.
To summarize, MIHV is in the Karatu district of Tanzania to help improve the health of mothers and children under five. Part of that is creating Survive and Thrive Groups, designed specifically for young single mothers and their children, who have very few resources and are very vulnerable to health problems. A goal is to develop income-generating activities for them, and our time was focused on that. As you perhaps read earlier, we spent time in the field to get a feel for the project and the culture in the area. From there we designed training materials to help with marketing, and developed tools for running the businesses. We also created an Excel training to help improve the skills of the MIHV staff, who use the software for data gathering and analysis.
The days leading up to Honest and Natalia’s reception were spent in the office, finalizing these projects and spending more time with staff going over the materials we left. The last day we brought in lunch and showed pictures from our travels in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Peru and the United States.
Before we went to Tanzania, it wasn’t clear how we might contribute to the project, since it is a public health organization and that isn’t our background. MIHV is doing wonderful work in Karatu, working hard to make the project sustainable after they leave. At the end we hope the resources we left behind will add to that effort. Beyond that, the opportunities to experience the culture, to visit the villages, and peek into a slice of life there was amazing. In addition, we saw some beautiful parts of the country, and were in some of the most famous places in Africa for wildlife safaris. Sharon has described the whole experience as “phenomenal”, and it was.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Last update from Tanzania
We are in our last week here in Tanzania, leaving Sunday. If you are still reading along, thanks for joining us on the journey. We’ll have some final thoughts to add after our return to Minnesota.
Yesterday (Sunday) we spent in Tarangire National Park. It was time for one more animal fix before leaving the country.
Tarangire is reputed to have the highest concentration per kilometer of elephants in the world. It is also beautiful, located in the Great Rift Valley, with some of the classic vistas seen in movies. Trees include the acacia, with the widespread flat-topped canopy so identified with the Africa savannah, and baobab trees.
The latter have a shape like a fat-stemmed mushroom. The trunk can grow to 33 feet diameter in only 100 years. “Only”, because tests suggest some live to more than 3,000 years. Baobabs’ trunks can store large amounts of water, which get them through droughts. Animals, especially elephants, sometimes help themselves to the precious liquid when rains fail to come.
Our main reason for going there was animals and we found them. Supporting Tarangire’s reputation, we did see a lot of elephants. At one small water hole we came upon a group of at least 35, from small babies to the big bulls. They were all trying to spray themselves or lie down in the wet mud to cool off. It was an incredible sight! There were many more scattered throughout the park and we never tired of seeing them. We even witnessed what appeared to be a sibling fight, finally broken up by mom.
Unlike the other parks we visited, giraffes were also plentiful and they too had babies. They are amazing to watch, walking or even running in that swaying graceful fashion you’ve likely seen in movies or nature shows. Giraffes eat the leaves of acacias from the tops of the trees, which have long, sharp, nasty needles. They can do this because of a remarkable tongue, and it was fun to watch them feed.
One surprise was to see lions running by us, three females and a young one. When we arrived we were told that the lions were elsewhere and we wouldn’t see any in the park. When our driver reported back the sighting there was disbelief, but we have the photos to prove it.
We also saw a wide variety of gazelle-like animals, including topi, waterbuck, impala, eland, dikdik (VERY small), and some we couldn’t identify. There were many so-ugly-they’re-cute warthogs, including babies, all running with tails sticking straight up in the air. We did see a battle between two males. In addition there were baboons, ostriches (and many other birds), wildebeest and zebras.
We do need to make a correction. Previously we had referred to “water” buffalo. In fact we have been seeing cape or African buffalo. The former can be domesticated, the latter can’t.
This week we are finishing up our projects, including working with the great people on staff. Our expectation is that there will be continued work for us after we return to the United States.
Yesterday (Sunday) we spent in Tarangire National Park. It was time for one more animal fix before leaving the country.
Tarangire is reputed to have the highest concentration per kilometer of elephants in the world. It is also beautiful, located in the Great Rift Valley, with some of the classic vistas seen in movies. Trees include the acacia, with the widespread flat-topped canopy so identified with the Africa savannah, and baobab trees.
The latter have a shape like a fat-stemmed mushroom. The trunk can grow to 33 feet diameter in only 100 years. “Only”, because tests suggest some live to more than 3,000 years. Baobabs’ trunks can store large amounts of water, which get them through droughts. Animals, especially elephants, sometimes help themselves to the precious liquid when rains fail to come.
Our main reason for going there was animals and we found them. Supporting Tarangire’s reputation, we did see a lot of elephants. At one small water hole we came upon a group of at least 35, from small babies to the big bulls. They were all trying to spray themselves or lie down in the wet mud to cool off. It was an incredible sight! There were many more scattered throughout the park and we never tired of seeing them. We even witnessed what appeared to be a sibling fight, finally broken up by mom.
Unlike the other parks we visited, giraffes were also plentiful and they too had babies. They are amazing to watch, walking or even running in that swaying graceful fashion you’ve likely seen in movies or nature shows. Giraffes eat the leaves of acacias from the tops of the trees, which have long, sharp, nasty needles. They can do this because of a remarkable tongue, and it was fun to watch them feed.
One surprise was to see lions running by us, three females and a young one. When we arrived we were told that the lions were elsewhere and we wouldn’t see any in the park. When our driver reported back the sighting there was disbelief, but we have the photos to prove it.
We also saw a wide variety of gazelle-like animals, including topi, waterbuck, impala, eland, dikdik (VERY small), and some we couldn’t identify. There were many so-ugly-they’re-cute warthogs, including babies, all running with tails sticking straight up in the air. We did see a battle between two males. In addition there were baboons, ostriches (and many other birds), wildebeest and zebras.
We do need to make a correction. Previously we had referred to “water” buffalo. In fact we have been seeing cape or African buffalo. The former can be domesticated, the latter can’t.
This week we are finishing up our projects, including working with the great people on staff. Our expectation is that there will be continued work for us after we return to the United States.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
R & R in Zanzibar
A week away in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam gave us another perspective on life here in Tanzania. It started and ended with bus trips across the country.
It took us about 12 hours to reach Dar. We drove along the pretty Pare and Usambara Mountains, past fields of corn and sisal (a plant that looks like aloe vera & used for making rope and twine), seeing places where farmers were making charcoal, and a few places thirsty for rain.
Passing through three cities we saw a very different slice of life than in Karatu, a town of perhaps 15,000. Nearly every road in the cities is paved and every main street was packed with cars. Karatu has only the main highway through town paved, and it never seems busy in spite of all the tourists passing. In the larger cities, as in the U.S., the pace of life is faster.
The next day we ferried across to Unguja, the main island of the archipelago and what many non-Tanzanians think of as Zanzibar. Our goal was the east coast and three days on the beach. We enjoyed snorkeling each day, including a great afternoon at an atoll. However, the water near shore was too hot to be comfortable for long.
Our beach was protected by an off-shore sand reef, creating at low tide a lagoon. This is when women harvest seaweed for eventual export. The have “fields” of stakes that stick out of the water with twine between the stakes under water. The twine is for the anchorage-dependent crop, which is ready about every two weeks. At high tide the women leave, the stakes disappear, and it is time to snorkel again.
Back to the west coast of the island we stayed in Stone Town, a World Heritage Site. It is the heart of Zanzibar’s reputation as a convergence of many cultures. There ships stopped while heading east and west. There it was discovered to be an ideal place to grow spices, still today an important part of their economy. The sultanate of Oman moved there because of the riches that trade provided. From Stone Town traders moved through the mainland, selling and buying goods, and unfortunately, people.
All this activity brought about the spread of the Swahili language through east Africa. In Tanzania there are more than 120 different tribes. To facilitate communications for commerce, Swahili became the lingua franca, a common or commercial tongue among people who speak different languages. It is Bantu based, but with so many influences it has many borrowed words from other languages. By one estimate as much as 40% of the vocabulary is Arabic based. Swahili is now an official language or widely spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, parts of Congo and small portions of Somalia, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros.
As traders from different parts of the world came, some started families, creating a rich rainbow of influences and colors. Islam is dominant, but Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are present along with influences from the original indigenous faiths.
With attacks from the Portuguese and later the British, the sultanate was slplit between the islands and Oman. In Zanzibar the sultans were “guided” by the British until independence and then a revolution overthrew the sultan in 1964.
As a result of its interesting history, the architecture of Stone Town is a mix of Arab, Persian, Indian and European influences, with a maze of streets and alleys that are fun to wander. The government has struggled to maintain Stone Town. Unfortunately most of the buildings are in poor condition, which made the experience a bit depressing. There is an obvious effort to save and rehab, but to us it will require an enormous amount of money and careful work.
Back to the mainland we spent time in Dar es Salaam, the economic center of the country. Dar bursts with activity. It doesn’t have the character of Zanzibar, but was fun for us to wander none the less. We spent time in an outdoor Village Museum, where we could see the variety of village housing used even to this day.
We took the bus part way back, then met Jolene and rode the rest of the way with her. We had to be careful because of the ostriches hanging around on the side of the road, and the crossing by several zebras. A little different than Minnesota. The evening light and scenery were gorgeous.
We are back in Karatu, back in the wonderful weather here, back with the great people of the area. It was a good week away but great to be “home”. The coast is hot and humid, and this ideal weather has refreshed us.
It took us about 12 hours to reach Dar. We drove along the pretty Pare and Usambara Mountains, past fields of corn and sisal (a plant that looks like aloe vera & used for making rope and twine), seeing places where farmers were making charcoal, and a few places thirsty for rain.
Passing through three cities we saw a very different slice of life than in Karatu, a town of perhaps 15,000. Nearly every road in the cities is paved and every main street was packed with cars. Karatu has only the main highway through town paved, and it never seems busy in spite of all the tourists passing. In the larger cities, as in the U.S., the pace of life is faster.
The next day we ferried across to Unguja, the main island of the archipelago and what many non-Tanzanians think of as Zanzibar. Our goal was the east coast and three days on the beach. We enjoyed snorkeling each day, including a great afternoon at an atoll. However, the water near shore was too hot to be comfortable for long.
Our beach was protected by an off-shore sand reef, creating at low tide a lagoon. This is when women harvest seaweed for eventual export. The have “fields” of stakes that stick out of the water with twine between the stakes under water. The twine is for the anchorage-dependent crop, which is ready about every two weeks. At high tide the women leave, the stakes disappear, and it is time to snorkel again.
Back to the west coast of the island we stayed in Stone Town, a World Heritage Site. It is the heart of Zanzibar’s reputation as a convergence of many cultures. There ships stopped while heading east and west. There it was discovered to be an ideal place to grow spices, still today an important part of their economy. The sultanate of Oman moved there because of the riches that trade provided. From Stone Town traders moved through the mainland, selling and buying goods, and unfortunately, people.
All this activity brought about the spread of the Swahili language through east Africa. In Tanzania there are more than 120 different tribes. To facilitate communications for commerce, Swahili became the lingua franca, a common or commercial tongue among people who speak different languages. It is Bantu based, but with so many influences it has many borrowed words from other languages. By one estimate as much as 40% of the vocabulary is Arabic based. Swahili is now an official language or widely spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, parts of Congo and small portions of Somalia, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros.
As traders from different parts of the world came, some started families, creating a rich rainbow of influences and colors. Islam is dominant, but Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are present along with influences from the original indigenous faiths.
With attacks from the Portuguese and later the British, the sultanate was slplit between the islands and Oman. In Zanzibar the sultans were “guided” by the British until independence and then a revolution overthrew the sultan in 1964.
As a result of its interesting history, the architecture of Stone Town is a mix of Arab, Persian, Indian and European influences, with a maze of streets and alleys that are fun to wander. The government has struggled to maintain Stone Town. Unfortunately most of the buildings are in poor condition, which made the experience a bit depressing. There is an obvious effort to save and rehab, but to us it will require an enormous amount of money and careful work.
Back to the mainland we spent time in Dar es Salaam, the economic center of the country. Dar bursts with activity. It doesn’t have the character of Zanzibar, but was fun for us to wander none the less. We spent time in an outdoor Village Museum, where we could see the variety of village housing used even to this day.
We took the bus part way back, then met Jolene and rode the rest of the way with her. We had to be careful because of the ostriches hanging around on the side of the road, and the crossing by several zebras. A little different than Minnesota. The evening light and scenery were gorgeous.
We are back in Karatu, back in the wonderful weather here, back with the great people of the area. It was a good week away but great to be “home”. The coast is hot and humid, and this ideal weather has refreshed us.
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