We’ve finished up a very busy week.
While out in the field two weeks ago meeting with the Hadzabe and Datoga group, we videoed our interview with two teachers. This week we finished up a presentation DVD to complement the concept paper we wrote for a visiting NGO.
And, just in time. They came for a visit on Tuesday and it was quite Tanzanian. Their arrival was about three hours late because of heavy rains that allowed the mud road to hold fast to the wheels. They had to abandon one vehicle. The other was pulled out by tractors. Eventually their transport company brought in another vehicle and we were all together.
We visited the village of one of the best Survive and Thrive Groups (STG), an innovative effort by WellShare. The women started their income project by learning from Jolene how to make banana bread, a tricky proposition over the equivalent of a charcoal camping stove. The visiting NGO had been there last June and was impressed. The women now have a tea shop and served us lunch, including banana bread.
The reason for this return visit was to show their board members what a self-sustaining program looks like. When we visited them in California last December, they told us how impressive the June visit had been. The NGO is used to groups saying “if you give us money we can do…. Our STG didn’t. They simply said “we are going to do…”
And so, the development of the STG’s business impressed them more. Questions were asked:
1. “What do you do with the profits?” “We purchase vegetables to sell and earn even more.”
2. “Where do you sell your bread?” “We’ve moved beyond the confines of the shop to visiting other locations in the village and market days.”
3. “Are you experiencing any problems?” Frankly, we were now holding our collective breaths. Would they now ask for financial help and burst the self-sustaining bubble? The answer was no. “We have had theft problems. So, because the village loves our bread so much, they are giving us a building by the village office, along with the fruit tree and vegetable garden to expand our business.”
This is one example of building self-sustaining programs in the district.
As for obtaining funding from the NGO, we won’t know for several months, but we have a wonderful relationship and it looks promising.
As for our Moringa tree project, we’ve had additional developments that are critical to our effort. Tanzania Agriculture Productivity Program (TAPP) surprised us with a visit. We weren’t expecting them for several weeks, but they seem eager to get going. Another potential partner, Tanzania Horticulture Association called and asked for another meeting. It is likely they would only be involved if the Moringa project grows enough to be commercially viable, a long term goal.
Today we had a meeting with a Canadian NGO we highly respect, CPAR. The discussion centered around Farmer Field Schools (FFS), their main program here. Some of you have been very generous by contributing financially to this effort, and we hope to have something settled soon. We’ll let you know.
Also today, the group finished brainstorming on a proposal for USAID. The current funding for WellShare in Tanzania will finish September 30th, and it is time to again ask for support.
This has been a fascinating week for us.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Education
Education
Education has lately been big news in Tanzania. Only 50% of students in Form 4 passed national exams, down from 72% the previous year. What does that mean to them? What does it mean for the future of Tanzania?
First a little background. The grade levels here is heavily influenced by the British system. Primary school is seven years (Standard 1 through 7). All subjects in public schools are taught in Swahili, except English. Swahili is often a kid’s second language, the primary one being her/his tribal language. Private schools we have visited teach in English at all levels.
The next step is Ordinary (O) level, or secondary school (Form 1 through 4). If a kid’s progress isn’t interrupted (illness, family not being able to afford the fees, etc.), then she/he would be about 17 years old when finishing Form 4. Starting in Form 1, all classes are taught in English (for most their third language), except the one class of Swahili.
At the end of Form 4 students take national exams. This determines whether they can go on with their education. If they pass, the student goes on to Advanced (A) level for two years (Form 5 and 6). “A” level is similar to our junior college system. If the student fails the Form 4 test, there is virtually no chance to continue their education. The Form 4 exam is a BIG deal, with the exam itself and the grading controversial.
For example, we’ve been told by teachers of technical classes (physics, chemistry, math) that sometimes the questions are unsolvable, such as having missing or wrong data. Teachers have said that the grading can also be a problem, with wrong answers used for grading. Sometimes “trick” English is used. Results on these national exams can defy logic. There were kids who passed chemistry but failed all their other subjects. Chemistry is hard, especially since the test is administered in English. Swahili should be much easier, yet they didn’t even get a D.
The day the test results came out, it was almost impossible for us to get onto the internet, since that is how students find out what their future education will be. We talked with Tanzanians who are outraged that so many failed. There is talk of remarking the exams. It is a terrible situation because parents often sacrifice a lot to keep their kids in school. Now they see that this may have been in vain.
The reasons for the problem are being argued here, and if we ask, everyone has an opinion. For example, we talked with a very successful Tanzanian who has remarkable English. He comes from a poor background, but early in life decided English would be critical to his future. It was his good fortune to meet people who passed on books so he could practice and learn. He studied hard, and his father sold land to allow his son to go on. Now our friend is helping his younger siblings through school.
Our conversations are with Tanzanians whose English is very good, and we haven’t talked with a broad cross section of the people, so our information may not be representative. Within that group there is a strong desire to start with English in pre-school.
This is in part because Tanzania is a member of the East African Union (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi), a group trying to come together to build their economic strength. Kenya and Uganda’s language for business and government is English. Rwanda has moved away from French and is now teaching in English. Without good English education, Tanzania could suffer.
In addition, the transition from all classes in Swahili to all classes in English starting at about age 14 is very difficult. We’ve met students whose English is at best rudimentary. And, how can they learn chemistry, biology or physics, which have a challenging vocabulary to start with?
There are other issues that will seem familiar to Americans – how to attract and develop the best into teaching, especially in hard to reach rural areas; how can school be made more affordable to the poor; how can enough quality materials be made available? We’ve been in many schools covering all ages, both public and private. Books are hardly ever seen, and those we have looked at are poorly done. Teachers don’t have proper materials. They are scheduled for 7 periods a day. Their pay is such they often seek other income opportunities to supplement their teacher’s pay, diverting their time away from the classroom.
As in the United States, there will be debates about what the best direction for education should be in Tanzania. It seems obvious that the English controversy is by no means the only issue. What seems clear to us is that Tanzanians know that eliminating the possibility for further education for half the 17 year olds here is a problem that must be addressed.
Holiday
Today (Wednesday) is Eid al-Moulid, Mohammed’s birthday, a national holiday. The eastern part of the country is predominantly Muslim, while the further west you go Christianity becomes the majority religion, with native religions scattered throughout the country. We haven’t seen or heard any evidence of religious intolerance. Politically there are splits, including between Zanzibar and the mainland, but religion doesn’t seem to be a force in that divide.
There are more than 120 tribes in Tanzania, along with religious diversity, yet we find the people friendly and very accepting.
Education has lately been big news in Tanzania. Only 50% of students in Form 4 passed national exams, down from 72% the previous year. What does that mean to them? What does it mean for the future of Tanzania?
First a little background. The grade levels here is heavily influenced by the British system. Primary school is seven years (Standard 1 through 7). All subjects in public schools are taught in Swahili, except English. Swahili is often a kid’s second language, the primary one being her/his tribal language. Private schools we have visited teach in English at all levels.
The next step is Ordinary (O) level, or secondary school (Form 1 through 4). If a kid’s progress isn’t interrupted (illness, family not being able to afford the fees, etc.), then she/he would be about 17 years old when finishing Form 4. Starting in Form 1, all classes are taught in English (for most their third language), except the one class of Swahili.
At the end of Form 4 students take national exams. This determines whether they can go on with their education. If they pass, the student goes on to Advanced (A) level for two years (Form 5 and 6). “A” level is similar to our junior college system. If the student fails the Form 4 test, there is virtually no chance to continue their education. The Form 4 exam is a BIG deal, with the exam itself and the grading controversial.
For example, we’ve been told by teachers of technical classes (physics, chemistry, math) that sometimes the questions are unsolvable, such as having missing or wrong data. Teachers have said that the grading can also be a problem, with wrong answers used for grading. Sometimes “trick” English is used. Results on these national exams can defy logic. There were kids who passed chemistry but failed all their other subjects. Chemistry is hard, especially since the test is administered in English. Swahili should be much easier, yet they didn’t even get a D.
The day the test results came out, it was almost impossible for us to get onto the internet, since that is how students find out what their future education will be. We talked with Tanzanians who are outraged that so many failed. There is talk of remarking the exams. It is a terrible situation because parents often sacrifice a lot to keep their kids in school. Now they see that this may have been in vain.
The reasons for the problem are being argued here, and if we ask, everyone has an opinion. For example, we talked with a very successful Tanzanian who has remarkable English. He comes from a poor background, but early in life decided English would be critical to his future. It was his good fortune to meet people who passed on books so he could practice and learn. He studied hard, and his father sold land to allow his son to go on. Now our friend is helping his younger siblings through school.
Our conversations are with Tanzanians whose English is very good, and we haven’t talked with a broad cross section of the people, so our information may not be representative. Within that group there is a strong desire to start with English in pre-school.
This is in part because Tanzania is a member of the East African Union (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi), a group trying to come together to build their economic strength. Kenya and Uganda’s language for business and government is English. Rwanda has moved away from French and is now teaching in English. Without good English education, Tanzania could suffer.
In addition, the transition from all classes in Swahili to all classes in English starting at about age 14 is very difficult. We’ve met students whose English is at best rudimentary. And, how can they learn chemistry, biology or physics, which have a challenging vocabulary to start with?
There are other issues that will seem familiar to Americans – how to attract and develop the best into teaching, especially in hard to reach rural areas; how can school be made more affordable to the poor; how can enough quality materials be made available? We’ve been in many schools covering all ages, both public and private. Books are hardly ever seen, and those we have looked at are poorly done. Teachers don’t have proper materials. They are scheduled for 7 periods a day. Their pay is such they often seek other income opportunities to supplement their teacher’s pay, diverting their time away from the classroom.
As in the United States, there will be debates about what the best direction for education should be in Tanzania. It seems obvious that the English controversy is by no means the only issue. What seems clear to us is that Tanzanians know that eliminating the possibility for further education for half the 17 year olds here is a problem that must be addressed.
Holiday
Today (Wednesday) is Eid al-Moulid, Mohammed’s birthday, a national holiday. The eastern part of the country is predominantly Muslim, while the further west you go Christianity becomes the majority religion, with native religions scattered throughout the country. We haven’t seen or heard any evidence of religious intolerance. Politically there are splits, including between Zanzibar and the mainland, but religion doesn’t seem to be a force in that divide.
There are more than 120 tribes in Tanzania, along with religious diversity, yet we find the people friendly and very accepting.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Making Progress
It’s hard to believe we have been here four weeks already. There are now many volunteers here: two physicians, a young woman from Canada who is teaching English to a group of HIV positive women, and a Minnesota nutritionist who has been volunteering with WellShare in Uganda. She is waiting out the election there because the possibility of violence is always present during times like that.
We spent time this week putting together a slide show on the moringa tree for presentation to people in the villages. This will be translated by staff into both Swahili and Iraqw, which is the largest tribe in this area.
Laying the groundwork
We wrote concept papers for both TAPP (TZ Agriculture Productivity Program) and TAHA (TZ Horticulture Association) outlining what we would like them to do. We also developed questions for Anna, the Hadzabe teacher that we videotaped on Sunday. This will be used to create a summary of the issues in the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes to present to possible funders. The NGO we met with twice in CA and who twice visited our program last year will be stopping again next week. They have been very impressed with what is happening here and hopefully will help fund income generating activities and education for WellShare.
Market day drama
On Friday, we went with the drama troop to market day in the village of Endobash. Each area here has market on a different day, always the same date of the month. In that way vendors can make the rounds of all the markets.
There have been some issues in this area with domestic violence, so Jolene asked the drama troop to put together a new skit about the problem. They started in the food area of the market with a dispute between a man, his wife and his girlfriend. As they argued with each other they moved through the market and attracted a huge crowd that was following and hollering comments. They led the crowd to the performance area where it finally became obvious to the crowd that his was a staged drama. A policeman recruited to participate finally “arrested” the man. The crowd was large, with audience participation about the issue. There was also a skit about a man with multiple wives and children, and the conflict this generated. The performances are interspersed with dance, drumming and singing, making the whole event entertaining as well as informative. Although most of the discussion was about the misbehavior of husbands/boyfriends, the men stayed around. It was a long and very successful performance
Hadzabe/Datoga meeting
Sunday was another amazing meeting with the Hadzabe (the last hunter-gatherers in East Africa) and Datoga (pastoralists). At the end of our trip last year we were able to witness a moving meeting. Both tribes previously denied they needed help when WellShare first started their project; now they are asking for help with health care and education. (Please see last year’s entry for information about these tribes.)
They formed the Datoga/Hadzabe Association (DAHA) through which they could organize and learn how to influence government to provide the services they need, save money and develop the resources to solve some of their problems. The Hadzabe don’t have a cash economy and in the past couldn’t financially contribute to the group. This year there is a new sign saying that tourists who visited these tribes, many to experience the lifestyle of the Hadzabe, needed to contribute $5 each to the village fund. This will provide cash for the association.
Last year we learned that the tribes got paid very little from the tourists, who were paying guides high fees to visit them. Some guides would ask the Hadzabe to provide “cultural” experiences, make drinks from their honey, or even to have their children run around naked, to look more “primitive”. Then, the guides would say the tourists didn’t have any money to pay! The organization has now decided to only work with guides that don’t exploit them.
It was clear at this meeting that these people have found their voices. The agenda involved electing representatives from each tribe to an executive council, with leadership training provided by WellShare. When the nominations began and a couple of Datoga men were recommended, the Hadzabe participant who clearly was viewed as a leader said no, they would not allow it because these men were liars! Talk about frank political dialogue! Next, they were to elect an adviser to be the accountant. A Datoga was selected, but the Hadzabe said they would not participate if they didn’t also have a representative. This was quite amazing since the Hadzabe tend to be a quiet people. It was wonderful to see democracy in action. We feel so lucky to be a part of these momentous events that will shape these tribes for years to come and hopefully ensure their survival.
Then Silvery from WellShare presented information about the moringa tree to the tribes. Many were familiar with it for medicines, but had no knowledge of its nutritional value or water clarification qualities. They are very eager to get training and seedlings.
After the meeting Jolene and Silvery asked each tribe about domestic violence; if it is okay to strike a child or wife, etc. It was very interesting how the different tribes dealt with a drunken, abusive husband and under what circumstances a woman had a right to leave or when it was okay to strike a child.
Once our meetings were finished it was time to buy their crafts - lots of jewelry, bows and arrows, and gourds. We were swarmed! This was obviously an important meeting, many of the Datoga women dressed in beautiful beaded leather dresses.
Making Connections
As we left, the leader of the group told me he was so grateful for our efforts to bring more resources to the area. I told him we could not guarantee results but we would do our best. And on Monday that process began! We met with Dorothy from TAPP, who already has a successful moringa project. We were delighted to find out that she was very interested in providing the training and supplies to get small holder farmers in our area involved with moringa and vegetable cultivation for their own nutrition and for export. In our proposal we suggested seven villages and two schools as a start. We are very hopeful that this can move quickly and take advantage of the coming rainy season. TAPP also does drip irrigation and water catchment systems, which would also be wonderful, especially for the schools.
We are now working on editing videotaped interviews as part of the presentation to our NGO visitors when they visit next week.
We spent time this week putting together a slide show on the moringa tree for presentation to people in the villages. This will be translated by staff into both Swahili and Iraqw, which is the largest tribe in this area.
Laying the groundwork
We wrote concept papers for both TAPP (TZ Agriculture Productivity Program) and TAHA (TZ Horticulture Association) outlining what we would like them to do. We also developed questions for Anna, the Hadzabe teacher that we videotaped on Sunday. This will be used to create a summary of the issues in the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes to present to possible funders. The NGO we met with twice in CA and who twice visited our program last year will be stopping again next week. They have been very impressed with what is happening here and hopefully will help fund income generating activities and education for WellShare.
Market day drama
On Friday, we went with the drama troop to market day in the village of Endobash. Each area here has market on a different day, always the same date of the month. In that way vendors can make the rounds of all the markets.
There have been some issues in this area with domestic violence, so Jolene asked the drama troop to put together a new skit about the problem. They started in the food area of the market with a dispute between a man, his wife and his girlfriend. As they argued with each other they moved through the market and attracted a huge crowd that was following and hollering comments. They led the crowd to the performance area where it finally became obvious to the crowd that his was a staged drama. A policeman recruited to participate finally “arrested” the man. The crowd was large, with audience participation about the issue. There was also a skit about a man with multiple wives and children, and the conflict this generated. The performances are interspersed with dance, drumming and singing, making the whole event entertaining as well as informative. Although most of the discussion was about the misbehavior of husbands/boyfriends, the men stayed around. It was a long and very successful performance
Hadzabe/Datoga meeting
Sunday was another amazing meeting with the Hadzabe (the last hunter-gatherers in East Africa) and Datoga (pastoralists). At the end of our trip last year we were able to witness a moving meeting. Both tribes previously denied they needed help when WellShare first started their project; now they are asking for help with health care and education. (Please see last year’s entry for information about these tribes.)
They formed the Datoga/Hadzabe Association (DAHA) through which they could organize and learn how to influence government to provide the services they need, save money and develop the resources to solve some of their problems. The Hadzabe don’t have a cash economy and in the past couldn’t financially contribute to the group. This year there is a new sign saying that tourists who visited these tribes, many to experience the lifestyle of the Hadzabe, needed to contribute $5 each to the village fund. This will provide cash for the association.
Last year we learned that the tribes got paid very little from the tourists, who were paying guides high fees to visit them. Some guides would ask the Hadzabe to provide “cultural” experiences, make drinks from their honey, or even to have their children run around naked, to look more “primitive”. Then, the guides would say the tourists didn’t have any money to pay! The organization has now decided to only work with guides that don’t exploit them.
It was clear at this meeting that these people have found their voices. The agenda involved electing representatives from each tribe to an executive council, with leadership training provided by WellShare. When the nominations began and a couple of Datoga men were recommended, the Hadzabe participant who clearly was viewed as a leader said no, they would not allow it because these men were liars! Talk about frank political dialogue! Next, they were to elect an adviser to be the accountant. A Datoga was selected, but the Hadzabe said they would not participate if they didn’t also have a representative. This was quite amazing since the Hadzabe tend to be a quiet people. It was wonderful to see democracy in action. We feel so lucky to be a part of these momentous events that will shape these tribes for years to come and hopefully ensure their survival.
Then Silvery from WellShare presented information about the moringa tree to the tribes. Many were familiar with it for medicines, but had no knowledge of its nutritional value or water clarification qualities. They are very eager to get training and seedlings.
After the meeting Jolene and Silvery asked each tribe about domestic violence; if it is okay to strike a child or wife, etc. It was very interesting how the different tribes dealt with a drunken, abusive husband and under what circumstances a woman had a right to leave or when it was okay to strike a child.
Once our meetings were finished it was time to buy their crafts - lots of jewelry, bows and arrows, and gourds. We were swarmed! This was obviously an important meeting, many of the Datoga women dressed in beautiful beaded leather dresses.
Making Connections
As we left, the leader of the group told me he was so grateful for our efforts to bring more resources to the area. I told him we could not guarantee results but we would do our best. And on Monday that process began! We met with Dorothy from TAPP, who already has a successful moringa project. We were delighted to find out that she was very interested in providing the training and supplies to get small holder farmers in our area involved with moringa and vegetable cultivation for their own nutrition and for export. In our proposal we suggested seven villages and two schools as a start. We are very hopeful that this can move quickly and take advantage of the coming rainy season. TAPP also does drip irrigation and water catchment systems, which would also be wonderful, especially for the schools.
We are now working on editing videotaped interviews as part of the presentation to our NGO visitors when they visit next week.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
New Connections
We have had another eventful week! We continued our work with Moringa trees; they are drought resistant, with very nutritious foliage and seeds. A road trip to Arusha, about two hours east of Karatu and the main city in the northern part of Tanzania, proved very worthwhile.
We met one Tanzanian who teaches farmers to grow the trees, then buys the leaves and seeds from them for processing and export. He makes cooking and massage oil from the seeds, ground leaf powder and ground seed powder as a nutritional additives and for natural healing. The seed cake that remains is sold for water purification and animal fodder. The organization has been recognized by the president of Tanzania. It is exciting to see someone who is not just exporting raw materials, which happens too often here, but is processing and then exporting. The country needs a lot more of this.
Next, we tried to find a woman who initiated a program of moringa growing for HIV women. The phone number we had wasn’t correct and we received no response to email. So we tried to track her down, which is always a challenge in a city where there are few street names and all directions are by landmarks (similar in some ways to Japan.) In the process we found the office for TAHA, Tanzanian Horticulture Association. They are like a farmer’s cooperative, a Tanzanian organization partially funded by USAID. Part of their focus is training small farmers on agricultural methods, how to work together, and finding ways to market what the farmers grow. TAHA members also include medium and large farmers along with suppliers.
They expressed real interest in coming out to work with the groups in our neediest area, and we are meeting again next week to better define how we can work together. This training might be free; we also need a long-term commitment so that the program builds local self-sustaining operations. So this was our second exciting meeting.
From TAHA we found out where the organization we were originally looking for is located. However, the woman we wanted to meet with had just had surgery, which may have explained why she didn’t answer her personal phone either. We are meeting with her next week; the organization already has a robust Moringa project and could be an even better fit for our goals. Up to now we have identified five potential partners for this project, organizations with the expertise and resources we need. Hopefully next week we can firm up which organization(s) will be the best fit.
On the Road
We had a little adventure on our way home - a flat tire. This was a bit ironic because we were on the only paved road in our area, a beautiful stretch of highway installed by the Japanese government a few years ago. All the other roads are dirt; most eroded from rain. Fortunately, a tour driver stopped to help as Rick was struggling with the jack, which didn’t have enough lift to replace the tire. Then a lorry stopped. The driver was from Bassodawish and recognized our car. Because of WellShare’s excellent reputation in his village he wanted to help. He had a huge jack and made it easy work.
On the same road we passed a bus flipped on its side on the curvy road coming out of the Rift Valley. Although there are new speed bumps every year, people still drive too fast and recklessly. While we were changing the tire (on the traffic side of the road, of course!) the tour driver would warn everyone to get well back whenever a lorry or large bus came by. He clearly didn’t trust those drivers!
Weather
For several days the dust was tremendous. It is always hot in Arusha (the closest city to Karatu), but the dust was particularly bad this trip. As we drove back through the Rift Valley we could see clouds of it moving against the distant mountains. Where does all the top soil land?
The TAHA people have decided that the short rainy season in Nov.-Dec. is history. The past two years there have been about two weeks of rain in Jan. and then nothing until March. There has been no short rainy season in 8 of the last 9 years, so it makes sense to assume that this climate change is permanent. This brings to mind additional benefits of the moringa trees; they are drought resistant and of course they could help prevent soil erosion.
We met one Tanzanian who teaches farmers to grow the trees, then buys the leaves and seeds from them for processing and export. He makes cooking and massage oil from the seeds, ground leaf powder and ground seed powder as a nutritional additives and for natural healing. The seed cake that remains is sold for water purification and animal fodder. The organization has been recognized by the president of Tanzania. It is exciting to see someone who is not just exporting raw materials, which happens too often here, but is processing and then exporting. The country needs a lot more of this.
Next, we tried to find a woman who initiated a program of moringa growing for HIV women. The phone number we had wasn’t correct and we received no response to email. So we tried to track her down, which is always a challenge in a city where there are few street names and all directions are by landmarks (similar in some ways to Japan.) In the process we found the office for TAHA, Tanzanian Horticulture Association. They are like a farmer’s cooperative, a Tanzanian organization partially funded by USAID. Part of their focus is training small farmers on agricultural methods, how to work together, and finding ways to market what the farmers grow. TAHA members also include medium and large farmers along with suppliers.
They expressed real interest in coming out to work with the groups in our neediest area, and we are meeting again next week to better define how we can work together. This training might be free; we also need a long-term commitment so that the program builds local self-sustaining operations. So this was our second exciting meeting.
From TAHA we found out where the organization we were originally looking for is located. However, the woman we wanted to meet with had just had surgery, which may have explained why she didn’t answer her personal phone either. We are meeting with her next week; the organization already has a robust Moringa project and could be an even better fit for our goals. Up to now we have identified five potential partners for this project, organizations with the expertise and resources we need. Hopefully next week we can firm up which organization(s) will be the best fit.
On the Road
We had a little adventure on our way home - a flat tire. This was a bit ironic because we were on the only paved road in our area, a beautiful stretch of highway installed by the Japanese government a few years ago. All the other roads are dirt; most eroded from rain. Fortunately, a tour driver stopped to help as Rick was struggling with the jack, which didn’t have enough lift to replace the tire. Then a lorry stopped. The driver was from Bassodawish and recognized our car. Because of WellShare’s excellent reputation in his village he wanted to help. He had a huge jack and made it easy work.
On the same road we passed a bus flipped on its side on the curvy road coming out of the Rift Valley. Although there are new speed bumps every year, people still drive too fast and recklessly. While we were changing the tire (on the traffic side of the road, of course!) the tour driver would warn everyone to get well back whenever a lorry or large bus came by. He clearly didn’t trust those drivers!
Weather
For several days the dust was tremendous. It is always hot in Arusha (the closest city to Karatu), but the dust was particularly bad this trip. As we drove back through the Rift Valley we could see clouds of it moving against the distant mountains. Where does all the top soil land?
The TAHA people have decided that the short rainy season in Nov.-Dec. is history. The past two years there have been about two weeks of rain in Jan. and then nothing until March. There has been no short rainy season in 8 of the last 9 years, so it makes sense to assume that this climate change is permanent. This brings to mind additional benefits of the moringa trees; they are drought resistant and of course they could help prevent soil erosion.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Moringa trees
Life is very comfortable and simple for us here in Karatu, Tanzania. Some of you have expressed concern about our personal safety, given the news from some places in Africa. We feel no sense of danger here; even the wild animals are in the distance! Tanzania isn’t prone to the same political, military or personal violence that makes headlines in the U.S.
There are two houses, one for Jolene, the country director, and the other for volunteers. A wall surrounds the property. This keeps down the number of people stopping to ask for money, and petty thieves. At night there is an unarmed guard, and Jolene has a couple of dogs.
We can walk anywhere, with nothing worse than children occasionally asking for pens or money. Sometimes kids who might be in secondary school will practice their English, and that is fun. At night we do limit the area in which we walk, but during the day we feel perfectly comfortable taking long walks, exploring the town and area.
The volunteer house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, one western and one eastern. There is a modest kitchen without a refrigerator, but we use space in Jolene’s. We shop in local stores that are quite small but packed with goods, or go to the market for fruits and vegetables. Since we there isn’t a lot of variety here, we brought along provisions and spices to fill in some gaps.
Our office is about ¼ mile away, an easy walk. We are busy during the day, come home for lunch and have the evenings free. In addition to the books and Kindle we brought, Jolene has a wide variety of books and movies at her house, and past volunteers have left supplies of the same. It is a very simple and very relaxing way to live.
We currently have a housemate who is volunteering with another organization, and in February there will be two more volunteers for WellShare. That can make organizing cooking time and other activities interesting, but we’ve done it before.
The simplicity of living here reminds us of a TED presentation we saw on the internet about the problem with too many choices in our American society. There are so many opportunities, so much we can purchase, so many TV stations, that our lives can become far too complex. Unless we can find the right balance, the richness of our environment can make us miserable.
Here, those aren’t the problems, and for us that makes life very comfortable. However, outside our protected environment, it can mean something else. For example, agriculture is the dominant way of life (even though we are in a town of about 15,000 people, cows or goats frequently are grazing outside our office window). Farmers depend on a short rainy season (November and December), and a long one (March to May). As with farming the world over, when the rains don’t come as expected, it can be terrible for the farmers. In eight of the last nine years the short rains haven’t come, and the long rains have been unpredictable.
For subsistence farmers, this can lead to terrible challenges. Resources are limited, but people are resourceful; they have to be or they wouldn’t survive. Last year when we were here the government was distributing seeds because of the terrible drought the year before, but the supply wasn’t enough to plant a typical field.
And yet, we aren’t surrounded by a sense of gloom and doom. The people are wonderful, warm and welcoming. The staff we work with is great, and villagers we visit are enjoyable to be with. For example, we were in Basodawish today. This is a village that has been adopted by our friend Welcome and her group in the U.S. The village leaders were there to greet us, and gave us a two hour tour of the projects they are working on to improve their village. In every village we visit kids come to see us, laughing and smiling.
Of course, there are huge challenges. At independence in 1961, Tanzania had very few college graduates. In spite of the effort to develop teachers, doctors and so on, it is still difficult to find enough professionals to serve these rural locations. It is similar to what the U.S. faced in the past, and to some extent still does when it comes to doctors in rural areas.
How do they educate children without enough teachers, with a shortage of textbooks, without electricity or reasonable access to the internet? These problems aren’t unique to Tanzania, and these wonderful people are working hard to address them, step by step. Basodawish is a shining example.
We have a guess as to why it doesn’t feel oppressive in comparison to our lives back home. Here, as in many areas we have visited in the developing world, lives are relatively equitable. There are some who are better educated, live in much nicer homes, have cars and can send kids to private schools. But there isn’t the stark contrast between the ultra rich and everyone else that there is in, for example big cities. Or, in places where there are tourists staying in the pampered isolation of very expensive hotels, with most the citizens living a hard-scrabble existence. Karatu is in the heart of safari country and luxury places exist here, they just aren’t as visible as other places we have visited.
We don’t in any way mean to diminish the challenges many face here. Or, for that matter, can we ignore people in many places who face starvation, or the violence of war, sexual exploitation and economic slavery. It is just that our experiences have been surrounded with warm, kind people that make our time here very rewarding.
The past week, was very interesting, and we think, productive. We worked hard on the concept papers mentioned in our last blog entry, which will be used to try attracting financing for two projects. For some background on one, you might find it interesting to visit wikipedia.org, and type “Hadzabe” in the subject box. We are hoping to get funds to put together several programs for them and the neighboring Datoga tribe. These projects are based on requests coming from their communities because they recognize the inevitable changes they face.
In addition, we spent some time investigating the possibilities of villagers growing moringa trees (actually moringa oleifera; we know that information is important information to you). They are drought resistant, with very nutritious foliage and seeds. Moringa are high in protein and a range of vitamins and minerals. They grow quickly and also can provide natural fencing and firewood. Many see them as a solution to malnutrition. They are grown and used extensively in Asia. Nearly every part of the tree is useful, including for medicinal purposes and water purification and thus have the moniker “the miracle tree.”
One possibility is to have moringa planted as an additional crop. This could provide animal fodder, especially during the dry season. In other places in Tanzania and the world, people eat the leaves, flowers and seeds, either fresh or dried. The possibilities are very attractive, and we expect to visit a commercial site soon and hopefully meet with someone at the university in Dar es Salaam who is doing research on the plant.
We hope all of you are well.
Rick and Sharon
There are two houses, one for Jolene, the country director, and the other for volunteers. A wall surrounds the property. This keeps down the number of people stopping to ask for money, and petty thieves. At night there is an unarmed guard, and Jolene has a couple of dogs.
We can walk anywhere, with nothing worse than children occasionally asking for pens or money. Sometimes kids who might be in secondary school will practice their English, and that is fun. At night we do limit the area in which we walk, but during the day we feel perfectly comfortable taking long walks, exploring the town and area.
The volunteer house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, one western and one eastern. There is a modest kitchen without a refrigerator, but we use space in Jolene’s. We shop in local stores that are quite small but packed with goods, or go to the market for fruits and vegetables. Since we there isn’t a lot of variety here, we brought along provisions and spices to fill in some gaps.
Our office is about ¼ mile away, an easy walk. We are busy during the day, come home for lunch and have the evenings free. In addition to the books and Kindle we brought, Jolene has a wide variety of books and movies at her house, and past volunteers have left supplies of the same. It is a very simple and very relaxing way to live.
We currently have a housemate who is volunteering with another organization, and in February there will be two more volunteers for WellShare. That can make organizing cooking time and other activities interesting, but we’ve done it before.
The simplicity of living here reminds us of a TED presentation we saw on the internet about the problem with too many choices in our American society. There are so many opportunities, so much we can purchase, so many TV stations, that our lives can become far too complex. Unless we can find the right balance, the richness of our environment can make us miserable.
Here, those aren’t the problems, and for us that makes life very comfortable. However, outside our protected environment, it can mean something else. For example, agriculture is the dominant way of life (even though we are in a town of about 15,000 people, cows or goats frequently are grazing outside our office window). Farmers depend on a short rainy season (November and December), and a long one (March to May). As with farming the world over, when the rains don’t come as expected, it can be terrible for the farmers. In eight of the last nine years the short rains haven’t come, and the long rains have been unpredictable.
For subsistence farmers, this can lead to terrible challenges. Resources are limited, but people are resourceful; they have to be or they wouldn’t survive. Last year when we were here the government was distributing seeds because of the terrible drought the year before, but the supply wasn’t enough to plant a typical field.
And yet, we aren’t surrounded by a sense of gloom and doom. The people are wonderful, warm and welcoming. The staff we work with is great, and villagers we visit are enjoyable to be with. For example, we were in Basodawish today. This is a village that has been adopted by our friend Welcome and her group in the U.S. The village leaders were there to greet us, and gave us a two hour tour of the projects they are working on to improve their village. In every village we visit kids come to see us, laughing and smiling.
Of course, there are huge challenges. At independence in 1961, Tanzania had very few college graduates. In spite of the effort to develop teachers, doctors and so on, it is still difficult to find enough professionals to serve these rural locations. It is similar to what the U.S. faced in the past, and to some extent still does when it comes to doctors in rural areas.
How do they educate children without enough teachers, with a shortage of textbooks, without electricity or reasonable access to the internet? These problems aren’t unique to Tanzania, and these wonderful people are working hard to address them, step by step. Basodawish is a shining example.
We have a guess as to why it doesn’t feel oppressive in comparison to our lives back home. Here, as in many areas we have visited in the developing world, lives are relatively equitable. There are some who are better educated, live in much nicer homes, have cars and can send kids to private schools. But there isn’t the stark contrast between the ultra rich and everyone else that there is in, for example big cities. Or, in places where there are tourists staying in the pampered isolation of very expensive hotels, with most the citizens living a hard-scrabble existence. Karatu is in the heart of safari country and luxury places exist here, they just aren’t as visible as other places we have visited.
We don’t in any way mean to diminish the challenges many face here. Or, for that matter, can we ignore people in many places who face starvation, or the violence of war, sexual exploitation and economic slavery. It is just that our experiences have been surrounded with warm, kind people that make our time here very rewarding.
The past week, was very interesting, and we think, productive. We worked hard on the concept papers mentioned in our last blog entry, which will be used to try attracting financing for two projects. For some background on one, you might find it interesting to visit wikipedia.org, and type “Hadzabe” in the subject box. We are hoping to get funds to put together several programs for them and the neighboring Datoga tribe. These projects are based on requests coming from their communities because they recognize the inevitable changes they face.
In addition, we spent some time investigating the possibilities of villagers growing moringa trees (actually moringa oleifera; we know that information is important information to you). They are drought resistant, with very nutritious foliage and seeds. Moringa are high in protein and a range of vitamins and minerals. They grow quickly and also can provide natural fencing and firewood. Many see them as a solution to malnutrition. They are grown and used extensively in Asia. Nearly every part of the tree is useful, including for medicinal purposes and water purification and thus have the moniker “the miracle tree.”
One possibility is to have moringa planted as an additional crop. This could provide animal fodder, especially during the dry season. In other places in Tanzania and the world, people eat the leaves, flowers and seeds, either fresh or dried. The possibilities are very attractive, and we expect to visit a commercial site soon and hopefully meet with someone at the university in Dar es Salaam who is doing research on the plant.
We hope all of you are well.
Rick and Sharon
Sunday, January 16, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Returning to Tanzania in 2011
Reflections – November 3, 2010
Lasting change or dependency?
The question above is often raised these days about efforts to help the impoverished in places like Africa. How do we make certain what we do results in “Real Good, not Feel Good” support (this is the title of a very interesting paper by Martin Fisher of KickStart. If you would like a copy we can email one to you.)
WellShare, the organization we have volunteered with in Tanzania (East Africa) the last two years, has had their project evaluated twice by outside parties, and the reports were highly favorable. In addition, the feedback about our efforts the last two trips has led us to understand we have been able to make a real difference. And so, we are returning to Tanzania this coming January.
Our experience over the past 2 years has been very educational. We began preparing for our first trip to Tanzania by reading about the country and culture, including novels. This background gave us some idea of what life would be like there.
Our first two months were spent understanding the project, getting familiar with our new “home” and spending time in remote villages to see the project’s work on the ground. Having lived in Africa most of her adult life, Jolene, the country director, was a wealth of knowledge. We learned a great deal about Africa, Tanzania, development work, culture and government. Our work focused on helping to create income generation skills for young single mothers. We created tools and materials to help educate them on how to run and organize their small ventures.
These first two months helped us understand we needed to learn so much more if we were to have a bigger impact. There were the seeds of some ideas on income generating activities that might work for the young village women, but we needed to do more research to try to determine what might be viable. Another focus was trying to locate other NGOs working in Africa who could share their expertise and perhaps partner with us. While in Tanzania we had started reading about the issues around aid and development. We learned a lot about unintended negative consequences that can result when individuals or organizations try to help solve a village problem. This pursuit continued when we got back. We found that many experts believe that the dependency caused by aid is the reason Africa continues to be so poor. Sustainability is the key to effective aid, and is so often missing.
Aid and good intentions can create lots of problems that are not understood by those of us who have little experience in these countries. Sending cases of some product, say for illustration purposes, soap, seems like a worthwhile endeavor for those in the rich world trying to make life easier for village people. But what is probably not understood is that such a move may put the local soap producer out of business. Local livelihoods are lost and when the soap is gone there is no local producer to provide this product for the village. One must always question the impacts of any action taken with the intention of hoping to solve a village problem. Organizations sometimes come in to provide a solution without working with the villagers to identify problems the locals see and would like solved. In addition to ascertaining what the villagers want, adequate education must go with the solution. Without a sense of ownership and understanding of maintenance requirements, the village may get a new latrine, cistern or well, but no one will know how to maintain it and it will not be used. We were shocked to find out about the many unused wells in Africa despite the tremendous need for water.
As a result, we believed it was very important for these young women to have financial literacy, skills in the specific area of their project, along with marketing and business understanding so they would be empowered and truly prosper. One of the NGOs we met with in California seemed to be a good fit, but it wasn’t clear that they would be willing to work in our Karatu. During our second year in our district, through both purposeful and chance meetings, we were able to find some good connections with NGOs working in Karatu to get this process started. Because of our research, we were clear about how any partner organizations would have to function.
We discovered the importance of flexibility too. When we left here this January we had some ideas of what might be worthwhile projects. But once we got there, asked lots (and lots) of questions, and did the local research, we found that these ideas were just not feasible at this time. We did go with the intention of trying to find local partners and that is the piece that ended up working. We found it was important not to fall in love with our ideas because it is too easy to try to make something work that will not be sustained.
Sustainability
One of the WellShare staff spoke last year of his commitment to the organization. He said he had seen other groups that came and went with not much lasting effect. He felt WellShare was really making a lasting difference in people’s lives because they were thoroughly educating people, improving their health and behaviors, and that knowledge and change would stay with them and their villages long after WellShare was gone. We applied the same criteria. How will our efforts change lives over the long-term? How do we make ourselves unnecessary to these young women? How do we empower them to improve their own lives? When the WellShare project ends and the staff are gone will these women still have improved lives that impact their children and even their villages?
As an example, one type of project we are working to partner with is Farmer Field Schools, which are run by a couple of NGOs in Karatu. These projects provide extensive training in farming but the approach is classic adult education—the individuals in the group, with support from trained farmers, generate ideas or experiments to determine what will or will not work. They also form buying and selling groups to get better prices. So in addition to learning about farming practices to improve yields, they feel empowered, learn how to work together and see the importance of cooperative marketing and purchasing.
These basic life and business skills have been shown to carry over into other areas of village life. The participants have improved lives on many fronts as a result of having participated in this training. We heard of one evaluation that found family violence declined for those participating in this training since half of the group must be women and they now were viewed with respect. Once the NGO leaves, the skills learned and the new ways of working will stay as part of village life and have ongoing impact.
This is the kind of solution we wanted to be able to provide to these young women. And, it appears we are on the way to doing this. We feel very fortunate to have found an organization that has given us so much encouragement to explore efforts not in their original mission.
What about you?
If you are drawn to international volunteering, be clear about what you want to get out of it. For example, there are many wonderful organizations that offer international volunteer experiences whose major purpose is cross-cultural understanding. In evaluating any endeavor where you are looking to have positive impact, you should consider: need to ask: “Is what I am doing something that could be done by local people who need the work, if I just sent the money so they could be hired?”
With Habitat for Humanity the local people are required to put in sweat equity beside the international volunteers, creating a very powerful program. But we were in Peru after the earthquake and saw local men sitting around the square with nothing to do while the international volunteers were rebuilding. Two other important questions: “Will the people be left with any skills or resources that allow them to support themselves, change their lives, etc. without ongoing outside support?” “When the NGO leaves the location, will the benefits be sustainable or will they end?”
Now What?
Well, we are returning to Tanzania this January for 10 weeks to continue our efforts with the young women. We have found out that in four remote villages the microsavings organization we connected with is providing training in financial literacy and the women are saving for their projects, and other successes are blooming as well. There are 48 villages in the district, so there is still a lot of work to do. We will try to find other local groups or individuals who can help these women start and manage viable businesses.
Several people have asked about making a financial contribution. We would like to be able to provide the seed money for farmer trainers, seeds, chickens, etc. For example, we have estimated that it would take about $200-$300 to fund a village’s farmer field school for about 30 people. It seems such a small price to change a village’s life. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please send it to:
WellShare International
122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 510
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Please make certain the memo line says: "Tanzania STGs"
If it is easier, our you would rather send the check to us, that is fine also. However, please still make the check to WellShare with the memo line shown. Our address is 2010 Yorkshire Ave. St. Paul, MN 55116.
We will then be able to draw from that account as needed while we are there. In our blog we will write about how and where the money is specifically used. When we get home, pictures will be posted on line and, with luck, we may even be able to mark the locations on Google Earth!
Lasting change or dependency?
The question above is often raised these days about efforts to help the impoverished in places like Africa. How do we make certain what we do results in “Real Good, not Feel Good” support (this is the title of a very interesting paper by Martin Fisher of KickStart. If you would like a copy we can email one to you.)
WellShare, the organization we have volunteered with in Tanzania (East Africa) the last two years, has had their project evaluated twice by outside parties, and the reports were highly favorable. In addition, the feedback about our efforts the last two trips has led us to understand we have been able to make a real difference. And so, we are returning to Tanzania this coming January.
Our experience over the past 2 years has been very educational. We began preparing for our first trip to Tanzania by reading about the country and culture, including novels. This background gave us some idea of what life would be like there.
Our first two months were spent understanding the project, getting familiar with our new “home” and spending time in remote villages to see the project’s work on the ground. Having lived in Africa most of her adult life, Jolene, the country director, was a wealth of knowledge. We learned a great deal about Africa, Tanzania, development work, culture and government. Our work focused on helping to create income generation skills for young single mothers. We created tools and materials to help educate them on how to run and organize their small ventures.
These first two months helped us understand we needed to learn so much more if we were to have a bigger impact. There were the seeds of some ideas on income generating activities that might work for the young village women, but we needed to do more research to try to determine what might be viable. Another focus was trying to locate other NGOs working in Africa who could share their expertise and perhaps partner with us. While in Tanzania we had started reading about the issues around aid and development. We learned a lot about unintended negative consequences that can result when individuals or organizations try to help solve a village problem. This pursuit continued when we got back. We found that many experts believe that the dependency caused by aid is the reason Africa continues to be so poor. Sustainability is the key to effective aid, and is so often missing.
Aid and good intentions can create lots of problems that are not understood by those of us who have little experience in these countries. Sending cases of some product, say for illustration purposes, soap, seems like a worthwhile endeavor for those in the rich world trying to make life easier for village people. But what is probably not understood is that such a move may put the local soap producer out of business. Local livelihoods are lost and when the soap is gone there is no local producer to provide this product for the village. One must always question the impacts of any action taken with the intention of hoping to solve a village problem. Organizations sometimes come in to provide a solution without working with the villagers to identify problems the locals see and would like solved. In addition to ascertaining what the villagers want, adequate education must go with the solution. Without a sense of ownership and understanding of maintenance requirements, the village may get a new latrine, cistern or well, but no one will know how to maintain it and it will not be used. We were shocked to find out about the many unused wells in Africa despite the tremendous need for water.
As a result, we believed it was very important for these young women to have financial literacy, skills in the specific area of their project, along with marketing and business understanding so they would be empowered and truly prosper. One of the NGOs we met with in California seemed to be a good fit, but it wasn’t clear that they would be willing to work in our Karatu. During our second year in our district, through both purposeful and chance meetings, we were able to find some good connections with NGOs working in Karatu to get this process started. Because of our research, we were clear about how any partner organizations would have to function.
We discovered the importance of flexibility too. When we left here this January we had some ideas of what might be worthwhile projects. But once we got there, asked lots (and lots) of questions, and did the local research, we found that these ideas were just not feasible at this time. We did go with the intention of trying to find local partners and that is the piece that ended up working. We found it was important not to fall in love with our ideas because it is too easy to try to make something work that will not be sustained.
Sustainability
One of the WellShare staff spoke last year of his commitment to the organization. He said he had seen other groups that came and went with not much lasting effect. He felt WellShare was really making a lasting difference in people’s lives because they were thoroughly educating people, improving their health and behaviors, and that knowledge and change would stay with them and their villages long after WellShare was gone. We applied the same criteria. How will our efforts change lives over the long-term? How do we make ourselves unnecessary to these young women? How do we empower them to improve their own lives? When the WellShare project ends and the staff are gone will these women still have improved lives that impact their children and even their villages?
As an example, one type of project we are working to partner with is Farmer Field Schools, which are run by a couple of NGOs in Karatu. These projects provide extensive training in farming but the approach is classic adult education—the individuals in the group, with support from trained farmers, generate ideas or experiments to determine what will or will not work. They also form buying and selling groups to get better prices. So in addition to learning about farming practices to improve yields, they feel empowered, learn how to work together and see the importance of cooperative marketing and purchasing.
These basic life and business skills have been shown to carry over into other areas of village life. The participants have improved lives on many fronts as a result of having participated in this training. We heard of one evaluation that found family violence declined for those participating in this training since half of the group must be women and they now were viewed with respect. Once the NGO leaves, the skills learned and the new ways of working will stay as part of village life and have ongoing impact.
This is the kind of solution we wanted to be able to provide to these young women. And, it appears we are on the way to doing this. We feel very fortunate to have found an organization that has given us so much encouragement to explore efforts not in their original mission.
What about you?
If you are drawn to international volunteering, be clear about what you want to get out of it. For example, there are many wonderful organizations that offer international volunteer experiences whose major purpose is cross-cultural understanding. In evaluating any endeavor where you are looking to have positive impact, you should consider: need to ask: “Is what I am doing something that could be done by local people who need the work, if I just sent the money so they could be hired?”
With Habitat for Humanity the local people are required to put in sweat equity beside the international volunteers, creating a very powerful program. But we were in Peru after the earthquake and saw local men sitting around the square with nothing to do while the international volunteers were rebuilding. Two other important questions: “Will the people be left with any skills or resources that allow them to support themselves, change their lives, etc. without ongoing outside support?” “When the NGO leaves the location, will the benefits be sustainable or will they end?”
Now What?
Well, we are returning to Tanzania this January for 10 weeks to continue our efforts with the young women. We have found out that in four remote villages the microsavings organization we connected with is providing training in financial literacy and the women are saving for their projects, and other successes are blooming as well. There are 48 villages in the district, so there is still a lot of work to do. We will try to find other local groups or individuals who can help these women start and manage viable businesses.
Several people have asked about making a financial contribution. We would like to be able to provide the seed money for farmer trainers, seeds, chickens, etc. For example, we have estimated that it would take about $200-$300 to fund a village’s farmer field school for about 30 people. It seems such a small price to change a village’s life. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please send it to:
WellShare International
122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 510
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Please make certain the memo line says: "Tanzania STGs"
If it is easier, our you would rather send the check to us, that is fine also. However, please still make the check to WellShare with the memo line shown. Our address is 2010 Yorkshire Ave. St. Paul, MN 55116.
We will then be able to draw from that account as needed while we are there. In our blog we will write about how and where the money is specifically used. When we get home, pictures will be posted on line and, with luck, we may even be able to mark the locations on Google Earth!
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