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.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
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!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A surprise
It is difficult to say goodbye to our WellShare family. We had a nice dinner Friday night with staff and shared toasts. Staff said we should make this our first home, not our second (it isn’t going to happen). We received beautiful gifts to treasure always. While we miss family and friends, there is also a strong pull to this beautiful country and its wonderful people.
That same day we had an amazing surprise. As you may remember from our last entry, someone squeezed through a window to steal our two iPods, binoculars, and our (fortunately) backup camera.
With a long face, Jolene told us there was a problem getting our police report. Then her expression turned to a grin as she told us why. Culprits broke into the home of a government official here, and he went into high gear to track down his goods. The good news for us is his thieves were our thieves.
The Karatu police recovered our stolen items and returned all but the camera on Friday, and the camera is on the way! We were told by a couple of people the police would find our goods, but we were doubtful. What a nice cap to a wonderful trip!
That same day we had an amazing surprise. As you may remember from our last entry, someone squeezed through a window to steal our two iPods, binoculars, and our (fortunately) backup camera.
With a long face, Jolene told us there was a problem getting our police report. Then her expression turned to a grin as she told us why. Culprits broke into the home of a government official here, and he went into high gear to track down his goods. The good news for us is his thieves were our thieves.
The Karatu police recovered our stolen items and returned all but the camera on Friday, and the camera is on the way! We were told by a couple of people the police would find our goods, but we were doubtful. What a nice cap to a wonderful trip!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Last days in Africa
An ancient place -
We left out of our safari post our stop at Oldupai Gorge which is considered the birthplace or cradle of man. In layers of volcanic deposits 300 feet deep archeologists have peeled back 2 million years of history. In 1959, Mary Leakey found a 1.8 million year old hominoid skull and later at Laetoli south of the gorge, she found hominoid footprints 3.75 million years old. Scholars have traced the probable migration routes from here to populations all over the world through DNA testing.
In our last post, we mentioned a meeting with the Hadzabe tribe, which live in an area south of Karatu. It is the only tribal remnant of ancient Paleolithic times on the continent and believed to be the most ancient tribe in Africa.
Nairobi -
Now, back to this most recent week; in the fall while we were in CA meeting with possible NGO partners we had dinner with Martin Fisher, the CEO of KickStart, an appropriate technology NGO whose main products are irrigation pumps. We have known of them and supported them for a long time, because Aaron did his Stanford MBA internship with them in Nairobi and then went to work for them in San Francisco after he graduated. (Martin has a PhD in engineering from Stanford, hence the connection.) Sharon offered to do volunteer work for them when we return to the US. So after reviewing her resume, Martin and others at KickStart decided that they could use her help with training. We went to Arusha on Friday, spent the night, and took the bus up to Nairobi on Saturday. Because of road construction (by the Chinese) the trip took 7 hours.
We were picked up by Bitenge Ndemo, a friend of Bill Drake and Anne McLaughlin. He went to the U of M and lived in MN for about 11 years. Bill met him through the International Center and helped him get a job at Medtronic. After returning to Kenya he completed a PhD in England. He was a university professor in Kenya when the government picked him as Permanent Minister of Information and Communication. Ndemo is very dedicated to improving the lives of people in the country, especially those in rural areas. He and his wife Pamela were gracious hosts, welcoming us to stay in their beautiful home, and taking us to the oldest country club in the city, dating to 1906 when of course blacks were not allowed. We met other relatives and also got some real exercise for a change, walking on the country club track. Unfortunately, Pamela was not feeling well, but Ndemo played tennis with Ruth, Barak Obama’s step mother, as they do every Sunday. Afterwards, we had a nice discussion with Ruth, who is from Boston but has lived in Kenya for 45 years.
We went to the KickStart guesthouse on Sunday night and had a pretty intense two days. We visited farmers who were using the pumps and described how it had changed their lives. One man was growing herbs on 1/6 of an acre and watering with a bucket. He got a pump and now has ¾ acre and of course more than one crop a year. He can afford to have his three high school children in private schools. Another woman had a nursery and she has expanded greatly since she saw a pump demonstrated and bought one to replace her bucket irrigation. We met a couple of dealers and with several staff people at KickStart. This is a very impressive organization whose employees have a very high level of skills. Sharon is hoping she will be able to provide them with useful tools as they are growing very quickly.
Nairobi was a bit of a culture shock with all the industry, large population (4 million), terrible traffic, diversity of wonderful restaurants, and showers with pressure and hot water!
Back in Karatu -
It was a nice homecoming to Karatu on Wednesday. We made it in time for the 30th birthday party of one of the ex-pats and it was great fun to realize all the friends we have made here. It is a second home.
Rick is back to editing videos and Sharon is orienting our “replacement” volunteer. Ellen moved to Tanzania six months ago intending to spend two years here with another organization. That has not worked out and she has decided to work with WellShare and continue our efforts with the women’s groups. We are thrilled to know there will be someone here to follow up with the partnerships that are coming together and continue to find other avenues to get training and income generation to these women.
It has been a busy and satisfying time here. If things progress as we hope, we can be comfortable knowing that we have indeed made a difference. What a high that is!
We left out of our safari post our stop at Oldupai Gorge which is considered the birthplace or cradle of man. In layers of volcanic deposits 300 feet deep archeologists have peeled back 2 million years of history. In 1959, Mary Leakey found a 1.8 million year old hominoid skull and later at Laetoli south of the gorge, she found hominoid footprints 3.75 million years old. Scholars have traced the probable migration routes from here to populations all over the world through DNA testing.
In our last post, we mentioned a meeting with the Hadzabe tribe, which live in an area south of Karatu. It is the only tribal remnant of ancient Paleolithic times on the continent and believed to be the most ancient tribe in Africa.
Nairobi -
Now, back to this most recent week; in the fall while we were in CA meeting with possible NGO partners we had dinner with Martin Fisher, the CEO of KickStart, an appropriate technology NGO whose main products are irrigation pumps. We have known of them and supported them for a long time, because Aaron did his Stanford MBA internship with them in Nairobi and then went to work for them in San Francisco after he graduated. (Martin has a PhD in engineering from Stanford, hence the connection.) Sharon offered to do volunteer work for them when we return to the US. So after reviewing her resume, Martin and others at KickStart decided that they could use her help with training. We went to Arusha on Friday, spent the night, and took the bus up to Nairobi on Saturday. Because of road construction (by the Chinese) the trip took 7 hours.
We were picked up by Bitenge Ndemo, a friend of Bill Drake and Anne McLaughlin. He went to the U of M and lived in MN for about 11 years. Bill met him through the International Center and helped him get a job at Medtronic. After returning to Kenya he completed a PhD in England. He was a university professor in Kenya when the government picked him as Permanent Minister of Information and Communication. Ndemo is very dedicated to improving the lives of people in the country, especially those in rural areas. He and his wife Pamela were gracious hosts, welcoming us to stay in their beautiful home, and taking us to the oldest country club in the city, dating to 1906 when of course blacks were not allowed. We met other relatives and also got some real exercise for a change, walking on the country club track. Unfortunately, Pamela was not feeling well, but Ndemo played tennis with Ruth, Barak Obama’s step mother, as they do every Sunday. Afterwards, we had a nice discussion with Ruth, who is from Boston but has lived in Kenya for 45 years.
We went to the KickStart guesthouse on Sunday night and had a pretty intense two days. We visited farmers who were using the pumps and described how it had changed their lives. One man was growing herbs on 1/6 of an acre and watering with a bucket. He got a pump and now has ¾ acre and of course more than one crop a year. He can afford to have his three high school children in private schools. Another woman had a nursery and she has expanded greatly since she saw a pump demonstrated and bought one to replace her bucket irrigation. We met a couple of dealers and with several staff people at KickStart. This is a very impressive organization whose employees have a very high level of skills. Sharon is hoping she will be able to provide them with useful tools as they are growing very quickly.
Nairobi was a bit of a culture shock with all the industry, large population (4 million), terrible traffic, diversity of wonderful restaurants, and showers with pressure and hot water!
Back in Karatu -
It was a nice homecoming to Karatu on Wednesday. We made it in time for the 30th birthday party of one of the ex-pats and it was great fun to realize all the friends we have made here. It is a second home.
Rick is back to editing videos and Sharon is orienting our “replacement” volunteer. Ellen moved to Tanzania six months ago intending to spend two years here with another organization. That has not worked out and she has decided to work with WellShare and continue our efforts with the women’s groups. We are thrilled to know there will be someone here to follow up with the partnerships that are coming together and continue to find other avenues to get training and income generation to these women.
It has been a busy and satisfying time here. If things progress as we hope, we can be comfortable knowing that we have indeed made a difference. What a high that is!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Vanishing Tribes
At the end of our trip last year we had the really amazing experience of going to the pre-wedding ceremony for one of the staff. (And now, he and his wife have a baby!)
This year we had another unique experience. On Saturday, there was a meeting of two tribes called by the ward chairman in an effort to address their problems. There were about 160 people there, mostly men. The tribes were the Tatoga, a pastoral tribe similar to the Maasai. They had been forced off their good lands by the Maasai who were more fierce.
The other tribe is the Hadzabe, a very small tribe of 500-2500 people, depending on where you draw the line of ethnic purity. They are the only hunter-gatherer tribe left in Tanzania and as you can see by the numbers they are dying out fast. Hadzabe too have been pushed off good hunting lands and squeezed by farm development and pastoralists until they are left with little land and it is very poor. They are having great difficulty finding enough wildlife to survive and it really shows. While most of the men seem fairly healthy, many of the women are very thin. We were told the men go out to hunt and may find small birds which they eat on the spot. However, they don’t bring a kill home unless it is something big, which is rare, so the women and children suffer. Because of this, many died last year during the drought. Some of the old Tatoga women also were skeletal.
The Tatoga were obviously wealthier with their beads, brass jewelry wrapped up their arms, legs and around their necks, beaded hair (on the men) and cell phones. The Hadzabe men dress in shorts, with fabric or leather tied over one shoulder, carrying their bows and arrows. The meeting was held in Swahili and translated into the tribal languages.
After official presentations, the people spoke, often quite passionately, about their problems and needs. In the past it has been difficult to get the Hadzabe children into school. The children have to attend a boarding school because it is so far away. They talk in terms of the government “taking” their children and worry about losing their culture. It sounded rather similar to the issues of Native American and Australian children. In addition, they have traditionally moved around constantly. However, now their territory is smaller and, as it is more difficult to eek out a living, they see it is critical for their children to have an education as they will have to live a different life. That was their main concern; how to get a school in their area so the children can go home at night. Plus, while primary education is free, uniforms and shoes are expected and they have almost no income to buy such things. If they go to school without them, the children feel embarrassed and are teased by others. The Tatoga also worry about cultural dilution and uniform costs, so both tribes would like a school in their area.
The other issue they raised was health care. The facilities are far away and they lack funds to get there and pay for services. They cited an example of a problem delivery. It took so long for aid to arrive that the baby died and the mother was in grave danger. The Hadzabe had been pretty protected from HIV, but it has begun to show up. Experience with other isolated groups is that it arrives late and then spreads very fast. So there is deep concern about what will happen to these nutritionally compromised people with little access to education that may protect them or to necessary health care.
The tribes decided to make monthly contributions to a fund for a school and health services. However, they are struggling to find a way for the Hadzabe to contribute since they have almost no cash income. Tourists come to visit the tribe or go hunting with them, but while the tourists pay a handsome fee, the tribe only sees 15,000Tsh, about $11, for a whole group of tourists and it must be shared by all the tribal members who participate. In addition, tourism, especially in this area which is a distance from the wildlife parks, is reported to be down. Hopefully, they will organize and demand a better share of the funds!
The needs of these communities are great, and additional funding will have to be found to bring very basic health and education services to them.
Lights! Camera! Action!
Suddenly Rick has become a videographer and editor. WellShare periodically hires a local drama troupe to put on skits and creatively deliver health messages, such as during market days.
They are now developing videos to show during educational meetings. Since most villages have no electricity, using media like this is extremely popular. Last week they recorded a variety of scenes to teach sanitation, with Rick operating the camera. It was an all-morning affair and great fun. This week will be busy editing the material.
As we experienced last year, new tasks we never anticipated come up that help us develop new skills (how does this camera work?), use skills we didn’t expect to need here, and make our time here so interesting. Every day is a new experience.
Rick has also been able to offer lots of help with computer problems. He has been very valuable in the office.
We feel things are coming together. Now, organization leadership will need to make connections so microfinance and farm projects can get started. It looks like some of the women’s groups will soon be able to start training and begin on their path to income generating projects, and hopefully, a better life for themselves and their children.
We have also had our first encounter with the polisi (that wasn’t on the road). We went home for lunch to find our ipods, camera and binoculars missing from our locked house. All the windows except one are barred. The one that is not is in our bedroom and it is an emergency exit. Unfortunately, we have not felt compelled to keep it locked. It is in a secluded place and the dog had probably snuck out of the yard. We could not believe that anyone could get through the little window, but on closer inspection, we could see footprints where someone had landed after jumping out of the window. Today it wasn’t muddy enough to have good footprints! It was probably a kid. He must have climbed the tree outside out window, jumped over our concrete fence topped with iron spikes and been able to scramble back out again. Another lesson in diligence, I guess. Fortunately, we had the good camera and GPS with us and he didn’t take the voice recorder, which we have been using for interviews.
This year we had another unique experience. On Saturday, there was a meeting of two tribes called by the ward chairman in an effort to address their problems. There were about 160 people there, mostly men. The tribes were the Tatoga, a pastoral tribe similar to the Maasai. They had been forced off their good lands by the Maasai who were more fierce.
The other tribe is the Hadzabe, a very small tribe of 500-2500 people, depending on where you draw the line of ethnic purity. They are the only hunter-gatherer tribe left in Tanzania and as you can see by the numbers they are dying out fast. Hadzabe too have been pushed off good hunting lands and squeezed by farm development and pastoralists until they are left with little land and it is very poor. They are having great difficulty finding enough wildlife to survive and it really shows. While most of the men seem fairly healthy, many of the women are very thin. We were told the men go out to hunt and may find small birds which they eat on the spot. However, they don’t bring a kill home unless it is something big, which is rare, so the women and children suffer. Because of this, many died last year during the drought. Some of the old Tatoga women also were skeletal.
The Tatoga were obviously wealthier with their beads, brass jewelry wrapped up their arms, legs and around their necks, beaded hair (on the men) and cell phones. The Hadzabe men dress in shorts, with fabric or leather tied over one shoulder, carrying their bows and arrows. The meeting was held in Swahili and translated into the tribal languages.
After official presentations, the people spoke, often quite passionately, about their problems and needs. In the past it has been difficult to get the Hadzabe children into school. The children have to attend a boarding school because it is so far away. They talk in terms of the government “taking” their children and worry about losing their culture. It sounded rather similar to the issues of Native American and Australian children. In addition, they have traditionally moved around constantly. However, now their territory is smaller and, as it is more difficult to eek out a living, they see it is critical for their children to have an education as they will have to live a different life. That was their main concern; how to get a school in their area so the children can go home at night. Plus, while primary education is free, uniforms and shoes are expected and they have almost no income to buy such things. If they go to school without them, the children feel embarrassed and are teased by others. The Tatoga also worry about cultural dilution and uniform costs, so both tribes would like a school in their area.
The other issue they raised was health care. The facilities are far away and they lack funds to get there and pay for services. They cited an example of a problem delivery. It took so long for aid to arrive that the baby died and the mother was in grave danger. The Hadzabe had been pretty protected from HIV, but it has begun to show up. Experience with other isolated groups is that it arrives late and then spreads very fast. So there is deep concern about what will happen to these nutritionally compromised people with little access to education that may protect them or to necessary health care.
The tribes decided to make monthly contributions to a fund for a school and health services. However, they are struggling to find a way for the Hadzabe to contribute since they have almost no cash income. Tourists come to visit the tribe or go hunting with them, but while the tourists pay a handsome fee, the tribe only sees 15,000Tsh, about $11, for a whole group of tourists and it must be shared by all the tribal members who participate. In addition, tourism, especially in this area which is a distance from the wildlife parks, is reported to be down. Hopefully, they will organize and demand a better share of the funds!
The needs of these communities are great, and additional funding will have to be found to bring very basic health and education services to them.
Lights! Camera! Action!
Suddenly Rick has become a videographer and editor. WellShare periodically hires a local drama troupe to put on skits and creatively deliver health messages, such as during market days.
They are now developing videos to show during educational meetings. Since most villages have no electricity, using media like this is extremely popular. Last week they recorded a variety of scenes to teach sanitation, with Rick operating the camera. It was an all-morning affair and great fun. This week will be busy editing the material.
As we experienced last year, new tasks we never anticipated come up that help us develop new skills (how does this camera work?), use skills we didn’t expect to need here, and make our time here so interesting. Every day is a new experience.
Rick has also been able to offer lots of help with computer problems. He has been very valuable in the office.
We feel things are coming together. Now, organization leadership will need to make connections so microfinance and farm projects can get started. It looks like some of the women’s groups will soon be able to start training and begin on their path to income generating projects, and hopefully, a better life for themselves and their children.
We have also had our first encounter with the polisi (that wasn’t on the road). We went home for lunch to find our ipods, camera and binoculars missing from our locked house. All the windows except one are barred. The one that is not is in our bedroom and it is an emergency exit. Unfortunately, we have not felt compelled to keep it locked. It is in a secluded place and the dog had probably snuck out of the yard. We could not believe that anyone could get through the little window, but on closer inspection, we could see footprints where someone had landed after jumping out of the window. Today it wasn’t muddy enough to have good footprints! It was probably a kid. He must have climbed the tree outside out window, jumped over our concrete fence topped with iron spikes and been able to scramble back out again. Another lesson in diligence, I guess. Fortunately, we had the good camera and GPS with us and he didn’t take the voice recorder, which we have been using for interviews.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)