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Live Music in SLC helps ‘Raise the Roof’ on Amahoro Secondary School

The 2nd Annual ‘Raise the Roof’ event is happening Friday June 15th at The Woodshed Bar in Salt Lake City (800 South 60 East).  Rally your friends to come out and dive into the local music scene. Salt Lake’s got TALENT!!

This year, we have two singer songwriters and two bands. They will all be playing on the indoor stage starting at 8pm. Here’s the tentative schedule of music and events:

8:00 – Cambriah Heaton
8:45 – Kimbo
9:30 – Raffle Draw!
9:45 – The Folka Dots
10:30 – Silent Auction Closes
10:45 – The Years with Kaleb Hanly

CAMBRIAH HEATON

I met Cambriah on a soulful, shamanic journey to find peace and love – even in the wake or midst of hard times. She has a light in her that shines brightly and leaves you with a feeling of calm and acceptance. A blog review of Cambriah’s music states: “With her delicate, whispery voice, Cambriah shares the secrets of the vast universe with poignant lyrics and warm melodies. Her fairy-of-the-mystical-forest aura leaves no question that she’s an old and wise soul, in spite of her youthful appearance.” I know it to be true. Come see for yoursel!

KIMBO

Kimbo of Four Leaves Left is helping us Raise the Roof! Kim hails from Austin – so she must be rad, right? Kimbo has an often surprising, powerful voice (she’s only 5’2″) and very unique guitar ability. Her songs capture life in metaphors and struggles and triumphs lyrically expressed with memorable melodies. Please come make her feel loved as she takes the stage this Friday night!

THE FOLKA DOTS

The Folka Dots say it best on their website: What golden fields are to the countryside, so the Folka Dots are to music. The woven roots of two bluesy fellas and three folksy gals bear the sweet fruit of an old-timey era. It’s a soulful sound for all ears. Bass, guitars, fiddle and tambourine sustain lyrical harmonies the way winding winds carry over pastoral hills. The Folka Dots roam freely along the rambling roads of years past. In this month of June, KCPW is highlighting The Folka Dots in their Sounds from the Lounge program. They add a new video each week, so jump on over and have a listen.

Kaleb Hanley of The Years

THE YEARS WITH KALEB HANLY

Kaleb Hanly played for us this year and he was a hit! This year, he’s playing with his new band, The Years. Also in this crew is Rapha Cordova – a friend who really helped make this event a success last year with his help organizing the line up and running the sound system. On stage, Kaleb sings and goes from keyboard to guitar with ease, and is obviously thrilled to share his music with others. He reads the vibe of the audience, and resonates with his band members to deliver an emotional, soulful product which is his song. Check them out on Reverbnation and then come see them play live on Friday night: The Years

 

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2nd Annual Raise the Roof Drums up Local Support

Can you believe we’re having the 2nd Annual Raise the Roof event? I hope one day I’ll see a double-digit number in front of that event name! Like last year, the Woodshed in SLC, UT is hosting – generously donating their space for our cause! Local businesses, organizations and artists are really coming forward with their support of Project Wezesha again this year!

We’ll have another silent auction and raffle. This year there will be one raffle draw at around 9:30pm. The silent auction will close with the final song by The Folka Dots at around 10:30.  Come out and see what the community has pulled together for you!

Event Details: Friday June 15th 8p-12a at the Woodshed on 800 South 60 East in Salt Lake City. See our Facebook Event Page and of course, ‘Like’ us on Facebook!

LAKE STREET GLASS by LAURA LEIGH KEMPER – GLASS JEWELRY

Laura Leigh Kemper of Lake Street Glass makes the most spectacular belt buckles, earrings and necklaces from glass that she repurposes. The colors and patterns that Laura pulls together have been a huge hit among men and women alike at her local trunk shows. For this event, you’ll have the opportunity to take home some amazing items from her collection – including a belt buckle, earrings and a bracelet! Unfortunately, her site was recently hacked but should be up and running again soon, so I’ll include the link for you to peruse when it’s ready: Lake Street Glass.

REPERTORY DANCE THEATRE (RDT)

I just love nonprofits for nonprofits! RDT in Utah has donated tickets to one of their performances. The mission of RDT, as stated on their website is encouraging the creation, performance, perpetuation and appreciation of dance. RDT’s primary focus is producing work of special importance which affects audiences on intellectual, emotional, aesthetic and kinesthetic levels, through the highest standards of technical training, performance, and production skills. If you’ve never been to an RDT performance, you should really start tracking their shows on Facebook . Read more about this wonderful, hard working group of artists on their website. Make sure to come out and bid and you might be seeing them sooner than you had planned!

SANSIVERA PHOTOGRAPHY

Sansivera Photography caputures texture, composition and story in the world around us and lets viewers enjoy the world in a way that’s just a bit more edgy and exciting than what we experience on the regular. Sansivera Photography has contributed a photograph to our fundraiser and you’re gonna wanna hang it on your wall! Check out her creative endeavors here: Sansivera Photography.

AVENUES YOGA – YOGA CLASSES

Avenues Yoga studio is located in a beautiful old mercantile building located in the Avenues (obviously!). The space has high ceilings, original brick walls and beautiful hardwood floors. There’s something about the open, large space and the lovely instructors that makes you just feel at ease from the minute you walk in the door. Avenues Yoga has donated a punch pass for yoga classes. Whether you win this pass or not, you should make your way over and take a little time out to reflect and breathe in this time of acceleration in which we are all plugged in way too often – tethered to our devices. Let Avenues Yoga free you!

CHRISTINE McDONOUGH – PHOTOGRAPHY

Christine McDonough, a fellow Irish lass is a gifted photographer and graphic designer.  We first met when she came out to support Girls Education International at a screening of A Small Act, a documentary set in Kenya about how one small act really can have a huge impact.  I found out that after seeing A Small Act originally at the Sundance Film Festival, Christine became penpals with a student at the school in Kenya.  She’s a kindred soul who wants to see positive change in the world – at all levels.  In this spirit, she has donated one of her beautiful photographs for this event.  See more of her work here: The Copper Shamrock

BLUE PLATE DINER

Who doesn’t know and love the Blue Plate Diner! I suppose I’m biased because I know and love the owners, John and Tamrika. In fact – it’s important to note that the absolute first and foremost reason that I’m even working in Tanzania is because of John and Tamrika! They introduced me to an individual that brought me to Tanzania as a volunteer in 2008. The rest is history! The Blue Plate Diner has donated a handful of gift certificates for our raffle. If you win, you’ll be able to enjoy some seriously delicious burritos, eggs benedict with vegan sausage, milkshakes, burgers and more! Plus, it’s where you wanna be and who you wanna be with on a weekend morning – so come on out and see if this is your lucky day! Learn more about how you can LOVE the Blue Plate Diner.

TONY CAPUTO’S MARKET AND DELI – INTRO to FINE CHOCOLATE CLASS

Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli brings quality, authentic food products from Italy, Spain, France, Greece and other Southern European cities right here to Salt Lake City. Tony and his son Matt well known for their tasteful selection of European goodies. Also, in 2009 Caputo’s was the first recipient of Salt Lake Magazine’s “Best Food & Wine Educator.” So, in support of Project Wezesha, Adrienna has donated a gift box with selected Fine Chocolates and chocolate sauce. Yum!! Caputo’s Market and Deli has something for everyone – from an extraordinary deli menu to a cheese cave, a stacked chocolate bar selection and an in-house salame maker! Check out their website or even better – visit one of their three locations (downtown, 15th adn 15th or U of U): Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli

BREWVIES CINEMA PUB – MOVIE PASSES

In addition to playing this year with his band, The Folka Dots, Andy Murphy at Brewvies has generously donated several movie passes, which we’ll raffle off in two’s so that you and a friend can bike downtown for dinner and a movie. Brewvies always has a great selection of movies to choose from – often funny and usually ‘just the movie’ you wanted to see! If you haven’t been to Brewvies yet, you have to come out to the Woodshed, win some tickets and get on over there. Where else in Salt Lake can you eat a great meal, drink cold beers and watch a great movie on the big screen … nowhere! Gotta be Brewvies! Check out the website to scope the food and beer offerings and find out what movies are playing … like right now, it’s Brides Maids and Horrible Bosses … Hilarious! Brewvies Cinema Pub

KIM HALL – POTTERY

Talented local climber and skier, Kim Hall is perhaps best known for her great laugh, her sense of adventure and her amazing survival of a 1,000 foot fall in Little Cottonwood Canyon last winter! She is less known (thought that’s changing) for her amazing skills behind the wheel … in the pottery studio – but that’s soon to change! Kim has again donated more beautiful hand thrown pottery including two mugs, three bowls and 2 large serving bowls. Come see what you can go home with!

THE FRONT CLIMBING CLUB – DAY PASSES & KIDS CAMP

The Front Climbing Club is the hub for the hardcores and newbies alike who love to boulder! You check your ropes at the door and just pull on your shoes and you’re good to go. The route setting at The Front is stellar with some of the best climbers in Salt Lake City setting the problems that will progressively warm you up, push your limits and then stump you all together. In addition to great indoor climbing, The Front has yoga & pilates classes, ping pong, weights and cardio equipment – something for everyone! The Front donated day passes for our raffle and a one-week kids climbing camp for our auction – so come out and win, then pedal on over and spend the day getting psyched and strong! Learn more about The Front here: The Front Climbing Club

ROCKREATION – FIGHT GRAVITY CLASS

Rockreation Climbing Center is dear to my heart as I worked there for over a decade!! This gym has been around for a while and has top-rope and lead climbing options for those who like to rope up as well as a bouldering cave with lots of potential for exciting throws and body contortions. One of the strongest points of Rockreation is their education – for the novice and advanced climbers, they offer a wide range of classes and personal coaching. For this event, Rockreation has donated a Fight Gravity Beginner Climbing Class certificate – for TWO! The class certificate includes a week membership and rental gear. They have also donated a stack of day passes for our raffle. Check out their site and more information about the camps here: Rockreation Indoor Climbing

Misc. BOUTIQUE – VINTAGE CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES

Misc. (pronounced ‘Missy’) is a vintage clothing and accessory boutique located in downtown Salt Lake City in a beautiful space shared by The Green Ant. Missy, the owner has a unique eye for quality, previously cared for vintage clothing, belts, purses, shoes, swimwear and jewelry. The majority of her shop caters to women, but she does have a small selection of vintage western shirts for men. I have yet to pop into Misc. without leaving with a little extra something for my wardrobe – even when my intention was just to catch up with Missy. It’s impossible … just try it! I dare you.  😀 Missy has donated a gift certificate to her boutique for our event and it’s generous enough to afford you a whole outfit, with accessories if you shop wisely!! You want this, ladies! Misc. doesn’t have a website, but you can check out her style on her Facebook page here: Misc. Botique

JOSHUA TREE SKIN CARE – SALVES, BALM, SUNSCREEN & MORE

Joshua Tree Skin Care has you covered – literally! They provide organic skin care for the active lifestyle. They make amazing, all natural products to soothe chapped lips, protect sun exposed skin, heal climber’s worn fingertips and even keep that little fanny happy in the saddle! They gave us lots for the raffle and auction, so bring your skin to the Woodshed and prepare it for a pampering! Visit JTree.

JEN LOPEZ – GIRL GENIUS

Local artist Jen Lopez is very talented with her hands and can turn most materials into a work of art. Her pottery has a particular uniqueness about it. The mugs she has donated for this auction, for example, have undulating mouths and amazing texture. You just want to wrap your hands around them and close your eyes to imagine what Jen was thinking when she shaped them… ok, maybe that’s just me. Check out her unique style here at her etsy page: Blue Stegosaurus

PETZL

Petzl is another one of our Wasatch Range outdoor equipment companies. Petzl is a leader in all things climbing – making lightweight climbing harnesses that give you peace of mind, leading the field with efficient automatic belay devices, ensuring that our search and rescue teams are well equipped and of course pioneering lighting for outdoor activities that we just have to do at night! 🙂 They’ve donated a headlamp for the event, but they do so much more than lighting – so check them out! Petzl

MILLCREEK CAFE & EGGWORKS

Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks has a great menu of breakfast dishes, buts also serves up delicious burgers, paninis and wraps. The space is clean, modern and bright! Open from 7a-2p daily, they make the perfect stop on your way to the canyons to play in the outdoors! They donated a certificate for the event, so come see if you’re the lucky winner! Learn more about them here: Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks

KABERAMAIDO COOPERATIVE

Kaberamaido Cooperative is a nonprofit that operates in Uganda, Nepal and Bolivia working with communities of women by supporting them as they launch self-sustaining enterprises. Kaberamaido Cooperative has donated a lovely, chunky necklace made by the widows of Uganda for our auction. Uganda for Tanzania! Love it! View this Facebook album to take in some of the amazing crafts that Kaberamaido Cooperative produces.

PATRICK TUAO AH MU

Patrick Tuao Ah Mu is one of the most talented, disciplined men I know. His artistic crafts include an amazing talent for woodwork. Patrick can take pieces of scrap wood that no one would find anything special about and turn it into a high quality piece of furniture on the large end or beautiful, fine jewelry. He has mastered the art of designing Hei Matau necklaces. Hei Matau is the fishing hook of the New Zealand Maori culture creation story. It goes like this: A young man named Maui fished up the North Island using a hook made from the jaw of his grandmother – the fish-hook therefore represents the power and influence of the ancestors. The Hei Matau is also considered a talisman – bringing good luck and protection during a voyage. You better come on down and get your protective Hei Matau with mother of pearl inlay – gorgeous!

MAZZA MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE

Mazza Middle Eastern Cuisine has two locations – 9th and 9th and 15th and 15th – and we’re pretty happy about that! Mazza has the most amazing dishes! I’m always in the mood for the baked eggplant sandwich and of course, the hummus and baba ganooj is like nothing you’ve ever had before. I know – hummus is hummus, right? No! Mazza’s hummus is proper! You can also enjoy some delicious wines from Lebanon and other regions of the world. Make sure to check out their patios this summer. They’ve donated a gift certificate for our event, so come on out and tempt your palate! Mazza Cafe

EVA – RESTAURANT

Eva is a small plates lounge with a cozy little cocktail bar. The first time I went to Eva, conversations from all tables trickled into one another. It was a late night in the summer and I felt like I was dining in Italy where the communal style is more common. Eva is intimate and delightful! The dishes are delicious and their signature cocktails are a treat. They have donated a nice gift certificate, but whether you win it or not, hit your bike and ride downtown to enjoy a little taste cozy, community dining. Read more here: Eva

THE BAYOU – RESTAURANT

Beervana! The Bayou is Salt Lake’s go to spot for over 200 beers from around the world – full strength in bottles from Austria, Ireland, Czech Republic, Australia and beyond! They also have lots of local brews on tap. Their menu is stacked with southern, cajun style food from the bayou – crawdad poppers,  blackened catfish, and of course the famous mixed sweet and regular potato fries with yummy fry sauce! They’ve given us a few items for the raffle, including beer glasses, t-shirts and a gift card! Check ’em out! The Bayou

SQUATTERS BREWERY 

Squatters Brewery is pretty amazing! They have a great menu with the most amazing Ahi Tuna salad and the ‘good’ kind of beef – organic, grain fed, local! In fact, whenever possible they support and buy local. They partner with many companies around SLC that you already know well and when they have to look beyond Utah, they seek out organic and conscious food suppliers. They have donated a gift basket for the event with a gift card that you can use to treat your lover or just fill your own belly! Check them out: Squatters Brewery

UINTA BREWING COMPANY

Uinta Brewing has been keeping us happy along the Wasatch for decades, making brews and labels to put a smile on our face after a long day in the mountains or while we’re listening to music at our favorite outdoor venue. For our event, they’ve donated a tour of the brewery with a tasting of all they have on tap (if you can handle it) for up to 15 people!! Read more about the brews you love best: Uinta Brewing

BLACK DIAMOND EQUIPMENT LTD

Black Diamond has always been at the forefront for outdoor equipment – whether you plan to climb rock or ice, ski down a chute or tour up a mountain, backpack for a week or just sit around a campfire drinking whiskey with friends, Black Diamond has you covered! Located in Salt Lake City, this ‘little’ business has been keeping folks happy and safe in the outdoors for decades! They have donated a few of their headlamps this year, so make sure you’re ready for the next nightime trail run! Check them out here: Black Diamond Equipment

IME UTAH – MOUNTAIN SPORTS STORE

International Mountain Equipment, Inc. (IME) is a great little mountain sports shop tucked around the corner from REI on 3300 South in SLC. The guys that work in IME are lifers and know pretty much everyone that walks in the door. If you go there, and they don’t know you – make sure you plan a little extra time to get to know them! You won’t regret it! IME is the quintessential local shop which thrives on the climbing and snow-riding community. They carry everything from climbing, camping and skiing gear to maps, books and videos to keep you safe and make you rad! They’ve very kindly donated a Black Diamond mini-lantern and Petzl headlamp. Check out what IME has to offer here: IME Utah

GREAT BASIN CHIROPRACTIC – COMPLETE WELLNESS ASSESSMENT

Dr. Mark, as he’s known by his patients, offers integrated chiropractic care inspired by his love of the natural world. The aim of his practice is to promote spinal health by enhancing overall health. He was contacted about this event by one of his patients – a friend of mine – who would likely not be standing upright if it weren’t for Dr. Mark. If you’ve ever wanted a complete evaluation with a focus on your spine’s health and how it affects your nervous system and more, then this is the ticket item for you! He has donated a complete wellness assessment, including report findings and a plan for moving forward. Read more about Dr. Mark and his practice here: Great Basin Chiropractic

MD SPARKS – JEWELRY

Monica is the styly, local Salt Lake City gal behind MD Sparks Jewelry. Her earrings and necklaces are delicate, well-made and lovely! It has a vintage look and feel, but it’s made newly by Monica with attention to femininity and fun. She has donated a lovely Delicate Rose necklace and an amazing locket. I’ll be competing at the bidding sheets for these items, for sure!

RAI FARRELLY –  PHOTOGRAPHY

I’m not much of a photographer, as in professional, but I do love to capture moments in life that inspire me to take pause, breathe deep and just appreciate living. I’ve printed and framed three images for the auction. One depicts Babu, Saidi’s grandfather in Kiganza, Tanzania who has won some hearts in years past through the blog and photo gallery.  There are also two images captured in Amsterdam. Maybe you’ll be taking ‘me’ home to hang on your wall!

Thank you everyone for your support! Thank you Rebecca Katz, Manju, Hadley, Hilary, Jessica, Valerie, Terra, Martina and …. everyone else for helping me make these great connections in our community! ~Asante Sana!~

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Project Wezesha Selected for Amani Hope Scholarship Program!

Project Wezesha is excited to announce a new partnership with AFR Clothing, a for-profit business that combines fashion with social justice. Authentic Fashion Renaissance (AFR) is capturing attention and raising awareness through the sales of clothing and contribution of proceeds from these sales to support children’s education in Africa. AFR Clothing is launching the Amani Hope Scholarship Fund this Valentine’s Day 2012 and Project Wezesha is honored to have been selected as one of the organizations they will support through this fund.

This year, Lucas Lameck, co-founder of Project Wezesha will work with the village leaders in Mgaraganza, located in the Kigoma Region of Western Tanzania, to identify aspiring students who hope to complete secondary school but lack the means to do so. In July 2012, the 5 selected students will be honored as recipients of the Amani Hope Scholarships at a celebration in the village.

At this time, we will be initiating a new service model among the students to promote leadership and civic engagement as part of the requirements for participation in this unique scholarship program. Not only will they be held to high standards academically, but they will be expected to actively contribute to their community. We will work closely with the students this summer to identify their strengths and together target the needs of the community so that they can focus their service efforts.

We look forward to working with AFR Clothing and express our gratitude to them for carefully reviewing potential partners and ultimately selecting Project Wezesha. Asante Sana!

Please send AFR Clothing a ‘Like’ on Facebook and follow their blog so that their efforts can be supported and more children in Africa can reach their educational goals!

 

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Business as “Usual”

Behind all the pretty pictures of the children and the growing progress of the school, there is the business side of things – which in Tanzania can sometimes be frustrating. At other times, it can be quite enjoyable to be part of – especially coming from another culture where business just unfolds differently.  I’ll start with the frustrations, since that’s what always greets me when I arrive after a year away.

First, I found out that some of the classrooms that I had hoped would have been built before I came weren’t built. I was hoping they would be finished so that we could get as many roofs up this summer as possible.  Well, that was an unfair request on my part and while I was initially a little bummed that Lucas had just been letting the money pile in the bank instead of building – ultimately, he was right to do so.  The money he didn’t spend was critical to reaching our goal of buying any roofs at all.

Expenses for roofing materials are high, to say the least – and they’ve only gone up since last year according to Lucas and our builder Isaya.  So, with every cent that we had, we chipped away daily at the list of items that Isaya made up for us.  And, since we’re working in a village, this list also had a line item for 3 separate truck transports from the town market to the building site.  We bought hundreds of 2x4s, 2x6s, several sheets of aluminum, nails of three different sizes and some iron to join sections of the roof.  Then we paid for 3 deliveries on two separate days.  I really didn’t think it would tap the bank, but these are the first roofs I’ve put in place and now I know what to expect for the next 3 sections of the school.

Of course, I never get to go shopping for materials because as soon as they see me, the price changes. So for me – being somewhat of a control freak and always wanting a fair price – handing over stacks of cash and letting the transactions take place in good faith is hard. (It’s always cash here.  No checks, no cards – even when spending thousands.)  But, as with Lucas, I trust Isaya – his brother and our builder and he always gets a receipt to show that what he estimated was the fair price.  He is a good builder and has a good relationship with the shops.  One day, I reached my max at the ATM and he had to be given some materials on his word until he could pay the next day.  They let him, and as we promised, the shop was paid the next day.  We’ve heard stories of people in town taking materials, promising to pay the shopkeepers back and months later – they still haven’t surfaced.  This ruins the trust for everyone, but luckily – Isaya is reliable and they know where to find him. J

The next matter of frustration was the laundry list of gossip and ‘corruption’ that Lucas presented me with.  First, “people” in the village were saying that Lucas was rich and that Project Wezesha paid him so much that he personally had $100 million USD.  Can you imagine?  As if I’d walk an hour a day instead of taking ‘boda boda’ (motorcycle taxi) every time or better yet, as if I wouldn’t rent an SUV in Dar es Salaam and fly it in on my private jet … if I had a million dollars, let alone 100 million dollars.  It’s just so outlandish, but nonetheless, it puts a lot of pressure on Lucas when people think he has that much money.  Along similar lines, my friend Jane was part of a women’s group that Lucas helped them form – it’s nothing new to the region.  There are many women’s groups and they all operate a little differently but the general point is to let the women serve as a bank to the group.  They pay a set amount every month into the pot and each month, one woman takes the pot.  In some cases, this is just a rotation and you know that every x number of months you get a chunk of cash.  If you have an emergency, the group can bump you up to help pay for the doctor or a funeral.  In other systems, you have to pay the pot back after you earn the money back from an enterprise that you start with that cash advance.   In any case, Jane – being a friend of Lucas and me – was also touted to have had $70 million dollars.  Wow.

In more ‘official’ realms, I learned that an important local leader was ‘resisting’ the villagers to help with traditionally contributed services – such as coming to the building site on scheduled basis (rotating districts of the village) to help carry sand, stone and water to the site for the building to continue.  He was hoping to secure support form the villagers for upcoming elections by encouraging them to relax, drink coffee, don’t feel pressure to help, “be free”.  So, Isaya was very disappointed in the villagers.  He said the same few people would come to help and even they weren’t coming much anymore.  He also said it was mostly women that were helping.  Most men here would join me in saying, “Of course.”

Then finally, there was the tiny matter of the village government trying to stake claim to the storage unit that was built to keep all building materials during the course of the construction.  It’s a moot point now because we still have months to go before we’re done, but the reality is that it will be broken down toward the end and the materials that make up the store will be used to make latrines.

But – now for the upside!

First of all, in my desperation about how much the roofing cost and my disappointment that more classrooms hadn’t been finished, I told Lucas – “We need support – big time.”  I was feeling like I wouldn’t be able to keep chipping away like this – being the only person responsible for generating income, pulling my friends into my efforts as volunteers over and over and constantly asking my friends and family to donate again and again.  As I’m well aware – it’s not sustainable and at some point, I will burn out.

So, Lucas and I worked our way up some government channels until we were in the big fancy office of the District Commissioner, explaining our situation.  He advised us on who to talk to and luckily it was someone that Lucas actually knew – the Division Commander of Mwandiga – a large region within Kigoma that oversees several villages, including Mgaraganza.  In our meeting with this gentleman, my shoulders finally fell back into place and I was breathing easy again.  He told us the next steps, said he would support us in our efforts by arranging a big meeting with the village government and then the village citizens and he expressed his sincere gratitude for our support of the village with Amahoro Secondary School.

On the day we were to meet the village government, I was reminded a few times that, as Lucas always says, “This is Tanzanian peoples, Rai.”  We showed up like Americans – right on time at 9am – having left my hotel at 7:30am to make it.  We took a dala dala to Mwandiga and then splurged on a ‘boda boda’ so we’d arrive, not only on time but not too tired or sweaty.  Of course, only two people were present.  They told us to ‘be free’ and come back around 10:30.

Unfortunately, Jane was at Gombe with Ashahadu, so we strolled to her mother-in-law’s house and chatted for a while.  I got to hold babies (as always J) and listen to Ashahadu’s mother tell me that I need to take her to America.  She said it again and again, laughing and pointing to the sky, motioning as if she could see herself in the plane.  She was so funny.  She has a notion that going to America would make life so much better.  I told her she’d have to work so much, she’d never see the sun again.  We talked at length about the cost of living, how we take loans to buy houses and pay the bank our entire lives, etc.  Here, they get enough money to buy 10 bricks – they buy ten bricks.  When they have enough for a house, they build.  After it’s built, they own.  Of course, I told her life in America was great and that it’s a beautiful place to live.  How could I not when all I could think of in that moment was trail running this fall among the changing and falling leaves.

The village government meeting started close to 10:30.  It consisted of the Division Commander, the village Diwani (chief), the Mtendaji (Executive Officer) and the Serekali (village government) Chair.  In addition, every village leader elected in 2010 was present – all the leaders from the various districts in Mgaraganza.  These 25 men and 4 women will be in office for 5 years – so we’re starting fresh, but they’ll be our team until we finish.  The format for the meetings is very formal.  They have a very specific order of speaking and everyone who speaks is introduced with a synopsis of what they will cover.  So, the order goes: Mtendaji, Chair, Division Commander and Diwani.  Then back down the ladder and back up the ladder until they’re ready to invite guests to speak, which in this case were Lucas and I.  Even then, they asked Lucas to speak first and then me.

The majority of the lead up to our speaking was a bit of a scolding about how disappointed the Division Commander was that more villagers weren’t helping on this project.  He was very compelling in his speech (in Kiswhaili, but here’s the jist) –“In the entire world, mama Rai chose Africa.  Now Africa is very big.  And in all of Africa, mama Rai chose Tanzania.  And Tanzania is ‘kubwa sana’ and in all of Tanzania mama Rai chose Mgaraganza Village.  And she is a woman. And she is a student.  She is not rich.  She has no money.  [points to the other women] You are poor, too.  Could you go to another country and help?  Could you go to Kenya and help? Burundi? Congo?  But mama Rai, she is here.”  This is how it goes … the words are strong, the persuasion level is high, heads are nodding, every few points earn a round of applause and then we speak.

Lucas introduced himself and our project.  He reiterated the importance of village support to get this job done.  I started to feel a little bad about all the scolding – but this is their custom and their approach is to repeat, repeat and reinforce the message over and over.  So, when my time to speak came – I expressed my sincere thanks to those who have helped.  I said I’ve seen the piles of stone and sand and I know people are contributing.  But, I said that we do need continued support …. etc, etc, – like those before me.  I told them I was so happy to be here and that I love this village, the people, the environment, the language.  I told them – if only you could see how many people have contributed and how much they follow this project and support the entire village from so far away in the US and Europe.

I also gave a fairly long speech about Lucas.  I told them he was my right hand and that I trust him with everything – the money, decision-making, meetings, etc.  I said that he was an invaluable resource because he speaks English, sends updates via email, takes photos to keep me in the loop, visits our students at their secondary schools to pay fees and check grades, meets with leaders when needed and visits the school site to check on progress.  And of course, he’s a dear friend and like a brother to me – so in addition to all the logistical support, he’s a joy to work with.  I explained that I take no salary at all from Project Wezesha and Lucas only takes a very small salary for his trips to and fro and all the bookkeeping and traveling that he does for the job.  I urged them to support Lucas by resisting people from engaging in gossip about him having a lot of money and purposefully keeping it all to himself.  “It’s just not true.”  I told them that he uses his small salary to feed his family – he lives with his mother, father, two younger brothers and sister.

I didn’t mention this in the meeting, but his family has very little income and relies primarily on Lucas and the sales of goats once in a while.  His parents’ have a farm four hours (walking) from the house and once a year, they go there for up to 4 months to grow and then harvest. At harvest time, all the children (not kids, per se but Lucas and his adult siblings) walk out to the farm and then help carry the food home.  The food consists of corn – corn only.  They don’t sell the corn.  They dry it and then grind it into flour and that feeds them for the rest of the year.  They eat the flour in the form of ‘ugali’, a sticky white substance made when you cook the flour in boiled water.  They also have some ‘mchicha’ (spinach) from another small farm closer to home that Lucas’ mother has.  With any actual money they have, they buy beans, small fish (ndagaa) and sometimes rice.  But mostly, it’s ugali, mchicha and beans.

So, back at the meeting – all went well.  They allowed for a few leaders to speak and they mostly said they were grateful for the support and happy to have us in the village.  They pledged their continued support and said they would encourage people in their districts to help.  The village government also said they would meet with the Division Commander to draft the letter of support for the DC to take to the government to secure funding for the school in the next budget session (hopefully).  I think it seems very likely!  The Diwani said he would invite the DC to come to see the school in order to show them that it is happening.  They are also planning to register the school so that they can perhaps open it in sections and have students begin attending Form 1.  Then, as the blocks of classrooms are completed, the students will continue to be admitted until finally, we have a complete secondary school with students ranging Form 1 to Form 4.

After this small meeting with village heads and the Serekali, we were invited to have lunch with several of them in the office.  We had dried fish, rice and cabbage in a tomato sauce with Coca Cola.  A feast of honor.  Then, well – the next meeting was fun!  The entire village was invited to come out for a Village Public Hearing.  It unfolded similarly to the smaller meeting in terms of order of speaking and content, but added to the content was another harsh scolding because the villagers came over an hour late and even when they did show up, it was only a fraction of the village.  But, by the time the meeting was wrapping up, a nice crowd had come.  I got to speak again and introduce myself.  It was funny because in our smaller meeting, they told me that some people still didn’t believe that there was a woman from America behind the school.  So, I told them – “See, I do exist and my name is Rai.  You can call me dada Rai rather than mzungu now.” And they all laughed.  I told them about Lucas and his importance to the project and that they can trust him deeply.  I told them about all my friends and family back home who support them from afar – “Hundreds of people in America have made this happen, not me alone.”  I thanked them for coming and for any support they have given.

Then, I said – “I like coffee.  Napenda kahawa … sana!” And they all laughed. “And I know that after I drink coffee, I have a lot of energy!” And they laughed again.  “So, next time – after you finish your coffee and you have extra energy, take a walk up to the school and just see if Isaya needs your help.” And again, they laughed and nodded.  Side note: the truth is, they seriously do sit in these large covered open air huts drinking coffee and playing games most of the day … the men only.  The women are off chopping firewood, caring for babies, making food, and fetching water – no exaggeration.  Some men are very hard workers and you always see them pushing a bicycle piled high with pineapple, charcoal, flour, bananas or any other items for sale or consumption.  But more than less are just meandering about.  Even the leaders were confirming this to be true.  They were asking about life in the US and the Division Commander was wishing Tanzanians would work a little more like Americans.  It’s a sacrifice in either direction – pace of life vs. development of society.

Throughout the entire public hearing there were many thanks to Project Wezesha for the support we’ve given by way of the school building and scholarship program.  At the end of the meeting, they invited me up front and offered me a gift.  The Diwani said, “We have little to offer you to say ‘thank you’, only our words.  But we also want to gift you these kangas, which represent our tribe and our culture.  We hope you will never forget Mgaraganza Village.  Keep us in your mind always.  May God bless you with good health, with continued support for this project and safe travels home. Thank you so very much from all of us here in Mgaraganza.”  It was really quite overwhelming.  I put my hand my elbow to take the kangas (showing respect when receiving something), curtseyed a little and turned to tell the entire village – “Urakoze Cane” which manes ‘Asante Sana’ (Thank You) in Kihaa, their tribal language.  They all laughed and clapped.

After some small talk and greetings with a handful of villagers and some familiar faces, we hopped up on our motorcycles and sped off into the sunset.  Literally.  The Division Commander wouldn’t let Lucas and I walk back because ‘the time was not enough’.  So, we took a boda boda to Mwandiga, took a dala dala to Kigoma and after saying ‘bye’ to Lucas I continued on foot along my dusty trail to the hotel to inhale a Kilimanjaro beer and some fish curry. Lala salama, dada Rai.

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Anecdotes from the Field

Dramatization:

Two Americans plan to meet one morning at 9am to have a little meeting before a big meeting.  Here’s how it might unfold in the morning – in a potential scenario:

1 – Hey, sorry I’m late. I was rushing out the door when I realized I didn’t save that file to the flash drive and then the traffic was crazy and my head is not screwed on right today because I don’t think I’ve slept more than 8 hours in the past three days.  I feel like a crazy person.

2 – No worries, I just got here.  I didn’t remember to bring that list we compiled last month but I think we can work without it.  Do you want to grab a coffee first or just get started?

Two Tanzanians plan to meet one morning at 9am to have a little meeting before a big meeting.  Here’s how it might unfold in the morning – in a potential scenario:

1 – Hey

2 – Hey

1 – Is all good?

2 – All’s good?

1 – Is all well?

2 – All’s well.

1 – How are you?

2 – Good, how are you?

1 – Fine, how’s things at home?

2 – Fine, did you sleep well?

1 – Ah yea, I slept well and you?

2 – Ah, for me, I slept fine.  What’s the news?

1 – No news.  How’s the work been?

2 – Oh fine, good. Everything is fine.

1 – Ah, good.  That’s good.

2 – Ok, so.

1 – So, should we go over here to talk?

2 – Fine, let’s go then.

Seen:

T-shirt on distinguished gentleman in my favorite town café read:

My Indian name is: RUNS WITH BEER

Overheard:

To Rai:  Dada, how are you? (In English)

To boy: I’m fine.  I’m tired.

Man on dala: Tire. [then repeats the Kiswahili word for ‘wheel’]

Observed:

Our builders were making a complex A-frame structure for the school roof – three men sawing dozens of 2x4s with a saw – a good old fashioned man-powered saw.  Then, they proceeded to hammer it all together, board by board with a good old fashioned hammer and nails.  Bravo!  But, I wonder if it wouldn’t be nice to talk to that portable solar panel company and see about sending out a panel as a power source along with a skill saw … sure would makes things go about 15 times faster … but then again, maybe their greetings would incidentally be reduced to two lines (or none) with the newfound sense of efficiency.  That would be bad!

Experienced:

You know when you’re super duper rushed and you start to not think too clearly.  Add to the ‘rush factor’ a little bit of nervous energy.  When the two combine, you really get to thinking with barely one half of the old brain.  Like, remember that one time when I squatted under a mango tree to pee quickly before the next villager passes by with a load on her head and I peed on my water bottle.  That was fun.

Resisted:

Corruption of any kind, even an overcharge to get a ride on the dala dala.  You want to charge me 500 Tsh ($.50) extra just because I’m white.  I’d rather walk.  (But damn, could it not have been on a day that I had already walked 5 hours!!)  It’s all about the principle!!

Enjoyed Immensely:

Sitting with Saidi’s Babu as he worked away on his tall grasses to make brooms for sale, surrounded by all types of baby animals and my favorite young students.  Ah, village life.  Napenda!

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Wanafunzi – Our Scholarship Students

Project Wezesha has two primary programs – the construction of Amahoro Secondary School and the scholarship program for secondary school students.  We currently support 13 students who are going to one of three secondary schools in the region – Mugonya, Mwandiga and Kagongo.  On Saturday, we arranged to meet with the students to sit, chat, catch up and see if they had any requests or views to share.  (“Share Views” is one of Lucas’ favorite phrases.)  The ones who were able to make it were:  the girls – Hindu, Silvesia, Edina, Diana, Khadija and the boys – Amosi, Ismael, France and Saidi.  We didn’t get to meet with Judith, Abuyu, Dibeit or Zainabu.

We all greeted one another, shared hugs and handshakes and then gifts.  I brought them each a Project Wezesha t-shirt, made and donated by my hometown friend, Richard Knott with his company Native Sons.  They loved the shirts!  Then, Lucas chatted with them a bit about their final exams and gave a couple of his little mini-lectures to see if they were prepared.  Four of our students – Hindu, Edina, Silvesia and Khadija – will graduate from secondary school on September 15th!  Then, on October 3rd, they will take their final examinations to see if they qualify to go to high school.  I have to say – given the stats that Hindu and Saidi shared the other day, I’m not very hopeful.  They all go to that secondary school that only passed 7 of 200 students last year.  But, I’ll ‘share my views’ about a solution suggested by the students.  First, let me introduce them.

Hindu is my long time friend and dada mdogo.  I met Hindu when I was a guest at GOSESO in 2008.  She lives at the top of the driveway for the guest house I stayed in.  For longtime followers of my story with this community, it was Hindu who lost her father only weeks after I left the second year.  It was also her sister who had the big village wedding that I attended in 2009.  Hindu was shy to warm up to me initially, but then she was relentless with her questions and her desire to know more and more and more about me, America and English.  She was an obvious first choice when I began brainstorming with Lucas about supporting some youngsters in secondary school.  Now, every year I return, it’s definitely like visiting my little sister.  We hold hands, hug, say each other’s name at random throughout the day – “Hindu …. Mambo” …. “Rai …. Mambo”.  After one of our recent visits, Hindu measured my whole body for a skirt and blouse that she is making for me.  I didn’t even know she could sew and she already called Lucas to tell us it’s ready.  I’m excited to see what she can do!  Hindu, after 4 years at Mwandiga Secondary School, is graduating next week!  I’m so excited for her, but it doesn’t stop here.  (stay tuned)

Edina is also a Form 4 student graduating from Mwandiga Secondary next week.  I met Edina when Lucas helped to select her for our first round of students to support in secondary school, back in 2008.  She comes from a single parent home – her mother passed away some time ago and her father and aunt raise her.  She is so bright and has a smile to die for!  As is the case with most girls, her English isn’t great – they are usually so shy to speak in class when they are one of 6-10 girls in a class of up to 90 students.  Imagine!  Having played on a boys’ golf team in high school, I know what that feels like – going through puberty with nothing but boys around … talk about nerves!  But, Edina has some hopes.  She wants to go on and learn about computers when she finishes secondary school.  I don’t think she, or the other girls to be honest, have high expectations about the final exams and therefore high school, but their educational dreams don’t end with graduation next week.

Diana is so tall and strong!  She has the posture of a dancer and so much strength in her character.  She greeted me with a huge hug and told me how much she had missed me, even though we’ve only met briefly on two separate occasions since 2008.  She was beaming on this day together – and walked with me all the way back to Kiganza, asking about my family, my home, my language, etc.  She told me she hopes to be a nurse so she wants to do well in her examinations so she can continue her studies.  Diana is also from a single parent family and was also chosen back in 2008 with the help of Lucas, who investigated the brightest ‘vulnerable’ children in the village of Kiganza.  Diana is a Form 3 student, so she still has another year of studies before graduating.  She also attends a different school – Kagongo Secondary School.

Khadija has one of the most delightful smiles I have ever seen.  She has great cheeks and dimples and if you don’t see her smile, you might be intimidated by her seriousness – but once you crack the shell, she shines!  She, too, is a little bit shy – though not as much as Edina.  She likes to hold hands, ask questions and learn about all types of things.  She is graduation from Mwandiga Secondary next week.  If she can’t go to high school, she wants to study electronics so that she do maintenance on equipment such as computers, radios, TVs.

 

Silvesia is one of our students who is also graduating next week – but this year is the first time I have ever met her!  So, I don’t know much about her except that she lives in Mgaraganza village and she is a firecracker.  She warmed up to me instantly and was asking questions, making jokes, smiling easily and just wanting to know more and more.  It was so great to finally meet her after knowing that we’ve been supporting her in school since 2009.  After secondary school, she would either like to attend vocational school and learn more about computers or go on to high school if possible and become a nurse.

 

France is a very shy young boy.   His English is a little sticky, but he tries – and he is super grateful for the support he’s received (as are they all). He is a Form 3 student at Mwandiga Secondary school.  I have met France a time or two before, but he is always very shy and Luas and I usually spend more time talking to his mother and sister.  His father passed away some time ago, so Lucas thought helping him and his older brother Ismael would be nice.  They have been supported by Project Wezesha since 2008.

 

 

Ismael is more outgoing than his younger brother France.  They are both studying in Form 3, but Ismael goes to Kagongo Secondary with Diana.  Sometimes, exam scores after Primary School determine the school students go to within their region.  I don’t know the details too well.  Ismael is a super delightful young man.  He’s very polite and inquisitive.  He has a big dream of becoming a doctor one day – so I really hope he can pull it off by first passing his final exams next year and then succeeding in high school.

 

Amosi is hilarious!  He seems almost gruff or angry when you first meet him but it’s because behind those eyes and under a slight frown, his mind is racing a mile a minute.  When he stops thinking, relaxes and smiles – his whole face changes! When I asked him what he wanted to do after he was finished with all his studies, he told me he wanted to be the President of Tanzania!  I believe, he might just get there one day – he has determination.  He had many great suggestions for ways he thought Project Wezesha could better support the students – some a little out of our range/mission, such as buying students kerosene to study by light at night.  I know it’s necessary, but there are some components to the children’s education that their parents have to invest in, too.  This was also the first time I’ve met Amosi – it was great to put a face to a name.

Saidi, like Hindu, almost needs no introduction.  Saidi and his good friend Dibeit* used to come over and sit with me daily when I was in Kiganza the first time in 2008.  They always came with notebook in hand and would ask if they could copy from my English/Swahili dictionary because they didn’t have one.  By the end of that trip, I just gave them each a dictionary because they were so determined.  They always came with questions, ideas, enthusiasm and something just sparkled in both of them.  *Dibeit is also in our scholarship program, but he studies in a school in Dodoma, another city in the middle of the country where he has some family.  Saidi’s house is usually the hub for our visits.  When I come to Kiganza, we meet at Saidi’s house and the other kids in the village that we know (Hindu, Clemensia, Dibeit, etc.) come to his house to visit.  This is also where they set up shop for the English books (little library) that we compiled on a visit in 2009.  Also, it was Saidi’s grandfather (Babu) that we spent a lot of time trying to help last year (with his weepy eyes, which are better this year).  Saidi – well … he’s going to go somewhere if Project Wezesha has anything to say about it. J  Not only does he have smarts, but he has integrity and a strong moral sense about him.  He’s just ‘good people’, ya know!  So, Saidi and Dibeit are Form 1 students.  Saidi goes to Mugonya Secondary school which is in Kiganza village.  According to Saidi, it’s a little grim – teachers not always showing up, 60+ students per class and no books.  It’s still so early for Saidi and I think we may investigate either a better school or additional support outside of school – such as a tutor, and definitely books.

Our young friend Asheley was with us, too.  I supported Asheley briefly to go to a supplementary school because his final examinations from secondary school weren’t good enough for him to go to high school.  However, the teachers at this school – called Brothers of Charity – were flippant and only came to teach when they felt like it.  So Asheley invested his school fees into a business and now has saved over 250,000Tsh in the bank.  He rotates profits and purchases and in this way, he supports his mother and his younger siblings.  On Saturday, he just wanted to come along and see the progress on the school as he helped carry some stones and sand with us last year.

So – moving forward and considering the situation with the teachers, we’ve decided to buy textbooks to support the students outside of school.  For each secondary school, we’re buying one set of books for each subject (Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics) for our scholarship program students to share in study circles.

In terms of the girls who are graduating this coming week, we have to wait until the end of October to find out if they will pass their secondary school exit exams and be accepted into high school.  I am crossing my fingers that they will pass, but as I mentioned before – it’s not looking so good.  So, Hindu and Edina made a suggestion/request that Project Wezesha continue to support them after secondary school as they attend VETA – which stands for Vocational Education and Training Authority.

Today, Lucas and I visited VETA to see what the situation is.  They have short courses (1 week to 1 month long) on computers and driving.  These courses (addressing topics such as Intro to Computer, Microsoft Word, Internet and Email, Basic Driving, etc.) cost anywhere from 20,000Tsh to 100,000Tsh depending on length and intensity ($15-$80USD).  They also have long courses that last about one year in many vocational areas, including welding, electrical installation, carpentry, food production, information and communication technology, computer and secretarial studies, electronics, tailoring, etc.  There are two options for the year-long courses – attend as day students or board on campus.  For our students, given the fact that VETA is close to Kigoma town and they live in the villages, the best option is to board on site while studying and go home on the weekends.  The cost is 120,000Tsh per year (~$100USD).

After considering the alternative (end of education all together), we’ve decided to continue supporting these four girls and not take any new students into the program until we see how this VETA experience is going and if there will be enough funding for additional students.  If they pass their exams, we’ll support them in high school.  If they don’t pass their exams, we’ll find a way to board them at VETA for the long course of their choice.  We’re thinking of finding individual benefactors to support each of the four girls – so for those of you who wanted to support one individual specifically – this will be your chance!!  I’ll keep you posted as exam results unfold.

Finally, it’s a little bit of a gamble, but I’m thinking about changing my return ticket to Dar es Salaam by two days so that I can stay for the graduation.  I didn’t realize how close it was and currently I’m scheduled to return to Dar the day before!!  So, for no charge I can change my ticket, but it means flying back to Dar the day before my flight to Amsterdam … which is the gamble part.  Precision Air swore the flights would go and there would be no problem.  I think it’s worth the risk to see the girls walk with their class and celebrate successful completion of secondary school!  Wahoo!!

 

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Update on Amahoro Secondary School – Sept 2011

On Thursday, Lucas and I went to Kiganza village to scoop up Hindu and Saidi and head over to Mgaraganza for our first big day of labor.  We figured we’d have them come along so we could catch up while on our walk and as we wait for the work to begin.

When I stepped off the dala dala in Kiganza, first I was almost bowled over by Hindu as she came running up the street as if she had known I was going to step off the dala dala.  Our excitement to see each other was huge and yet, seeing her again – it was like I only left last week, not last year.  Then before I knew it, another body was flying toward me – Mama Juma, one of my favorite mamas in the village.  PW followers might remember the picture of baby Hawa, barely a month old smiling in my lap last year (surely gas, but a cute picture nonetheless).  I’ve known this family from the first year I came here and I quite love their kids – Juma and Musa.  She was whooping to see me and gave me a big hug, then kept laughing and saying my name between greetings and check in questions.  Her smile – Love!!!

We went to Saidi’s house and he was squatting over a piece of paper with a magnifying glass held up so that the sun was beaming through – trying to start a fire.  I crept into his ‘courtyard’ and then I jumped forward and said ‘BOO!’ and he didn’t even look up! … so I laughed. Then he jumped back and stood up to greet me, laughing with surprise.  He’s grown at least a few inches since last year, which for him is just bringing him up to speed as he was always the shortest of his peers.  We spent a quick minute greeting his babu and his sister Zainabu, but then we started making our way over to Mgaraganza.

The walk to Mgaraganza from Kiganza is about 40-50 minutes and it flew by as we caught up and Lucas chatted to them about folks they all knew and about school stuff.  We went straight up to the school site and waited for Isaya to arrive with the first big delivery of bao or wood for the roof.   Isaya is Lucas’ brother and our general contractor.  We had just met with him that morning in town to hand over a stack of cash to get the first installment of roof materials delivered.

The roof will be completed on 4 classrooms and two offices while I’m here!  But it will also tap the bank.  The wood for the job fills two large dump trucks and the aluminum will make a third load.  Each load costs just under $80 to deliver.  The wood and aluminum cost a pretty penny and then the nails tack on another few lines of the budget.  All told, the cost for the roofs on this row of rooms (6 in total) is 8.6 million shillings plus labor to pay the skilled workers that put the roof on – 8 million shillings … in USD, is about $7,000.  So …. Thank you so much to everyone who came out for our Raise the Roof fundraiser in SLC this past August because without the $4,000 that came in from that event, we surely would not have been able to make this happen this summer!  And huge thank you to everyone else who donated outside of this event in the past year.  I guess I should really say that we are making it by the skin of our teeth.  Which of course, means that I’ll have to hit the fundraising hard this coming year to keep the project rolling forward!  Incidentally, I also met with the district director in the government here in Kigoma – he advised me on how to go about creating a request for support from the Tanzanian government with the village government, so we’ll be meeting the local leaders on Monday to write up that request … fingers crossed, the TZ government meets us half way to speed up this process!

The wood arrived in two trips separated by the time it took for Isaya to go back with the transport crew and reload in town (about 2 hours).  After the first drop of the wood, Lucas, Hindu, Saidi, Kalekwa and I stacked the hundreds of 2x4s that they dropped off.  I didn’t realize we’d be working so hard and I told Saidi and Hindu not to feel obligated to help – but of course those two would never just stand by watching.  Our backs were about broken when we were done (well old dada Rai’s was anyway) and we were all exhausted and so hot.  Lucas and Kalekwa ran to the Mgaraganza market and stocked up on bananas while I sat and chatted with Hindu and Saidi.

I talked to them about school and the situation here in the village schools.  It was not the most uplifting conversation – they told me some grim statistics about the success rate of children passing secondary school final examinations.  I shudder as I type this, but in one secondary school – where I have a few students in attendance, 7 of 200 students passed their final examinations last year.  SEVEN!  The biggest problem as the students see it is that the teachers don’t always come to class and only the teacher has a book for the subject he teaches.  The students rely on the teachers to give good lectures, provide good notes and help them review for exams.  But, I ask you – how can a teacher really make sure students understand what you’re teaching when you have 60-90 students in one class?

One bookseller in town said that for student success, it’s 80% the books and 20% the teachers.  Of course, he’s a bookseller, but I think there’s a lot of truth to this statement.  If students have money to buy books and study outside of school, they will fare well – if they don’t, then they stand little chance.  Most students can barely pay the 20,000Tsh/year school fees let alone spend 10,000Tsh on a text book.  Many of our scholarship program students are in Form 4 and will take their final examinations this year in October.  Only two of our students are in Form 1, and one of them is Saidi.  Saidi is truly one of the best and the brightest and I’m thinking strongly about putting him into a private school. … is that ok to do? Regardless, we’re planning to buy some books for the students.

More stories and updates to come as the new week unfolds!  Happy Weekend.

 

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The Education of Lucas Lameck

With his salary, one of the top priorities for Lucas was to continue his education.  As soon as he started earning a salary for his work with Project Wezesha, he set to finding himself a school to attend.  He was attending school for a short while before Tanzania passed a new ordinance – defeating many of its citizens who aspired to go back to school.  This new ordinance, law, policy – whatever it is, says that students who passed their secondary examinations, qualifying them for high school, but who did not go directly to high school after secondary school could not return later to continue their education with currently matriculated, recent graduates of secondary school.  So, in other words – if you finish secondary school and then take a few years to work to earn the money needed to pay for high school, you’ve just lost your chance at further education.

And so, Lucas along with (as he says) 80,000 others in the country, were kicked out of school.  I suppose they’re just following suit with many other countries, such as the US that don’t allow 23 year olds to come back and finish high school after dropping out in the 10th grade, but it seems that here – circumstances are just different … or maybe they could have given them a 3-year notice so people could rush back for high school education before it was effective.

Fortunately, a teacher in the program that he was removed from advised him to seek instruction from private teachers.  He would pay a similar amount but would work with teachers in a one-to-one capacity, studying the same subjects that he would be learning here in the high school setting.  For Lucas, this was a minor set back, but ultimately, he just wanted the opportunity to continue his studies.   Since locating good, available teachers, he has been studying 9 hours a day with three different teachers to cover various subjects including English, Physical Geography and History.

It’s been fun (and tiring) to listen to all the things he’s learned since going back to school.  He told me about how much new information he’s gleaned about World Wars I and II, Hitler, Musolini and the Holocaust.  I had just visited Ann Frank’s home in Amsterdam and bought The Diary of Ann Frank when I was there.  I was excited to give that book to Lucas since he had so recently been diving into this tragic history.

In his English class, he has been reading some novels by an author from Cameroon.  He told me how important it is to know the theme, the characters, the setting, the time period, etc. when reading a book. J  Then he proceeded for an entire dala dala ride to Kiganza to tell me about the book – about the rebellious nature of the story’s female character and how the author was using this book to shake things up and shed light on local cultural practices that might not be so useful to society, such as arranged marriage and keeping girls out of school.  Lucas knew the names of every character and as he told me the story, it no longer seemed like he was recapping a book, but rather telling me about these people he knew.  His ‘clif notes’ were so thorough that I could pass an exam on the book.

Physical geography has certainly stuck with Lucas – I think it’s his favorite subject.  I have heard him give mini-lectures on four occasions now (once to me, once to our friend Ashahadu, once to Hindu and Saidi and once to the group of our scholarship students) about various topics in physical geography, such as earthquakes.  When recounting to Hindu, Saidi and Ashahadu, he was speaking mostly in Swahili, but as he is learning these subjects in English, the key terms are in English – so throughout his mini-lectures, I would pick up many terms such as mantle, core, magma, epicenter, plates, richter scale, seismology, etc.  It made me smile to see how captive he held his young audience.  He uses an engaging interactive lecture approach, being sure to ask them intermittent questions, pose situations to them and then ask them to recall what he just covered. He even rounded off the lectures with the students by posing some possible final examination questions that they might see after they complete Form 4 and calling on them to answer.  They all told him he’s a great teacher and that he makes things clear to them.

Of course, all of these lectures flowed from his smile while either sitting atop a pile of stones at the building site of Amahoro Secondary School, while waiting for the delivery of wood or while making our casual stroll to and from Mgaraganza along narrow dirt trails, shaded by palm trees and flanked by various small scale agriculture crops.  It’s so great to see him so excited about learning and hear all that he’s retained.  It’s amazing how much more you keep under the lid when you’re learning because you want to and not because you have to.  It’s also a nice testament to my career as a teacher educator to see the impact of good teachers – it’s often underestimated.  Lucas has good teachers, Lucas is a good teacher.  Our students often say that the teachers are lazy and don’t show up to school often enough and when they do, they don’t always teach very well.  This makes me sad, but you can only do so much in one lifetime, so for now – we build.    Perhaps later we train the teachers.

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Back in the Kigoma Region!

It was so great to arrive back in Kigoma!  Lucas met me at the airport and we were both glowing to see each other again.  He’s really become like a brother to me, and the fact that ‘Dada Rai’ is how he and most others refer to me (Sister Rai), well it just always feels great to come back – like coming to one of my many homes around the globe.  Lucas and I came up to the hotel to drop my things and then we headed to town to have lunch.  I gave him his new Project Wezesha shirt and prints of all the photos that he’s taken over the past year – and some from my trip last year.  We caught up on the gaps between emails over the past year and I got the scoop on folks we know.

The best update was that our friends Ashahadu and Jane had a baby girl, Sifa and that she’s lovely and doing fine.  When I went to meet her in the village, I saw just how fine she is – her Rai-given nickname will easily be ‘Tank’ and eating is clearly not a problem for her.  She’s a big beauty with huge eyes and a full belly!

The worst update was that our watchman, who keeps an eye on the school, the ‘store room’, tools, materials, etc. lost his wife last year and then his infant baby last month.  Last August his wife died from complications due to the dreaded obstructed labor that plagues so many women – in developed and developing. The key difference between the two contexts being the more highly trained doctors and therefore successful surgeries in the hospitals in developed regions of the world.

Here, Kalekwa’s wife was giving birth at the dispensary in the village and, as Lucas put it, the baby was coming out “randomly” – first a leg, then … Eventually, baby was born alive but the mother died.  Poor Kalekwa is a young father with three children ages 7, 5, and 3 years and now an infant.  Fortunately, relatives stepped in to help raise the children, including the newborn.  I’m not sure why, but last month, at almost a year old – the baby died suddenly.  That’s really all anyone knows about that.  So, Kalekwa is so sad but life goes on and he has some support – but my heart goes out to him and the little ones. The village births seem like such a gamble!  I also learned that his brother also lost his wife in childbirth due to similar circumstances.  Then I found out that Jane had Sifa while squatting behind their house!  If she died ….. oh, the thought pains me.  I hope they have their next child at Maweni hospital in town!

The day after arriving, Lucas and I visited Mgaraganza village – mainly so I could check out the school and see what the progress was like.  Four classrooms and two offices are finished and waiting for their roofs.  I was hoping to see more walls up at this point, to be honest, but the money was still sitting in the bank, waiting for the big roof project – and I’m glad for that because, as you’ll read about the Amahoro Secondary School update in another blog entry, the roof effort is spendy!  Nonetheless, it was great to stand inside the large classrooms and envision the future – rooms filled with students, learning in the most beautiful environment – surrounded by trees on a hilltop overlooking the valley that houses several villages.

Of course, with any visit to the village, a little posse of curious kids trailed in behind us and spent some time wandering from room to room, watching me more than taking in the classrooms – obviously, as these classrooms practically sit in their back yard and well, wazungu don’t come around every day.  As they warmed up to me, shared their names with me and started to laugh a little – we began shooting some pics.  Each and every one of them is so beautiful and I just love hearing them laugh and seeing them smile!

 

Two days after I arrived in Kigoma was Eid, the celebration of the end of Ramadan.  I was glad when the day finally arrived because it seemed like there was some confusion about when it was to be.  I was on the dala dala en route to Kiganza one day and had the great ‘pleasure’ of sitting in the midst of a screaming match between two Muslim men over when Eid would be.  The elder of the two clearly had the upper hand in the argument and kept putting the younger one in his place, however that young fellah definitely fought back quite a bit, frowning and yelling.  I didn’t pick up on everything but I knew they were arguing about the moon and when it would appear.  I also heard them talking about the times before TV and radio and then I figured the older man was trying to teach the younger man about the world, a little bit.

Later, Lucas told me that, in fact, the older man was saying to the younger man – what do you think they did in the days before TV and radio; how do you think they knew it was Eid – do you think they had to wait for someone to ride into town and tell them? I wondered about this line of argument and Lucas said that they were also discussing the moon and how just because you don’t see the moon in Kigoma doesn’t mean that they didn’t see the moon elsewhere.  They were talking about how at that very moment, they were seeing the moon in United States while we were in our early morning commute.  They were also discussing cloud cover and other factors.  Oh, it was just confusing – and I think everyone was hungry and ready for Eid.  There had already been two false starts and now finally, Eid was upon us and everyone was ready to celebrate!

Every village was having a disco party and every family was having a great feast.  Everyone was dressed in their best clothes – the outfits they only wear on holidays – shiny, clean, new outfits.  Little girls in bright matching tops and skirts hugging their cute little bodies – fitting so well in fact that they were probably made just recently for the celebration.  Little boys in three-piece suits and their best Sunday shoes, looking more like little men than children.  All the women had their best hair, make-up and dresses on.  Of course, not everyone is Muslim – but everyone is having an awesome day!

Lucas and I joined our friends Ashahadu and Jane for a feast in their home in Mgaraganza Village. (Pictured above – their son, Mickey chopping sugar cane and laughing with friends)  Both Ashahadu’s and Jane’s mothers were there, a few of their siblings and other friends and relatives.  Every guest who popped into the yard to say hello in passing jumped back with a  little laugh when they saw me – whispering “mzungu?” before saying a little ‘eh eh’ with a smile and coming in, greeting everyone and finding a place to sit and chat while Jane and a few other women prepared dinner.

After dinner, Kalekwa (the watchman) brought his three kids by to visit – beautiful children!

After dinner, we chatted for over an hour with Ashadadu about his work in Gombe National Forest.  He told us all about the chimps’ behaviors and about the different groups that live in Gombe.  We learned all about how they navigate their habitat, how they mate, how they fight, how they are ostracized for trying to leave one group for another, how they are protected by their own – it seems like rough living for every creature in there from the bush bucks to the bush pigs, chimps and baboons… a daily struggle for life, space, peace.  Ashahadu showed me recent pictures of him and Jane Goodall from her summer 2011 visit.  He spends some time with her every time she comes … I’m envious!  One of these years, maybe I’ll get to meet her.

Back at the hotel, I have a glass of wine, enjoy the Tanganyika sunset and chat with the folks working here who are friends to me after years of staying here.  It’s just another nice thing about coming to TZ – Bennie, Asha, Kuluwa, etc.  Great folks!  Of course, after walking 1.5 hours a day, sitting around in the sun and pushing my brain to the limits with this new language, I sleep hard every night and store up for the next line of business.

In short, this week we have visited the village government, the district government, the Ministry of Education, the building site, the scholarship program students, many friends and the builders.  I’ll tell more about some of these visits soon.

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House Concert with Gigi Love

Gigi Love

Gigi Love is playing at the house of our good friends, John and Tamrika on Saturday August 13th – starting promptly at 7:30pm.  Gigi has decided to contribute part of the proceeds to Project Wezesha.

Given that one year of secondary education costs a mere $20 per year and that $11,000 allowed us to construct a foundation and four rooms on our secondary school last year … well, every penny counts and our dollars that don’t go far here can literally educate an entire village in Western Tanzania where the average annual income is between $300-400.

Gigi has an amazing voice and mad skills on the guitars – electric and acoustic.  Her music is a mix of blues, rock, country and folk – accompanied by her smoky, sweet voice.  She has opened for the Dave Matthews Band and she played at the SLC Winter Olympics in 2002.  She has graced stages in various festivals, coffee shops and bars around the western US and beyond.  Learn more about Gigi at her website and listen to her music by clicking here. 

Where: 407 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT

When: Saturday August 13th, 7:30pm

Cost: Free, but donations are encouraged: pass the hat style