Good Bye Kibaya

Peter, Debra and Henry

Our primary teachers gave us gifts of Massai clothing 

It’s time to say good-bye to Kibaya and our unforgettable year there.  There is an old Cuso saying that goes, ‘you will learn at least as much as you teach’ and this has certainly been more than true for us.  It will take a while for it all to sink in but already I have started to look back. 

I can still vividly remember that first bus trip to Kibaya.  We’ve had better rides in our night mares.  What should have been a five hour ride turned into ten hours, involving two dala dalas and a broken down bus. We stood up the whole way, except for when we were sitting on a rock at the side of the road.  One of our bags was perched on the lap of a fellow passenger and our computer was stashed between the feet of a passenger twenty feet away.  The bus was so packed that one couldn’t bend over to reach the water bottle on the floor.  It was one of those adventures that are better in the telling.

After banging and shaking down a rutted, dusty dirt track for the last three hours of the trip, we arrived in Kibaya.  We knew it was our destination because there was a mzungu standing by the bus stand.  That mzungu turned out to be our colleague, Tessa Most.  She took us in to her home fed us, gave us the scoop on the local conditions and made us welcome.

Our Primary Teachers

 We have grown to appreciate this dusty little town on the Masai Steppe.  On trips to Dar es Salaam, for meetings or for shopping, we have often commented on how much better we have it than the City Vols. Sure they have access to anchovy pizza with olives, chicken tikka masala with puffy nan bread and everything else under the sun that is western but, after all is said and done, The Real Africa has been our home. We are very proud to be able to say that.

It hasn’t all been a walk in the park.  Like every other volunteer we’ve had our ups and downs.  What we can say though is that the ups have overwhelmingly outweighed the downs.

We have done good work here in Kibaya and we are thankful for that.  We haven’t done it alone and so thanks must go out in so many directions. 

We must first thank Andrea Bacsfalusi, Tara Henderson and Gesa Harmston at Cuso International.  Without their support we wouldn’t have gotten past the Halifax airport.

Kudos go out to Jean van Wetter, the VSO Country Director.  Jean is the-go-to-guy at VSO.  There is no better way to put it.  His support for our work has been unfailing.  Volunteers know that they can always depend on Jean.  His humour, his dedication to development and his solid dependability have seen us through.  His is the toughest of jobs; coordinating volunteers and supervising the VSO staff in Dar must be akin to trying to get cats to walk in a parade.

We would also like to thank Tessa Most.  She has been the best of neighbours and colleagues.  Tessa’s heart is huge.

Lastly, but not least, a big vote of thanks goes out to Mr. Ndee, the director of the CERC, Henry Kimola, our primary champion teacher, Mr. Kitundu, Richard, Happiness and Neema, our secondary champion teachers.  To all of the teachers, our colleagues in Kibaya, we love you all.

  Sixty Primary Teachers who completed our programme enjoyed a graduation lunch 

Turkey Works

It's been a very productive year here in Dusty Kibaya.   We’ve been as busy as a couple of long tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs teaching English and educational methodology while reading our Kindles and working our way through all seven seasons of The West Wing .  In development speak we have been building sustainable capacity, protecting the planet, activating self-esteem and promoting community fair trade.

After so much hard work Debra deserved to be put on a pedestal

So after all of this toil we had the chance to vacation in Turkey or what Nicholas I, the Tzar of Russia, called The Sick Man of Europe.  Well, this is one recovered Sick Man.  Turkey modernized its economy in the early eighties and again in the nineties and is now open for business.  Like the Chinese and the Indians they have discovered that this capitalism stuff really works.  Tanzania could certainly take a leaf out of the Turkish book.

Peter smoking the nargileh

Turkey of the 2000s is a far cry from the old Hippy-Trail-Turkey of the 1970s when the Magic Bus plied its way from Fat City Hostel in Amsterdam to Istanbul filled with a wild assortment of tie dyed Freaks madly searching for the meaning of life or the next Summer of Love, whichever came first.

Not only is the modern Turkey prosperous but it’s a history buff's version of heaven.

The Aya Sofya

In Istanbul we were arm pit's deep in Byzantine and Ottoman history.  We hit all the highlights.  We shopped in the Grand Bazaar and drank countless glasses of tea while playing backgammon and smoking the nargileh in the cafes of Sultanahmet.  The Aya Sofya is most impressive.  It started life as a church, became a mosque and is now a museum.  How could something built 1,500 years ago be in such good shape?

The Blue Mosque

A ferry boat took us across the Sea of Marmara to Gallipoli, site of the World War I battle.  There, in 1915, the Newfoundland Regiment got it's baptism of fire alongside the Australians and New Zealanders.  It was a horribly flawed attempt to capture the Dardanelles, support Russia via the Black Sea and knock Turkey out of the war.  My great-uncle Frank was part of the Gallipoli campaign.

Intercity buses in Turkey are air-conditioned, safe, clean and efficient.  We rode one of them from Gallipoli to Ephesus.  This site is one of the best-preserved classical cities in the eastern Mediterranean, if not all of Europe.  One day was spent walking around these ruins getting a feel for what life was like in Roman times.

The library at Ephesus

There are thermal baths at the ancient spa town of Pammukale.  We soaked in the waters while sitting on submerged ancient marble columns.  We walked up and down the bleached-white calcite terraces, bathing in the 36 degree waters as we went.  This place is magical.

Taking the Waters

If I keep this up readers will think I am a Turkey tout.  But I have to mention Cappadocia.  Caves, Byzantine churches, underground caverns and the spectacular fairy chimneys abound.  This place looks like the perfect home for Hobbits.

Fairy Chimney at Cappadocia

My advice to young teachers of English is simple. Grab a handful of chalk, get over there, pick up a job and start teaching.  Turkey most certainly works.

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.". . . Blanche Dubois

It's been a exciting week with visitors to Dusty Kibaya. Djoke and Marc, VSO colleagues from Ndolage, made the three day bus journey, arriving on Monday. Fredrik from Dodoma and Juanito from Pemba joined them. So we've had a big crowd at B.9 all week.

Things got off to a rocky start. Within hours of our guests arriving we heard that an SUV carrying nine young Americans blew a tire and cartwheeled thirty miles outside of town. They were anthropology students from California here to study Masai culture. One of them died in the local hospital during surgery and four others were seriously injured.

 Djoke transferring a patient to a waiting vehicle

Cars are badly maintained here and the roads are little more than rutted dirt tracks. Road accidents are all too common. In this case a blown tire, excessive speed and an oncoming motorcycle were responsible. I will never again complain about vehicle inspections in Nova Scotia.

The Medivac airplane

One of our primary teachers came by and told us about the tragedy. Djoke, a medical doctor, volunteered to go to the hospital and offer her help. She examined the patients and went with them in the medivac airplane to Arusha. The hospital staff told Djoke that a neurosurgeon was on duty in Arusha and that they had a CT scanner. This was not totally true. There was no neurosurgeon and the CT scanner was broken. Tanzanians often tell people what they want to hear out of fear of disappointing them.

Djoke boarded the plane with no money. She was able to borrow some but it took her two days to return to Kibaya.

Meanwhile, Marc, her husband, an artist, painted in the market while the rest of us socialized, cooked on the charcoal jiko and watched movies on the computer.

Marc painting in the market

It is always wonderful to have visitors here. It is such a shame that the young Americans' field trip to the Masai steppe ended so tragically and so needlessly.

Debra and Djoke

Telephone Talk

The Dilemma

In a recent workshop our primary teachers spent some time role playing telephone conversations.  We set up scenarios and let them go to it.  It was all great fun with much English conversation and laughter .

Everybody's Talking

Under the Same Sky

The day before yesterday, our secondary school teachers were discussing the challenges that they face in their schools and I was struck by how similar their problems are to the challenges facing Canadian teachers. They talked about truancy, troublesome student behaviour, the lack of learning materials, not enough books and that many of their students simply don't like to study. They even brought up the problem of parents not supporting teachers.

Teachers discussing school problems

The challenges that they face are of course different in scale. Compared to Canadian students Tanzanian kids are very well behaved and Canadian teachers have a whole lot more resources than Tanzanian ones.

Still, I was reminded of the days when I taught George Orwell's, Nineteen Eighty Four. There is a passage in that book that talks about the sky being the same for everyone and that all over the world, whether it be Eastasia or Eurasia or here, people are ignorant of one another's existence and are held apart by lies and hatred but that they are almost the same people.

Michael and Mindy painting a world map on the wall of Kiteto Secondary School

Trying to make the whole world their students' oyster

The discussion brought Orwell's passage home to me. Our similarities far out weight our differences.

The sky over the Main Street in Kibaya

Zanzibar Break

We just returned from a two week trip to Zanzibar taken during the end-of -term school holidays. All of the volunteers involved in improving English in the secondary schools of Tanzania met for a couple of days in Zanzibar Town and then Debra and I headed to the beach for some sun and sand.

Tessa (and friend), Debra, Juanito and Peter

Trying to Improve English

We rented a really cool beach hut, made from palm fronds, on Kendwa Beach on the northern tip of Zanzibar Island. It had a bathroom and hot shower and was right on the sand. Such luxury for a couple of scruffy volunteers.

This cool beach hut is made completely from palm leaves

The seven days were spent reading, lounging around, walking on the beach and swimming in the beautiful turquoise water. The sand, formed from coral, was snow white with the consistency of sugar and the water was warm.

Fishing boats on Kwenda Beach

As Frank Sinatra would say, 'it's nice to go travellin' but it's so, so nice to come home.'

Libraries In Boxes Go To Schools

Boys unloading the library at Msente Primary School

Today we finished delivering our Libraries in Boxes to the schools that we work with.  They were well received by the teachers and students.

Girls at Partimbo Primary School taking the books to class

These small libraries each contain in between 50 and 60 books.  Some are fiction and some are non-fiction.  We are certain that they will be well used and will increase the level of English among the students of Kibaya.

Girls at Kiteto Secondary School Hostel

Many kind thanks to all of the people who donated these books.  Your efforts are well appreciated.

English Teacher, Norbert, checking out the books



A Good Samaritan Protects Fran from our Unwelcome Visitor

When we were kids our generation went to Sunday school and learned the parable of the Good Samaritan.  The Good Samaritan was a traveller who helped a man who was robbed, beaten and left by the side of the road from Jerusalem to Jerico.  Many people of high rank walked by the man and didn't help.  The Good Samaritan did.  He stopped and helped a stranger in need.

A painting of the Good Samaritan by a Dutch Artist

Yesterday, our guest and fellow volunteer, Fran was on her way to the market when she was accosted by the mentally deranged man who has been harassing us.  He screamed at her, invaded her personal space and waved his stick close to her.

 Fran helping our primary teachers inventory their libraries in boxes

Luckily for Fran a Good Samaritan came by.  Her name was Asha and she took Fran aside and protected her until the fellow went away.  Fran was able to return to our house safely.

Later in the day we had Asha over to our house for tea and thanked her for her help.

Asha, a modern day Good Samaritan

Today, Mr. Ndee took us to the police station twice.  The police have the man in custody but they and Mr. Ndee assure us that we will not have to go to court. 

An Unwelcome Visitor

The stereotype of Africa is that it is a risky place to live.  The western media focus on African violence and mayhem.  The single story of Africa is that it is a highly dangerous place.

Until very recently our personal experience with Tanzania has been just the opposite.  Without exception the people have been polite, welcoming and friendly.

On Friday we began to have our first security problem.  Near the market a man asked us for some money for chakula (food).  This sort of thing happens occasionally even in Kibaya where there are no tourists and where, as a result, begging is rare.  When beggars do approach us we always say, 'sorry, no money.'   We are always polite to them. On Friday, we responded to the beggar as usual and thought no more about it.

On Saturday morning at 7:00, just after Pascale Antony our guard left, the same beggar showed up outside our home.  He was carrying a stick and had a machete strapped to his belt.  He woke us up and asked for money.  To find out where we live he must have followed us home on Friday.  We told him through the window, in our limited Swahili, that we were sorry but that we could not give him money.  He stood outside our window for about 15 minutes glaring at us and then left.   On the road in front of our house he began to scream and yell but then moved on.

On Saturday afternoon the man came to our house again.  Once more he asked for money and once more we told him that we were sorry but that we had no money to give.  After standing outside our house for about 15 minutes he left.  At this point I started to become a little concerned and so I phoned our manager, Mr. Ndee who suggested we go to our nearest neighbour, Mr. Joseph, a Big Potato in the district and ask for his help.  Unfortunately, Mr. Joseph was not at home.

This morning at about 8:30 the same man showed up again and got us out of bed.  He started pounding on our door with his stick while screaming at us.  When he left our door to come to our bedroom window to do more yelling, I quietly opened the door and took his picture.

This is the picture I took of the man who has been harrassing us

There are five Mzungus living in Kibaya and of all our house is the most exposed.  We have no gate and no wall surrounding our property.  We don’t keep dogs and the locks on our doors would not stand a serious asault.  All five of us stand out and are assumed to be rich.

This morning after the beggar left, I phoned Mr. Swai, a secondary school headmaster and friend and he came over right away.  When I showed him the picture he recognized the person as a local mentally disturbed man but recommended to us that we contact the police.

Mr. Joseph, our neighbour, took us to the police station late this morning and we filed a police report.  The report was written in Swahili and I signed it without being able to read it.  I hope I didn’t confess to the Kennedy assassination!

The police were sympathetic and friendly.  They know the culprit as mentally disturbed person and told us that they would pick him up, bring him to the station and warn him to stay away from our house. 

I hope this works.  Another day in the lives of two mzungues in Kibaya.

 

Libraries in Boxes Workshops

This week's workshops with our primary teachers  introduced the 'Libraries in Boxes' and the books that were so generously donated by Canadians in Quebec, Nova Scotia and Washington DC.  The teachers loved the books and they really enjoyed exploring the contents of the boxes.

There is no strong tradition here of reading aloud to children.  So the first order of business was to emphasize the importance of this activity.  Then we demonstrated to them one way in which this could be done in order for it to have the greatest educational impact.

For Canadian teachers it is inconceivable that elementary students would be left alone in a classroom for long periods of time, however, this is the norm here and we must work around it.  The teachers were asked to think of ways that the pupils could use the books even if their teacher was not present in the classroom.  One thing that we have learned so far, is that the project will move forward if it makes the   teachers' jobs easier and more enjoyable.

 

The Road to Rwanda

We got back yesterday from a two week safari to Rwanda.  The main purpose of the trip was to participate in the Kigali Peace Marathon. Debra and I walked the 5 km fun run.  Between the two of us, we raised almost $600 from the very generous donations of family and friends.

  The long and winding road back to Kibaya

This badly needed money will be used to help Tanzanian women start small businesses such as raising chickens, bee keeping, making peanut butter, juice and tomato sauce.  Altogether the Cuso International and the VSO team here in Tanzania raised over $7,000 for this very worthwhile project.

Tanzania is a much different kettle of fish than Rwanda.  On the two day road trip through Tanzania with Fredrik, Leisbeth and Fran, fellow volunteers, we were stopped 10 times by the police and fined twice.  In Rwanda there were no police road blocks.

  Volunteers Liesbeth, Debra, Fredrik and Fran

We did the trip in Fredrik's 4X4 Nissan Patrol

Paying a fine in Tanzania is a very simple affair.  There is no pesky paper work or inconvenient court appearances to worry your head  about.  Just the opposite, there are lots of smiles and handshakes.  The police officer tells the driver how much the fine is and the driver just forks over the money.  It is as simple as that. 

Our fines were both for speeding but in reality they were for DWM or Driving While Mzungu.  For the second fine Fredrik negotiated hard and the fine was cut in half.  No cumbersome and time consuming receipt was written and there was no record of the fine but I am sure that the money was safely delivered to the government coffers by the police officer.   If you believe that you probably already own fifty acres of swamp in Florida.

Slow down Fredrik there's a vulture at 12:00 o'clock!

In Rwanda there is a huge effort to combat the corruption that is holding much of Africa back.  It seems to be working as Rwanda is much more highly developed than Tanzania even though it has a fraction of the natural resources and a recent history that was written in blood.  This very green and mountainous country is as clean as a whistle; the houses are painted up, school classes have about 20 students each and the roads are free of the very dangerous pot-holes and police check points that plague Tanzania.  On first sight it seems as if it is a theme park version of the Africa we are familiar with.  Rwanda is open for business.

 The Rwandans are very serious about ending corruption and encouraging investment

In Rwanda Saturday mornings are called Umuganda.  The time is spent performing compulsory community service.  Rwandans clean the streets, fill in pot-holes, build schools, weed the numerous public gardens and do other worthwhile projects.  Nothing moves.  The police lay down carpets of nails to prevent vehicle movement.  You can't even buy a toothpick during Umuganda.  Everything closes and everyone works for the community.

It seems to work well for them and although there are elections in Rwanda every seven years the current leader, Kagame, operates as a benevolent dictator.  As one VSO volunteer working in Rwanda told me, “He is like the best head-master you could ever have.”  The young receptionist at the Kigali hotel where we were staying summed it up by saying, “I love him.”  When he shows up at soccer games the crowds go wild with joy.

One tortoise and two hares

Peter, Ishwar and Jean

Can you guess who the tortoise is?

Ironically, the hierarchical system and respect for authority that makes Umuganda work so well is the same organization that made the 1994 genocide possible.  It is difficult to believe that only 18 years ago Hutus were hacking Tutsies to death by the hundreds of thousands with machetes and sharp farm implements.  Nearly everyone in the country was involved as either perpetrator or victim.

Rwandans don't talk about it now and are trying to put it behind them as they develop their economy on a model similar to Singapore.  When you see people on the streets though you can't help thinking about  how they behaved 18 years ago.

The bridge that separates Tanzania from Rwanda

In 1994 250,000 Tutsie refugees fled to Tanzania over this bridge in 24 hours

and bodies were floating down the river in the background

Cuso International and VSO volunteers in Africa part of a big family and when we all get together it is wonderful.  We kid each other, fool around, trade crazy stories about our experiences, eat huge meals, support each other and generally socialize to beat the band.  Although the purpose of the trip was to participate in the marathon the real fun was had in re-connecting with our 'volunteer family.' This camaraderie is a big factor in making our experience here so fulfilling.

    Debra and her two Friendly Giants

Fellow volunteers Djoke and Marc

Libraries in Boxes Start to Shape Up

We spent the afternoon sorting books into our Box Libraries.  We tried to make sure that each school's box got a selection of both non-fiction and fiction and that in each box there was a variety of interest and reading levels.

The next task is to organize workshops that will focus on activities that will encourage reading and reading related skills.

We Get 500 Litres of Water--Yahoo!

We got some water yesterday. I had made a call to Jean van Wetter, the VSO country director, and he put some wheels in motion and a phone call was made from Dar es Salaam to Kibaya.

The upshot of this call was that yesterday afternoon half a dozen big, medium and small water potatoes were gathered around our house and we got 500 litres of water.

 Trying to find a solution to our water problem

There appears to be three problems. There are two leaks in the water pipes on the other side of the road leading to our house. We happily forked over 15,000 Tsh (about nine dollars) to buy couplings and seals to fix these leaks. We are hoping that this will be done soon but, TIA.

The third problem is that the Tanzanian Revenue Authority office, that shares our water delivery pipe, has apparently been bending the pipe to increase the water pressure to their office. This has the effect of shutting off our supply. I couldn't make this stuff up.

This last problem may be more difficult to solve. It will require delicate and highly intense negotiations between the big potatoes at the local local water authority and the big potatoes at the revenue authority. This could take some time but hopefully we will have water on the district schedule sometime before there is peace in the Middle East.

Our Readers Respond to Our Water Crisis

This little guy sat on the edge of our rainwater bucket waiting to put in his two cents worth

In a previous post I asked for readers suggestions to help solve our water problem.  It has now been two weeks since we have received a water delivery.  As they say in the US military, things are rapidly moving from TARFU to FUBAR.  We are way beyond SNAFU now.

Ideas have been coming in from near and far.  Thanks to all of you who took the time to email us on this issue.  Keep your suggestions coming in.  We need all the help we can get.  Here are several of your suggestions and my responses.

•       George Washington (the face on the USD) is the king of the world.  You are rich, white outsiders in a very poor country.  Start giving gifts.  Start spreading around the happiness because money works to get a job done.  You are a long way away for my garden hose to reach.

Bribery is one way to go.  No question, Tanzania is one of the most corrupt countries on earth.  I am worried though about where it will end if I start passing out the Green Backs.  Kibaya is a very small village.  It is isolated and everyone knows us or at least knows of us.  If I start down Bribery Road it will be a bit like giving my chocolate pudding to Bubba at dinner in The Joint.  Where will it end?  It’s not only that, there is something slightly obscene about paying to work.

I asked Mr. Ndee about the possibilty of this solution.  He said definitely not.  Bribery is out of the question and people go to prison for it.  

•       Threaten to leave the project and return home.  You should not have to put up with this.  You need a reliable source of water.  Get more aggressive.  State if the situation doesn't change immediately it is 'bye-bye.'

This is certainly one option.  I cannot tell you how lucky we are to possess that most wonderful of all documents, the Canadian passport.  At any time we can hop on a bus to the nearest airport, throw down the VISA card and be outta here.  The ability to do this is a real comfort.  A wise man told me years ago when we first started to work in the developing world, 'Peter,' he said, 'whenever you work in the third world have enough FU money.' 

The main problem with this suggestion is that if we say bye-bye then we won't find out how things would have turned out. Sometimes it's interesting to ride it all the way down just to see how it plays out.  We also want to bring all of our projects to fruition.  In spite of our water difficulties the work is going very well.

•        Examine the logistics of the water route to your house.  Then search for a way to open the water valve without involving the water authorities.

Thank you James Bond.  Would you like that martini stirred or shaken?

•       Offer the water authorities something that is important to them or their kids, something to make them feel 'special'.  Offer free English lessons to their kids in return for water.  Perhaps have a feast for them after your water is turned on.

This may work.  I'm not sure how positive and up-beat I could be during the lessons though.  I could play hangman with the children using words like, corruption, bribery, theft, stealing and daddy.  I could serve humble pie at the feast. 

On a very positive note, it rained last night and we collected 25 litres.  Laissez les bons temps rouler. 

 

Model Classroom at Chemchem Primary

We've been working on our Model Classroom Project for a while now. Our plan was to refurbish a classroom in Chemchem Primary School in Kibaya to show what a stimulating learning environment looks like. The project is now firmly on the ground.

Assembling the teacher's desk

Mr. Jonas painted the classroom but things really took off when we added the teaching materials that we purchased in Dar es Salaam on our recent shopping safari. The funds for the project were very kindly donated by the Tanzania Development Trust (TDT) which made this achievement possible.

 Pupils eager to help with the unloading

A few teaching materials make a real difference. Things that Canadian elementary school students take for granted like maps, globes, comfortable furniture, a few interesting books and a bulletin board left these kids wide eyed.

Things starting to shape up where a pile of firewood used to sit

The pupils, teachers and Head Teacher were delighted when things started to take shape on Friday afternoon. Everyone wanted to participate by helping to unload the truck and then to set up the equipment. The kids eyes were glued to the books and maps.

Mr. Isaac teaching about tigers

We Go From One Water Crisis to Another

People here in Kiteto get water in a variety of ways. 

The rural poor take shovels to the river bed and dig holes until a puddle forms.  Then they scoop the water into small buckets and carry it home.  They often have short lifespans as water borne diseases take their inevitable toll.

Families who live in the town of Kibaya go to communal water pipes which are turned on three times a week.  The women gather around the tap, socialize while waiting, fill their plastic buckets and then carry them home on their heads.

Middle class people like us have big plastic SIM Tanks.  Three times a week the water supply is supposed to be turned on at the local authority office.  Then it flows through a pipe, to our part of town and fills our SIM tank.  When the water overflows from our SIM tank we know that it is full and then use the shut-off valve on the intake pipe to prevent water wastage.  Our SIM tank is about 15 feet above the ground and holds 500 liters; when it is full we have gravity fed running water.

Each part of town is on a different water schedule.  We are scheduled to get water three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Since we moved into this house at Christmas, things have not gone according to the district schedule.  Many, many times we just don't get water.  Our neighbours usually do though, and that makes things very demoralizing and stressful for us.  Their SIM tanks get filled and we see water flowing at the communal pipes. 

When it rains we collect the runoff from the roof of our house and go to ridiculous lengths to conserve the water that we do have. 

We have done everything we can think of to address this problem.  Our partners at the CERC, where our office is, have gone with us to the district water offices many times to help present our water problems.  Mr. Ndee has visited and phoned the offices for us on numerous occasions.  He has been very supportive.  Handshakes are exchanged and assurances are always given that we will get water according to the schedule.  We rarely do. 

When things get to a crisis situation, we once again go begging and cajoling to the district offices for our water supply to be turned on. 

Now, not even the begging is working.

I am not sure what else we can do, but I do know what we will not do.  These are lines in the sand which we will not cross. 

• Debra will not go to the communal tap and carry water home on her head.

•  I will not risk shredding my sciatica nerve by hauling water from our nearest neighbour, from the CERC or from the communal taps.

• We will not go to the river bed and dig down until a puddle forms.

• We will not share our colleague’s house again nor will we move into a motel room.

The thing is, our work here is going very well.  We are making real, solid progress with all of our projects.

Books are arriving from Canada for our Libraries in Boxes project, our Model Classroom project is nearing completion and we have just published Gab Fest, a book of very useful ESL lesson plans.  Twenty refurbished computers are due to arrive in Dar and are bound for Kibaya.  These computers have the potential to provide access to new skills and opportunity. 

The work with our primary school teachers is highly successful.  Our workshops are lively and well attended.  Workshops with our secondary school teachers are about to begin anew.  We respect the people we are working with and enjoy helping them.  We have formed many very solid relationships.

I invite our readers to provide us with some suggestions.  What should we do?

Six Big Boxes of Books Arrive From Canada

Ute, the librarian at a high school on the outskirts of Montreal, where I taught English and history for fifteen years, got on board to help with our Libraries in Boxes Project.  She organized the collection and shipping of six boxes of books to Tanzania.  She was helped by her principal, Dion and by Jamie, an enthusiastic English teacher.  Funding was also generously provided by the Black Family Association of the West Island.

Peter unpacking the books

Unpacking the boxes was a delight and a trip down memory lane.  It took ages to get the books out of the boxes because we were reading so many of them.  Ute did a brilliant job of selecting the perfect fiction and non-fiction books.  There were many of the old children's classics that we read to our own kids when they were growing up.  A stack of Hardy Boy books caught my attention and I began to remember the exciting adventures of Joe and Frank Hardy and their friend Chet.

  Debra checking out some of the titles

Nancy's Grandchildren Send us a Pile of Great Books

Nancy was a colleague of mine some time ago when I was teaching high school English and history.  She heard about our efforts to bring books to the primary schools of Kibaya and asked her grandchildren for help.  They took up the challenge and sent us a pile of their books.  Many thanks to Henry, Vivian, Sally, Emma and Elinor for their wonderful selection of fine books.  Who says kids can't make a difference?