Ron and Linda in Tanzania

Going Home

2011-05-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

"Our Tanzanian Family"

Our time here is quickly coming to an end. It is hard to believe that we have only 4 days left in Tanzania. A year has gone by in a flash. I wonder if the time will go so quickly when we get home. We are going to miss Tanzania and the friends we have made tremendously. We have learned a lot from the people of Tanzania and our colleagues at CCT.

"Acounting with pencil and calculator"

As we wind down, I continue to work in the financial department and Ron is putting the finishing touches on the fourth web site he has designed and got up and running. This website is for the last of the CCT’s self-accounting units – the CCT Conference and Training Centre (www.cct-centre.org).

The Land for Life project is back on track and should move forward quickly from here on in. Bricks are being made and the floor for the first home is being prepared. Four bikes were purchased with money donated by Sylvie Spugies in order to provide means of transportation for the beneficiary families of the first four LFL homes. Sylvie’s donation was in memory of her mother.

"Bikes donated by Sylvie (SylvieCycles)"

Over Easter, we drove to Mwanza so we could see Lake Victoria. After all we couldn’t very well go home without tracing the route of Dr David Livingstone to Lake Victoria – albeit our travel was made on blacktop. It was a nine hour drive but it was very interesting as we had never been to this part of Tanzania. The rock formations along the way were fantastic. Huge rocks piled on top of one another so they looked as if they would fall at any minute. It was an enjoyable, relaxing weekend.

"Lake Victoria at sunset."

On 1 May we went to Dar es Salaam. Courtney Young, a university student studying at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, flew in that night. She is staying with us while she does some research on women’s issues in the developing world. She visited the Morogoro Women’s Training Centre (MWTC), worked at the Village of Hope for a few days, went to Singida with Mary Shuma (head of Women Development Children and Gender at CCT), consulted the HIV/AIDS department of CCT and did some homecare visits with the Grace and Healing Ministry Dodoma. Courtney and her family donated money to purchase 3 more bicycles which will be distributed to three other beneficiary families under the LFL programme.

"WAMA Website Design"

Monday 2 May, Ron worked on the web page and email setup for WAMA (Wakala wa Makanisa, a branch office of CCT). Then on 3 May he set up the email service for the Morogoro Women Training Centre.

On Mother’s Day, May 8th, we went to the University of Dodoma for two church services. At the request of the university chaplain, Ron delivered the sermons at both services. It was heart warming to see so many young people so joyfully taking part in worship. The attendance at the first service was about 400 and at the second over 600. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get our young people involved to this degree? They had an exam that afternoon also and some had to leave early to write it. We thought maybe missionaries should be coming to North America to re-introduce Christianity to our youths. The music was fantastic, definitely a joyous noise unto the Lord.

"Improvised charcoal oven"

On Wednesday, I was invited to assist the Director of the Grace and Healing Ministry Dodoma (GHMD), Tiffanee Wright, teach a cake baking course. Since there were no ovens we used a large pot containing a layer of sand, with hot charcoal below and on a metal sheet above. My days as a Girl Guide leader improvising ovens to bake cakes at camp proved useful. The course had 15 women attend and we were able to successfully make two chocolate cakes and two white cakes. Ron came over from the CCT to sample a small piece of the chocolate and a small piece of white cake - we don't get many deserts here. Once the cakes were completed they were served to the young orphans and vulnerable children the GHMD look after and feed. Some of the staff were able to sample a piece of cake as well.

"The class watches intently as Tiffanee goes over the recipe."

The CCT held a farewell party for us on Saturday, 14 May. We had a wonderful meal which include tilapia, chicken, ugali (big dumpling), mchicha (greens) and other local vegetables. Following the meal, I thanked our friends and colleagues for a wonderful year of fellowship, personal growth and cultural learning. The General Secretary closed the formal part of the even with a word of thanks for our service to the CCT and people of Tanzania.

"Cast & Crew of CCT"

Before the evening concluded, we were presented with gifts of appreciation. Our gifts were unique and thoughtful. Ron received a Massai elder’s club which depending how it is held, signifies either wisdom or authority. I received a hand-beaded Massai shawl. The presentation of the gifts was unique as well, involving singing as the gifts were brought forwarded.

"Gift presentation by Finance Department"

Jenn & Tyler's Visit

2011-03-28T01:58:00.000-07:00

"Jenn & Tyler at Tandala Tented Lodge - Ruaha National Park, Tz"

"Lions watch as we get unstuck"

Jenn and Tyler have been here and have gone home already. It was a treat to have them with us but 2 weeks is way to short of a time. We took them to the Tandala Tented Lodge, which is an adventure in itself. The tents are up on a platform about 8 feet high. The lodge owners have a pond that they keep full of water for the animals, they need a separate pool or else the elephants come to drink from the swimming pool. The elephants come there every day, as do giraffes and sometimes warthogs, lions and hyenas. From Tandala we went on a safari to Rhuaha National Park. This was an exciting adventure as we got stuck in the sand about 15 feet from a pride of lions, which we were observing, as they rested under a tree. They were not impressed by the noise of our revving engine and even less so when the driver had to get out to lock the wheels in four wheel drive. We were all very tense and nervous, but the lions didn’t want to eat us, so we were okay and we got unstuck.

"Bull elephant in full charge"

A bit farther away we came across a group of elephants. On one side of the road were the females and the young ones and on the other was a big bull. We stopped to watch them but the bull thought we were too close to his family. He crossed the road, stared at us while flapping his ears and trumpeting, then charged at us. The guide said he was only trying to intimidate us. It worked as we were all intimidated except the guide and driver. We didn’t move so he took some slow steps backwards, and then joined the rest of the herd. We got to see many other animals also. They are so beautiful…… what a great experience.

"Lily's 4th Birthday"

From Tandala we came back to Dodoma for a few days. Lily had her fourth birthday on March 13th. She got gifts and we had birthday cake. We have become quite attached to her. She liked having Jenn and Tyler here too, and was sad to see them pack up to leave.

"Could Jenn have found the same starfish?"

On Tuesday we drove to Peponi, a resort on the Indian Ocean. Jenn, Tyler and Ron went snorkelling there and saw many beautiful fish. I went along to take pictures and enjoy lunch together on Sand Island. This time I didn’t get sea sick. All too soon, we had to head back to Dar es Salaam so Jenn and Tyler could catch the plane home.

Tukista had her birthday on the 18th of March, so of course we had another birthday cake. We’re really getting caked out and it’s not easy making a cake in an “easy bake” oven without a temperature control. We do the best we can.

One of our hens has decided she wants to hatch some eggs so she has been sitting on an empty nest for a week. What a silly old hen! The other 2 are laying very well and we are beginning to get quite a few eggs stockpiled. Are eggs healthy now?

Ron has started his 3rd website. This time the site is for the CCT self-accounting unit called WAMA which stands for Wakala wa Makanisa. WAMA is the logistics arm of the CCT which is located in Dar es Salaam.

Update 3 March 2011

2011-03-04T00:10:00.000-08:00

"Chris & Martin on Safari"

It’s hard to believe that it’s March already. Time goes so quickly.

"Linda inspects her student's work:

Ron and I went to Morogoro to do some more painting at the Morogoro Women Training Centre (MWTC). This time we did the large hall but it was a teaching session. There were 4 of the staff whom we showed how to paint so from now on they won’t have to hire ‘fundis’ to do the job. They were keen to learn and our limited Swahili worked just fine.

"Joshua & Michael admiring their work."

"Chris & Martin ready to embark on a Safari"

Chris and Martin came on the 15th of February. We had a wonderful time. It was so good to see them. They arrived at 9:30 am so we headed to Peponi resort right away. We didn’t give them much time to recover from the flight as we wanted to do so many things. One day they went snorkeling in the Indian Ocean and the next day we toured the City of Tanga. Then we drove to Arusha where the boys were picked up to go on a safari to Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks. They were gone for three days and had a great time. Their last 3 days here were at Dodoma where we introduced them around and enjoyed being with them. The 2 weeks went way too fast. On the day they boarded the plane in Dar es Salaam, we had time to show them around several craft shops where Chris especially, practiced the art of bargaining – ‘punguza tafadhali’ which is Swahili for ‘lower your price please’.

"Look mom what I found"

"Lily and Linda sad about Chris & Martin leaving"

Our return flight to Canada has been booked and we will be coming home on the 20th of May. Has it been a year already? Where did the time go? Before returning to Saskatchewan, we will stay with Jenn & Tyler for a few weeks to look after debriefings at the UCC Office. It is with mixed feelings that we anticipate this date. We look forward to the comforts of home in Canada but we have enjoyed our time here. We will miss our work and good friends that we have made. I’m especially going to miss Tukista and Lily. I’m trying not to think about that.

Our garden has been a treat. It is so nice to be able to plant at any time of the year. We have been eating watermelon and zucchini and the corn will soon be ready. It is taller than me. Our papaya tree has some fruit on it but they need to get a lot bigger.

"Linda admiring corn crop with chickens looking on expectantly."

Ron has started working on another website, this time for the Morogoro Women Training Centre. Being the chauvinist that he is, he chose pink as the ‘theme’ colour for the site. It looks very nice though and when he has more content from the director, he will be able to post it to the web. His goal is to ‘go live’ by the end of March.

The Land for Life Project is moving ahead in ‘fits and starts’. We experienced some cash flow issues as we waited for money to be transferred from the ‘Designated Gift’ fund at the UCC Toronto Office, but were pleased to learn that the amount in the fund is higher than expected. Some of the money from the Designated Gift fund was used to purchase four acres in the Village of Nzuguni which is just outside of Dodoma. Four foundations have been dug and the footing has been prepared for the 1st house. So far, the plan in the near term is to build 3 homes and an outdoor toilet. Then another two homes can be built in April. We are hopeful that this will demonstrate that CCT can complete this type of project, on a small budget. Then other donors may come forward to help more AIDS-affected families and families with Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) have a better and more sustainable life.

Now we’re looking forward to a visit with Jenn and Tyler……

Christmas and more

2011-02-04T01:37:00.000-08:00

"Christmas Lizard"

Christmas came and went very quickly.

Before Christmas we attended the celebration for the confirmation of the daughter of a colleague. It was a big event which was to start at 1:00 according to our invitation but never began until 3:00. It was a very important day for Elsie who had committed to follow Christ. There was music, dancing, speeches, prayers, a lot of good food and gifts. It was a truly wonderful experience. We had to leave early at 6:30, as we were attending a Christmas Candlelight Service at the Anglican Cathedral.

The candlelight service was also very good. It was an excellent build up to Christmas. We love singing Christmas carols and of course it was followed by refreshments, food and fellowship. We went home with our hearts and stomachs full.

We drove to Dar es Salaam on 20 December to pick up Ron’s sister Frances and her husband Alar at the airport on the 21st. They arrived safe and sound in a down pour of rain. It was good to have some family around for Christmas, as Tukista and Lily had gone to spend 10 days with her family at Iringa.

"Christmas Table"

Christmas day we went to church, then the four of us spent a rather quiet day. Christmas dinner was a roast chicken. It was a relaxing and reflective day.

"Resting after a giraffe meal"

CCT was closed from the 20th December to 4th January. We took advantage of that time to visit Tandala Tented Lodge where we stayed for 4 nights. It was a wonderful break. One day we went on a safari to Ruaha National Park. There were many baboons along the road to the park as well as antelope, giraffes and elephants. In the park we got to see close the previously mentioned animals plus hippos, buffalo, greater kundus, warthogs, crocodiles, zebras and lions. We were very, very close to the lions. They were resting after a feast of giraffe and we drove between the females and cubs and the male who was guarding the remaining kill. We were only about 10 feet from a female but she wasn’t interested in us….. thank goodness as we were in an open jeep. It was great! On the lodge grounds elephants came everyday to get water from the pond the lodge owners kept full of water for them.

"Tarzan and Jane at home in their tree house"

We had our anniversary at Tandala and Ron had arranged for a special dinner for us. We ate a delicious meal under an African sky full of stars. It was wonderful. He still surprises me after all these years.

One day as we were driving down the road, we had to stop for an elephant to run across followed by another and then the third - a big male chasing the two younger males. He was angry….. he took a few steps towards us with his ears flapping…… Ron reversed the truck quickly ……. and he decided he’d rather chase the young males away. Whew!

After the Christmas break, Frances started helping out at The Village of Hope, which is a catholic orphanage, primarily for HIV/AIDS affected children and orphans. She spent 3 weeks with them and enjoyed her time there very much. They want her to come back. Ron went back to his office at CCT and Alar and I started to fix up and paint a CCT house that had been empty for 2 years. After a great deal of elbow grease and help from Ron and Frances when they finished their other jobs, we got it ready to paint. Four weeks of work later and it is just about ready for our colleague to move in. It just needs some plumbing done.

With one week left before Frances and Alar’s return to Canada, we took a holiday with them. We went to Tanga and stayed at Peponi, a rustic resort on the Indian Ocean. Ron, Frances and Alar went snorkelling one day and had a wonderful day. I stayed at camp and relaxed, not being a swimmer. We then went to Zanzibar for three days and enjoyed every minute. We went on a tour of Old Stone Town and a Spice farm. On February 1 it was back to Dar, dealing with their traffic and then saying goodbye to Frances and Alar, as they left for the Canadian winter.

On 3 Feb, we celebrated the Dedication of the Land for Life Programme. Eight beneficiary families and many volunteers participated in a short worship service to dedicate the site and then everyone set about clearing the land and preparing garden plots. A brick making machine has been purchased and all is ready to begin constrution of the first eight homes. Please go to the News & Events of the CCT website for more information and pictures: http://www.cct-tz.org/

Advent Blog from Dodoma, Tanzania

2010-12-05T01:20:00.000-08:00

"Referred to in Tanzania as Christmas Trees they bloom at the start of Advent"

Karibu! It is hard to believe that we have been in Tanzania for six months already. Time is flying by.

"Wendy meets the Lockes"

14 November we travelled to Dar es Salaam to meet Wendy Gichuru at the airport. Wendy is our United Church of Canada (UCC) point of contact. It was great to finally meet her face to face and talk about Tanzania. The next day we drove back to Dodoma. While Wendy was here, we took her to visit some projects that the UCC is supporting, dealing with women gender issues, in Kiteto, and then to the Morogoro Women’s Training Center.

"Zanzibar Sunrise"

On 17 November we attended the Round Table meeting of CCT and their partners, on the island of Zanzibar. It was a great opportunity to meet the CCT Partners and learn more about how the partnership works. We were pleased to see the significant way the United Church’s Mission & Service fund supports the CCT financially as well as by providing two wonderfully gifted missionaries to serve with them in Dodoma. Our Hotel in Zanzibar called the Azanzi was in a beautiful setting looking out over the Indian Ocean and the ocean breeze provided a very welcome respite from the extreme heat.

"Linda ventures into the Indian Ocean"

We’re looking forward to our first Christmas in Tanzania. We have been thinking of buying a can of fake snow for a little touch of home. Ron’s sister and her husband are coming to visit and will be here to help us celebrate. As we approach the Christmas season, we are anxious to learn how Tanzanians herald the birth of Jesus and look forward to joining with them in celebration.

"Our Dodoma 'Sparkle Up' "

Our Swahili lessons continue. We have a tutor, who comes to our office after work, three times a week, to teach us and I think we are improving. We are able to go shopping and do the necessary things.

Ron’s work on the new CCT website has progressed well. On 3 December he posted it to the web server, albeit with a limited amount of content. Now the Department Heads need to get information to Ron so it can be entered and viola, CCT will have a new, updated web page. Have a look and let us know what you think…. http://www.cct-tz.org/

The HIV/AIDS “Land for Life” project that we are championing is still waiting for land to be granted by CDA so that work can begin. The solar LED lights have been ordered and are on the way from Light Up the World.

We wish everyone a joyous and blessed Christmas season!

Bwana asifiwe!

Five Months In

2010-11-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

"On our bedroom wall - a good 3" across"

In our last entry we told you about the new additions to our family, our chickens. Well, things didn’t go so well for them. They got a sickness and all died but one. That one will not be giving us any eggs as about 2 weeks ago he started to crow. Now we’re waiting to get some more hens.

For most of October, we had a tutor come to our house to give us some Swahili training. She is a student teacher who was in Dodoma doing a work term in a school here. Unfortunately, she has gone back to Dar es Salaam to continue her studies. We have contacted another teacher who is teaching at a school for ex-pat children and she will be starting to tutor us very soon. We may still be able to learn to speak Swahili before we come home.

Last month we were shocked to learn that our night guard’s 1 year old daughter died by choking on a peanut. His family lives in Singida which is about three hours from here. We didn’t know that his family wasn’t here in Dodoma with him and here he was working 7 days a week for us. We have now hired another guard to work 5 days a month so that Daniel can go home to his family for a few days each month. It is not uncommon in Tanzania for family members to live apart in order to find employment but at least now Daniel will have some time at home. We in Canada have so much to be thankful for.

"Lily easily handles Ron's pass"

In October, we hired a local school teacher to come to our house 4 days a week to teach our housekeeper English. We worry about what will happen to her and little Lily when we return to Canada. If Tukista is able to progress well enough, then our plan is to get her into an adult High School class in January.

We’re still waiting for CDA to grant us a parcel of land for the first eight homes of the Land for Life project. There is a back up plan but CCT is really counting on CDA to come through. We now have funding in place to build three of the eight homes and have our fingers crossed that CIDA will look favourably on our grant application for the other 5 homes.

"Maternal Health Care Worker Curriculum Development"

Last week we travelled to the Morogoro Women’s Training Center (MWTC) along with two other CCT staff, to work on the development of the Traditional Birth Assistant Upgrade Course. It was decided to rename the course the “Maternal Health Care Worker Course”. Tanzanian Ministry of Health staff will conduct six days of the training and MWTC will provide instruction for the remaining five days of the eleven day course. Attendees will receive a certificate upon completion of the course signed by both the Ministry of Health and the Director of the MWTC.

"CCT Website Banner - will have slideshow in grey area."

Ron has been making very good progress on the CCT website and next week he will present to the CCT management the website framework. From the framework, the staff will be able to get a sense of the look and feel of the site. Once the content and pictures are provided, the site should be able to go live before the end of the month. A special thanks to Klassen Graphics of Moose Jaw who redid the CCT logo for us without charge!

We have started making plans for Ron’s sister’s visit. She and her husband Alar will be with us for Christmas. We’re getting excited about it. After Christmas we plan to do a safari to the Ruaha National Park and stay at the Tandala Tented Lodge http://www.tandalatentedcamp.com/ .

The weather is warming up here. Most days are 31 or 32 degrees and sunny. That’s pretty warm for us but the nights cool off nicely, so that is good. There has not been any rain in Dodoma yet but it will be coming soon.

This month we will be going to Zanzibar for a Round Table meeting with the partners of CCT. Wendy from UCC will be attending and visiting with us. We are looking forward to having a little time, following the two days of meetings, to tour the island.

Month Four in Tanzania

2010-09-29T03:02:00.000-07:00

"Linda's new 'birthday' dress"

Time is really flying by! Everything is going well here in Dodoma. The weather is great, not too hot yet. We have added to our household. We now have 7 chickens that we have named: Donna, Frances, Wilma, Betty, Irene, Tracey and Bwana (Mr.) T(anzania). I don’t think we will be eating any of them but we will enjoy their eggs.

"Lily tries out the chicken coop"

Before we got the chickens though we had to have a chicken coop constructed. We were introduced to a builder but we purchased the supplies with help from a colleague at CCT and the design was one we drew up. It’s not very big but there are only 7 chickens and they seem very happy to live there. Now where are the eggs??

Our daily routine continues with Linda in the CCT financial department and Ron working on the web page design. In any slow time we are continuing to work on the “Land for Life” project to benefit HIV/AIDS affected families and Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC). We attended a seminar for organizations who are working with HIV/AIDS affected families. Ron gave a presentation on the proposed land for life project. We made many very valuable contacts and it will be good to collaborate rather than each group working alone with a lot of duplication of the basic ground work. The plan is to have more of these information gathering meetings to share ideas, successes and road blocks. We met the director of the Grace and Healing Ministry of Dodoma and we were invited to attend their next gathering with the Ipagala group of about 25 HIV/AIDS affected women.

"Ron briefs on Land for Life"

We attended the fellowship at the small Mennonite Church with the Ipagala group. The afternoon began with a meal, followed by a slide presentation on the microbicide gel that was announced at the Vienna HIV/AIDS conference, and its effectiveness. While the Grace and Healing Ministry was passing out food supplies to the women, Ron and I walked the grounds with the Pastor, to find a possible location to build 8 “Land for Life” homes. This was an informative and enjoyable afternoon. On a second visit to Ipagala, Ron gave some of the potential beneficiaries a presentation on the Land for Life homes and received suggestions and comments from the group.

"UDDT Squatting Plate"

We’re trying to be very environmentally friendly in the home design with solar powered LED lights and urine diversion dehydrating toilets (UDDT). These toilets along with the capture of grey water will provide fertilizer and water for the gardens. Now we would really like to be able to begin building in October. We would appreciate your prayers for the success of this project. This will be a proof of concept trial. If all goes well many more families can be helped.

"Squatter Homes on Mennonite Land"

Back from Arusha

2010-08-25T00:51:00.000-07:00

"Landscape as seen from the MAF plane"

We have just returned from a Swahili language course in Arusha at MS-TCDC, a Danish run school. Our journey was made on a MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) flight. We were thankful not to have had to drive as it is at least a 12 hour drive. It was a small plane that was full with 7 passengers and was a great flight. The return flight was on an even smaller plane and we were the only two passengers.

"Monkeys were fun until they jump on your roof at 5 am"

Now back to the language course. It was a tremendous opportunity and experience. We were in a class of 5. We were well matched and worked well together. It was a lot to learn in a very short time but we were surprised at how much we absorbed. During the second week, we were taken to the market, given 1000 shillings each and tasked to buy some food items for the kitchen. Of course we had to bargain for the best price and all this in Swahili! We drove some hard bargains and came back with more produce than we thought possible. Together, Ron and I got 4 pile pile hoho (pronounced like “pill ee” what a great name) which are green peppers, 5 bunches of michicha (greens like spinach), 2 parachichi (avocado) and 1 papai (papaya). Quite a lot for 2000 Tsh, which is less than $1.50. It was a stressful but fun morning.

"Mealtime - table for five at the Cadle of Love Baby Home"

"Linda trying to keep up"

One afternoon our class made arrangements to visit “The Cradle of Love Baby Home – Arusha” which is a short walk from the TCDC. In Tanzania, the Cradle of Love Baby Home is responding to the cries of orphaned and abandoned babies. Within the region of Arusha there is one other home for infants and toddlers; however, they do not accept HIV positive babies and are often overflowing. Established to provide interim care for infants in need, the Cradle of Love Baby Home creates a safe environment where the babies receive proper nutrition and medical care, as well as all the love and attention they deserve. Since it responds to those found HIV positive, there are times when a baby dies; however, that infant will feel loved and secure until its last breath. At the time of our visit, they had 37 children all under the age of three. They were delightful and very friendly. We stayed to help feed them dinner which was fun and a challenge to keep up with the demand.

All of the language students went to the “Watoto Foundation” in Arusha which is a school for street boys between the ages of 13 and 18. They are given school lessons in the morning and in the afternoon they have trades training. They can learn to farm, care for animals, garden, or do carpentry, welding, masonry, machinery repair or general construction. Each language student was shown around the site and shops by a foundation’s student. All their activities were explained to us in Swahili. Good work is being done here.

After classes on the final afternoon those who were interested went to visit a traditional healer and to learn some of the local customs and traditions. Two doctors, a nurse and several female students were invited by the healer to accompany him as he performed an examination on an expectant mother.

"Just a little off the top"

Our time in Arusha was three weeks jam-packed with learning. Once more, the phrase “drinking from a fire hose” comes to mind. Now that we are back in Dodoma many of our colleagues are trying to speak to us very swiftly, so we are having some trouble. We just need to remind them to talk “polepole” or slowly. Photo right: Ron used his best Kiswahili to ask: “Ninapenda Kukata nywele kidogo” meaning I want my hair cut a little. But as you can see, the barber didn’t interpret it that way.

The picture below is a colourized rendering of the Land for Life project home drawings done by Teresa Johanessma-Wood, formerly of Mortlach, Saskatchewan. A drawing of the floor plan follows later

While we were away, things have been progressing at the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT). The CCT, as the Implementing Organization, is bringing together several partners for the Proof of Concept (POC) phase of the ‘Land for Life’ project. These partners include: the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) a member church of the CCT, the Centre for Community Initiatives, Grace and Healing Ministry Dodoma (GHMD), Light Up The World, Floresta and Heifer. The Mennonite Church has some land just to the north of Dodoma in Ipagala, where the POC phase of the project could take place. There is also an adjacent parcel of land, for which the CCT may seek title from the District. Next week we will walk the site to see how many houses can comfortably fit there. It may be necessary to find creative ways to address land ownership since the available land is not optimal in size for individual titles – possibly a cooperative structure formed by the beneficiary families could be the answer. In this case, the housing project may change somewhat from the original concept in order to adapt to the local situation.

Mining in Tanzania

2010-07-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

We were invited to attend a seminar/ workshop on “Mining in Tanzania” in Dar es Salaam on 5 July, 2010. We learned of the many natural resources that are present in Tanzania: diamonds, gold, cobalt, copper, nickel, platinum, uranium, silver, tanzanite and coal. Mining is the fastest growing sector of the Tanzanian economy but the impact on the environment and the people in the area of the mines is not a positive one. The people are not against mining. They want the industry to grow but it should bring benefits to the people of Tanzania. It was a hard seminar to sit through as proud Canadians. A great many of the reports that were presented were about Canada’s Barrick Gold operations and the harm they are doing to the environment and the local people. It was stated that at one site the tailings pond had leaked and contaminated the ground water. Cattle died and people became very ill and some even died. Cyanide was found to be present in water samples. When the Barrick Corporation was told of this, they responded that the ponds were constructed properly but that the containment mats had been removed by local people, thus causing the leakage. Even if this were possible and true, should they not be responsible to clean up their mess and compensate the injured parties? To further add to our discomfort, we heard how the former Canadian High Commissioner to Tanzania is now working for Barrick Gold. While technically not a conflict of interest, because he waited the requisite one year after leaving his position, the optics are bad.

We heard from a lawyer representing the Lawyers’ Environmental Action Team (LEAT) who had been imprisoned for speaking out about the damages done by Barrick. He was released on Christmas Day after some Canadians from Calgary got involved on his behalf. He was very passionate in his presentation and obviously wants to see stiffer regulations put upon the mining companies. Barrick Gold has the power and the resources to act in a responsible and humane way to make this right. We hope and pray they have the will to do so, for the good of the Tanzanian people. Photo (Linda, Ron and John Mapesa, CCT HR Officer, listen intently)

On 6 July, we visited USAID and CIDA to talk to them about a Birthing Assistant Upgrade Course being proposed for the CCT Morogoro Women’s Training Centre. We are collaborating on this course with the director of the Training Centre and the Programme Officer, Women Development, Children and Gender department of the CCT. We also talked about a housing project tentatively called "Land for Life" which CCT is hoping to start with several partners, to benefit the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) of HIV/AIDS affected families. We’re still brainstorming this idea with Dr Ndezi of the Centre for Community Initiatives (CCI), Light Up The World and the HIV/AIDS department of CCT. Theresa Johannesma-Wood, formerly of Mortlach Sk, has kindly offered to do architectural drawings of Ron’s napkin sketches of a small house (350 sq ft). Beneficiaries will be required to make some 3200 bricks from cement and clay-sand provided. We are anticipating delivering the homes, 1 acre of arable land, solar lighting and some livestock / chickens for around $2000.

We’re looking forward to going to the MS-TCDC in Arusha. It is a Danish Training Centre for Development Cooperation, originally established in 1976 to prepare Danish volunteers for assignments in Eastern and Southern African countries. Their mission was later expanded to include language training. Many of the participants at the TCDC now come for Kiswahili courses. Thanks to our sponsor, the United Church of Canada, that is what we will be doing, taking a beginner Kiswahili course. It begins 26 July and ends 13 August.

The weather has been fine for us here. It is Tanzania’s cold season and the temperature runs about 26-28C during the day and cools off a bit at night. Although we hear it may be cooler at Arusha when we go for the language course. We’re enjoying our time here and keeping busy.

Letters From Tanzania

2010-06-24T02:54:00.000-07:00

Ron & Linda Locke's House in Dodoma

Greetings from Dodoma, Tanzania. We arrived in Dodoma, via Dar es Salaam, on 28 May 2010. We were warmly welcomed, at a dinner, by the General Secretary (GS) and 10 staff members from the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT). We were each given a piece of material which was wrapped around us to “Africanize” us.

The following week we attended a three day conference, where the CCT hosted 80 bishops from the different dioceses in Tanzania. Some of the CCT staff acted as translators for us as it was conducted in Kiswahili. A great deal of information was passed on and we were introduced to the group.

A couple of days were spent moving into our house and getting settled, and then we were off to Morogoro where we had two days to tour and discuss the CCT Morogoro Women’s Training Centre. It is a great facility which was inaugurated in 1979 by the CCT with funding support from the Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (IODC) Netherlands. It had a larger hall and two more housing units built in 2003. It is used to bring women in from the surrounding villages, for about two weeks, for courses on how to better their lives. We had a brainstorming session with the director to develop a course to reduce occurrences of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), aimed at birthing assistants who do this procedure. We drew up a rough budget and will meet with Foreign Donor Agencies in an effort to secure funding. The second day, we met the Chaplin at the Sokoine University of Agriculture and had a tour of the CCT Chapel on the campus.

Two days home and we were off to Kibaya with the CCT Women Development, Children and Gender Programme Officer for a seminar on gender based violence presented to 40 teachers from remote villages. The schools were closed this week so teachers were free to come for the four days. It was quite an awakening to hear the horrific stories they told about the violence against women and girls in the communities they are from. However, it was very heart warming to see the teachers’ enthusiasm and dedication. They have a very important job and hopefully by reaching the children changes can be made in the future. Note: Teachers in Tanzania are paid 100,000 Tanzanian Shillings a month or approximately $70.50 Cdn.

While having dinner with one of our colleagues from CCT, who heads up the department for HIV/AIDS, we learned about an aids-affected family who is in need of help. The father died and relatives sold their home and possessions leaving the mother, who is handicapped and HIV positive, with 4 children. They live in a mud house loaned to them by a kind neighbour. The oldest son, Mzigo, goes to school and is doing very well in his studies considering the time he has available. He and his brother carry water for their neighbours in order to bring some money in for the family to live on. It was suggested that if they had some land that they owned, they could raise some goats, chickens and have a garden to earn money. We were approached by relatives in Canada, who have young children that want to give their birthday money to help children here. What a good place to put their money – purchasing a small parcel of farm land for this family!

During the same dinner the husband of our colleague, was relating his job to us. He heads up the Centre for Community Initiatives (CCI) whose mandate is to improve the living conditions in slum or shanty neighbourhoods. Ron had worked in Afghanistan, with an organization from Canada called “Light Up The World” so we’re connecting the two groups to see if they can work together to provide solar-powered LED lights in their improved homes.

Besides this, Ron heads up the Information and Communication Department at CCT and is becoming familiar with that position while Linda works in the financial department at CCT.

2010-06-20T02:08:00.000-07:00

Ron & Linda in Tanzania

Here we are being welcomed to Dodoma by the General Secretary and Staff of the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT).