Saturday, March 18, 2006

Getting Caught Up - March 7-9


The bead makers are busy beading up a storm. And it is a good thing, since both bandas will exceed their budget. They will make up the difference by creating more jewelry for Project TEMBO to sell in Canada. Yesterday, when we came into Arusha, Baraka and I visited the bead man in the market to purchase more supplies for the women. They especially needed more white beads and more wire.

After I had checked into the New Safari Hotel, where I will stay for three nights because there is no room at the Lutheran Center, we went over the supplies needed for the Kimokouwa banda. Since it will be a different shape, I wanted to be sure it would be “close” to the budget we set. By using the list of expenses for the Longido banda and making a few adjustments – and many additions the new fundi had left out – I calculated we could manage the additional cost. I bought more Tanzania shillings at the bureau de change and Baraka took the money with him when he returned so the fundi could get started with the work.

In Arusha, I met up with Pam Mountenay Cain and Bev Bennett-Arnold, two “retired” teachers from Ottawa who have come to Tanzania for possible work as consultants. They hope to lend their expertise to the building of a new private teachers’ college near Dar es Saalam. They are also interested in seeing the work Project TEMBO is doing and I am thrilled to be able to take them to our project area. Everything about life is different in rural areas, including education. To fully appreciate the difference, it is important to see other settings, so our first stop is a visit to St. Constantine’s, a private international school in Arusha.

St. Constantine’s sits on a sprawling 35 acres of land and is a collection of classrooms, computer and science labs, dormitories, housing for teachers, a cafeteria, kitchen, offices, library, an auditorium, two swimming pools, sports fields and a basketball court in the making. It is rich in resources and stimulation, and has a very low class sizes of around 20 students. It has many things a school in Canada would have. When the power cuts out a large generator kicks in. A continuous supply of water is supplied through a pump house. Students attending St. Constantine’s are often children of foreign diplomats, personnel at the Rwanda War Crimes Tribunal, or successful business people. Mama Janet, the headmistress, escorted us on a thorough visit of the premises.

The next morning we met Steven in Arusha. He had come to town to buy books for the new community library in Longido. To ensure he had suitable books, Steven had consulted staff at Longido Primary and Longido Secondary School, as well as other community members who made useful suggestions. Many of the books on his list had to be ordered so Steven opted to purchase books on Tanzania animals, vegetation, birds, nature and geography. These books would be appropriate for many primary school graduates and students who had attended secondary school or above. Later he will add books in the Maasai language and in Swahili for people with little or no formal education, as well as books for adult literacy and vocational training. We left Kase Bookstore on Boma Road with a full box for the library.

We picked up some ‘take away’ food at the Bamboo Café next door to eat on our way to Naasha Teachers’ College in Arusha where we had arranged to visit three of the students Project TEMBO is sponsoring. Steven had made arrangements for the students to attend Naasha after they were unable to get into other institutions. We found this Montessori Teacher Training Center tucked away behind a solid iron gate on a small crowded unpaved mud road. The head teacher told us a new building was under construction nearby as he showed us through the two tiny rooms crowded with desks where the students sat shoulder to shoulder for classes. In this extremely run-down, resource-poor setting, students come each day eager to learn so they will one day be able to find employment.

We met Luca and Elizabeth and were told Consolata, who has frequent epileptic episodes, was absent. Luca needed money for accommodation since previous arrangements had fallen through. Elizabeth needed money for a passport photo and for a school field trip to a national park. Both Luca and Elizabeth were positive about learning and grateful for their sponsorships. As we left, our amazement at how teachers could teach and students learn in such a setting stood in stark contrast to the broad smiles on the students’ faces.

We made the one and a half hour drive on the Arusha-Nairobi Road in the comfort of Steven’s African Wildlife Foundation vehicle and arrived in Longido in time to get settled into the guesthouse. Pam and Bev had opted to stay in Longido and experience rural community life rather than make the long commute each day. It was not the Holiday Inn, but everything in Tanzania is relative. Steven called Mama Francis to arrange for something extra special to be prepared for supper and after enjoying a stew of bananas, potatoes, and meat, along with beans, rice, a green vegetable, and some fresh fruit we were ready to settle into our private rooms for the night.

Before leaving Café La Mama’s, Pam had arranged to help Mama cook breakfast the next morning. Arrival time – 6:30 a.m. Baraka agreed to set his clock a little earlier so he could accompany Pam for the 10 minute walk down the hill. Bev and I would enjoy the sleep-in.

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