This article is about the courage and resilience of two young people supported by Busega Scotland.

First, there is Shida. She is 9 years old and arrived at Mayega Children’s Centre earlier this year with extremely limited sight. Second, there is Monica. A couple of months ago, our Mayega graduate and member of the Moving-on Project, had a very serious accident while cooking. She was burnt and scalded. Both young people have had spells in hospital.

Shida has just returned to Mayega after her second 1000 mile round trip to the Kilimanjaro Medical Centre. This resulted in the third operation on her most damaged eye – she was in the operating theatre for 3.5 hours. Initial indications are that her distance vision has improved. She will go back in October for a check-up and hopefully treatment on the other eye.

Monica was hospitalised in Mwanza for her treatment, on what were very painful injuries. She is a second year student at Nyakato College, studying domestic electrical installation. She has recently returned to her studies but problems with one of her wounds has necessitated a further hospital visit.

Both girls are incredibly brave.

The cost of Shida’s very specialist treatment, travel and subsistence is likely to exceed £1500 – an expense that we had not anticipated. Busega Scotland’s fundraising events up to Christmas will focus on Shida but if any supporter wants to make a personal contribution then this can be done through the website.

Last November, Peter Hagenbuch walked 50 miles in one day to raise funds for Busega Scotland and other charities! If that wasn’t support enough, Peter is part of a bluegrass and folk group called Albakirkie. The band played on our behalf at West Calder Senior Citizens Club. The club donated £160 and this will be passed on to us. Peter’s employers have also added another £100!

We would love to have Albakirkie play for us in Moray. They live 200 miles away but you never know!

Closer to home, there will be a folk night at Garmouth and Kingston Golf Club on 13^th October, as a ‘Shindig for Shida’. Shida is the 9 year old girl at Mayega Children’s Centre who has serious sight problems requiring specialised hospital treatment. The musicians at the concert will be from the Moray area and we are looking forward to a very special evening.

The generosity of folk in giving their time and talent to help our work in Tanzania is quite remarkable. Thanks also go to the ladies and gentlemen of West Calder.

Avid readers of this website may recall a previous article on the erection of a chicken/goat proof fence, around a 25m x 15m parcel of land adjacent to the Mayega Children’s Centre. The ground was then developed through planting leguminous jack beans and addition of cow and chicken manure. But the kitchen garden remained ‘in preparation’ until earlier this year, when the water supply reached the centre.

Bingo! Staff and children have turned the opportunity into a flourishing vegetable patch. The photos show the variety of vegetables being grown, and so available to improve the children’s diet. One picture shows Rose, our Assistant Cook, preparing mchicha, a local form of spinach.

How inspiring are these photographs, and they show what can be done even in the arid conditions of Mayega, with a reliable water supply. The Mayega Water Group are awaiting the outcome of a funding application to increase the number of standpipes across Mayega village and then the kitchen garden can become a village teaching garden, for experimentation and training. How great it is that the Children’s Centre are showing what can be achieved.

When Christine and John were in Tanzania earlier this year they experienced untypically heavy ‘long rains’. Farmers had been experiencing limited rainfall in recent years but not so in 2018. In fact, too much in too short a period causing serious damage and loss of life.

Mwanza was not spared the deluge, and flash flooding has caused damage to the foundations of Rev Deuli’s house.

Rev Deuli is our Project Leader in Mwanza, and lives ‘up the hill’. This is not uncommon, as Mwanza is set in a series of valleys and on granite outcrops, giving it the nickname ‘Rock City’.

Instead of waiting for his house to fall down, Rev Deuli is proactively building another home adjacent to the old one. In Tanzania, construction occurs when money is available and can be a family/community activity. So far, the foundations are in place, with help from a younger brother and church congregation. It make take a while, but the house will be built and, being a wise man, the pastor is building his new house securely on the rock!

John and Christine, along with supporters Peter and Sandra Anderson and Judy Campbell, spent a week at the Refuel festival in the Gordon Castle estate. This is home ground for the Carneys as the site is just 3 miles from their home.

Refuel is Christian festival and Busega Scotland has been invited for the last two years to have a stall in the Marketplace, along with many other charities. Our stall was well stocked with African crafts, cloth, shopping bags, t-shirts, jigsaws and Mayega shukas.

We had a particular focus on Shida. Previous items on this website tell the story of how she arrived at Mayega Children’s Centre with severe sight problems. Prompt treatment has led to sight returning in her right eye and she will return to hospital in August to treat a cataract in her other eye. This involves a 1,000 mile round trip. She is such a brave and positive young girl.

The sales and donations at Refuel amounted to £375 (including Gift Aid). The estimated cost of Shida’s treatment and expenses is £1200. Busega Scotland will meet these costs but it is a significant and unexpected demand on our funds. If any readers wish to contribute to Shida’s treatment then this can be done in the usual ways, including the Donate Now button on our website’s front page.

Edina and Shida at Mayega Children’s Centre

An Aberlour Child Care Trust project in Elgin has become a valued partner of Busega Scotland. Moray Options provides services for children affected by disabilities. The project, its staff, and the families they support, have helped us in many different ways; participating in sponsored walks, filling Smartie tubes with 20p’s, having a Busega Scotland news corner and by providing office space and facilities.

The support is not just one way, as John chairs the Moray Options fostering panel and service manager Sheena Main says, ‘it is part of Aberlour’s philosophy and values to reach out and participate in the community, be that local or further afield. We are delighted to support Busega Scotland in the excellent work that it does. The services are so similar that Busega could be called ‘Aberlour in Africa!’.

The Aberlour Trust has its roots in Moray. An orphanage was opened in the village of Aberlour in 1875 to look after four ‘mitherless bairns’. It closed its doors in 1967 and since then the trust has become the leading Scottish children’s charity, with services in residential care and fostering, dependency, early years, disability and early intervention youth work.

Arriving at Mayega must be a daunting thing for any young child. Edina arrived with her grandmother and the bond between them is very strong. Sadly Bibi’s health is deteriorating and she is no longer able to care for her.

The two of them have lived together for the last four years after Edina’s family situation broke down.  With concerns growing for both of them help was sought by village officials from Busega District Council and Mayega Children’s Centre was asked to provide a place for the little girl.  The other children and staff are doing all they can to help Edina feel at home .

Bibi will visit when she is able and we will try to ensure that contact is maintained between them. We hope that Edina will join Standard 1 at Mayega Primary School soon.

John and Christine were delighted to be guests of the Rotary Club of Aberlour at their summer garden party. The weather was good and the venue superb – the rose garden of Ballindalloch Castle. The President of Aberlour Rotary, Louise Gordon, and her husband, Giles, made us most welcome. John had given a talk to the Club earlier in the year and it was good to meet members again.  A Busega Scotland stall attracted attention, and we had good conversations and made some sales. One of the Mayega Shukas was auctioned, and the afternoon realised £215 for our work in Tanzania.

It was fitting that the highest bidder for the shuka was the Macpherson-Grant family, who live in Ballindalloch Castle. The castle has been the ancestral home of the family since 1546.

Aberlour Rotary Club has become a good friend and supporter of Busega Scotland and we thank club members for their interest and encouragement.

The smile says it all.

After a very difficult time and two operations , Shida is  on her way back to Mayega with sight restored to her right eye! Things are still a bit blurred following the retinal attachment but doctors have told her that will improve as her eye heals.  She is facing life with renewed independence. She is able to move around alone now rather than being led and can see herself in a mirror.

This transformation has brought her great joy and she likes to sing and make jokes. She will make the long journey back to Kilimanjaro in mid August for a check up and surgery to remove the cataract in her  left eye. She is very attached  to Matron who has been her guide and comforter since she was admitted to the Mayega Children’s Centre only 4 long weeks ago.

Shida still faces many hurdles but she is a brave little girl.  In time we will look at her educational and other needs. Meanwhile, doctors have advised that she rest before the next surgery.

Thank you to all the Busega Scotland  supporters who have made this possible through their continued support.

It’s not often that sport and Scottish history get a mention on the Busega Scotland website. But something truly sensational happened in Edinburgh on Sunday 10th June. John, his brother, Paul, and son, Graeme, were there to witness it.
For the very first time ever Scotland beat England in a game of cricket. This is a bit like Tanzania beating Brazil at football. What is even more remarkable is that England are the top ranked team in the world at one day cricket.

No wonder Paul and Graeme look happy.
So, what better place to celebrate the victory than at the Jolly – the first pizzeria to join in Pizza Aid. Vito’s reaction when we told him the news was understandable, ‘What, Scotland have beaten England at cricket!?!’. Yes Vito, they have.
After all the excitement had settled down, Vito made a further donation, on behalf of the Jolly, to support Mayega Children’s Centre. What a perfect end to a memorable weekend.
Footnote: The Battle of Bannockburn on 24th June 1314 was a significant Scottish victory in the First War of Scottish Independence and a landmark in Scottish history.