Bundle of Joy!  A new beginning!  A time of fear and hardship?

Sadly, many babies in Tanzania are born to poor families who cannot afford even the basic necessities.

The health and development of mother and baby in the early stages after birth are crucial to positive outcomes. In Tanzania, we have a unique opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable babies and their mothers.

Judy Campbell is working with Busega Scotland and Bukumbi Mission Hospital, to pioneer a project to provide “Baby Bundles” for these poor families. They will be produced locally and distributed through local hospitals and other contacts. The cost of each bundle is £20 and will make a significant difference to the health and well being of a baby and mother.  Included with the ‘Bundle’ is the payment of the hospital delivery fee. At Bukumbi it costs £3 for a normal delivery and more for a Caesarean Section.

The Baby Bundle is packed into a basin and tied up in a kitengi, a cloth wrap worn by the mother. The basin will be used to bath the baby and to wash the baby clothes. Each pack contains baby clothes, nappies, hat, a blanket and mosquito net, as well as laundry soap and baby oil etc. There is a cloth to wrap the new born in and fortified flour for the mother.  Here in the UK babies receive so many gifts. Will you make a gift for a baby who really needs it? Donations can be made at https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/babybundles

Piped water has long been a dream for the Mayega Children’s Centre, the local village and primary school. The excitement is building as the water pipes have now been delivered and work is in progress to dig the trench where the pipes will be laid. If work goes to plan the pipes will go into the ground on 23rd December. Now wouldn’t that be amazing!

Having piped water will transform the lives of everyone and the daily chores at Mayega will take a lot less time. Two hours per day is currently timetabled for collecting water from the lake.

Clean , safe , water!

On 25^th November Peter Hagenbuch undertook his latest 50 mile sponsored walk, for 15 charities including Busega Scotland (please see news item 22/11/17 – ‘Help Peter Reach His Destiny!). The route was from his home in Uphall to Scone in Perthshire. 50 miles provides plenty of thinking time and it is now Busega Scotland’s responsibility to use the £220 sponsorship most effectively.

It was always the intention to buy books for Mayega Children’s Centre and we sought advice from our colleague, Ernest Damiano, who is head teacher at Mayega Primary School. The books are now at the Centre, as we continue our efforts to boost attainment. This is helped by most of the children being of primary school age.

A perfect example of team work – Peter does the walk, sponsors support him, Ernest identifies the books, Rev Deuli finds and buys them and finally Seba, our Saturday teacher, will help the children make best use of them. Thanks to everyone for their part in this encouraging story.

We are delighted to announce that a second pizza restaurant has joined Busega Scotland’s Pizza Aid movement. A developing connection between Vito Longi, of the Jolly Ristorante in Edinburgh, and Bituro Kazeri, the proprietor of Kuleana Pizzeria in Mwanza, has encouraged Bituro to join in. From January he will be creating a brand new Mayega Pizza (cheese, freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, peas, potatoes, basil, oregano and black pepper) and donating the profit from the sale of each one to the Children’s Centre. How amazingly generous is that?

Vito is our trailblazer and we hope to add a third (Scottish) restaurant in the New Year but are seeking as many participating pizzerias as possible. Busega Scotland can provide all the support a restaurant will need, we just need referrals from supporters. Don’t hesitate, just ask – so far we have found owners very receptive, to what is a quirky and interesting fundraising idea. There is no formula, so we can discuss how Pizza Aid can work for each restaurant.

For background, please see the news item on 27/08/17 ‘A Jolly good idea’

Avid readers of the website and our news letters will know that the children at Mayega Children’s Centre, Knockando Woolmill  and Busega Scotland have collaborated in creating the Mayega Shuka. The children have been kept updated on the progress of the project but it is only on this trip that John and Christine were able to show the children and staff the finished product. To say that everyone was impressed is an understatement and the Centre’s matron Leya Lusana was given the honour of modelling the shuka.

The fun was continued with Christine playing cards ( a colour recognition game in English) with the younger children. There is also progress in the kitchen garden, that is waiting for piped water and a fence, as one of the children, Pascali, is getting on with growing tomatoes and water melons. Well done to him!

The Mayega Water Project Group is making significant progress in gathering key information for a Rotary  Club Global Grant application in the middle of next year. The project is being followed as a documentary for Star TV, to be shown in Tanzania later in December.

John and Christine were interviewed, and asked about the potential impact of clean, piped water on the villagers’ lives. The project aims to provide full facilities for the Children’s Centre, toilets for the primary school and sanitation blocks in the village. It is a partnership between the Rotary Clubs of Elgin and Mwanza and Busega District Council. Busega Scotland is playing a facilitation role in bringing the partners together and in ensuring the project is progressing smoothly and purposefully. The council is confident that a piped water supply will reach Mayega by the end of this year.