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.

The two  Women’s Groups at Chole came together with Busega Scotland, CODEHDAF (our Tanzanian partners) and Bukumbi Hospital for a progress celebration.

The first women’s group had increased it’s vicoba capital (credit union) in less than a year from the 700,000/- donated by Busega Scotland, to 2,500,000/-. This was through members’ contributions and 200,000/- from the sale of produce from the communal shamba (market garden).

The success of the project has attracted funding from the Goat Race Charity in Dar es Salaam and the celebration had its own version of the race!

The new money has enabled implements to be bought for the second women’s group and health insurance to be arranged through the hospital.

The Chole FSP now has 63 participating families and goes from strength to strength. The memorable event was brought to a close by the singing of the Tanzanian national anthem to the tune of ‘God Bless Africa’. A memory for ever.

Staunch supporter Peter Hagenbuch will be doing the near impossible on 25^th November, for Busega Scotland and 14 other charities. He will be walking 50 miles from his home in Uphall, West Lothian to Scone in Perthshire. Peter is inspired by a long distance walk that took place near his boyhood home in the south of England and has been taking on the challenge pretty much annually for the last 20 years. Confidently, he only starts training a month before!

Officinadoes of Scottish history will know that Scone is the historic home of the Stone of Destiny, used for centuries in the coronation of Scottish monarchs. If you feel able to help crown Peter on his achievement you’ll have to be quick. The walk is on Saturday, but no matter as donations can be made through wwwtotalgiving.co.uk/mypage/peterh2017busegascotland

Peter is aiming to raise £150, that will be used to buy school and reading books for Mayega Children’s Centre.

The Family Support Project has now held its first two health education sessions in Chole, using DVDs produced by the UK charity Thare Machi. The joint initiative, between Busega Scotland and Bukumbi Hospital, is using Kiswahili DVDs to deliver interactive sessions on basic hygiene, cholera and malaria. The leaders are Julieth Godwin and Judy Campbell from Busega Scotland and a nurse rotation from the hospital.

Chole now has two women’s groups, with a total of 63 families involved. Just over 20 Group 1 women attended the first week and about 30 Group 2 women this week. The word is spreading. The aim is to get all families through the programme before starting screening and treatment for common infections. We hope that improved hygiene practices will then reduce infection rates going forward.

Judy loves working with her Tanzanian colleagues and the women but her highlight is the group singing at the end of each session. Unaccompanied and without inhibition – truly the African way.

The  Charismatic Episcopal Church Cathedral in Mwanza was the venue for a seminar on leadership for the four  churches in the Deanery .

Bishop Charles Sekelwa invited John to lead the training with Rev Deuli acting as translator.

Some of the ladies of the parish set to work cooking lunch for all who attended.

John and Christine had different priorities on a recent visit to Simiyu Region. John stopped off at Nyashimo to meet the Mayega Water and Sanitation Team, who are taking forward work with the Rotary Clubs of Mwanza and Elgin, to bring piped water to Mayega Chidren’s Centre, the local primary school, dispensary and the hamlets of Mayega village. This is a big project and we will not know until late next year if funding has been secured, from Rotary International.

Christine travelled onto the Children’s Centre to meet with the staff and be introduced to the new member of staff.

Rose will join the Mayega team on 1^st December and this will allow staff to take holidays in a more organised way.  Rose will start work as an assistant cook as she gets to know the children.

Christine enjoyed a game of snakes and ladders with the youngest children. As they are just learning numbers some of the older girls helped them move their pieces round the board.

As ever, Christine had a meal at the Centre but colleagues were concerned that John had not had his rice, beans and greens. Food was dispatched in the returning car, much to John’s delight! He announced the food as being ‘delicious’ and, of course, had seconds.

Judy, Christine and John, accompanied by Shaloom Project’s manager Msifiri Wana, had the pleasure of meeting the Archbishop of Mwanza at the city’s cathedral. It was an opportunity for Judy to thank Jude Thadaeus Ruwa’ichi for his help in smoothing her path through immigration formalities in Tanzania. The Archbishop was interested in the work of Busega Scotland and particularly our partnership with the catholic Bukumbi Mission Hospital. John also discovered he he and Fr Ruwa’ichi had something very important in common – support for Liverpool Football Club. This allowed the traditional parting words of You’ll Never Walk alone to be shared between them. John was very happy. Not so Mr Wana, who (unwisely) supports Arsenal.

Testing time for the FSP.

The Family Support Project in the village of Chole will soon be entering a new phase. As well as second group, bringing the total number of families to sixty-three, a testing programme for common infections will be undertaken and appropriate treatments given. Along with health education, it is hoped the screening and treatment will improve the health status of the women and under fives. A healthier community is a more productive one.

Debilitating illnesses, such as worms, bilharzia, amoebiasis and giardia are endemic around the shores of Lake Victoria. If we can show that the project can make a difference to the health of the community then this will strengthen bids for future funding. Henry Zepheren, laboratory technician and project field officer, went on a ‘spending-spree’ for equipment and reagents. Henry will do the testing and funding has come from Judy Campbell’s many supporters. Together we can make a difference.