Malesa and Jeremiah left Mayega Children’s Centre a year and a half ago to begin national certificate courses at Nyakato College in Mwanza. Quite a challenge for two young men who had just completed school and moved from a small rural village to the big city. They have done well in their studies; Malesa in welding and Jeremiah in electrical installation. They are now in their second year and have just completed field placements.Malesa worked at the Songoro boatyard in Mwanza repairing fishing boats and other vessels from Lake Victoria. A tough job in hot conditions, wearing protective clothing. Jeremiah was working outside in Busega District attaching electrical wires to posts as part of a government programme to connect isolated communities to the national grid. He was placed with TANESCO, the Tanzania Electrical Supply Corporation.
Congratulations to both for their hard work and commitment to making a future for themselves.
25th April was a beautiful spring day when Cenzo Main, Pete Anderson, Dave Cameron and John Carney completed 13.7 miles for their half marathon Kiltwalk. The route was close to the lower reaches of the River Spey, near to the Carneys home village of Garmouth. A truly beautiful part of the world and a great day was had by all.
The northern part of Tanzania is a place of contrasts when it comes rain. For large parts of the year there is little or none and in the rainy seasons there can be too much – mvua nyingi. This has had two recent consequences for Busega Scotland.
clear the blocked drains and we hope for no recurrence.
Firstly, dear Susi broke the frame of her glasses. In double quick time they were sent to Mwanza for repair. We know the optician well and he knows Susi. His name is Mr Huruma, which is the Swahili word for ‘compassion’. Living up to his name, and with great generosity, he made a spare pair of glasses for Susi free of charge. Thank you, Mr Huruma.
We have a good system for responding to the unexpected. We receive a payment request, along with an estimate, from Tanzania colleagues and this is then authorised before funds are removed from our Mwanza bank. As the city is 80 miles from the Children’s Centre cash is sent through mobile phones in a system generally called Mpesa. It is cheap and efficient and equivalent to our bank to bank transfer and ideal for rural locations. We have a very good fundi (tradesman), Mr Deus, who we can call upon to do much of our maintenance work. Through this system emergencies call be dealt with very quickly despite the distances involved.
Folk in rural Tanzania have a close relationship with the forces of nature. Fishermen on Lake Victoria contend with violent storms, farmers fear drought and flood, and the possibilities of hunger and destitution are there for many people. Families have to be resilient.
The children at Mayega Children’s Centre connect with the natural world – in our vegetable garden, by growing many young trees and bushes to improve the environment, and through keeping chickens. These are not just chores or interests but life skills that may be needed in the future.
One of the boys, Paschali, has particular interests. He keeps pigeons (‘for looking, not eating’, as he once memorably said), looks after Floppy, the Centre’s puppy, and has now started growing seedlings in his tree garden. This remarkable youngster would like to be a wildlife ranger. There is strong competition for places on the national course but the wonderful thing is that Paschali has that aspiration.
As Julieth said about her assessments, ‘I am always looking at the whole family situation, such as what kind of house they have, do they have valuables in their home, are they residents of the area and what is their economic status? Is it a family having a woman with a big responsibility for caring? Is she doing all the work of earning at least a family income? This can be proof enough that this woman should be included in our project’. The assessment is a skilled job that is aided by a family circumstances questionnaire but a lot depends on Julieth’s experience and judgement.
Leukondia had been missing for a while. Away from Mwanza looking for work and he has been successful. About 20 miles from the city is Kikongo, on the shore of Lake Victoria. It is the point of departure for ferries across the lake to Busisi, 3km away. Several years ago a minibus went into the harbour and many people were killed. Perhaps stimulated by that disaster, the government is constructing a bridge – the longest in East Africa and the sixth longest in Africa. Leukondia, in the hard hat, is employed in the construction. Here is a link for more information.
Working in Mwanza city, in an electrical/hardware shop, is Margreth. She has a certificate qualification in electrical installation. A clear help in the work she is doing. Looking very smart, she dropped in at the Busega Scotland office for a chat.
Margreth’s classmate Tabu is out of town and helping her sister with childcare (and also doing some shop work). Tabu (back left in the photograph) is a mainstay of her church choir. Choirs in Tanzania perform an important social and recreational function, and their sound is uplifting (and often very loud!). Enjoying an African church choir is one of those ‘must do’ experiences. Tabu is a very good singer.