7.3.21 More from Mayega

The Children’s Centre was honoured recently by a visit from Mr Anderson Njiginya, the Executive Director of Busega District Council. He came to speak to the staff and children about Covid and reassure them about the situation in the district. The government of Tanzania has been reluctant to acknowledge the presence of the virus in the country but is now urging caution. There is no lockdown but mask wearing is being encouraged. In Mayega  the use of a mask is being misinterpreted by some village children. They run away in panic thinking it is the sign of an infected person!
We have revised our Covid Action Plan in line with the national situation. This is a subtle process. The measures put in place have to be in concert with government and community expectations. The revisions are discussed and agreed with Tanzanian colleagues and cover travel and personal protection measures. The Children’s Centre has full PPE but thankfully nobody at all connected with Busega Scotland has been affected by the virus so far.
Several months ago our first Mayega dog, Simba, was knocked down and killed on the road outside the Children’s Centre. This was a great loss as Simba was very friendly and loved by everyone.  Floppy has now arrived as his replacement. He will be looked after by Paschal. There is a kennel and the perimeter fence has been repaired, so we hope our new friend will be with us for a long time. Karibu Floppy. He has been described to us as being ‘very polite’!

17.2.20 Getting on with life

It is always good to hear about how our ex Mayega Children’s Centre young people are getting on. We have an open door (or open phone) policy and keeping in touch or dropping in is encouraged. Some youngsters are in regular contact and others not. Their choice.
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.
Work begins on 3.2km bridge over Lake Victoria – Bridge Design & Engineering (Bd & e) (bridgeweb.com)
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.

1.2.21Mind and body

January is a busy month at Mayega Children’s Centre.
The children start their new school year and it is time for smart new uniforms. We also keep our library up to date with primary and secondary school texts. Mwalimu Reni travelled into Mwanza to choose and purchase the books. Mr Reni and Patron Emmanuel have worked hard to establish a learning culture at the Centre and have been rewarded with some superb exam results (there are earlier articles about this on the News Page). We ensure the children have the resources to stretch them.
But a man cannot live by books alone (or something like that). The end of January sees the arrival of the bulk food (and other essentials) shop, brought from Mwanza by lorry. It’s more than a trip to Tesco’s and keeps the Centre going for four months, As well as making sure we don’t run out, the presence of supplies in the store is a great reassurance to children who know what hunger is all about.

30.1.21New horizon

Our Family Support Project has established women’s groups in Igombe, Chole and Mayega. This adds up to six in total. Around two hundred families have been supported. Building on this success, we launched a Sharing Christmas appeal, and, well beyond expectations, the response from our supporters has allowed two new groups to go ahead.
One will be in Mayega and the other in the village of Mukuyuni.
Our Assistant Project Leader, Julieth Godwin, said, ‘Mukuyuni is new to us. It is about 6 miles from Igombe and inland from Lake Victoria. It is not a fishing village and people rely on agriculture, collecting firewood, making charcoal and breaking stones for gravel, to make a living. About 500 people live there and they have a primary school and dispensary’.
Julieth is working closely with local leaders. Together they identify women who will benefit from group attendance. Julieth’s visit to Mukuyuni in January was affected by the rainy season weather. Julieth said, ‘it was raining so hard we couldn’t reach many families. I visited three and then had to give up but I’ll be back in February to complete the assessments. The families are very poor and the soon our group starts the better’.
The main purpose of a group is to have a vicoba (Village Community Bank) that can provide business loans to women members, allowing them to grow their small businesses. A group of 30 women can expect £750 from Busega Scotland, over a period of a year, and members add their own savings and loan interest to grow the capital. The vicoba is owned by the women.

29.1.21Annual reporting

Busega Scotland has prepared its Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2019-20. The accounts have been externally verified, as required by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The Annual Report and Financial Statement was approved at the Annual General Meeting of Busega Scotland on 12th January 2021. Our Annual Return to OSCR was submitted on 14th January and our page on the regulator’s website can be accessed through the following link.
The process described above is for our accounts in Scotland. In Tanzania, our accounts for 2018-19 have been audited by Phares K Songo and Co, who are Certified Public Accountants and Auditors. The Auditor’s Opinion is that the ‘Financial statements are in agreement with the accounting records’ and they ‘give a true and fair view’ of Busega Scotland’s financial affairs in Tanzania.
You can access the Annual Report and Financial Statement 2019-20 and the Auditor’s Opinion 2018-19 in the Accounts and Annual Reports page on this website.https://busegascotland.co.uk/annual-accounts/

24.1.21 Growing trees

There is work going on behind the scenes to establish a Tree Garden project involving a school in Elgin, Rotary, Mayega Children’s Centre and Mayega Primary School. We hope to apply for funding in the middle of the year but some preliminary fieldwork has been going on in Mayega.
The Centre planted many young trees in its compound from July 2019 and approximately 70% have survived and are growing well. Regular watering is the key. The School has established a pilot tree garden with over 400 seedlings and a small vegetable patch. The plan is for the seedlings to be planted out around the school and to supply neighbours.
The Tree Garden project later in the year will aim to improve the Mayega environment further and have a strong educational component. Tanzania has a problem deforestation. Not for plantations but for fuel and charcoal production.
It will be interesting to see the educational focus taken by the two schools. Initially, it seems the Scottish school has a stronger environmental/global warming interest while in Mayega it is the biology of tree growth. By bringing the two schools together in planning the project, they will undoubtedly influence each other.

24.1.21 Back to school

The new academic year in Tanzania starts in January and there is a flurry of activity at Mayega Children’s Centre. Writing books, pens and pencils etc. are bought in bulk and the children head to the local town of Lamadi for school uniform. Our four new secondary school pupils have to take their own desk and chair!
A raft of national examination results came in January. Of our three pupils in Form 2 of secondary school, one got overall Division 1 and two had Division 2. They were 7th, 13th and 14th of 174 candidates in their school. At the primary school, two S4 pupils got Grade B and were 3 and 8 in their class of 109 pupils. These are unbelievable results and a great testimony to the work of our teachers, especially in the March to July school closure period due to Covid.
It is always a bittersweet moment when a new child arrives at the Centre. It is sad that a new arrival needs our care but positive that life chances are immediately enhanced. The child is sure of a warm welcome and encouragement from the other children. Tumaini is 6 years old, and from a village near to Mayega. Karibu sana, Tumaini!
Tumaini is the first child to arrive after the Centre was connected to mains electricity.
This happened on Christmas Eve. We are now a fully serviced site. Mains and solar electricity, piped water with storage facilities and waste disposal through septic tanks. It has been a long haul but we made it!

25.12.20 Improvements and Christmas at the Centre

Busega Scotland is committed to improving life at Mayega Children’s Centre. This happens in many different ways but listening to the children and experts is an important part.
We had advice from Busega District Council, and have consulted with the children and staff, to improve the diet and menu. Conclusions were shared at a Centre Meeting, with Tangu, one of our older girls, providing the information and explanation. The major change is that porridge at breakfast will be improved by introducing milk and the use of fortified flour (with a higher protein content).
We are expecting mains electricity to be connected up to the Centre any day. All fees have been paid and our wiring certified. The need for fire extinguishers will now be greater and we had a visit from the fire department. Following their recommendations, three extinguishers were bought and training provided to staff and children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The children visited the local town of Lamadi to buy kangas or kitenges for the girls and shorts for the boys. This was followed up with Christmas lunch, having bottles of soda as a treat. Our teacher, Reni, said the Christmas party was ‘amazing’! How we wished we could have been there.

 

24.12.20 : 2020 – a challenging but productive year

Here are the highlights:
None of our colleagues in Tanzania, or the children and young people we are responsible for, have been sick with Covid. We have an Action Plan in place to mitigate risks.
While the pandemic has prevented volunteers travelling to work in Tanzania, a positive consequence has been the increased responsibility taken by our Tanzanian staff.
Two new women’s groups have opened up with their own VICOBAs (village community banks) to help develop small businesses. We provide capital for the VICOBAs.
Much improvement and repair work has gone on at Mayega Children’s Centre. We are ready for mains electricity, have repaired windows, walls, plumbing system and the security fence – not glamorous but necessary.
Clear evidence of academic improvement for the Centre’s children (see the previous news item – Examination Success).
Two boys left Mayega and settled into life at college, training to be an electrician and welder.
The photograph shows Malesa in the welding shop at Nyakato College. Our Moving-on graduates are showing resilience and a great work ethic in finding jobs.
The Mayega Water Project has built toilets at Mayega Primary School, seven new water distribution points in the village (bringing the total number to 18) and is piloting a design for family toilets. The project benefited from Rotary Global Grant funding of $40,000 US.
The ownership of Mayega Children’s Centre passed to Busega District Council (BDC). We have a Memorandum of Understanding to run the Centre. This is a major step forward in assuring the Centre’s future.
Our work is well supported In Tanzania by the Council and other organisations. BDC provided capital to double the toilet capacity at the primary school, repaired the plumbing at the Children’s Centre and they are meeting two-thirds of the water bill.
There is much more to do in 2021 and we look forward to the many challenges that lie ahead.
Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year,
Keep safe and thank you for your support,

22.12.20 Examination success

The educational attainment of children at Mayega Children’s Centre has been improving steadily over the last couple of years. This is due to a combination of factors.
We employ Teacher Reni. His time is shared between the Centre and Mayega Primary School. Reni is supported by Patron (male care worker) Emma, who is also a trained early years teacher. They are backed-up by Trustee Jenny Wallen, a retired teacher from Moray. Jenny has travelled twice to Mayega, working directly with the children, Reni, Emma and the School. At other times, Jenny keeps in touch online.
The school room at the Centre is well resourced and houses a library and has many worksheets. The teachers are  able to provide targeted support. This has built a learning culture and a belief amongst the children that they can succeed.
Recent exam results bear this out. Elizabeth was 9th in her 3rd year exams at Kalemela Secondary School. Her year has in excess of a hundred pupils and girls traditionally don’t do well.
Our four S7 primary pupils all passed their secondary school entrance exams (x3 B grades and a C). Ibrahim was the best performing pupil at Mayega and first in all the schools in Kalemela ward. The photos show the celebrations at the Centre,
In the latest Mayega Primary School exams all our eleven children came in the top half of their classes, with some remarkable results. Two came first, three second, two seventh, one ninth, one fifteenth, one thirty-fifth and one seventy-seventh,
Congratulations to the pupils and their teachers.