Busega district has no reported positive cases of Corona virus. There have been suspected cases, and despite its very rural nature the area is clearly at risk. The last national figures showed 480 cases and 16 deaths.
Busega District Council is making preparation in anticipation of cases occurring. A secondary school in the town of Nyashimo has been designated as a triage centre and the district hospital has wards set aside for quarantine. Schools in Tanzania are all closed.
Personal protective equipment is available through the government medical stores department but in limited supply. The district pharmacist is demonstrating full Covid-19 protection, alongside the district medical officer.
At Mayega Children’s Centre we have masks, gloves and aprons for use if someone is suspected of having the virus. Our Covid Action Plan is stopping access to the Centre, keeping the children inside and promoting good hygiene practices. We have adequate supplies of soap and hand sanitiser.
We are working with the district medical officer to co-ordinate action if we have a suspected case. We hope that this will not happen but we are preparing as best we can.

Partnership working is both a joy and a necessity in Tanzania. It has its tough moments but the rewards for the community can be so valuable. Busega Scotland has been chairing the Mayega Water Group for the last couple of years and its endeavours brought piped water to the village.
A step change in the project was joining up with the Rotary Clubs of Egin in Scotland and Igoma in Tanzania. This allowed Busega Scotland to do the groundwork, along with Busega District Council and the water authority, RUWASA, to prepare a Rotary International Global Grant application, which Elgin submitted.
The tremendous news is that the application was a success and, when local contributions from the Council and RUWASA are added in, the next phase of the water project is benefitting from £50,000 worth of funding. Igoma Rotary and RUWASA are responsible for implementation and Busega Scotland continues to play a co-ordinating role.
Mayega Primary School will benefit from proper toilets, the village will have 7 new water distribution points and family toilets will be piloted. To support the expanded facilities, a new mains pipe will be installed along with a chlorination unit. The project will be backed-up by sanitation training and education in the village and school.
Talks have already been held between Igoma Rotary and RUWASA on how the work can proceed safely. At present, there have been suspected cases of Covid in Busega District but none confirmed.

Despite Tanzanian schools being closed, our Mwalimu (teacher) Reni and Patron Emma (also a qualified teacher) have been keeping the children going with lessons and testing. Reni is a great fan of regular tests and that mirrors what goes on in school. There are internal school tests, groups of schools run the same tests and compare results and national testing goes on throughout a child’s education.
Some of the Mayega pupils have done very well recently. Johana, for example, was top in Mathematics in a cohort of over 200 and little Boazi is shaping up to be an exceptional pupil. While Johana is a star in Maths, Elizabeth outstripped him, and did very well, in English. This improved attainment is down to the children’s application and the work of Seba (our first teacher) and now Reni and Emma. Reni is a Maths and Science graduate, which is gold dust in Tanzania.
The photos show a selection of 92(!) photos sent by Reni of the children displaying their recent ‘lockdown’ test results.

The cumulative total of reported cases was 46 on 13th April with 3 deaths. The majority of cases are in the largest city, and commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. One case has been reported in Mwanza. Seemingly, a man was quarantined in Dar but left and travelled to the Rock City. One private hospital has now been sealed off and it is assumed that is where he now is.
As with UK, the number of reported Tanzanian cases will be an underestimate through a low level of testing. The worry remains that the virus will spread rapidly. The government has upped its response by closing airports to international flights, as of 12th April. Schools and colleges are closed and large gatherings banned. Social distancing should be practised and overcrowding on buses stopped. Controversially, services at churches and mosques are still allowed. President Magafuli said that the virus is the work of satan and requires divine intervention to be quelled.
In a broader context, there are worries that if a lockdown is introduced there will be a danger of starvation as many people live from day to day, working and buying food. No danger of stockpiling. Also, the government is in no economic position to underwrite business costs (or vastly expand health services). The dilemma of protecting the population from Corona but at the same time damaging people and the economy in other ways is most apparent. It remains to be seen if any lockdown would be obeyed or could be enforced. The hope is that the virus doesn’t spread so rapidly for reasons particular to the Tanzanian population and environment.

There have been plenty of photographs in our news posts of the hedging and trees flourishing at Mayega. One thing we haven’t shown is the beauty of the passion flowers.

Also, our vegetable garden has benefited from the recent rains with the biringanya (aubergine) and nyanya chungu (white tomato) doing particularly well. The white tomato is also called African egg plant and is an indigenous type of aubergine.

The garden produces a mixture of local and introduced vegetables. The benefit of all this activity is dinner at the Centre. Easter Sunday was celebrated with a special meal of beans, meat, rice, vegetables, fruit and sodas.

One of the key commitments in the Busega Scotland Covid-19 Action Plan is to ‘monitor the availability of food and other supplies in Mayega and Mwanza and ensure the storeroom at the Children’s Centre is well stocked’.
We normally keep up to four months supply at the Children’s Centre and the last bulk food delivery was in February. Acting on advice of our Tanzanian colleagues, we decided to bring forward the next shipment and so have 6 months supply on site. There are worries about price and availability.
We have seen panic buying/stockpiling of food in the UK, despite the unlikely prospect of food shortages. In Tanzania, people really have something to worry about. We would be surprised if any of the children at Mayega had not experienced real hunger. Indeed, two recent arrivals had swollen tummies. A sure sign of malnutrition.
So when the lorry arrived last weekend, we were delivering not only supplies but also comfort to the children that they would not go hungry.

We know that part of Tanzania has been called the ‘Cradle of Mankind’ but as far as we know dinosaurs have just arrived at the Children’s Centre for the first time. The idea to introduce the children to Triceratops etc came from their visit to the Serengeti, that was backed up by models of the animals found there. The children love playing with them; making imaginative scenes of the plains and drawing coloured pictures.

There are similarities in form and function between the herbivores and carnivores of today and those of long ago. The first dinosaur lesson introduced this concept. The names proved a tongue twister for the children but they coped enthusiastically. After that, out came the drawings and crayons.

You could here a pin drop as the models and books were used to copy colours and details. Once finished, the pictures were stored in the children’s files. A great afternoon was had by all.
However, introducing Tyrannosaurus Rex to Julieth’s baby, Golden, was not such a rip roaring success!

Life is tough for many people in Scotland at the moment but somehow, with government and community support, people will get by. This is not the same in Tanzania. Sure, communities pull together in adversity but the wealth is not there to sustain families through very difficult times.
This is when our Family Support Project (FSP) would normally come into its own. We have been working hard to establish three new groups, and introduce the project to Mayega village. Corona has brought all this to a halt. We have had to institute an Action Plan to keep our staff safe. One of its requirements, is for all staff to avoid travel unless it is absolutely necessary.
Julieth is the mainspring of the FSP and is halfway through setting up the new Igombe group, having visited 17 families. She has three children and Golden is still a baby. If the group starts, and meets regularly, this will be a Covid risk, to Julieth. the women and their families.
The group will start at some point in the future, when it is safe to do so, but the wait will have a damaging impact meantime (on families like the one in the photograph). This is a desperate situation and, as everywhere, it will be the poor who will suffer the most from the virus.

The Corona virus was first reported in Tanzania about seven days ago, when a resident returning to the country from Europe tested positive in Arusha. Cases have followed in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Although these infections also had an overseas connection, it is highly likely that domestic transmission has started.
At present, there is no evidence of the virus reaching the Mwanza/Mayega areas but Busega Scotland is implementing a Corona Action Plan to safeguard our beneficiaries and staff. This includes personal hygiene, travel restrictions, avoiding unnecessary visitors at the Children’s Centre and making sure the children have adequate supplies of food and other essentials. Gadlord Deuli, our Project Leader, is responsible for implementing the plan, and will provide regular implementation reports. Our trustees will be kept fully informed.

Mayega Children’s Centre .   Making Posters on keeping safe from Corona virus

In Tanzania, all schools and colleges have been closed and tighter restrictions on other aspects of life are expected. Tanzanians are very tactile people and so the ubiquitous greetings of handshakes and hugging have been banned. The speed of transmission could be aided by crowded settlements and transport, along with a fragile medical system. As everywhere, Corona is the main topic of conversation.

One of the great advantages of working closely with Tanzanian colleagues are the connections they provide with the local community.
Julieth knows Happy through church, and by working together a placement has been arranged for Happiness at the Happy Shop! Happy is the shop proprietor. Happiness left college at the end of last year, having completed a course in tailoring and design. Happy specialises in wedding dresses and choir outfits and Happiness helps with the orders. Encouragingly though, she has already gained customers in her own right, by having the opportunity to show the quality of her work.

Busega Scotland encourages young people who have left Moving-on (our leaving care service) to keep in touch, particularly if they have problems. Hasan came to see us, as he had an accident at work towards the end of last year. Part of a car he was working on fell, causing damage to his shoulder and arm. He is recovering and has started doing casual work, while he builds strength to go back to his trade.

Joffrey has also been having a tough time and was without regular work. Through Pastor Deuli’s contacts he now has a job with a local garage and this is likely to extend into some driving also. Mazebuka has moved to Arusha and works with a liquified petroleum gas company, as an a driver/mechanic on one of their lorries. This was arranged by Julieth.
Life is tough for young people in Mwanza and family contacts are important in obtaining work. Busega Scotland is the ‘family’ for Happiness, Hasan, Joffrey and Mazebuka and we are always delighted to help when we can.