One of the rewards of working with Busega Scotland are the connections that we make.

Many, many years ago, John was a coach at a football club (Speymouth Juniors) in his home village of Garmouth. One of the players was James Wallen, son of Busega Scotland trustee, Jenny. James was a skilful player in his own right but (unfortunately) not in the same bracket as Sadio.

Jenny has made two trips to Tanzania, to work in Mayega Primary School and at the Children’s Centre, using her knowledge and experience as a teacher.

James now works abroad and in of all places, Senegal – Sadio’s birthplace. He works for an NGO called Speak Up Africa, that promotes public health and sustainable development. It has a particularly good website
https://www.speakupafrica.org/
Being big on investigative journalism, we asked James what people in Senegal think about our footballing and altruistic hero. This is some of what he said:

‘’He is a source of national pride as probably the most internationally famous Senegalese football player of all time. Part of his appeal comes from his pure skill as a player, and part comes from his humble and generous attitude towards fame and wealth. His story is one of rags to riches and of “making it” against extremely small odds while not succumbing to the temptations of conspicuous consumption, and is considered not to have forgotten his roots, his upbringing, his people. His is thus revered as a national icon and inspiration throughout Senegal.’’

Intrigued, we asked Jamie if he could get a Senegalese insight into Sadio from his friends in Dakar. Thiouna Ndiaye, Kouly Mbaye, Papar Momar Toure and Bijou Carla responded.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Our Senegalese friends told us about Sadio’s upbringing and footballing career.

He was born in 1992 in the village of Bambali. From an early age he honed his skills in Senegalese football tournaments called Nevetanes. Like many local players he played barefoot and had none of the advantages in life that suggested he could become a professional footballer. Indeed, his parents wanted him to stay home and concentrate on his studies but with the help of friends he moved to the capital and joined the Generation Foot footballing academy.

His globetrotting then began. After spells at Metz, Salzburg, and Southampton he arrived at Anfield in 2016. He has played 69 times for his national team and scored 19 goals. He is known as Nianthio or Lion in his native language.

Alongside his footballing exploits, Thiouna said Sadio, ‘’is admired for his simplicity and calm nature’’.Kouly went further, ‘’through his social actions in his community, he is the pride of an entire people. All Senegalese people have a deep respect for him’’.

Papa believes, ‘’he is appreciated by all and especially recognized for his discretion, his patriotism, and his generosity towards his home community’’.

Even people like Bijou, who are not big football fans, know about Sadio. He is ‘’ an all-round great guy who invests in his home community. He does a lot for his village and his country and is an inspiration to a lot of people, especially the Senegalese youth”.

One sentence from Sadio Mane inspired us to write so much about him and his life.

‘’I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.”

Is this also a descriptor for Busega Scotland? We are many folks coming together to help, in a modest way, to provide opportunities for some very disadvantaged people in Tanzania.

Sadio is a kindred spirit and we admire what he does on the football field but more importantly off it.

Thank you, Susana, for sparking our interest and James and Jenny for introducing us to our new Senegalese friends Thiouna, Kouly, Papar and Bijou.

Last year it was the worldwide Busega Parties that brought people together and this year it is Sadio. Both as a person and as a footballer.

YNWA

Busega Scotland is taking its responsibility towards the 21 children and 6 staff very seriously.
In collaboration with Tanzanian colleagues, we have:
A general Covid-19 Action Plan in place
Bought PPE, in case of an outbreak at the Centre – face masks, disposable and heavy rubber gloves and aprons
Face guards are on order
Plenty of soap, disinfectant and hand sanitiser
An outbreak plan has been co-ordinated with Busega District Council
Our staff have carried out training and on 21st may the District Health Officer addressed the staff and children
The children are on lockdown and only essential visitors are allowed inside the Centre
There is a handwashing station outside the gate for everyone entering to use
We have a supply of food and other supplies to last until September

The latest information from Busega District is of no confirmed cases locally. One risk is the main road running through Mayega to the Kenya, as many lorry drivers have tested positive at the border (which is currently closed). Tanzania has been in partial lockdown but colleges and universities are open from 1st June. We expect schools to follow shortly.

Life is never dull at Mayega Children’s Centre.
During lockdown, Mwalimu Reni and Patron Emma have been keeping the children going with schoolwork. Reni has been checking the learning with testing. He believes Mayega pupils have done poorly in the past because they were not familiar with examination conditions. He is committed to changing that and the extra teaching will also help.

In a recent storm, part of the fence was blown down. This really was Murphy’s Law – anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The damaged section was holding up the passion fruit vine! It is so dense it acted like a ‘sail’ in the typically ferocious tropical wind.
Our project leader, Gadlord Deuli, travels monthly to the Centre (a reduced frequency due to Covid) and we hire a car to reduce infection risk. Public transport can be very crowded. During his last visit, a contract was signed with Fundi (tradesman) Deus to repair the fence. Deus has become our ‘go to man’ for repair and maintenance tasks.
Work is going on now to review the Centre’s menu. The children get a varied diet – rice, maize, cassava, wheat flour (as mandazi – like doughnuts), beans, meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, and fruit.

The children have preferences and we are trying hard to incorporate these. Scales have also been bought to help the cooks with portion size and to avoid any waste. As you might imagine, we get regular feedback on the diet from children and staff!

Busega Scotland interacts with the Covid-19 in different ways. One of our Mayega and Moving-on graduates, Happiness, has started making face coverings for sale in Mwanza. She is qualified tailor but the market for wedding dresses at the shop where she works has dried up. Indeed, the economy of the city has taken a significant downturn and prices are rising. Residents, like Happiness, have to make a living in whatever ways they can. Face coverings are now compulsory in many public places, such as banks and the shopping mall.

Our Project Leader, Gadlord Deuli, has one but we are not sure if Happiness was the creator. Reports we are receiving from Mwanza suggest that case numbers are rising and there is a quarantine camp on the outskirts of the city. The cost of PPE in Tanzania is increasing all the time. Our recent purchases from the government’s medical store, for the Children’s Centre at Mayega, are a bit eye-watering.
£19 for a box of 50 pairs of gloves.
£47 for a box of 50 face masks. The gloves and masks, along with aprons and face guards, are only to be used if we have a suspected case at the Centre. We are co-ordinating with Busega District Council in planning our response. We have received no reports of any confirmed cases in the district.

Along with all other charities, Covid-19 is presenting Busega Scotland with unprecedented challenges; from keeping the Mayega children safe and increasing costs in Tanzania, to raising enough funds to meet our existing commitments.
We are facing a loss of income of about £1200 from fundraising in the first half of the year and we do not know what the ‘new normal’ will then allow us to do. Understandably, local, and national grant making organisations are concentrating on the situation here without the capacity to look overseas.
Could you help?
• Regular donors may feel able to increase their donations or supporters may wish to become new regular donors. One-off donations can also be made. All this by clicking https://busegascotland.co.uk/donate-now/
• Alternatively, you may wish to sponsor John walking 15 miles on the Edinburgh Kiltwalk in September, using the following link https://edinburghkiltwalk2020.everydayhero.com/uk/john-8 (the Hunter Foundation will add 50% to any donation you make)
• Maybe family, friends and workmates can club together, using spending that cannot take place due to lockdown – work travel costs, the coffee shop, meals out, hairdressing, sporting activities, cinema etc and make a joint donation.
We appreciate that the current situation can impact adversely on supporters’ incomes and fully understand if it is not possible to help.
With all good wishes from Busega Scotland.

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.