Two days before John and Christine left for Tanzania, the Rotary Club of Elgin held a Gin and Prosecco Valentine’s Night at Johnstons Woollen Mill Visitor Centre. This was a fundraiser for the Mayega Water Project, in which Elgin Rotary are partners.
The evening had a number of highlights – Callum and Angus (from Rotaract) providing superb musical entertainment and the auction, including a cashmere rug donated by Johnstons, a bottle of the Lord Lieutenant of Moray’s cask strength whisky and a Mayega Shuka. However, ‘the highlight’ was a ‘conga’ around the visitor centre, to the rousing tune of ‘500 miles’. Unforgettable.

Busega Scotland and the Mayega Water Group in Tanzania, thank Elgin Rotary and the Mill for hosting the event, and the many Moray folk who supported the fundraising most generously.
The Chair of Elgin Rotary’s International Committee, Ash Major, said ‘it was by any measure a great evening, as evidenced by the reactions as people left, and on Facebook next morning. We don’t yet know the final figures, but the Raffle and Auction raised over £1100, so we have already met our target.’
How good is that.
Footnotes
The Mill established in 1797 is the same mill which produces cashmere garments today.
A Mayega Shuka is an African blanket sold on behalf of Mayega Children’s Centre.

Arnold and Valerie Barrow have left Tanzania after a very successful trip. Their efforts in Mayega have seen a kitchen constructed at the Children’s Centre and five new distribution points (DP’s or standpipes) positioned across the village, bringing piped water to the sub villages and dispensary. The work, as part of the Mayega Water Project, is in collaboration with Busega District Council and Rotary District 1010, back in Scotland.

Arnold and Valerie used the generous donations from their own supporters to undertake important maintenance tasks at the Centre. This included repair and realignment of guttering, floor repairs in the girls’ dormitory and refurbishment of the outside toilet and shower block. The Barrows may be too modest to say it themselves but this must have been the most beneficial trip of the five they have undertaken. Massive thanks for all they have achieved.
Soon after Arnold and Valerie left Mwanza, John and Christine arrived with their own extensive itinerary. Having said all that, we should never forget the week in, week out contributions of our ten local colleagues, who keep the projects going most magnificently. This model, of combining the knowledge, skills and experience from two very different continents and cultures, is serving Busega Scotland well. All together – staff, supporters and volunteers – we are making a difference.

Our six mechanics graduates, in the Moving-on Project, are entering their last period of support from Busega Scotland. Our aim is to promote independence and in a way that maximises the chances of a successful future. It is self-evident, mechanics with driving licences are eminently more employable.
Last month the lads began a residential driving course at Nyakato College. As in Scotland, the instruction mixes theory and practice but the final examination is conducted by the police. The video shows that good progress is being made, as Mazebuka makes a very smooth start. Let’s hope they all pass their tests.

Busega Scotland’s links with schools in Moray are going from strength to strength.
The connection between Lhanbryde Primary School and Mayega Primary School is well established. Fundraising at Lhanbryde has purchased sports equipment for Mayega and the children have exchanged drawings to build friendships. The Moray school has an enthusiastic Tanzania Committee and a recent bake sale raised £53. Mayega Primary School expressed its appreciation for the support it has received by sending Gillian Ross, Lhanbryde’s head teacher, a certificate of appreciation and length of African cloth. A great show of kindness.
John was invited to give a talk on the work of Busega Scotland to P5 to P7 pupils at Mosstowie Primary School.

The children were so engaged and asked many questions. Their knowledge was impressive. Incredibly, one girl was able to identify the tree in the photograph of Mayega’s head teacher, Ernest Damiano! Can you?

The highlight was Gary Forgie, Mosstowie’s head teacher, dressing up in a Mayega shuka. It is likely that Mosstowie children will adopt Busega Scotland as their overseas project to support. We would be delighted if that were to happen.

It is important to Busega Scotland that we share our knowledge and experiences of Tanzania. This is part of our commitment to give back to the community of Moray.

How bonny she looks in her new specs! Shida recently returned to Mayega from another trip to the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre. Doctors were sufficiently happy with the way her right eye has healed, following her fifth surgery, to arrange for glasses to be made in Nairobi. Shida is now getting used to them.
She remains under the care of the eye hospital and will return for a check up in April. Her range of vision is limited but she is happy that she has some sight. Sadly, it looks unlikely that sight can be restored to her left eye.
Shida has been supported by many people, who have made her medical treatment possible. Special mention must be made of Leya Lusana, the matron of the Children’s Centre. Matron and Leya have travelled together for over 5,000 miles! An amazing commitment from Leya to help a very brave little girl.

The hard work of many people in Scotland and Busega District is bringing piped water to the various communities of Mayega. It is heartening to see the way that the simple act of people working together can bring transformative change. No more hazardous, laborious and time consuming walks to Lake Victoria, to bring back unclean water in buckets and plastic containers. Remember how it was:

‘The oldest four hundred children in the primary school had to bring a bottle of water for the toilets. If children wished to drink during the day, they needed to carry their own supply. Children walk up to 7 km to get to school.
Sometimes the supply for the toilets ran out and children were sent to the lake, interrupting their learning (a round trip of about an hour).
The risks of collecting water from Lake Victoria; Bilharzia is endemic, and attacks from hippos and crocodiles are possible.’

No wonder there was excitement when Busega Scotland volunteers, Arnold and Valerie Barrow, visited one of the newly constructed standpipes. The couple have an important role in providing an accountability link between the Mayega Water Project and the Rotary Club of Elgin, who have raised funds for the work. Hats off to all concerned.

The latest six women have joined the Bujingwa Women’s Group in the small town of Igombe. Busega Scotland’s Supervisor, Alphonce Kagezi, and Assistant Project leader, Julieth Godwin, had the pleasure of introducing the new women to the group. The ladies received a grant of about £45 each to develop or open new businesses and another £45 is paid into the group’s vicoba (credit union) on their behalf. This acts as a low interest lending bank for group members, to grow their businesses and meet family emergencies. Since January 2018, the existing group of 17 women have increased their Busega Scotland funding of £150 to £550, through their hard work and saving.
The Bujingwa Group is Busega Scotland’s fourth women’s group, supporting over one hundred women in total. The Family Support Project’s funds are targeted at women in particular difficulties, as single parents or widows, with low income (perhaps only £25 per month) and generally large families. Sometimes, it is grandparents who care for the children, due to the loss of parents from AIDS and other illnesses. The modest help from our project can help prevent family breakdown and destitution.
Regular readers of our news posts will recognise Mr Kagezi, or as we affectionately know him – the King of Igombe. Last year, he was knocked off his motor bike and seriously injured. A marvellous recovery has got him back on his feet, even though his mobility is still a bit limited. All power to the King!

The kitchen project at Mayega Children’s Centre is well underway. The foundations are in and walls being built. The kitchen will be straightforward – sink, work surface and stove. It will replace the old ‘kitchen’ – a corrugated iron shed with open fire. This is simply unacceptable and our cook, Victoria, said, understandably, that her back wasn’t coping well with cooking for everyone on the floor!
The stove is being made in Mwanza at Madame Fausta’s metal fabricating workshop. It is a large steel cylinder with a firebox at the base. It is lined with fire bricks, and the pan fits snuggly into it. The cooker burns wood more efficiently than an open fire, and the pans can cook rice or maize porridge for about 30 people. Victoria is looking forward to a little easier life!
The photograph shows Busega Scotland volunteer, Valerie Barrow, and Project Leader, Rev Canon Gadlord Deuli, inspecting progress with the stove. It will have a chimney attached to when it is installed at the Centre.

John had the pleasure of receiving cheques from the St James’s Place Charitable Foundation and the Rotary Club of Elgin, to further the work of Busega Scotland.
The Foundation has donated £1000 to the Moving-on Project. This will allow our six mechanics graduates to attend a driving course and significantly increase their chances of employment. The cheque was presented by Andy Lees, who has a Partner Practice of St James’s Place Wealth Management. He is also a trustee of Busega Scotland.

The Rotary cheque will progress the Mayega Water Project, with the construction of a kitchen at the Children’s Centre and further standpipes in the village. The donation, of over £5000, included contributions from Elgin Rotary Club and Rotary District 1010. The presentation was made by Elgin Rotary president George Duthie, with their International Committee chairman Ash Major in attendance.
The students have started their driving lessons and some of the Rotary money has already been spent on materials for the construction projects. The site work will commence in the next week and completion is planned for mid-February.
Busega Scotland thanks the donating organisations for the faith they have shown in Busega Scotland and for their support of vulnerable people in Tanzania.