1.6.17 The sun is shining on Busega Scotland!

Ist June is the first day of the metrological summer and without doubt today we have been basking in a warm glow. So, why is that?
There is one question heard now and then in the Carney household, but never at the Mayega Children’s Centre, ‘can you hear a tap running?’. But all this maybe about to change. We have received an email from Dr Raphael Chegeni, the MP for Busega District:
Dear John,
Many Greetings from here!
I have some good news for you that we’ll have funds to connect water pipeline to Mayega soon.
Please be advised accordingly
Once again, my appreciation for continued support to the people in need.
Thanks
Raphael
Once water reaches Mayega village we have funds from the Rotary Club of Elgin to bring the pipe into the children’s centre. What a moment that will be!
Then, a little later a message came from the Goat Race Charity in Dar es Salaam:
Dear Paul and Christine,
We are very pleased to inform you that you have been successful in your Goat Races application for funding amounting to 4,590,000/-.
We will be in touch nearer the time, the Races will be held on Saturday, 16th September.
Kind regards
Karen
Paul is Paul Mashimba, Managing Director of our Partner NGO at the Chole Family Support Project and Karen is the Goat Race administrator. The Goat Race is a ‘high society’ charity event and we put in an application to double the size of our Chole Project to 70 families. The grant is about £1,700.
Now all our readers are feeling a warm glow!

31.5.17 Today at Mayega

The youngest primary school children were happy  when Pastor Deuli dropped in to see them today . They were just home from school. In Tanzanian households a visitor is always seen as a “blessing on the house” and the Mayega Children’s Centre is no different.

The Pastor visits twice per month and is in daily contact with the Matron ensuring that all day to day matters are dealt with. On this visit he was bringing some school text books to add to the Mayega collection. We try to make sure we have a copy of any books the children need for revision.

We are still working on trying to get a stable internet connection at the Children’s Centre. Some days are better than others but today we managed to establish a link with Scotland. It did not last long but we were able to greet each other and see how happy the children were!

 

29.5.17 School Links

The contrast could hardly be greater. Visiting Lhanbryde Primary School in Moray is such a joy. A modern, well equipped school with committed teachers and bright and eager pupils. A visit to Mayega Primary School is so different. The teachers are there, trying to be positive despite their herculean challenge and with bright eyed children eager to learn. So what are the challenges? Essentially, it is down to money and resources. Tanzania has built many schools in response to the Millennium Goals but funding them is an entirely different issue. For example, it is only in 2016 that President Magafuli warned local district commissioners that if every child in primary school didn’t have a desk by the end of the year then heads would roll!
The position at Mayega Primary School is typical and Lhandyde has stepped in to provide support. Fundraising has allowed chalk to be delivered and Mayega has been able to take part in inter-school sports because two footballs and a volleyball have been provided. Can you believe it?
But well done to the staff and children at Lhandryde Primary, who are continuing to support their sister school.
Busega Scotland has a particular interest in Mayega Primary, as so many of the Mayega Children’s Centre children go there and improving educational attainment is a clear priority. Maybe small steps are all we can take but they do make a difference.
The balls being handed over to the P.E. teacher, Mr Gervas Yohana, in the Mayega Primary School staff room by Rev Gadlord Deuli.

26.5.17 Legging it for Busega

On Sunday 4thJune 2017 Elgin Rotary Club will host the 14th biennial Marafun.The event raises funds for local charities.

The main event is the Adult Street Relay having teams of five, and with each team member running 5.2 miles around Elgin town centre.
Busega Scotland is delighted to announce that we have entered a team, or more accurately some of our great local supporters, the staff at Aberlour Childcare Trust’s Alba Place Project, are running on our behalf.
Team captain, Stacey Hewkin, said that Busega Scotland is, ‘a charity that works closely with my work (Alba Place) and helps make lives better for children’.
Stacey will be joined at the Marafun by June, Dale, Dot and Callum and we wish them all well. Your roving reporters, John and Christine will be at the event and will bring you their exclusive report and pictures to our Latest News page of the website.
If you would like to sponsor the Busega Scotland team then please visit Stacey’s Total Giving fundraising page at http://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/staceyhewkin

25.5.17 Designing for Mayega.

John and Christine had the pleasure of attending a presentation at the University of the Highlands and Islands – Moray College to see designs created by students in the HNC class Computer Aided Draughting and Design (CADD). Earlier this year Busega Scotland had prepared a brief for the CADD class to design a visitors’ house for the Mayega Children’s Centre. The Mayega staff  are keen that visitors should have such accommodation on site to add to the life of the centre and avoid just hurried day visits (Mayega is 85 miles from the regional centre, Mwanza).
Three of the CADD class took up the challenge and produced incredibly imaginative and practical designs. As well as the work being assessed for examination purposes, the exercise was also a competition, with John and Christine the judges! This will be no easy task, and the design portfolios will need to be studied carefully to determine the winner (this will, of course, be announced on our news page in due course).
The visitors’ house project is also being supported by CM Design – Architectural Consultants. Managing Director Craig Mackay and Director Adam James attended the presentation. It was great to hear the positive comments and suggestions on the students’ designs from professional architects and designers.
It really was a tremendous afternoon.
The photo graph shows lecturer Hannah Clay, students Daryl McGregor, Jack Mackie and Beinn Sinclair, with lecturer Tony Allen.

April 2017 Students, students everywhere!

The Moving-on Project now has ten (ex-Mayega) students in vocational courses in the Mwanza area. Ester and Kabula are about to graduate with diploma qualifications in primary education and secretarial studies, respectively. The ‘Kalwande boys’ are in second year of their mechanics courses and are now out on field placements.
Our first years, Monica and Mazebuka, are at Nyakato Vocational Training Centre. Monica is following a course in domestic electrical and Mazebuka motor mechanics.
Both have done well in their recent examinations and Monica is somewhat breaking the gender mould. Only five of the thirty-five students in her class are female, although one of her tutors is a lady. Mazebuka also has a woman teacher of mechanics.
Supporting young people to gain worthwhile qualifications is only one part of making a successful transition to adulthood. Busega Scotland also takes the emotional, spiritual and social aspects of Tanzanian life very serious indeed.
Just recently Julieth Godwin conducted a seminar with Monica, Kabula and Ester to consider the life skills they have, and will need when they are living independently. The girls also fed back to Julieth on how
​ the​ Moving-on support can be improved and who better to learn lessons from!

April 2017 Drawing on Tanzanian expertise.

Busega Scotland brings many things to its ​work in Tanzania. But we can do nothing without the help and support of our Tanzanian colleagues and friends.

​ T​he invaluable advice given​ when we know little or nothing about a particular subject and the patience to help when we things go​ spectacularly wrong! So, who are these unsung heroes of Busega Scotland?
We have written before about Sebahane, our education adviser and now Mayega Saturday teacher. He was appointed in April and has a remit to improve the standard of English at the children’s centre. For the youngest new arrivals this extends to reading and writing in Kiswahili. This is no easy task but as Seba said, ‘he is willing to help the children learn’.
One of our successful initiatives at Mayega has been the Hen Project.
It has recently been evaluate ​d​and the review ​has been ​completed by a discussion with our ‘hen consultant’.
Mr Alan gave us advice at the outset of the project and it is timely that we call on his knowledge again.
Our second year mechanics students are  on three month field placements, to learn practical skills of a real working environment. This is an essential part of there technical education and ​Mr ​James  kindly offered two places in his repair business for diesel hydraulic pumps. Invaluable experience for our young mechanics.
One key focus of the Family Support Project is the health of families we support. Volunteers Robin and Debbie Hill have sourced health education DVDs from a UK charity called Thare Machi, that are translated into Swahili.
The programme will be delivered later in the year with the he help of Bugando University Hospital medical student, Kevin.
So these are a few examples of Busega Scotland’s unsung heroes. Without their willingness to help our projects would be seriously disadvantaged.