February saw the arrival of our first ‘bulk food shop’ of the year. We may call it that but the name belies what exactly arrives on the lorry. As well as non-perishable foodstuffs – rice, beans, wheat flour, maize meal, cassava, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, yeast and baking powder – there are cleaning and personal care items.

Despite the cost of the lorry, buying in the city is more economical though not cheap. In British pounds the cost was about £1575. There are three ‘bulk food shops’ a year and other items are often included, like replacement mattresses, chairs, sheets and blankets.

The arrival of the lorry causes much excitement. Not only the fun of unloading but also the reassurance that there is food in the store – so important to children from impoverished backgrounds.

Busega Scotland took great pride in keeping an up to date website, allowing supporters to keep abreast of news and developments. Unfortunately, technical issues overwhelmed us in 2022 and little was posted, although we did launch our newsletter Nyumba Moja (One House) to keep folks informed.

We will try to get the website up and running again in 2023, along with further issues of Nyumba Moja.

One function of the site was to have our Annual Reports and verified Annual Financial Statements easily available to readers. This has not been possible for the 2020/21 reports but they can be obtained by emailing us. The 2021/22 reports will be available in February.

If you would like to see the back issues of Nyumba Moja then please do email us.

The email address is busegascotland@gmail.com . Our Donate Now button on the website is working fine if you would like to contribute to our work.

Busega Scotland is beginning a new women’s group at Busekwa village in Ilemela District. We have established other groups in Ilemela but this is the first time in Busekwa. The group will support about 30 women developing their gardens, growing vegetables for sale and to feed their families. The money provided by Busega Scotland will be held in a vicoba (credit union) administered by the women but overseen by our Assistant Project Leader, Julieth Godwin. Julieth is very skilled at facilitating groups and the women will take loans from the vicoba to provide inputs for the gardens. Interest paid on the loans and general savings grows the capital. Our experience shows that within a year the women double the capital donated initially by Busega Scotland (usually about £800). The women are motivated by knowing the money belongs to them and they are the sole beneficiaries of their hard work.

The great news is that Tangu has passed Form 4 national examinations and will be allocated a Form 5 place to study at A level. She is the first Mayega Children’s Centre young person to achieve this major step. Tangu was 5th equal out of the 146 pupils in her year who sat the Form 4 exams. Christine has released funds for a celebration party!

It is a real testament to the educational support provided at the Centre, involving Teacher Reni, Patron Emma and our trustee, Jenny Wallen. We always hoped that attainment would improve as younger children came through the programme, influenced by an enhanced educational culture and a growing belief in being able to succeed at school.

The photo shows Tangu with Golden, the son of our Assistant Project Leader, Julieth Godwin. Tangu was assisting Julieth undertake family assessments for our third women’s group in Mayega village.

Each Christmas, the Mayega children travel the 10 miles or so to the market town of Lamadi to shop for some special clothes. Shopping at this time of the year can be as time consuming in Busega as it is here. There is no Tanzanian online so it is the traditional foot slog to find what you like and what fits. It is so important that the purchases are made by the children themselves, with the guidance of staff. Having money in your hand to budget and spend is a life skill for all children but particularly at Mayega, when this is not part of day to day experience. As well as shopping for ‘best clothes’, a trip had previously been made for play clothes and soon it will be off to Lamadi again for ‘back to school’ uniforms etc.. The school year starts in January. The children enjoy their trips to town as major social events and they love to dress up.

Mayega Children’s Centre is well known and has a good profile in Busega District. This means we often get visits from other organisations keen to see the Centre and meet the children and staff. The last visit was from PCCB or the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau. Fear not  this was not an investigation but a social call at the invitation of the District Commissioner! The visitors brought gifts in the form of 25kg sugar, 40kg rice,10l of cooking oil, 4 dozen soft drinks and 2 buckets of detergent. Very welcome and very well received. The PCCB staff spoke to the children about honesty and integrity.

Our Project Leader Gadlord Deuli was invited to a seminar at the Busega council offices in Nyashimo to discuss the contribution made by local children’s services and the regulatory requirements of the Tanzanian government in their delivery. The seminar was organised by the District Commissioner and one of the main speakers was Kubagwa Madadila, the District Social Welfare Officer, and our main contact in the council.

Africa can seem exotic and exciting but life there can be like anywhere else! ‘There’ in this respect is Mayega Children’s Centre.

The toilet in the girl’s dormitory got broken and it had to be fixed.

Confidential files need to be stored and a cupboard was made.

When the rains come, the garden gets going.

We are very fortunate to have Mr Deus Mtoba who helps us, when needed, to do repairs and odd jobs. He is very skilled and we have known him for a long time.

The garden is DIY, with staff and children joining in. Aubergines and spinach are going well at the moment.

Two young people who left Mayega Children’s Centre two years ago have completed national certificate courses at Nyakato Vocational Training Centre in Mwanza . Malesa, seen in the photograph receiving his leaving certificate, is a welder and Jeremiah is an electrician. The certificates were presented by a representative of a Finnish pentecostal church who support the college. The boys will receive six months of accommodation, practical and financial support from Busega Scotland while they look for jobs. This is no easy task given the rate of youth unemployment but they have marketable skills. We wish them well and will help as much as we can in the transition to work and independence.