I returned this week from another hugely successful trip to Tanzania.  Whilst it is always a hard trying to settle back into life here in Australia, I have an overwhelming sense of achievement and comfort that we have some amazing plans for the future and can see each year how we are getting closer to achieving these goals.

This year was a little different for me as the children were on school holidays. I usually spend the morning teaching at school and afternoons working on completing projects, this year I had more time to spend planning, having meetings and learning more about how to effectively do things in Tanzania and the processes ( or lack of) we need to follow to achieve some of our goals.

My first week was spent meeting with Mr Massawe to discuss and agree our plans for the future, and what we need to do to get there.  Mr Massawe has done a lot of work in recent months to start the process of setting the school up to gain Primary accreditation.  This in itself is a simple process, with min requirements for land size, classrooms, teachers, etc. However there is no document that articulates this for you and criteria 'changes' slightly for every application. We decided to spend time speaking with other people who have gone through the same process and compile our own checklist of requirements.  We then discovered each step of the approval process will have its own challenges.  
For example, I went with Mr Massawe to meet with local council to obtain our land title deed – here we found even when you submit all your paperwork, it ‘goes missing’ but if you pay some money it will miraculously appear again.

Also the professor we have hired to complete our Submission, has gone on holidays for a month and didn’t tell anyone.  You start to understand very quickly why it takes soooo long to get anything done, but I must admit I quite enjoy it and find it a nice, if at times frustrating, challenge.

Week two saw us complete the medical examinations for all the children (see previous blog post). It was great to see all the children again, and I think they were excited to see me when even the kids who completed their checkups on day 1 came back on the second day – although I really think it was the peanut butter sandwiches and juice that they really came back for.

Week three saw the arrival of our wonderful friends from Star Water Pumps to drill our well.  This was a pretty exciting day for us all, even though there was no guarantee we would find water just getting to this stage was a huge achievement for us all.  A huge thankyou to Mr Ron Reed from California, who made everything possible.
Ron set up this project about 10 years ago to address the chronic water issues in Tanzania. He shipped over a small drill rig from the US and started training local Tanzanians how to drill, he now has up to 7 drilling rigs, employs over 50 Tanzanians,  and has completed over 350 wells - improving access to fresh, clean water for a fraction of the cost of big organisations.  (I was originally quoted over $25,000 and this project will cost us less the $5000 through Ron and his team)

Drilling commenced on Wednesday, and I was amazed when I arrived at School on Friday to find we had already hit the water table at 95 feet.  Unfortunately, our first attempt was not successful as it did not deliver enough water, so we are currently still drilling – fingers crossed we find sufficient water soon and next month they will return to install solar panels and pump that will pump the water to our tank (that we installed last year). Mr Massawe is currently obtaining costs to install our drip irrigation system for our vegetable garden. 

Finally Mr Massawe and I hit the shops, stocking up on simple supplies for the school, excercise books, sugar, soap etc. We also decided this year, to work to improve the nutrient value of the school porridge so have also bough ground nuts and sardines, which are also ground, into the porridge. 

Overall a hugely successful trip,  not only achieving all we set out to do this visit, but feeling a lot more clear and comfortable with what we need to over the next few years.

Thanks once again to everyone who has donated money and makes all this wonderful work possible.  You really are making a huge difference to the live of many wonderful people and children.

Asante Sana

Sara Black

PS – to see regular updates, photos and videos please like our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/KOALAProject?ref=hl

This week saw us complete the first annual Medical Examinations for the students of Kilimahewa Nursery School.

Dr Cleopa Mbwambo, is a paediatrician at the local Mawenzi hospital, and came highly recommend by Mama Grace, who we live with whilst staying in Moshi.  We were also very fortunate to have Dr Jessie, a friend visiting from the San Francisco, who is also a paediatrician, so we had some great expertise looking after our kids.

We met with Dr Mbwambo for the first time last Friday to discuss the program, agree on what would be involved and a cost for his time.  Our initial perception of Dr Mbwambo could best be described as a little man with a very big personality.  Standing approx 1m tall his favourite saying is “The kids are not scared of me because I am the same size as they are” and what he lacks in height he makes up for in personality.  Our planned 30minute meeting, took almost 2 hours learning not only about basic child health care in Tanzania, but the formula for calculating BMI, a detailed explanation of how worms travel through your system and a 20minute  ‘warm up’ discussion about how today was the Solstice and what that actually means ! We were in for an interesting few days, and we finally concluded the meeting with a Doctor and agreed days and time to start our program.  

Although the children were all on school holidays this week, Mr Massawe visited the homes of all the students to ensure they came back to school to receive their examination.  Of the 67 students we managed to have 42 return for their check ups, and another 10 from my friend Katies program at nearby Karanga village also attended. 

All children were weighed and measured, checked to ensure they had received their compulsory immunisations as a baby, and given general physical examination checking teeth, skin etc, and provided with worm medication.

Overall there were few major health concerns.  One 5 year old child is showing possible HIV stage 2 symptoms and has been referred to the hospital for further tests – it is critical however that cases like this are treated with caution as the stigma often associated with HIV could see the children treated as outcasts or even abandoned.

Another student, Junior, who is 4 years old and suffers from severe bowing of the legs, believed to be rickets, caused by deficiency of Vitamin D.  We have also referred him for further tests to try to improve his quality of life, not that anything appears to slow him down at the moment.

Other problems included one case of pneumonia, and a couple of chronic sinus infections – all of which are now receiving treatment and on the mend.

Most children have a very poor diet, consisting mainly of corn maize porridge which has very little nutrient value.  Thanks to our chicken project the children now have 1 egg per week to increase their protein intake, and I am working with Mr Massawe on improving the nutrients we put in the porridge – for example the best source of B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and Omega 3 is to mix dried/crushed sardines into the porridge.  Sounds revolting, but I am assured it is not only affordable but quite enjoyable ????

Ringworm was also evident in almost all children, some with minor irritations on the scalp others with more serious symptoms and fungal infections all over the body. 

Each child was given their own Medical Exercise book, so their parents can keep track of their health, and I also captured all data in a spreadsheet so we can compare their progress next year.  This also allowed us to compile all the required medications and take to the pharmacy – there is no such thing as a prescription here you just hand over your list and they hand you 15 courses of antibiotics. (for approx $5)

All children also received a new toothbrush and toothpaste, and have asked Mr Massawe to conduct a lesson in teeth hygiene next week.  Many children had severely rotten teeth, often caused by eating too much sugar cane and not brushing teeth.

Overall a very successful few days, and a program we intend to conduct annually. 

As most of you will already know, I have been sponsoring a little Tanzanian Girl since 2011. Editha Pascal Mbada is now 6 years old and is boarding at Moshi Airport School in Moshi, Tanzania. 

I have no doubt much of what I am about to share with you is typical of the joy and happiness children can bring you every day, but for me, not yet being a Mother, the past few weeks have given me more joy and pride than I can do justice with the written word - it is has however been one of the saddest and most confronting few weeks of my life ! Grab a cup of tea and settle in, I tend to waffle……..

Editha is from a typically poor, poverty stricken family in the Kilimahewa district, she has 6 older brothers and sisters and one younger brother Barraka (4) who was in my class at Kilimahewa Nursery this year. When I first met her 2 years ago, she was a tiny, hungry, shy, cute as a button girl who stood out from the class due to her intelligence and enthusiasm to learn. There was no way I could not sponsor her after learning he likely fate would be dropping out of school probably in primary school, as it was unlikely her parents could afford to send her. 

Editha has now been in boarding school since Jan 2011, and has not only thrived academically, she has grown substantially and put on some much needed weight due to regular meals and her own bed to sleep in at night.  

When I visited Editha last year at her nursery school she was still too young to really understand who I was and what I was doing visiting her, although she loved the Kangaroo and biscuits I had bought for her.

When I arrived in Moshi this year Mr Massawe warned me that there had been some problems with Editha’s father and that he had been drinking a lot. This is a common problem with men in the villages and at this time I though it was more a FYI than anything serious.

I went to visit Editha at school in the first week I had arrived. Usually family and parents can only visit every 3 months but exceptions are made for visiting ‘Mzungus’  to see their sponsor children. This first visit was brief and Editha was still very shy, not fully understanding who I was.  I made arrangements to return to school the next week to meet Editha’s boarding Matron and have a tour through her boarding house. Mr Massawe’s wife Suzan came with me, taking advantage of the opportunity to see 2 of her daughters, Jubilant and Dolla, who are also boarding at the school.

This visit Editha definitely recognized me and was starting to relax more around me. Her English is still very limited, but we could  have little conversations about school and her favourite subjects.

We met Sister Augustina, a wonderful lady who has looked after the boarding girls at the school for many, many years – she is almost famous around town ! Her biggest concern for Editha was that she did not have any of the basic requirements for school, her 1 pair of school shoes were too small and falling apart and she needed a new set of sheets – among many other things. I asked her to make me a list of all the things Editha needed for school and I would take care of it. 

Also during this visit I took Editha some small gifts from home, some basic clothing and books, and my niece Ella had sent over a present for ‘her friend Editha” – when it came to Ella’s gift which was the only one wrapped, Editha had no idea what to do with it – she just stood there looking at the wrapping paper. This was obviously the first present this little girl had ever received.  When we finally got it open the blue bunny was defiantely a huge hit !!!! I showed Editha a photo of Ella and Sister helped to explain who she was and that she was the same age as her living in Australia – she was amazed with Ellas curly blonde hair  !!!

I took the opportunity to organise with Sister to take the 3 girls out of school the following weekend for lunch, and she very kindly agreed.

A trip into town for Pizza soon became the biggest event on everyones calendar !!!  On Saturday I arrived to pick up Mr Massawe and Suzan and Talent, his 3 year old daughter,  all dressed up in their Sunday best and the girls at school were all ready in their going out school uniforms.  Not only was Pizza a first for everyone, even the concept of choosing from a menu and wait for it….. the flushing toilet…. Were the highlights of the day !!!! The look of all the kids faces as they tasted pizza for the first time was enough to bring tears to your eyes, then watching the excitement as the toilet flushed made you cry with laughter.

During lunch I gave Editha a small passport photo of Ella, writing on the back “Hi Editha love from Your Friend Ella from Australia”, she held onto it with pride all lunch then put it in her top pocket for safe keeping – the next week when I went to pick her up from school she ran inside to get her photo which is obviously very loved as it is all scrunched up looking like it permanently lives in the palm of her cute little hand !

That afternoon we also went shopping to buy Editha all the things she needed for school. While she waited in the car Suzan and I ran around buying everything from 3 pairs new shoes, underwear, tracksuits, sleep wear, to toothpaste and soap.  The look of sheer delight on her little face each time we came back to the car with something else, I honestly don’t think she could believe all this stuff was for her ! She just kept saying Asante, Asante, Asante – which is Thank you in Swahili and smiling like a cheshire cat.  Suzan just kept telling me it was a good day a very good day J

I was pleasantly surprised on Friday morning when Mr Massawe said we could go a pick up the girls from school to take them home for holidays.  I was not expecting this at all and it turned out to be one of the most amazing days of my life.

We got to school at 11am – very early as I think Mr Massawe was excited to see his girls ! We walked through the gate to 1000 kids, all dressed in the same uniform hanging around the gates. I was looking around for Editha but trying to find one child in a sea of blue and white was almost impossible…. next thing I know this little girls comes running, almost pushing people out of the way and grabs my legs hugging me yelling something in Swahili which I could not understand.  It was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced, not only did she recognize me it was the sudden realization for her that I was there for her, to look after her and take care of her. There were huge smiles, hugs and you could feel the overwhelming sense of pride as she paraded me around school – her Mzungu Mama. 

All the children were called to assembly in the garden, and we watched proudly as end of term awards were handed out– Editha sitting quietly on the grass would look over often and give me a little smile and a wave to make sure I was still there.  Following assembly we went to her classroom to collect her workbooks from the term. As we were waiting our turn, to all of our surprise Edithas Mother arrived.  I honestly don’t think Editha could believe it and let out a huge scream of excitement running to hug her Mama.  This was the first time I had met he mother as she was away last time I visited and whilst the language barrier was huge she was a delightful lady who clearly loved her little girl very much.

My “High” of the day pretty quickly dissolved as I also found out during this time that not only had Editha’s father been drinking he was also beating his wife when intoxicated ! All of a sudden I felt this overwhelming need to protect these amazing and beautiful women and children and the thought of taking Editha home became a sickening thought rather than an exciting one ! School really is a safe haven for some of these kids, not only for regular meals but protecting them from violence and neglect that can occur at home.  Mr Massawe assures me that Edithas father has not been drinking recently and there is no doubt her mother loves and cares for her very much but it was still very difficult to drop her off at home, also knowing I wont see her for another year ! 

I pretty much decided there and then that I have to come back next year, if nothing to ensure this amazing little girl knows that I am and will always be there for her.

So, it looks like I am heading back to Tanzania again in 2013. We also have big and exciting plans for Kilimahewa Nursery School which I will share in my next blog update. 

All our hard work at the school is really paying off and we are being asked to speak to other volunteers and members of the community about how to effectively set up sustainability projects which is very exciting.

Till next time, enjoy the photos of my amazing little girl xxxx

Today was a big day with Aussie and Sydney, our new school pets, arriving at their new home.  

We purchased them from a farm about 2kms up the road, and had 2 options to get them home - either walk them (along a rather busy highway) or load them onto a pickup and drive them the short distance back to school. We were pretty keen to walk them home, not only for the fantastic photo opportunities this would provide, but to also save some money however in the end, on the recommendation of some people with a lot more cow handling experience than us, we went with the pickup - yep this was definitely the right choice !   As soon as the cow pen door was opened Aussie tried to make a run for it, dragging the little man who was helping us out about 100m into the bush before he regained control of the runaway cow !!!! 
After some initial mayhem, cows were 'relatively easily' loaded onto the pick up for the slow and short trip home. The kids were very excited and watched on eagerly as the cows were unloaded and taken to their new enclosure at the school. 

Both of our new family members are now safely in their new home, and watch this space in the next few months for the arrival of their watoto (babies) :-) 

Today we bought 20 new uniforms for some of the students who did not have a uniform or who had grown out of their current ones. 
The kids were very excited, for many of them it was their first ever school uniform and they were pretty chuffed with themselves ! 

I can't believe I have been here for over 2 weeks already..... time flies when you are having fun as they say ! And I am already sad thinking about leaving. 

This past week has been busy busy busy, with Mr Massawes home currently looking like a construction zone.  


The chicken enclosure is finished and the 200 new chicks (Kenyan of course because they are the best) were delivered on the weekend. As the chicks grow over coming months, they will be transferred into the new enclosure and will start laying eggs in about 5-6 months time - they are currently occupying what was previously a bedroom, kept safely under heat lamps and constant care to ensure none are lost.

Another bedroom has now been demolished and is currently being converted into the new cow enclosure (see picture above).  Animals are such valuable assets that they often take priority and we have now also hired a watchman who's job is to sleep with and protect the cows from thieves. 

This week also saw the construction of a new water tank. With water in such short supply it was essential that we have enough water for the cows, so we have purchased and installed a new Water tank.

Just over a week has passed since I arrived back in Moshi.

After 29 long hours hours, most of which was spent aboard the not so impressive Ethiopian Airlines,  the view of the mighty Mt Kilimanjaro bursting through the clouds on approach to Kili Airport will never cease to be one of my favourite sights in the world.

It definitely does not feel like a year since I was last here, and not much has changed with the exception of a brand new Nackamutt Supermarket, which has revolutionised the shopping experience in Moshi – mainly for Mzungus (travellers/white people) as I doubt many locals could afford to shop there !

I went straight to visit Mr Massawe at school on Thursday, and was greeted warmly by both Mr Massawe and Susan, with an extra long hug from Talent, his youngest daughter who is now 4 !

The school is looking great, with the children currently on holidays this week, everything had been cleaned and new trees have recently been planted in the school yard which will provide some well needed shade during summer months.

Having only just eaten breakfast, I had to quickly make room for more food as it would have been rude of me to refuse the omelette Susan cooked for me to let me taste some of the 150 eggs per day our chickens are now laying.

The chickens are all very healthy and laying well, we have only lost 10 of the original 200 purchased.  

I was saddened to see the impact of the current drought in the region, with only a very short raining season this year the Corn Maize crops have all died, and as a result there is a food shortage especially for the local farming community. This community rely on the annual crop for not only income but a substantial amount of their daily food. At this time of year Mr Massawe would usually be getting ready to harvest his crop and would get enough maize to feed the children and his family for the coming year – this year the silos are now almost empty and there is nothing that can be salvaged from the crops.  Whilst I prefer and in all circumstance try to use our funding for sustainability projects,  this year we will need to be buying additional corn maize to ensure the children can still get their daily porridge at school, which is now also supplemented with eggs 1-2 times a week.

I was however, delighted to hear that Mr Massawe now has another teacher working at the school. A volunteer from the USA is funding the salary to allow Mr Massawe to have 2 full time classes with permanent teachers.

As always Mr Massawe was very organised and had done a lot of work prior to my arrival to ensure we could hit the ground running.  After breakfast #2 we had our first meeting to discuss our projects for 2012 and spent a lot of time talking about his plans for the future.

We quickly agreed on the key projects we were to get completed in the next few weeks – expanding the chicken project and investing in 2 new cows to start producing and selling milk. 

After the huge success of last years chickens Mr Massawe was keen to expand, and with a little renovation work to some already existing buildings we will be ready to house another 200 chickens.  Again Mr Massawe works his magic, and in a very non African fashion, work began immediately to complete the new chicken enclosures.  FYI – nothing in Africa happens quickly, so to have construction starting in less than 24 hours after our meeting I was suitably impressed, and is a true indication of how important this is to Mr Massawe.

Our second project involves cows – we will be buying 2 very pregnant cows which will produce approx 15 litres of milk per day per cow which Mr Massawee will sell at the local market. We went to check the cows over on Friday before we finalise the sale next week, and whilst I would like to say my years of being raised on a farm proved beneficial, all I can say is they looked fat and healthy and I wasn’t offended by the over whelming stench of cow manure. 

Stay tuned for next chapter, I will share more about our plans for the future and cant wait till Monday when the kids are back at school. 

Sara  

Jambo,
Today is the 6th June and it is now only 1 month until I head back to Tanzania. 

I have been emailing Mr Massawe in preparation for my arrival, he is very excited and has a lot of new ideas and projects for us to discuss when I arrive. Unfortunately, it looks like will will not be able to complete the Water Well this year, we have had a survey conducted and it will cost us at least USD$15,000 to drill over 100m into the ground.  This is most unfortunate, and whilst we may not get it completed this year, I plan to keep working to raise the money for the well hopefully for 2013.  We have many other just as important projects to complete this year, so keep watching this Blog and I will provide any updates as we progress. 

Asanta Sana (Thank You Very Much) 
Sara