Give A Xmas Gift A Little Early.....

As you all now, I have been diligently working on a few projects including the World Map, World Aids Day Celebration, and Tree Nurseries. I have received funding for my latest project: Water at the Secondary School....while the Organization funded my project, they would truly appreciate donations so they can continue to fund many more. Join me in helping others get clean drinking water, and check out my latest project while doing so!!!

http://appropriateprojects.com/node/1335

Livin' and Lovin' T to the Z

It has been 3 months without a blog and for that I apologize! In the past three months I have learned a lot, accomplished a lot, and realized how much I truly love Tanzania! I have also realized while I really love what I do, my career and my sanity may prefer relief work, as opposed to development work.

The month of May went quickly. I did a lot of teaching! I really enjoy teaching English to my Form 2 students, and I think they appreciate my different teaching style. I have worked with them on English structure, writing and speaking. We've completed our first story book, and written letters. I was able to teach them during school vacation, and I truly enjoyed being the only teacher there, truly to teach, and from the heart. I wanted them to have fun, and learn at the same time; that doesn't happen to much in a typical classroom setting. I know they enjoyed learning with games just as much as I did. (And the winning team at the end of the week enjoyed their “blow pops” even more!)

I've also been teaching my Health Club with a counterpart (They have named themselves The Bright Star and we are working to register with FEMINA). We had a WONDERFUL session on gender, and the students loved it so much, we continued to discuss it the following week. Needless to say, that was my favorite topic and lesson. Those students will also be going to my primary school in two weeks to teach them the hand-washing and how germs spread lesson themselves. My principal at the secondary school was so enthused that she also asked them to prepare a skit. It's so true when they say our role as a volunteer is to simply facilitate.

When the kids return in September from their month long break for the census in August, we will be planting banana trees at the primary school and health clinic. The chairperson of my sub village volunteered to water the ones at the health clinic everyday, and just showed me there are in fact people interested in helping me, help them.

I am also doing a chicken project with the Women's Empowerment Group. The plan was to do a village wide training, and then build the coupe with the group (including a feeding schedule, growth management and financial management plan). Two weeks ago, I went to town with the President of the group, and we made the budget. I wrote the grant, submitted it to Peace Corps, and decided yesterday to retract it. (I was accepted to our Grants Committee as a peer reviewer of grants) and during training this week I realized I want to re-do my grant, and have them write it. When I leave, who will write a grant for them? Who will reach out to resources both in our district and region? I need to equip them with the skills to be able to do this. I'm going to start from the beginning, edit as needed, but have them write every piece of the grant, and see the steps involved. To me, this is capacity building; I shouldn't be doing it for them. While they did give input, I did the work. I'm really excited to make these changes.

Lastly, our Girls Conference will happen in February 2013. Our region has never had one, and this will be a lot of work, but we are all fully committed. I'm also really excited about this.

My garden is doing well, still volunteering at the health clinic, and trying to make educational posters to put up every month. I also have another project in the works-details to come in the next blog! :) Stay tuned!

Top 10 Things I LOVE about (peaceful, peaceful) Tanzania!

1. When I go to a duka to buy phone voucher and there isn't any, they send someone on a hunt FOR ME to find it; everyone takes care of me, even in the big cities when they don't know me!
2. Once I lost my phone, and the entire bus stopped to look for it, until it was found.
3. I have lost my favorite Nalgene 3 times, and all 3 times it has been returned to me.
4. I don't have to fear guns because no one in the village has one. I feel more safe living here than in the States.
5. When I go to the market, my market mama always throws in extra vegetables, just because. (And I buy a weeks worth of food for about 4 dollars!)
6. Life is simple! While time isn't of the essence and sometimes bothers me when I'm trying to get things done, things are stress free and calm. There aren't 1,943 things to get done in one day.
7. Kids can make anything into a toy, and while we think they don't have critical thinking skills, I don't think they could get any more creative.
8. All the awesome income generating activities that make great gifts :) I've gotten some lovely paintings, pottery made from clay in my village and jewelry that you're going to LOVE! Also in this category, the awesome craftsman that can fix ANYTHING for practically a penny (this includes clothes!)
9. When I leave my village and return, you'd think I was arriving in my village for the first time; the kids take my bags to my house, my family makes me dinner, and every one greets me! (And my village bus makes sure I have seat number one, right in the front!)
10. The genuine people, and the greetings! At first it was annoying to go through 5 greetings with everyone, (and the question “where are you going” still bothers me), but I really appreciate people valuing taking the time to sincerely say Hi! Random people on the streets, and in the village, will not only greet you, but welcome you to whatever they are doing (including eating!) Sharing happens all the time, and between a lot of people who don't have much. It's beautiful!

Singidaaaaa

Can you believe I've been here 6 months?  As they say here, the days creep, but the weeks fly; it's so true! I get too overwhelmed with all I could share to actually sit down and write, so I apologize for not blogging sooner.  I figured I have no choice now that I've been with electricity for the past three weeks.  (I GO HOME TOMORROW morning!!)  I could not be happier.  I never thought I would miss my village so much!! 

So what have I been doing these past three months?  I've been working on a Village Situational Analysis, which is similiar to a needs assessment.  I visited every sub-village (my village has 5) to talk with the leaders and villagers, I volunteered and observed at the health clinic, I observed the teachers at both the primary and secondary schools, and I just simply hung out with villagers, to figure out what the needs were in my village. I had almost two meetings a week, ranging from a simple school board meeting, to an entire ward meeting, with all the village officials in my ward. This was all done to better understand what they would like to see as future projects.  What was apparent to me from arrival, was the lack of access to water (but I had to make sure this was also a concern of my village).  I have been catching rain water, and using that for bathing, cooking and washing clothes.  My villagers and neighbors use a dam, which here is called a lambo.  Some sub villages are as far as 4 kilometers, and they walk that in one direction, to fetch water everyday.  During the rain season (which is from October to March) rain water harvesting is simple and efficient.  However, I, like my villagers am concerned about the dry season.  They dig holes underground (similiar to excavation) and wait for the water to rise; I suppose I'll be doing the same once the dam dries.  Needless to say, at some point during my service I'll be working on a water project.  I've been doing a lot of research of best practices/methods, potential NGO's to partner with, and how to network with Water Authorities here in Tanzania/Singida.  Another large issue in my village is food security. Everyone grows corn, sunflower and beans.  Not the most nutritious food, but it's food.  The sunflowers are used to produce sunflower oil, and that's a large income generator (along with onions) for many of the farmers around me.  We can only access tomatoes and mangoes in my village; for everything else we go to town (about 48km) which is difficult for some.  I considered trying to work on bringing a market to my village, but along with the other potential projects, including access to water, I think that one is out of my reach. 

After talking with my advisor here in Peace Corps, we've decided my intial projects won't require money, and will be strictly capacity building, (which is perfect, because that's our purpose here); to facilitate, and help our villages help themselves.  I have started a health club at my secondary school, and we will begin meeting every Monday, next Monday.  I have a counterpart who wrote the application with me, and helped pick the best leaders, who can take what they learn, and teach it to the students at the primary school.  Other potential projects include a tree nursery at my primary school, a sweet potato garden for income generation, and teaching permagardening (first with my health club, and having them teach others).  I also REALLY want to work on HIV/Aids education and address HIV stigma because that is a large ("swept under the table") issue in my village.  STI's and UTI's which indicate people are having unprotected sex, are the second and third most treated illnesses at my health clinic, yet there are ZERO reported cases of HIV/Aids.  Due to lack of privacy (and now lack of a doctor) no one uses our health clinic for these resources, or to be tested.

I also have a Women's Empowerment group who are so EAGER and ready to work with me.  They are the most self efficient and sustainable group I've come across thus far.  The only thing they need from me is facilitation; they are amazing.  They make wonderful pottery from soil in the village over (a WONDERFUL income generating project) and all they need is a venue to sell it.  We are currently working on making charcoal for cooking from paper, harvesting a small shamba (farm) and will be starting a "group bank account" when I return. 

So what's next?  When I return to my village, the plan is to fix my garden so that I have an example once I begin teaching others how to make them.  The chickens ate all of my seeds, so the first step is to build a fence.  I'm not sure I'll be able to plant until the rain season returns due to lack of water.  However,  I have found an NGO based in Arusha that will give packets of seeds of indigenous vegetables here in Tanzania, so seeds are not an issue!  I will start teaching life skills and health education to my health club, and volunteer at the Zahanati (as we no longer have a doctor!).  I also want to plan a regioanl Girls Empowerment Conference (with fellow volunteers in Singida!) for the month of August.  My last goal is to attend a grassroots soccer Zinduka training, which teaches us, and two members of our village techniques to teach HIV/Aids education through soccer.  My next blog will be an update of my WORK!!!, now that I can finally begin.  I'm so excited to return to such a wonderful place, and thankful for all the lettters, packages, and support from home which keep me going!  I promise, the next blog will come quicker than this one!

What's that place called America?

I've been living in Singida since December and have had an interesting experience to say in the least!  I absolutely love my village and it is absolutely beautiful.  I look out in the morning and see nothing but plains, greenery, farmland and the most extraordinary stones/rocks.  If I stand about 10 feet from my house I can see Mt. Hunang, which is the second largest mountain in Tanzania.  I’ve made great friends with all the teachers at my primary school, since that is my new home, and I’ve made a best friend in the one.  She has a three year old son that apparently I will be bringing back to America to study (which is what I find I’ll be doing with many children!)
I’m currently working on a village needs assessment to figure out what my work will be for the next two years.  Right now I’m thinking I’ll be teaching health at the Secondary School, which is like high school, and starting a health club there.  Those two are definite.  As for projects, I’m highly considering a water project because after rain season ends in March I’m not sure where I’ll be getting water from.  We all currently use buckets to catch rain water, and my primary school has two large rainwater harvesting tanks.  My village also really wants a soko, which is a market; the only things you can buy in my village are mangoes and tomatoes.  Of course you can also eat what you grow, which is why I planted a garden about 3 weeks ago.  Unfortunately the chickens ate almost every seed I planted but I have a few promising tomatoes and squash to transplant.  I feel like I’ve also planted at the end of the rain season because it hasn’t been raining much.  Maybe next year I’ll have my own food.  (I also need seeds, so Karibu (welcome) sending me seeds J)  Most people in my village plant various types of greens, beans, and the harvest crops are corn and sunflower.  They bring the sunflower to town to produce sunflower oil. (Speaking of, that’s something else they want; a sunflower mill).  The sunflowers are now starting to sprout, and seeing fields full of them every day is breathtaking. 

Things I’ve found interesting to convey to people in the village/discussing life in America:

1.      Every person does not have a farm, and there are job opportunities outside of being a farmer or having a business.  I conducted a survey in my village, and when asked how people generate income it was either biashara, which is business, or a farm, and that was it.  It was hard to convey the concept of factories and how we get the food we eat (here you eat what you grow or what someone else grew, but nothing processed and nothing from a “grocery store”, what is that?)

2.      We do not use corporal punishment in schools, and rarely in homes.  Then the question of “well how do you discipline?” always follows.  The concept of “time-out” and punishment by taking away things/adding extra work (or assigning papers/reports like my Mom used to do) were foreign and funny J

3.      If you cannot find a seat on public transportation (unless on a metro which I have yet to try to explain) you cannot simply stand and ride.  Here, where a car/van/bus seats 10, they will cram in 50.  That thing called personal space DOES NOT exist in Tanzania.

4.      I still have to explain to many people that yes, I am American.  It always helps when I also explain that my grandparents too, are also from America, so that they understand where my descent still remains.

5.      I have never seen a bat in my life because we have/use electricity in America.  At night there are still light posts, porch lights, and lights inside one’s home to deter them.  We also have ceiling boards and our houses are made from various materials, preventing holes in the wall that allow bats to burrow.  (I had HORRIBLE bats in my house that have since been fixed, but everyone thought it was funny I was afraid.  Bats to a Tanzanian are like Frogs to an American; they can’t harm you and the children actually play with them (when they catch them). 

6.      The average family size in America is 2 children, maybe 3.  10 are unheard of.  Here, 10 children in a family just may be the average family size.  Therefore making class sizes in primary school (elementary school) EXTREMELY large.  By extremely, I mean 100 children in "first grade," with one teacher.

7.      In America we have this thing called freedom of religion and there are more than 2 religions.  Here, you are Muslim or Christian and you MUST be one.  There is nothing else and there definitely are not individuals who do not believe, question or do not attend church.  Asking what religion you are is like asking someone what their name is.  It comes up in introductory conversation like where do you live? J

8.      There is not a bride price in America, and our parents don’t have to pay for us to get married.  Well, why not? Here, daughters live with their families until married, and then leave to live with their husband.  It’s more like a transfer of expense, and also a part of their culture.  In America, most females are independent prior to marriage and are already paying their own expenses.  (We also do that weird thing called date, and marry whoever we fall in love with.)

 My cultural exchange continues every day and thus far has proved to be the most rewarding.  Not only can I share my experience of Tanzania with friends in America via this blog, but through my improving Swahili, I can convey life in America to them.  I never say one or the other is better, they are just very different.  Tanzania is the MOST peaceful country I’ve ever been in, and I feel so safe every day.  I have nothing but loving, caring people surrounding me/in my presence in my village, who would give me the shirt off their back, and always welcome me to the food on their table (or floor J).  I feel absolutely loved and welcome and thus far am enjoying every bit of the ups and downs of the village life!