Week 2

This week has been busy organizing project accounts and preparing for the transition of the past interns to leave and for Meaghan and I to take over specific tasks. Jackie is leaving this Saturday, so Meaghan and I were able to accompany her to various project sites that she has been affiliated with so she could say goodbye.

Mon., Aug. 13, 2007
While the other interns were feeling slightly under-the-weather, I started my day with a workout and a long walk around town to get myself oriented with the city. Kim had gone to the clinic with Missy and found that along with her worms she also has Malaria, pole sana (very sorry). After returning, Kim and I went to the International Language School to inquire about Swahili lessons. We have been recommended by several past interns that Mama Salala (a large German woman) is an excellent teacher and we are planning on meeting with her early next week.

TunzaBeach

Tues., Aug. 14, 2007
Kim left very early this morning to go visit a hospital in Bumbire, where she will be volunteering next summer. The trip there is 7 hours long and she will be back on Thursday, we wish her a safe journey. Jackie and Meaghan went to the clinic because they weren’t feeling well, while Missy and I went to U-Turn to pick up groceries. You can pick up a lot of similar canned and bottle foods in Mwanza however they can be quite a bit more expensive ($12 for a box of Frosted Flakes). Mwanza is about the same size of London, Ontario which means you can pretty much walk everywhere, and with the intense sun and hot weather this can get exhausting.
When Meaghan and Jackie came back from the clinic we found out that Meg has an amoeba and Jackie has Malaria. With everyone, but me (knock-on-wood), being sick we decided to keep the evening quiet so everyone could rest and feel healthy again.

Wed., Aug. 15, 2007
I went for a walk this morning with a woman who works for Kivulini, Beatrice, and I came across a young boy that I met at the Yogurt Kitchen. His name is Singeah and he does not attend school. When asked about his parents he told us that they were both deceased and that he lives with his grandmother. When asked why he didn’t attend school he said that his grandmother cannot afford to buy his uniform or books. This situation is seen with so many children in Mwanza and the inability of a young mind to have the opportunity to gain knowledge it is a very difficult reality.
In the afternoon the girls and I visited the Yogurt Kitchen to have a brief meeting with the Mamas about the project. We are working to have a very open relationship with the Mamas and to help them to become independent of WHE. One of the main goals for this project is to have the yogurt production and distribution be sustainable on their own and also have profit coming in to strengthen the community. This includes having a strong relationship with each other and the organizations that they rely on. There are also business aspects of accounting and book-keeping which are necessary to maintain a strong business. These are only a few of the matters that we are working with the Mamas to ensure a strong, efficient, and proficient business.

Thurs., Aug. 16, 2007
We were able to take a walk through the busy market today and I really enjoyed the electrifying feeling of the many vendors selling their fresh goods. I am considering using the market as a resource for part of my independent study, but it seems like it would be a difficult task to ask the vendors questions in such a hectic environment. I will have to rethink my project tactics. Missy and Jackie also took Meaghan and I through an area they call ‘Fabric Land’ because most of the stores sell either Kangas, scarves and/or material to make clothing and bags. There are an incredible number of fantastic seamstresses in Mwanza and they produce beautiful pieces. The girls have gotten several shirts, skirts, dresses, and over-the-shoulder bags made for such little money, relative to Canadian prices. I am very excited to have some pieces made for myself and friends back home.
At around 3pm the girls and I set off to an orphanage that Jackie and Missy volunteer at called ‘Forever Angels’. The project is run by Amy who self-funds the entire orphanage. Her program is very well organized and puts great emphasis on having local adoptions. I am hoping to work with her for my second part of my independent study where I will be monitoring the children before and after they consume the probiotic yogurt (Fiti) that the Yogurt Mamas make, on a regular basis. Amy has ensured that the children have their measurements taken weekly, which will help me plot the changes in health and growth for the children taking the yogurt. Many children at the orphanage generally get a well-balanced diet but do lack intake of dairy and therefore Calcium. We are hoping to start giving them the yogurt as soon as possible. The children are adorable with a total of 19 kids all under the age of 5 years old and they are working to expand the space to hold up to 40 children and infants.
Kim arrived home later this evening and she had an amazing experience helping out in the hospital and giving HIV tests. We met up at Tunza Lodge for another nice evening of yoga on the beach even though the weather was slightly overcast.

Forever Angels Organization

Yoga at Tunza Beach

Fri., Aug. 17, 2007
We were finally able to take some time from project work to get to an internet café today. Even though we were there for 1 hour I wasn’t able to get many emails out because the internet is so slow. It does get a bit frustrating when we are used to the fast pace life of home, but it is also nice to take some time to reflect on your own and have time to keep detailed journals and blogs. Afterwards we went to the Yogurt Kitchen to meet with the Mamas and go over financial issues. It is remarkable to see how hard the Mamas work and how well they interact with each other. The Kitchen seems to be a popular place because there is always someone coming in to buy yogurt. The Mamas had special visitors that day from Women’s Rights Organizations around Tanzania. They came by to see what some of the women in Mwanza are doing for their local community and how they are empowering themselves. It was great that the Yogurt Mamas are getting recognition for their hard work.

Sat., Aug. 18, 2007
We woke up early this morning to drop off Jackie and Kim at the Mwanza airport. Jackie was going back home to London, Ontario and Kim was going to Dar es Saalam for an Indian wedding. Kim went to school with a friend from Dar and her cousin was getting married and invited her to attend. She will be back Monday afternoon and I can’t wait to see the amazing pictures from the wedding.
Missy, Meg and I then took the daladala (public van bus) into town to use the internet quickly and to pick up some groceries. Later that day Danny (local marine engineer) took us to ‘Dancing Rock’ and the view was absolutely gorgeous. We stayed up at the top for a while trying to see the sun set, but a storm rolled in and we got totally drenched on the way down. After cleaning up at home we got ready for a night of dancing at Villa Park, it was very nice to have a night out.

Meaghan and me at Dancing Rock

Sun., Aug. 19, 2007
I was able to sleep in today and made myself a big breakfast of eggs, hot dogs, and toast. I also had some freshly made popcorn, one of my favorite snacks because it is made by local boys across the street from our apartment and the money they make goes to their organization that is part of Kivulini. Their organization supports against domestic violence against women, raising money to send street children to school, and to support the community. Missy, Meg and I were invited to a bbq that was quite far away from our apartment and so took a bit of organizing to get there. We ate delicious curry chicken and a huge piece of bbq’ed lamb that we all shared. There weren’t any utensils so we really did feel like carnivores chewing off this huge chunk of meat.