by Barbara Joye | Feb 25, 2009 | February, Kilimanjaro 2009
It is the day before my departure and I leave with mixed feelings. I have made friends here, truly, that I know will be friends for life. Who knew… that half way around the world and in completely different cultural surroundings, connections of mind, heart and purpose could run so deep!? This trip has been very successful, in ways that we did not anticipate. Friendships, organizational accomplishments with local ward and villages, shipping dilemmas clarified, tax waivers begun, assurances of safety at Parliament and Ministry government levels and a greater understanding of cultural and family histories, that still shapes decision making today… all are invaluable and key to implementation and sustainability of this Uru Water Project! Our wonderful Mt. Kilimanjaro climbers and film crew, of course, accomplished AMAZING personal feats in their push to the top. I and countless others, in Uru and the USA, are forever grateful for their commitments and some very real suffering, to benefit this project’s fundraising efforts. Ranging in age from 19 to 72 years old… a needed correction of Mama Florentina’s age, by the way!… this group has truly set a standard of selfless service for collective good, that will reap benefits in the lives of many. With thanks, may God bless them all. We have received donor support from family and friends, pledging in the names of our brave Kilimanjaro climbers. Additionally, we are receiving donations through our WelIs For The Grandmothers program, in which donations of $2000. gathered individually or as a group, may be made to create a well. These Grandmother or Mother, Grandfather or Father, Brother or Sister wells,...
by Barbara Joye | Feb 22, 2009 | February, Kilimanjaro 2009
I spent the weekend at Kishumundu Secondary School, in the little house they have built for mujungu *European* volunteers. It was a welcome relief to be on the mountain and James Kiware, the Headmaster, and Salome, the school secretary, went out of their way to make me feel at home. They kept referring to the volunteer house as MY home… and laughing. I walked into a small house with cement floors and a wooden pantry that they had stocked with fresh vegetables, mango, banana and lots of coca cola…. they joke about coca cola being American wine. The house sits at the back of the school, overlooking a deep ravine that runs with water during the “big rains”. It’s completely dry now. Salome and I spent a lot of time together, cooking and talking. All meals are prepared fresh as there is no refrigeration. It’s really very healthy, but also very time consuming. Salome comes from a poor family, not that she’s complaining! She is a self made woman and really is one of the most resourceful and happy people I’ve met…ever. She credits God with every good thing in her life and has worked amazingly hard to educate herself. She brought out every certificate she has ever earned… for computer training, red cross training and volunteerism and secretarial school. She had never shown them to anyone before and I was so touched, because I knew I wasn’t being shown just certificates. These papers represented the best… and hardest… parts of her life. In the face of cultural challenges faced by a woman and real poverty, she kept working...
by Barbara Joye | Feb 17, 2009 | February, Kilimanjaro 2009
Some early rains have started, as a preview of the monsoon season to come, in March. Everyone prays for rain here, so it is always welcome. My own perspective has been altered and I don’t believe I can ever feel unappreciative of rain again. I spent my morning revising letters for equipment permits and tax waivers. The Uru Ward counselors Evarist Momburi, Rose Temba and Stephen Mambaleo, are working overtime with me, to make sure our remaining time together is maximized. EVERYONE is thinking of nothing but water and wells right now. I have met with Dr. Chami, this area’s Parliament representative, two times now. I am learning more about Tanzanian politics and the working of government in these matters than I ever thought possible! I am surprised at how much I am enjoying this aspect, even with all the challenges of communication, cultural understandings and required learning curves! I think it’s probably because I am so grateful for this level of cooperation and so excited to see the internal mechanics of our project moving forward! I keep telling everyone here it’s too early to plan such things, but they are already planning a BIG celebration for the first well that brings in water. Florentina woke me up last night, pounding on my door in her night gown. Dr. Chami had just called her, pressing her/me for a firm drilling date, because the President of Tanzania would like to clear his schedule for the dedication! Florentina could not stop laughing. No one in the USA can possibly believe how important these buckets of water are to very thirsty people....
by Barbara Joye | Feb 15, 2009 | February, Kilimanjaro 2009
Mama Flo and I drove to Kibosho today, to attend a children’s mass. Kibosho is west of Uru and the church we traveled to had been built decades ago by missionaries. Its sanctuary rivals some Chicago churches in size and I marveled at the stain glass windows throughout. While it had all the familiar landmarks of a Catholic church, it was also uniquely African. Most enjoyable was the choir that sang most of the mass, acapella to an African drumbeat, with all their hearts and voices. I marvel wherever I go, at the passion and pride that the children in particular bring to everything they do. This church also offers a primary school, and this is where Mama Flo attended school in her childhood. She shared some reminiscences with me, as we walked the expansive grounds edged by banana trees. One nun skeptically informed her that she didn’t believe Florentina would pass “Form 6” into Secondary school. In typical Florentina style, she responded, “that’s ok… I want to drive a taxi anyway!” That was a statement meant to shock the Sister, as it was the farthest thing from a typical female job that Flo could think of. It had the desired affect on the Sister. But Florentina said the conversation also served to secretly motivate her. She was determined to prove this nun wrong and EVERYONE was shocked again when the parish priest showed up to inform the Sister that Florentina had finished FIRST in her required examinations, in all of Kilimanjaro. Florentina was cautioned, though, “Do Not Be Proud, Florentina… but you are going to Secondary School.” And...
by Barbara Joye | Feb 12, 2009 | February, Kilimanjaro 2009
I spent time in the Moshi library today, researching the Chagga people’s stories. Chagga are the people who live in Uru and they have a very rich history. They have always been peaceful – hardworking and committed to agriculture and family. The people here now are very interested in technology and education, seeing these things as a means of advancing themselves in the world. The library was one more experience of how time has stood still here since British colonial occupation ended in 1961 and Tanzania became a sovereign country. The remnants of colonial times are everywhere, the buildings and homes still present but in ruin or disrepair, with little to no modern improvements. Apparently, there was no transitional effort when the British left, they simply picked up and went, when the new government was sanctioned. There was no effort ever made to work cooperatively as business people. When I asked about this, the older people themselves can’t explain it. If the British were fearful, which is likely, these peaceful Chagga people don’t understand it. Many of the books in the library were from these times, with an absolute dearth of any more recent materials. In a country whose people prize education so much, it was one more heartbreaking realization of the long term effects… of short sighted politics and greed… and the resulting poverty. On the positive side, there were many young people in the library, studying quietly. They also fill the internet cafes here, anxious to be apprised of the world. They pay from 50 cents to one dollar an hour here, when they have the funds,...
by Barbara Joye | Feb 11, 2009 | February, Kilimanjaro 2009
In Tanzania, a “safari” is not only a trip to see big game animals. Its literal meaning is a “far journey”. So I returned yesterday from my “safari” to Tanga, a very old port city on the Indian Ocean. As the drive is 6 hours to Tanga, I had a lot of time to reflect on the people living in this harsh, semi arid region. Hundreds of miles of near desert are framed by first the Usambara mountains and then the Pares mountains. I constantly wonder at the harsh conditions of heat and inaccessibility to water and at the strength and will of people to survive in these surroundings. I saw huge acreages devoted to the growing of sisal, a crop suitable to hot sun and no water. Apparently Tanzania was the sisal capital of the world at one time, before the world market for it collapsed in the 1970s. More ancient and sobering history recounts this same road as part of the original ivory and slave caravan routes. Because the landscapes and even everyday life have changed so little since these times, it is not difficult to imagine these caravans and the misery they exported. Just like the endless stretches of red sand and plant scruff, seeing into the stretch of history and the stories of greed built on human misery is not only possible, it is palpable. Its legacy is present still in the bodies and land of its descendants, calling for a spirit of renewal and freedom from the bondage that still lives in people’s minds. An overnight stay in Tanga’s port area allowed Florentina and...
