The priorities of our project

Upon meeting with the host partner club, the Bukoba Rotary Club , it was determined that we move forward on the project with three priorities in mind.

1) WATER - clean water is scarce, however thanks to a very generous donation by a COCE board member, Mrs. Eulelia Robinson, clean water is now a reality. While clean water is closer to the school, we still need to get it up the hill to the school.

2) ELECTRICITY - electricity is within a stone's throw of SHSS, it's just that in order to get it to the school, payments must be made to the government for a transformer and installation.

3) FURNITURE - desks are being made but they cannot be made fast enough. New students have entered the school, but until more furniture is completed, they will have to share desks.

The needs go far beyond these priorities, but solving these issues will help to bring much progress to the school.

a simple thought...

Upon my return to the US, I corresponded with Mark Green, US Ambassador to Tanzania. Mark has been Ambassador for nearly two years and has done a fantastic job for the people of Tanzania during his tenure. No matter where I was in the country, and even in Uganda, people spoke highly of Ambassador Green.

In a short message back to me, Ambassador Green had the following to say:

Karibu. Tz touches us all

I couldn't think of a better way to put it. This has been a life changing experience.

Education is the way up

After spending some time in the village, you begin to realize why projects such as SHSS are so important to the future of Tanzanian children. Most, if not all of the villagers in Itoju and surrounding villages depend on agriculture as their source of income and survival. Crops such as bananas, plantains, coffee and mangoes are some of the staples of the region. As I learned while visiting, products such as coffee are grossly underpriced. This is interesting, especially when we see companies such as Starbucks out there priding themselves on "making farmers lives better". Not so fast Starbucks...

Education is the way up. It's written on the student's red shirts and it's in their minds. Walking through the classrooms on the first day of school impressed me. The kids are focusing on studies in areas of health, biology and algebra just to name a couple subjects. These can all be very tough subjects...now add to that that for most, all schooling is in the english language, for most students the english language is fairly new. The rule on the campus of SHSS is no Swahili - only english. Sounds tough, doesn't it?

Nothing is handed to the kids - they have to earn it. If it wasn't for projects such as SHSS, what would the future hold for the children of Izigo, Muhutwe & Mayondwe wards? Unfortunately, very little...

A short excerpt from the welcoming ceremony by the students and staff of SHSS

the arrival

After two days of air travel, an overnight in Entebbe than two days of travel in a cramped minibus, we finally arrived at our destination - Itoju Village, Tanzania. We were greeted by the students of SHSS. For the students, it was a day off - the new school year had not started yet. They chose to give up a day of vacation to welcome us to the school and to the village.

The welcome included singing, dancing, drumming and personal greetings to us by the students and staff of SHSS. Father Avitus and a couple others even joined in on the dancing - who were the better dancers? I think the kids won this one!

After some time at the school, we proceeded to the Kiguta home where we were greeted by many family members and also members of the village. It was good to finally be somewhere and not in transit (trust me, there were several times that I was questioning as to whether we were going to make it here or not).

A good meal and good night's sleep was very well deserved and appreciated!

I'm back

Well, I arrived safely back at home near midnight on Thursday, January 8th. It's been a long couple weeks but they have been very rewarding. I have many stories to tell and many photos to share. Still recovering from jet lag and a little illness from the trip, but I'll share a letter that I sent to the members of our club shortly after I returned to Kampala, Uganda on January 6th.

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As many of you know, I have been in Tanzania (Africa) for about a week and a half. I arrived in Kampala, Uganda last night and will be flying home later this evening. I thought it was noteworthy to share an e-mail that I sent to the members of the Rhinelander Rotary Club, that of which I am a member. Our club is sponsoring a service project in Itoju Village, a small village on the shores of Lake Victoria, about 40 km from the nearest town. The message follows...

It has been a long couple weeks, but I am back in Kampala, Uganda and will be flying home this evening. It was my first hot shower and good sleep in a while! For those who have been following the project, I thank you. I can honestly say that everything I have been told about the project by Father Kiguta through our personal meetings, pictures and e-mails does not do the project justice. We have a lot to do - not only at the school but also in the village.

Because of this trip, I have become a changed person. We as Americans do not know how good we have it. Next time your hot water runs out in your shower, be thankful that you have water. Next time you can't find anything that you want to eat at home, be thankful that you at least have something to eat. Next time you are upset that you don't have enough to buy that item in the store, be thankful that you at least have money.

Living with a traditional Tanzanian family was a wonderful experience. Unlike America, everyone is welcome, in every home. Many times throughout the stay in Itoju Village, we had visitors at the Kiguta home. Sometimes there were more than 30 or 40 people there. Everyone got along, everyone was happy, and everyone was thankful.

Sure, I didn't have a warm shower for a week and a half (I had not much more than a trickle of water (ice cold) for a shower, sure I ate the same meal every day (traditional Tanzanian food... matoke - mashed and baked bananas, rice - you can only eat so much, overcooked meat - a little goat and a little beef, fish that at times had dried to the point of shoe leather) and I ate the same thing every day, but at least we had a meal - there were many in the village that went with far less.

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This visit has changed my life. That is all that I can say...