Thursday May 27, 2010 - It seems like we've been here forever, but in reality, it's been less than one day. Woke up way too early (body clocks are still trying to adjust to the 8 hour time difference) to various birds, bells, roosters and other assorted unfamiliar sounds. Breakfast was great - eggs taste wonderful. Then hiked down the road a short distance (we'll never complain about Winnipeg potholes again) to the CPAR office. Had a chance for a few people to catch up on emails. Jean led us through an introduction session to meet the staff (Dayo, Ndiringo, Mohammed, "Nice", Jean and Japhet) and get to know us a bit better. We then all gave our first impressions of Africa. Highlights were:
Joe - beautiful landscape
Cheryl - wide open spaces
Erin - friendly people
Joe - beautiful landscape
Cheryl - wide open spaces
Erin - friendly people
Delainie - all the kids
Nitasha - kids - how happy they appear and their impressive command of English
Mary - beautiful plants, and how good it feels to be here
Megan - how at home it feels to be here
Alyssa - open, friendly people
Bronwyn - how lush and green and full of life everything is
Riley - friendly people
Preet - how nature is incorporated into everything that is built, instead of tearing it down and building over it
Peter - gender disparity - women seem to be working very much harder than the men
Kayla - how welcoming and happy all the people are
Carah - the people make you feel special - very polite
Karen G - how hard everyone works
Dan - how conservative everyone is with resources - nothing is wasted and everything is valued
Janice - cleanliness, the vegetation, and the happiness of the people
Devin - love the people
Alanna - how welcoming it is here
Susan - the smiles everywhere
Darcy - surprised at how hard small kids work
Jeremy - how friendly the people are and how proud they are of the land and how willing they are to tell you about it
Matthew - how great CPAR has been to us and what a great job they have done organizing everything for us
Karen S - the beautiful country
Morgan - how much the accomodations exceeded our expectations, the baboons on the roadside
Vannessa - the young women working so hard
Jessica - no one is homesick because we feel so much at home here
Larry - beautiful land, nice people
Kathy - vast landscapes and warmth of people
Jean summed it up nicely - this area is the "cradle of the world", the birthplace of mankind, which is one of the reasons why so many people feel like they are coming home when they visit here.
Broke for an Internet break - all of us lining up to get on the 5 available computers and exerienced our first "boxed lunch" which actually came in boxes! REALLY full boxes! There was enough food for 2 people in each box (except for some of the boys and Alanna) - an egg salad bunwich, cheese and crackers, a vegetable quiche, carrot sticks, a juice box (well, actually a pyramid), chocolate bar, and a chicken drumstick.
Japhet then gave us a quick lesson on the political history of Tanzania so we'd have some insight into some of the issues surrounding education and healthcare. The first 7 years of school are free (except parents have to provide uniforms, and in some cases water and other supplies), secondary school is next - only 20% continue on to this level. Of those 20%, only 3% go to university (0.03% of population). Education is the key to get out of poverty.
Healthcare varies greatly by region and is not free.
Jean summed it up nicely - this area is the "cradle of the world", the birthplace of mankind, which is one of the reasons why so many people feel like they are coming home when they visit here.
Broke for an Internet break - all of us lining up to get on the 5 available computers and exerienced our first "boxed lunch" which actually came in boxes! REALLY full boxes! There was enough food for 2 people in each box (except for some of the boys and Alanna) - an egg salad bunwich, cheese and crackers, a vegetable quiche, carrot sticks, a juice box (well, actually a pyramid), chocolate bar, and a chicken drumstick.
Japhet then gave us a quick lesson on the political history of Tanzania so we'd have some insight into some of the issues surrounding education and healthcare. The first 7 years of school are free (except parents have to provide uniforms, and in some cases water and other supplies), secondary school is next - only 20% continue on to this level. Of those 20%, only 3% go to university (0.03% of population). Education is the key to get out of poverty.
Healthcare varies greatly by region and is not free.
CPAR has been working directly with communities to help them address problems. The community is already on the path to trying to find a solution, CPAR provides some extra resources to help them achieve their solution.
They have 86 schools requesting rainwater harvesting tanks since 2004, 25 have been built - this includes the two from KEC. We were the only source of funding this year as all of their other sponsors have had to cut back due to the recession.
We then went for a walk down to the main business area so we could exchange money into shillings. We felt a little like fresh chum in the water surrounded by the shark-like hawkers with their trinkets and carvings - each promising the best deal! A little intimidating. We split into groups and went off on different adventures. Most of the students finally caved to the street vendors and bought necklaces or bracelets. A few girls bought material for kangas and dropped it off to be sewn.
Peter, with Jean's help, arranged to buy a small boy a pair of shoes for 3000 shillings (about 3 bucks) who followed us around with his bare feet and his big eyes. They ran off with the money and a while later came racing back to proudly display his second-hand shoes! I'm not sure who was more pleased with the transaction - Peter or his new friend.
They have 86 schools requesting rainwater harvesting tanks since 2004, 25 have been built - this includes the two from KEC. We were the only source of funding this year as all of their other sponsors have had to cut back due to the recession.
We then went for a walk down to the main business area so we could exchange money into shillings. We felt a little like fresh chum in the water surrounded by the shark-like hawkers with their trinkets and carvings - each promising the best deal! A little intimidating. We split into groups and went off on different adventures. Most of the students finally caved to the street vendors and bought necklaces or bracelets. A few girls bought material for kangas and dropped it off to be sewn.
Peter, with Jean's help, arranged to buy a small boy a pair of shoes for 3000 shillings (about 3 bucks) who followed us around with his bare feet and his big eyes. They ran off with the money and a while later came racing back to proudly display his second-hand shoes! I'm not sure who was more pleased with the transaction - Peter or his new friend.
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