Week 6 - Gaining a Deeper Understanding

March 26- April 1 

Stress and Health - AIDS and Malaria are definitely the most prominent diseases here. However, Nie feels that high blood pressure is also a significant and widespread condition. Much of this she feels is due to the stress of life. People carry a lot of burdens not only for their immediate family but also for their relatives. Extended family is very important; everyone helps each other the best they can. I asked  Nie what most would say is the most difficult challenge about life here, she said “assurance of having food for the next meal”.

Education in Tanzania - Education is the key to unlock the door out of poverty. Most Tanzanians understand the importance of education for their children. The government touts that public education is free. However, each family must pay for their own uniforms and school supplies. This not only includes pencils, paper and backpack but also textbooks and exercise books (est. $33USD) Many classrooms may only have one textbook for the whole class. The average class size is 45 students!! In addition, schools charge fees to cover building maintenance, guard salary, furniture (desks) and sometimes water bills (est. $33USD).

Many children attend without paying the fees and at certain times the school will decide to send home those children who have not paid. They do this periodically sometimes for a day; sometimes for a week. It is totally random.

Schooling consists of Primary School (like our K-8). If a child has not started primary school by the time they are 7 they will not be allowed to attend. When a student completes primary school they are required to take a national test. Those who pass go on to public Secondary School for 4 years. If a student fails they are not allowed to repeat the previous year (sometimes in rural areas students will repeat using a different name). There is also the option of private school but it is too expensive for most. Vocational training is also an option. It is not as expensive but usually results in a manual labor low paying job.

Monday – We went to the Children’s Center. When we arrived Bisura was testing the children in English on general things like their name, their age, and some of the alphabet. We were able to finish the profiles on the children. Nie will now provide me with the family histories and I will put them all together with a picture for each child.

Nie shared that a woman from Pasua came to their house on Friday asking for help.The landlord is tearing down the building where she lives and she must find housing and 3 months rent (to be paid in advance). Mwamini, is HIV positive and a single mother of 5 children. Her husband died of AIDS in 2010. The youngest child is also HIV positive. Her oldest is a son age 16. He ran away from home and was in a shelter for street children. They returned him home and he ran away again. Mwamini explained that he felt life at home was too difficult. (I can’t imagine life on the street being any better.) The 2^nd oldest is 14. She had passed her national exam for secondary school but the family did not have the funds to send her. She became pregnant and is now living with the baby’s father who is a daladala conductor. The next 2 children attend primary school but Mwamini has not been able to pay the fees so their attendance is sporadic. The mother would like to sell laundry soap for income as she has no other skills. Nie is to visit her this afternoon to find out more information and then we will go together on Weds with a plan to help her. Nie will also discuss family planning with her as we are not sure, and it is too personal to ask, about the father of the last child.

Tuesday – See Blog Posting: Week 6 – March 27: A Day with the Animals

Wednesday –Until now I have just touched the surface of life here. Today we made 2 home visits and I knew from my previous visits that I would struggle with my emotions as these are the hardest part for me. Sitting in the homes and hearing the stories first hand make it so real. I feel like I am IN the movie not watching it; the glaring difference being that this is their daily reality not a script.

Nie and I had talked about how we could help Mwamini and decided that rent was the priority. I wanted to get the school fees paid up so the children would not have their education constantly disrupted. We agreed to get her started in her business and also give her a small amount for food. As we approached the building where she lived it was obvious that she lived in one of the poorer rental areas. She lives in one room, cooks outside, and has no water or electricity. The floors are dirt. She had a small couch and two beds for herself and her 3 children.

Mwamini &Rose

Nie translated for me. As the two women talked and Nie explained how we will help, I could see Mwamini’s eyes brighten. Her smile said it all. She was very grateful and at one point said, “Now I have everything I need.”   When Nie told me that I almost burst into tears. Here is a woman who along with her youngest is HIV positive, living in extreme poverty, and now because she has housing, her children can go to school and she can earn a meager wage feels she has everything! I could not have been more humbled by her statement and the emotion behind it. I so wish my emotions and words could portray how thankful I am that I can help (through your generosity). Total USD dollars expended to accomplish all this = $100.

We walked over to where she will move. I would not have gone except that the landlord was not going to be there. It is not uncommon that if they think the family will be getting help from a Muzungo the rent will be higher. (This can also occur in the market place so bartering is sometimes necessary.) We talked with 2 women and afterwards Nie explained that the landlord had changed his mind and she would not be able to live there. She will now spend the afternoon in search of another place and come to the office in the morning. I was so discouraged for her.

We then went to see Veronica. I love this woman!! I have visited her in the past. She claims to be the oldest woman in Moshi and has a great sense of humor. She was very happy to see us as she has few visitors. I later asked Nie if she thought Veronica would let me interview her for a life story. She said this would be fine and she was sure Veronica would agree plus it would give her company. Nie said she spends a lot of time in bed because she has nothing to do and is in poor health. She has asthma and was in need of an inhaler. We purchased one at the local pharmacy - no prescription needed – for about $3!! I also gave her a small amount for food. She kept holding my hand, thanking me and speaking Swahili as though I could understand her. Nie translated and she said that she had not expected a miracle today but now we were here. She was out of food and was cooking the last of some beans over a very small wood grill. The pieces of wood were barely an inch in diameter and cooking beans takes a long time. Hard to imagine this to be very appetizing.

I returned to Ibrah’s emotionally drained. There was no electricity so I decided to read and immediately fell asleep for a solid hour and a half nap. Deborah and I then visited her brother Fred and his fiancé, Grace. They live about a block away. We had Orange Fanta and popcorn! I shared that in the US we have microwave popcorn which they found truly fascinating. We played spoons again and I also learned that Mr. Bean and Tom & Jerry cartoons are very popular here!!! Fred has some Mr. Bean DVD’s and promised us a movie night. He currently has no electricity. The country’s electric operates on a voucher system. Fred’s landlord collects the electric bill money from the tenants and then buys the vouchers. He collected the money from the tenants a week ago and has not paid the bill so no one has electric. The crazy part is that the landlord lives there too. They were to have a meeting with him that evening.

It is David’s birthday today so we all went back to the house and sang happy birthday outside David’s window and then visited for a while. We are having a threefold celebration on Friday for David’s birthday, his farewell on Saturday (David is going to Uganda for a farm project for a month.), and my birthday on Saturday!!

Thursday – Mwamini came to the office shortly after I arrived. She paid the school fees for her children and provided us with the receipts. She also explained that she will be moving into the 2 bedrooms we saw yesterday. Apparently the women we met yesterday told her the unit wasn’t available because they were leery about her son. Some of Mwamini’s friends and one of the area leaders talked with the women to reassure them that there were no safety issues. All has been resolved so Mwmini can move in. We gave her the rent money and provided her with the funds to buy the laundry soap to start her business. She was again very grateful and her smile reflected her gratitude. We will visit her periodically to see how things are going and have promised to supply the family with some multivitamins.

Nie and I completed the family history part of the Children’s profiles. I knew this would be difficult because I had read these as part of my orientation in 2009. The most heart wrenching part is the repetitiveness. So much of the living environment is the same – single mothers, 4-5 children, children living with grandparents, HIV/AIDS, parents deceased due to AIDS, 1 or 2 rooms rented. I can feel Nie’s pain as she shares these stories.

I ask a lot of questions and Nie is always patient with me, educating me and trying to help my “western-influenced” mind grasp the why’s and how’s of a life that is so far removed from what I have known. I often wonder and marvel at my life. Why was I born into the circumstances that gave me so many opportunities and privileges? Why have I been so blessed?

The following are some snippets from a few of the children’s profiles. But first some more info on life here that may answer some questions from the profiles.

Marketplace & Food Vendors

There is one market in Moshi that opens very early for the farmers who arrive to sell their food to those who work in the various market places.  Those who sell on the streets or near their home buy from the marketplace. So all are dependent on what the farmers can offer.

Some children answered that porridge was their favorite thing about school. For some this may be the only meal they have that day.

Divorce & Child Support

It is common that when a woman with children remarries, the new husband will refuse to allow the children to stay with them. Many children are being raised by relatives as a result of this. However, more and more women are choosing to stay with their children rather than get in this type of situation. Most struggle financially because they have made this choice. Very few men will provide support if they do not live with their children. Women can try to get support but the process is very tedious and long and is rarely successful. Younger women who experience pregnancy outside of marriage run into the problem of the man refusing to accept the responsibility of being the father. DNA tests are very expensive. The existing laws that dictate child support amounts date back to the 70’s, only requiring the father to pay 1000 Tsh (Tsh are Tanzania Shillings) per month per child. (This would be about 65 cents.) It is barely worth the hassle.

Rice Fields

Rice Field

Many who do not have a means to support themselves will work in the rice fields. From preparing the field to harvest is typically a 3 month process. People are hired as casual labor to till the fields by hoe; to plant the rice; to weed and finally to harvest and cut the rice. Pay is per day dependent on how much one gets done. Hours do not matter; pay is based on the area tilled, planted or weeded or the number of bags filled from cutting the rice. It can take all day to cut and harvest one bag full; a strong person might be able to do two bags. The pay averages 1000 Tsh (65 cents) per bag.

Wanahamisi - age 4

FAMILY HISTORY: Wanahamisi lives with her aunt who is a single mother with 2 children. Wanahamisi parents separated and when her mother remarried the stepfather did not want her living with them. Her mother and stepfather have 2 children. The mother does visit Wanahamisi. Her aunt works as a casual laborer in the rice field to provide support. They rent a 2 room house.

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Goat.  FAVORITE COLOR: Black. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT SCHOOL? I like the porridge. WHAT DO YOU WANT BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? I want to be a farmer.

Asia - age 5

FAMILY HISTORY: Asia lives with her mother and one older brother. Her mother was physically abused by the father and she left him in February 2009. Her mother sells 2^nd hand clothing through a loan provided by TAFCOM.

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Chicken. FAVORITE COLOR: Red. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT SCHOOL? I like reading. WHAT DO YOU WANT BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? I want to be a teacher.

Juma - age 5

FAMILY HISTORY: Juma lives with his mother and 5 siblings. The 3 oldest children have the same father. However, the 3 youngest each have a different father. No one has been tested for HIV/AIDS. Juma’s mother sells vegetables or works in the rice fields. The family lives in 2 room, rented housing.

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Donkey. FAVORITE COLOR: Black. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT SCHOOL? I like singing. WHAT DO YOU WANT BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? I want to be a miller of corn.

Kidugu Traditional Dance

Acrobatics

Friday – David, Deborah, Raheem and I attended a fundraiser at the Salama Center (for orphans and street children). The children did some traditional dances and songs and the boys performed acrobatics. There was a great lunch and then more music and dancing. The electric slide was the dance for most of the music!!!

Cake Decorating is not in my future!

We had a great dinner that started with dessert - a banana Birthday cake made by David and covered in Hershey's Chocolate syrup topped with Chocolate ripple ice cream and peanuts!!

Saturday - HOW I SPENT MY BIRTHDAY

Unfortunately this was my first miserable day here. It started with David leaving this morning. He is heading to Uganda to do farm work. We will all miss him. He was a lot of fun and so easy to get along with. It was easier for me to understand Tanzanian English than his accent!! We all had many laughs over the way he pronounced words.

After he left I went for my run. I decided to push myself a little because I knew the day would not be very productive. It has become routine that there is no electricity on Saturdays until about 6pm.

So I am literally about 10 steps from finishing 5 miles and I stumble (which is common considering how rocky the track is, however, I have become more focused on where I place each step) but this time I fall. I scraped both hands and went down hard on my left knee and elbow. I got up as quickly as I could, dusted off some of the dirt and saw that both my knee and elbow were bleeding. I arrived home and although we have water now due to the new tank, my shower is plugged up and needs a plumber. I filled my trusty bucket and proceeded to wash off all the dirt and blood. I had an egg size knot on an already swollen knee and a slightly smaller knot on my elbow. I smeared myself with Neosporin. I went to the house and Deborah found a chunk of cheese in the freezer that was still mildly cold. It was pretty worthless. The electric was out all day so there was no opportunity to ice myself. I spent most of the day with my leg propped up reading.

There were several highlights to my day, however. In the afternoon Deborah came to my room and gave me 2 bracelets she got for my birthday. I like them very much and they are extra special because she gave them to me. Deborah and I have become very close and I love her dearly.

That evening a couple from Michigan came over for dinner. She was a Cross Cultural Solutions volunteer in 2007 when Ibrah worked there and had returned with her husband for a vacation before heading to northeastern Tanzania to do a medical internship. They will then move to Georgia where she will do her residency at Emory. They had visited both Zanzibar and Victoria Falls which are on my bucket list for this trip so they were able to provide me with some great information on where to stay and things to do when I go.

I also received many kind emails and notes on Facebook for my birthday. THANK YOU!!

Sunday – was going to go on the bi-monthly hike today but yesterday’s fall put a halt to that. Spent the day being nice to myself and doing nothing!