A day in the life #12 (2012)

Good morning Tanzania

Standard wake up time out here due to the chickens and monkeys outside

I get a text from a local friend who is checking there is enough maize for a project for later in the day

More hungry visitors

I hop online to check emails. I am still amazed that I can get the internet in a village of mud huts

My next visitor is an old woman. I supply lots and lots of food here. This is maize.

This is my sister who is joining me for a few days. The baby belongs to a woman in the next pic

These two had popped around to get some food.

My sister took this stealthy pic of me on an iPad and a boy from the village on my iPhone. I suspect we are both playing Angry Birds.

A cab comes to pick us up to take us to our next destination

Meet Mamma Happy and her daughter Maggie. Mamma Happy is blind.

This is their new home. I supplied the iron sheets last year and was visiting to see the items as well as to discuss providing more sheets.

Here they are again by the room they need covered. I agreed to supply 8 sheets (each sheet is around $10)

And here is my ugly mug again

Our visit brings out the curiousity gene in the local kids

After visiting her house, we find a bar for a cold soda. I live on Coke here

Sunburn and time check

We arrive at our next job a little early.

We are supplying 40kg of maize to 12 families, so nearly half a ton in total.

I get involved but am a weakling. That is a 40kg sack and skinny locals shift them around like they are feathers

We notice a nearby swing type thing

Job done. Ready to be delivered to the blind families.

So time for another drink

Hey Imogen.

We then go for lunch. Goat and chips is on the menu.

We are joined by Omary and Masaka, two of the local blind leaders

Imogen is formally introduced

Nico is an orphan and blind and goes to the nearby blind school. He has come to collect some batteries for his radio.

After lunch we go home and test out our travel shower. It somehow works. If you bend over to knee level.

Imogen with a bowl of groundnuts kindly supplied by our neighbour.

These are the nuts the neighbour has just harvested to dry in the sun.

Mamma Happy and Maggie come by to give us a gift of a sack of beans. We return the favour with some clothes, food and sweets.

Another visitor looking for food

And even more

The house is always full of children. They love our gadgets.

Our next port of call is to Masaka’s son Daodi. He is a renowned witch doctor. Many people still believe in witchcraft and he is a man in demand. As I have supported his father for many years he is always extremely hospitable to me and welcomed us to his home.

We then paid a visit to Masaka’s livestock. I set him up with a small poultry business and he has grown it to now include goats and a cow. He agreed to name the cow after my sister. I already have a goat named after me.

Daodi had 3 wives and 30 children. Some of them performed traditional Ngoma music for us.

Daodi then presented me with a very large and a very much alive duck.

We returned home for a dinner of goat and rice.

Once again, there are many mouths to be fed.

I pass through the school and spend time with the kids. I allow them to ask me absolutely anything and had all kinds of questions. It also enabled me to get some honest feedback from them about past projects and so has given me ideas for the future.