tomintanzania

I recently sent £600 out to Tanzania. Part of this was raised by some friends and another part came from a man who had read my trip report. This is how the money has been used.
The photos show some of the children at Hombolo school – this is situated around two hours away from where Buigiri blind school where I am based when I am in Tanzania. Hombolo has a large day primary school with a small residential unit for blind children who are unable to join Buigiri school. Although life in Buigiri is bad, these kids have it really tough and are often overlooked. None of the blind from Homobolo continue on to secondary school and so their futures are bleak. Sometimes one or two manage to get places at Buigiri and that’s pretty much their only hope of living a reasonable life.

Part of the recent batch of cash went on buying all the blind children a school uniform and shoes. There was a small surplus and that bought toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, biscuits and a bottle of juice. I’m glad there was enough for the last two items as it is important they get something to enjoy.

The email I got from one of the teachers at the school reads:

Habari Bwana [how are you Mr] Thom?
What is wrong with your phone? Because you are not available now.
I have send the photos of Hombolo children those who were provided with the things which were bought by the money you sent to me.
The following things were given to them:

1. School uniforms
2. Shoes
3. Socks
4. Soaps
5. Tooth paste, tooth brushes and skin oil
6. Juice and biscuits
You can see through the photos.
There are so many problems in the school which needs much effort and the help from good people in order to make the students that school perform their lessons in good way.
On behalf of them, I would to thank in advance who helped these children.

They also received some other items I left behind in March – such as the red square things which sneak into a couple of pics and are talking clocks. Oh, ignore the date stamps on the photo. Someone’s camera needs fiddling with.

A teacher in Buigiri has sent me a film which I have had developed. It shows how the money raised by OLQH School has been spent.

Bahati and Willy are both being sponsored. Bahati by the school and Willy by a friend of mine. I like how Bahati’s belt is a US distress signal.

The four orphan girls being sponsored. The sponsorship money includes things like the books, maths kits, uniforms, shoes and even desks and chairs in the photo.

This pic and the next one show the rehab centre collecting some maize. I think they received two loads of 500kg.

Gideon, second from left, is also being sponsored at school by the money raised.

Shows some of the villagers who also received maize from the money. That is Sarah on the left who did my washing in 2008/2009 and on the right is Mamma Happy. She rarely looks happy. The girl is her daughter who doesn’t go to school but leads her blind mother around all day

This is Flora – the blind girl with the blind child.

Thomas. Now named Thomas 3. I am Thomas 2 and another boy is Thomas 1.

Some of the boys from the school – I like this photo as it shows their personalties a bit. I do sometimes wonder if people who see these pics just see a group of people all the same or whether they see them as individuals. These children all got items like soap, underwear and combs with the money.

Sarafina and Rose with skin cream.

David on the left is one of the teachers and he co-ordinated the money spending as I was in the UK at the time. These photographs were taken with his camera.

Saturday 20th March

I tried to keep the weekends as free as possible as that is when both the teachers and schoolkids have time to play and talk. I still had various visitors to my house, most looking for some maize. I held another dance competition – the children go crazy for them though I suspect part of it might be cos they know there will be prizes involved.

In the afternoon I distributed all the clothes I’ve been buying – I had four large bin bags of clothes from the auction in town, plus smaller bags of tshirts I’d bought from the market. Each child got around 3 shirts and a pair of trousers. Via a large dose of luck I had the right quantites of the various sizes.

Sorting the clothes into sizes

Each time I go to the village I plan to get the playground fixed. It’s in a terrible state. Fingers crossed this summer it’ll get sorted.

Sunday 21st March

Please see the post A Day In The Life #2 (2010)

Monday 22nd March

I spent most of the day in town and amazingly things all went according to plan. One thing you need a lot of in Africa is patience – something I don’t always manage. Days when everything goes smoothly are few and far between. In the evening I invited the leaders of the Tanzanian League for the Blind to dinner. It gave me the opportunity to silence a further two local chickens. We also had a visitor from the village who came to collect a camera I’d been given in England.

It was a fun evening – the only downside is it is a full time job helping blind people eat their food, so I was running all over the place.

I bought out a whole bunch of point and shoot cameras but I was also given this good camera. It took a long time to find the right guy to get it as most wouldnt have a clue how to use it. Abel was the perfect man – he was ecstatic to get it. There was a receipt in the bag and the camera originally cost around twice the price of the man’s home. To thank me, he wanted to bring a chicken for me to take back to England. It took some explaining to back out of that without upsetting him.

Tuesday 23rd March

Please see the post A Day In The Life #3 (2010)

Wednesday 24th March

This was my final full day in the village so I took some time to just walk around the eastern part as I rarely go down there. Whenever I go for random walks I always see interesting things. I often get invited into people’s homes which is either usually fun and amusing or weird and awkward.

I saw this little fellah on my walk. There aren’t that many interesting animals here aside from monkeys.

Crispin with a deck of braille playing cards. They are pretty rubbish though cos if you learn some braille then you can tell what the cards are by looking at the punch marks on the back.

When I get back to the school I chat with Norbert for a bit. I can’t decide if Norbert is a rubbish name or a great one. He left the school last year and went to secondary school but his sponsor backed out and he had to leave the school. His family wouldn’t take him back and so he is now living in the blind school just waiting for help to materialise. He is a bright guy and I’m sure something will get sorted out.

I headed to the rehab centre for a final meeting and to say goodbye. I got given this melon as a gift. It weighed a ton and I didnt much enjoy having to lug it all the way back to my house.

Relaxing at the bar

This was given to me by some friends so I could give it to someone in Tanzania. To be honest noone would have a clue what to do with it, and so I gave it to some children as they are creative and enjoy simple card games.

A short message of thanks from a couple of members of the rehab centre directed at all those who gave money. The English translation starts at 53secs.

Thursday 25th March

I was up early to pack as I hadn’t the chance before. There were still plenty of goodbyes to be said but I managed to catch the bus to Dar es Salaam. It was an 8 hour journey but I have done it so many times now it seems routine. In the evening I had my first shower in 3 weeks at the hotel – it felt so good. It was really sad leaving the village. I’m not a very emotional person but I was welling up a bit. Hopefully I’ll make it back next year at some point.

Although I was only out there for three weeks, it felt like so much longer. I was busy pretty much every day from 7am till I went to sleep and now I am writing this final part in Bristol and feel like I could do with another holiday.

Sorry for the ugly pic but I’ve done enough fake sleep pics now and the day usually starts with a yawn.

I see the mess from the previous evening.

I get some early morning visitors who are after one thing or another like maize or medication.

First time check.

I head down to meet Mr Msaka. In the past I’ve helped him start a small animal business and this trip I offered to give him an extra goat. A female goat has two kids a year and that can generate just enough money to get sufficient maize for himself. On previous trips Ive had babies named after my mother and sister, but nothing after me – so Msaka said he would call the goat ‘Tom’.

I head up through the school to see Ezekial sneaking a look at me – he has a permanant smile on his face and that in turn always makes me smile.

Next destination is the tailoress. Her husband is one of the blind teachers so its good to bung some work her way. I’m here to collect the uniforms for later.

Now boring computer stuff. I was given this laptop by my work and it now belongs to the blind school, but I used it during my time in the village.

Malaria pill time

I went for a walk around the eastern part of the village as I rarely go there. I like going for walks cos something interesting always happens.

During the walk I go past this guy’s house. I’ve given some support to his son and grandchildren and he invited me inside his home to say thanks.

Next I see this fellow giving me the eye.

And now with Kenneth – he and his daughter Nyemo featured in an ADIML I did a year or so ago.

And here is Ezekial again, this time at my house.

I always have children playing nearby. Its good spending time with them as it is a break from dealing with the serious things.

Now to the uniforms – these 11 children (including Alfa who appeared in my last ADIML) live harder than normal lives so I sorted them out with new school uniforms.

Next destination was the storeroom in my house. I brought loads of stuff with me and this box is destined for the blind in Mpwapwa town – they also featured in a previous ADIML.

In the afternoon I held the second conference call of my trip – this time six children from the blind school ask questions to school children in London about their lives.

Time check

Omary paid a visit – he has been in plenty of ADIMLs.

Now to the school as I wanted to take a snap of…

Pasquina and Salim. Last trip I travelled around some villages 5 or 6 hours away from Buigiri to find blind children who are hidden away at home – the product of that trip was these two starting at the school in January. Leaving his house was a big shock for Salim and it took weeks for him to even speak when he arrived, but now he is very happy, loves the school and is getting an education.

I like to play cards so brought some braille playing cards out with me as a gift.

I spend alot of time just chatting on the steps to the dorms. Jose in the middle is holding his radio which he won in a dance competition featured in an ADIML.

In the evening Amin came for dinner.

As always there is way too much food but it isn’t hard to find a few empty tummies that need filling.

I head down to the bar and pass through the school where I again stop and play for a bit.

Thomas with another of the radios. Its amazing just how much radios and talking watches are valued out here.

I play a game which gets far too loud so I head off before a teacher comes along

Tech has also been in past ADIMLs – these are two of his young brothers.

Time check

We are joined by Amin, but its getting late so I soon head home

Final timecheck

And a final yawn to end the day as it started.

Time check to start the day

I borrow an ember from next door to kickstart my charcoal so I can boil some water.

Last adiml featured a tattoo artist, this adiml has a graffiti artist. Does that look like me?

Im a bit skanky and only have one pair of shorts here, so when it is a trouser day then I give them a wash. I was ashamed by the colour of the water when I’d finished.

I get a cab to my destination – the adult blind rehabilitation centre. Its a collection of 11 houses inhabited by 9 families, each with at least one blind adult.

I meet these two gents there, they are local community leaders and dont live in the centre.

We join up with a couple of other blind and head to church. Today is the baptism of baby Imogen. She was born during my last trip here and as a sign of thanks she was named after my sister.

And here is the church. I was tempted to move the plank to see if the church would collapse.

Its hardly the biggest of places. I always sit at the back for things like this but people always try and force me to the front – a woman was insistent I sit in the proper chair at the front, facing the congregation as a guest of honour but I refused. 3 hours of people staring at me is too much – I get stared at enough as it is.

The guy on the left is playing a marimba (a finger piano) and the guy in the middle is on the ze-ze (a guitar type thing). Music is important to the local Wagogo tribe, but more of that later.

The baptism. Imogen is up first and you can hear her name a few times. The father is Jared in blue on the right and the mother has the scary eyes on the left.

Im featuring more in this ADIML that in any others I’ve done from here. It comes from finally teaching people how to take half decent pics – although the occasional finger still strays into shot.

I check how the cooking is going.

The locals are gathering. I had intended to arrange a party at the centre cos times are always so tough there that it is good for the spirit to sometimes just have fun. It all fitted in perfectly combining it with the baptism.

A local Ngoma band is here to entertain us. They were fantastic and highly entertaining. The things on their shoulders are made from monkey fur.

Chow time. There was barely enough food – you’d think Africans only eat a little – but it is a little known fact that their entire torsos are made of elastic and can contort to accomodate huge quantites when required.

This time there was no escaping being on the top table. Id only eaten a third of my food by the time everyone had finished. God knows how they do it.

Now we had more music outside. This was some weird shakey hand song.

Which I did not manage to escape from.

Afternoon time check

This shows how many hungry mouths got fed. During my last trip I supplied the cooking and eating utensils to one of the centre’s families so he could rent them out as a micro-business. It is progressing well and the plus side meant we got free use of them today.

One of the blind.

I went for a meeting with John who lives in the centre. My time here is nearly up so we are tying up loose ends.

I go back and listen to more singing, but find time for a photo op.

I get a ride back in this thing – it looks like a car but in fact is a trike with a funky body shell.

As always there are kids playing at my house. I show one of them the wonders of the iPhone.

We then watch a slideshow of photos of themselves which I took during previous visits. That is Tech who is cringing in the middle – he has featured in a couple of adimls in the past – he has just seen a bad photo of him.

I get a visit from this woman and her daughter. The daughter is deaf and attends a free primary boarding school for the deaf a couple of hours away. Although it is free, her mother has to pay for the transport to the school, as well as things like soap, uniforms and so on and as such she hasn’t attended yet this year. I have a constant stream of such cases visiting my house each day after help. I have a small pot of money I raised before coming here which gets put to use for things like this, though I have to turn half the people away for one reason or another. Its sad to think someone’s future hinges on just a few dollars though.

Two of the boys who come to my house need a haircut – its not as if their hair is long, but they go to a strict school where everyone must be shaved. Again it is sad to think someone can miss out on an education cos they can’t afford a razor or the $0.40 it costs to get a haircut.

Bzzzzz

And now food time again – chip omelette is about the only thing you can get eating-out in the village. It is pretty good with chilli sauce.

I join some of the teachers at the nearby bar. I do alot of work with the guy on the left as he is the regional representative for teachers with disabilities and the guy on the right is the regional co-ordinator for the Tanzanian League for the Blind. They are very good guys and there arent enough like them out here.

Evening time check

I head back with Mr Omary as we live fairly close together.

And final timecheck before bed. Im not usually up this late, but it was a day of partying.