WorldTeach Tanzania: January 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013

The One With The Letter From The Headmaster (1/31/2013)

In the public school system in Tanzania school employees do not get to choose where they work. They are assigned by the government and, although they sometimes can be transferred they have little say in where they get placed. To work in the education system here a person must have gone to university and earned at least a diploma. To afford this level of education most educators have come from Tanzanian families that were better off monetarily than the average family. This means that they are generally used to a nicer style of living which may include electricity, running water, or possibly an indoor bathroom. Unfortunately many of the schools where school employees get assigned are in very rural areas with substandard housing and facilities. Kafule is one of these villages and there have been a number of teachers who have gotten assigned here, come and look at the school and the teacher housing, walk away and then tried to enter into the private school system. When a teacher walks away like this the school does not get an immediate replacement, they are put back on the governments list and must wait for another shot at a new staff member. This is why Kafule has 10 teachers (including Dahlia and myself) for the 500 students here.

Isaac Mwalongo is the headmaster at Kafule Secondary School. He grew up in Dodoma, located in central Tanzania, and then moved to Mbeya, the closest city to Kafule, where his family still lives. Three years ago he was transferred by the government to Kafule. Against the advice of his friends (because of how remote the village is) he took the position. He once told me, “this is my country, this is the job that I was trained for, I am going to do this job the best that I can, no matter what the housing is like.” He is a man dedicated to his faith, family, country and career and has been a joy to work for over these last four months.

His vision for Kafule is to make improvements to the school that are sustainable. Any time there is a government conference or function in our district he immediately offers Kafule up to host the event as a way to get government officials into the school. He uses these opportunities as a way of showing them around to impress on them how well we are using the resources that we have been given and as a time to request more. Mr. Mwalongo has done a lot for the school already in the last three years that he has been here and he has big plans to continue the work.

When he first got to Kafule, Mr. Mwalongo saw an opportunity to plant and harvest trees to sell for use as lumber. He told the staff that he wanted to begin work planting trees and faced some opposition from the teachers. They said that it was going to be too much work to plant and harvest them. They believed that the school was surrounded by forest and they could just cut down the trees that are already grown. Mr. Mwalongo insisted on planting at least two trees, and often more, for every one tree that gets cut down. The first year the school had 300 trees cut, the second year 8,000, and this year already we have cut 5,000 trees. Mr. Mwalongo intends to use the money made from these sales for improvements to the teachers housing which he sees as the schools biggest need. However, he also dreams of having a printer/copier and 2-3 computers at the school. Currently the school has a copier that is from the 1950’s. It is a hand crank machine that goes through ink so fast that it is too expensive to use for anything other than finals. Monthly exams are written on the chalkboards for the students to copy down and there are no worksheets or copied notes. A new copier would make it much less expensive for the school to give exams. With the computers, Mr. Mwalongo hopes to begin a small computer class or club for students interested in a career in business. The problem is that even if we get the computers and copiers the school does not have electricity to run them. Solar power is the only reasonable resource to have in order to run all of this equipment. An added bonus would be that when the power is not being used for copier and computers the school could allow villagers to use it, and the school will be able to power light bulbs in the classrooms for the student who study there at night.

Mr. Mwalongo recently asked me if I knew anyone who might be interested in donating money or solar panel equipment and all of the other equipment necessary. He wrote this letter for me to pass along to anyone who might be interested. At the end is a chart with the breakdown of all of the parts that would be needed and their cost. He gave the cost in shillings and I made conversions based on the average exchange rate over the last 28 days (as of 12/24/12) so the exact cost might vary. In addition, Nexamp, a company that my Dad has worked with in the past, has offered to donate two solar panels that will produce all of the power that Mr. Mwalongo is asking for. (I typed up Mr. Mwalongo’s letter as is, so solar panels are still included in the list of equipment needed, however no more panels need to be purchased). If you are interested in donating please visit https://www.firstgiving.com/WorldTeach/Tanzania2013 where you can make a tax deductible donation through First Giving. If more money is raised than needed for the solar equipment the money will go toward renovations to the teachers housing (specifically bathrooms).

Thank you so much for considering this cause.

The United Republic of Tanzania

Ministry of Education and Vocational Training

Kafule Secondary School

P.O. Box 09 Ileje- Mbeya

The need of a school to have solar power to produce electricity for school uses.

Kafule Secondary School is a community based school. It was formally built by the community and run by the Moravian Church. From May 1999 the school was handed to the government and then to Kafule Ward and so treated as a community school. The responsibility of all constructions is done by people who live in this ward. Because of inability of the ward to do many activities it has been difficult to build new buildings at the same time rehabilitating old buildings. So the school is using her money found from school projects to do the rehabilitation.

On the other hand the school finds that there is a great need of having modern machines that will simplify different works especially secretarial activities. So there is a need of having machines such as printer, photocopier, and computers. In order to run these machines the school needs electricity. But the school is about 63 km from the district headquarter where hydro-electricity is found. We find that it is difficult to suffice our need through this way.

The possible way of getting electricity is the use of solar panels (solar power) which after research is found to cost about seven million shillings (7,000,000/-). We have planned that the source will produce not less than 840 watts which is expected to fulfill our needs as a school and so run the above mentioned machines.

The needed items for the project to be completed are listed below with their respective costs.

Quantity	Item	Price	Total	Total Cost in US Dollars
6	N 120 litre betry (dry)	450,000/-	2,700,000/-	$ 1,689.33
6	Solar panel	650,000/-	3,900,000/-	$ 2,440.14
2	Charge control 45 Aps	350,000/-	700,000/-	$ 437.97
1 ½ roll	Electric wire (2.5 mm)	206,000/-	206,000/-	$ 128.89
20 m	Solar wire (6 mm)	5,000/-	100,000/-	$ 62.57
1?	Surface box	5,000/-	5,000/-	$ 3.13
2	One gang switch (tronic)	2,000/-	4,000/-	$ 2.50
4	Two gang switch (tronic)	3,000/-	12,000/-	$ 7.51
4	Power socket (tronic)	500/-	2,000/-	$ 1.25
2	Extension cable	15,000/-	30,000/-	$ 18.77
4	Solution tap	1000/-	4,000/-	$ 2.50
2	Inverter 2000 watts	350,000/-	700,000/-	$ 437.97
10	Round box	500/-	5,000/-	$ 3.13
4 kg	Nails	3000/-	12,000/-	$ 7.51
2	Kit chair	100,000/-	200,000/-	$ 125.14
10	Lamps (Sundaya)	18,000/-	180,000/-	$ 112.62
2	Earth rods	45,000/-	90,000/-	$ 56.31
	Labor charge for installation (20%)	1,770,000/-	1,770,000/-	$ 1,107.45
Total Cost			10,620,000/-	$ 6,644.68

We as a school greatly need your support either wholly or in part of the cost to enable our school makeover.

Thank you in advance.

Isaac A.L. Mwalongo

The Headmaster

The One With The Soccer Equipment (1/31/2013)

Thanks to Susan Walker and the donations of many Duxbury soccer players my Dad was able to bring over bags of soccer cleats, shin guards, socks, jerseys, and gloves with him for the sports teams here at Kafule Secondary School. Last week there was a match scheduled against a neighboring village for Friday. Anxious to try out the new equipment (which was shown to the students at Monday morning assembly and was received with much cheering and whistling as each item was taken out of the bags), our sports and games prefect decided to schedule a practice match against Kafule Village, our biggest rivals. Last semester Kafule School only lost one match all season, and it was to Kafule Village. The games are always close and heated between the two teams so it was a perfect opportunity to use the new equipment. In the first half of the game Kafule School took a 2-0 lead. Grace looked over at me after the second goal was scored, “Do you see?! Do you see??” She called out, “it’s the shoes!!” Kafule School went on to win the game. Unfortunately, the actual match on Friday was canceled because of the rain, but the students are looking forward to another match tomorrow!

Friday morning I arrived at school to see all of the shoes shiny and clean, lined up in the sun drying; the students are apparently taking seriously the headmasters instructions to care for this precious equipment.

Friday, January 25, 2013

The One With Dad In Kafule – Day 4 (1/23/2013)

Thursday was another relaxing day at school without classes. After school Dad and I walked to Kapelekese with Elizabeth but one the way, we got caught in a storm. We had to duck into houses along the way several times to avoid the heavy downpours. Life is always unpredictable here!

But we eventually made it back and we were able to catch the end of sports practice. We then had dinner with Grace, complete with Kisamvu, which I thought was a perfect last meal in Kafule for Dad. Although Grace was very disappointed in Dahlia and I for not having warm water to wash Dad’s hands with before eating and not having any soda to offer him. After all he was our guest and my father no less, how could we not think of these hostessing necessities?

Friday morning Dad began his journey back to the states. He is certainly missed by all here in Kafule.

The One With Dad In Kafule – Day 3 (1/23/2013)

Even though there were no classes last week the school still conducted its weekly debate on Wednesday afternoon. This week’s motion was that “Teachers are more important than doctors.” The form I students don’t participate in the debate; they just watch. So for the new form II students who were part of this week’s debate it was their first time getting up in front of the whole school to speak and their nerves were apparent. When it came time for 14 year old Joshua to make his case he froze. The chairman of the debate and head prefect of the school tried to encourage him, “come on, now you are a man, say something.” Joshua just sat back down. Maybe next week…

But overall the debate was a lively one. And after the score was read and the proposing side declared the victors Kivega looked over to Dad, “Perhaps our guest has something he would like to say,” he offered. By now Dad was getting used to impromptu speeches but this one was no good. He made some ridiculous case for why, even though his one and only daughter is a teacher, he thinks that doctors are just as important.

After school we headed to the market and then to Enea’s house for dinner. The food was excellent! And we were blown away to find out that Enea’s house girl, we cannot be more than 12, prepared it all. The work that children do here continually impresses me!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The One With Dad In Kafule – Day 2 (1/23/2013)

Tuesday we spent another relaxing morning just hanging out at school. But by Tuesday afternoon it was time for the start of the semester staff meeting. Knowing it would be an exceptionally long one I tried to sneak Dad out before it started but the headmaster caught me and asked Dad to stay so he could be introduced to the staff. Twenty minutes into the meeting Dad was introduced and again the headmaster looked to him, “perhaps our guest has something he would like to say.” But Dad is quick on his feet and again gave an applause evoking speech after which the headmaster said he could go. Dad walked out and the headmaster looked to me and said I could go too, we wouldn’t want a guest to leave unaccompanied! I can’t even tell you how excited I was. Unfortunately Dahlia was trapped in the meeting for the next 4 hours.

We got to eat a delicious dinner that night at Elizabeth’s house. And the evening turned out to be sunny so I was able to show Dad more of the village which, because of all of the rain, it greener than ever!

The One With Dad In Kafule – Day 1 (1/23/2013)

Sunday evening, in the rain, at sunset we arrived in Kafule. So it was not until Monday morning that Dad really got to see the village. Thankfully, although it was cloudy, the rain held off until after our walk to school and morning assembly. Dad got to meet most of the teachers here as well as the headmaster who introduced Dad to the students during assembly. “Sir Michael,” as the students called him, “perhaps you have something to say,” the headmaster offered after a short introduction. Speeches are very important in Tanzania and guests are expected to have something to say at just about every occasion. Thankfully I had remembered to prep Dad for this and he gave a great speech.

The first week of school is spent cleaning and registering students which meant no classes. So I got to show Dad around the school and we were able to relax after some very long travel days.

By the time Monday afternoon rolled around word had spread that I had a visitor from America and our dinner schedule was booked solid for the week. And Monday was a night at the Mbughi’s. I don’t think that words can really describe a night at the Mbughi’s. Especially when they are so excited to be entertaining such a special guest. To say Mr. Mbughi is energetic or full of life doesn’t even come close to an appropriate description. But I think that Dad enjoyed his evening, everything from Mr. Mbughi’s near constant dancing, to the resounding gospel music that was playing, to the photo shoot that Mr. Mbughi insisted on.

There is certainly no better way to be welcomed into Kafule.

Friday, January 18, 2013

The One With The Znz Pictures (1/18/2013)

Here are some pictures from Zanzibar last month...

The One With The Drive Across The Country – Part 2 (the flat tire) (1/16/2013)

Although the potholes didn’t swallow our car eventually a jagged edge of the pavement got the better of our left rear wheel and we limped off the road with a flat tire. To our great dismay, after unloading all of our bags, we discovered that the spare tire compartment was empty. When we inquired of the small crowd of onlookers which was assembling around us, where the nearest tire store was, we were further discouraged to learn that we would have to either catch a bus for 80km in one direction or 110km in the other to get to a place that would sell tires. After reflecting on these options for only a few minutes a small Datsun-like car roared up in a cloud of dust and a heavy mechanic-like driver and his scrawny side kick emerged from it. They removed the tire and offered to fit it for us in their nearby shop. Not wanting to lose sight of such an essential part of our car, Dad accompanied them and reluctantly left Dahlia and me with the car, and a growing crowd. Almost miraculously he returned 20 minutes later with a fixed wheel and we were shortly back on the road. God certainly does put the people we need where we need them.

The One With The Drive Across The Country – Part 1 (the extortions) (1/16/2013)

We had been warned by travel guides all discouraging 1^st World drivers from renting vehicles in Tanzania. “The pot holes will swallow your car” and “never assume that other drivers have fully thought through all of the dangerous maneuvers that they perform when overtaking you on a steep, narrow, winding road” were typical quotes. But we had bags of equipment and three of us that needed to get across the country, so the morning of the 10^th found us picking up the keys to a brand new, 6-speed, diesel powered Land Rover in Dar Es Salaam. Dahlia, Dad and I loaded our bags in it, made an awkward right hand turn out into traffic and pulled in behind a truck. After about 30 minutes during which the only things that moved near us were street vendors, hawking their cashews, chips, sodas and trinkets we finally followed some other cars directly into oncoming traffic and wound out way past the gridlock that had been holding us up. An hour or so out of Dar we encountered the first of what would be innumerable police checkpoints/extortion opportunities. We weren’t at all sure what we had done wrong, but the uniformed officer informed us that he would happy to accept 50% of our 60,000 shilling ($40 USD) fine in cash on the spot and would let us go. “All we have is 8,000 shillings,” I lied. “That’s half of 16,000 shillings” my Dad offered, pretending that we had heard the original fine incorrectly. After a few uncomfortable moments the officer took the bills and waved us on begrudgingly. 15 minutes later we were back on the side of the road, with another one of Tanzania’s finest explaining the fine for our latest infraction. If we were going to drive across the entire country we were going to need a new approach. Based on an anecdote I had heard someone once share, I told the others in the car to follow my lead. We asked for an explanation of what we did wrong and then insisted on seeing the officer’s supervisor before handing over any money. “So you refuse to pay the fine?” the officer asked incredulously. “That will mean going to court here tomorrow and paying an even larger fine”. “That’s ok, we’ll wait to see your supervisor” we insisted. He took Dad’s license, walked across the road and pulled another car over before handing Dad his license back and silently waving us on in disgust. There are some moments when I know for sure that I am not in America anymore.

We gradually discovered that almost all checkpoints can be predicted by headlight flashers or hand gestures from oncoming drivers and that, as long as we slowed to a crawl (between 30 and 50km/hr) in anticipation of each, we could usually escape without a confrontation.

The One With Dad In Zanzibar (1/16/2013)

After 5 cold days on the mountain we were very much looking forward to 2 days of warmth in Zanzibar. The island is unmistakably Muslim with near constant calls to prayer echoing through the stone maze. Its trading history as one of the Spice Islands makes it an interesting place to visit. Downtown Stonetown is a labyrinth of narrow alleyways between century-old stone buildings. While we appreciated the warmth, we quickly discovered that not even the ocean would cool us down. The water temperature was well above 90°. After a day and a half in the sun, and for me, a month away from my village, we were eager to get back to Kafule.

The One Where We Hiked Kili – Day 5 (1/15/2013)

Day 5 was a long 20 km descent, but with every step, the air got richer and warmer. We arrived back at our hotel in Moshi by midafternoon for our first shower in 5 days and a well-deserved Kilimanjaro beer. Overall, the climb was a lot more challenging than either of us expected, but each of us had told so many of you about our plans to summit that failure was not an option. And the views from the top made it worth each painful step.

The One Where We Hiked Kili – Day 4 (1/15/2013)

Summit day began at 11:00pm the previous day. After some tea and biscuits we began climbing at midnight, headlamps fixed firmly to each of our foreheads. The ascent was sickeningly steep rights from the start. For hours we zigzagged up the steepest loose gravel slope that physics would permit. As we shuffled higher and higher, our steps were reduced to 6 inch movements and each was accompanied by a gasping breath of impossibly thin air. Things as simple as getting a sit of water required advanced planning since it required 3 minutes of recovery time after we stopped breathing long enough to swallow before we could begin walking again. As we crested the crater rim the icy wind and potent sulfur smell assailed out senses. We continued on around the rim for the final hour and a half to the summit. Thanks to our incredibly capable guide we all made it. He only let us enjoy the sunrise views of Kenya and Tanzania from the top for 15 minutes or so and then he began leading us down. He said it was too dangerous for armature climbers like us to remain at that elevation any longer. We were back at case camp by 9:30 for an hour and a half nap and a quick bowl of soup. Then we continued down for another 3 or 4 hours. All slept well that night!

The One Where We Hiked Kili – Day 3 (1/15/2013)

The day began like the previous one and then took us out of the tundra and eventually across a high altitude desert and out of all vegetation to our base camp from which we would attempt the summit that night. Unknown to us at the time, an Irish climber had been tragically killed by lightning 2 days before we begun on that same desert.

Base camp consisted of a handful of stone dormitories which a member of our group likened to Alcatraz (although I personally didn’t think the accommodations were bad at all). As we huddled over our dinner, teeth chattering, and in dread of our 11pm wake up call, a distraught Norwegian man collapsed on a bunk with the dreaded look of defeat in his eyes. When asked, he said he had become so sick and disoriented (likening to feeling to that of being completely drunk) that he had been forced to turn back just 50 meters below the crater rim. The rest of his team of 5 filtered in over the next few hours, regrettably only one of whom successfully reached the summit. We were intimidated to say the least. But to bed we went at 8:00pm where, for the next three hours we tossed and turned, some of us without sleeping a wink.

The One Where We Hiked Kili – Day 2 (1/15/2013)

It was another early morning, a breakfast of hot porridge, eggs, and hot dogs (you know, the usual climbers breakfast) and then we set off for the next set of huts. Day 2 took us out of the rain forest and into the alpine tundra. The hike was a bit more challenging than day 1 and quite a bit longer (11 km) and by the end of it some in our group were beginning to feel the effects of the altitude. Fortunately none of us were as bad off as the Korean climber next to us at dinner who was told in no uncertain terms by his guide that he needed to head back down because he would die if he continued any further up the mountain.

But our porters again beat us to camp and had food and warm water awaiting us. Those porters were truly amazing. They would climb past us, as if we were standing still, with a heavy pack on their backs, an equally large one balanced on their heads, in conversation or whistling a tune which we could occasionally hear over the sounds of our own heavy breathing. After a short break we climbed another 300m (for acclimatization) to a place called Zebra Rock and then descended back to camp for the night. The 5 of us climbed into out bunks in our shared 10’x10’ hut and slept until about 6:00am.

The One Where We Hiked Kili – Day 1 (1/15/2013)

My Dad and I woke up at the bright and early hour of 6am, which, after two and a half days of traveling, my Dad was more than happy about. We feasted sumptuously at the breakfast buffet, strapped on our backpacks and headed out to meet our Kili team. There were 5 of us climbing together: a Japanese couple in their late 20’s who were half way through a one-year round-the-world adventure; a British lawyer on holiday, also in his late 20’s; and the two of us. Together with our guide Jacob; our assistant guide Lamock, and all of our gear the 5 of us piled in a van and set out for the base of the mountain. Day 1 is evidently meant to be a confidence booster since we strolled leisurely through the woods for 3 hours (and even took a lunch break half way through) until we reached our camp site, a set of A-frame huts in the woods with a dining hut and a set of his and hers pit toilets. Despite carrying all of our gear except our small daypacks which we kept with us, our porters (2 per climber) beat us to the huts and had hot water for washing our hands and faces and a snack waiting for us when we arrived. We then took a half hour walk up to a crater to help us acclimate. Then it was an early dinner and night to bed since the days only got longer from there.