2019 Tanzania Trip

Tool-Crib After Tool-Crib Before Since we had more time in Sumbawanga this year we got to do some volunteer time at the Trade School.  In the pictures you will see Gavin and I fixing the schools one In-Stove, making some lunch, and shopping to replenish the schools tool-crib, which was basically empty, making it hard for the teachers to teach anything at all. Waryoba, Auto-shop teacher helping us fix the In-Stove Gavin Shopping to resupply the tool crib ME, Gavin, Waryoba, & Emmanuel after our shopping spree Good father-son day for Gavin and I.  One of the shop teachers, Mr. Emanuel even taught Gavin how to do some welding.

You may remember this little one from last year.  Atieno is an adorable two year old. She is the daughter of Elizabeth, one of the top mason's on our stove team.  Ateino goes everywhere with us.  If anyone has heard me tell the story of the girl learning how to use a chainsaw with a baby on her back, the baby in that story was Atieno.  She is walking and talking now and has decided that Julia is her sister.  Susi will have more videos and photos of Atieno, as she is clearly the star of our small caravan as we travel the Rukwa region.

Gavin at Kizungu checking on Grandpa's project As many of you know Kizungu Village is where the stove team decided to concentrate their efforts both in building the stoves and training the local population in how to use and maintain them.  The primary purpose of our trip was to check on progress here in Kizungu.  We are happy to report things are going very well.  When we were here last year there were 30 stoves installed, now that number is up to 61 with parts and supplies available in Sumbawanga to build 60 more.  The stove team has also started using local youth in Kizungu to help with the installs and to be available to the villagers for stove questions or maintenance.  This has been a big improvement as the stove team only visits about once a month so having the local craftsman has dramtically improved the stove performance.  Last year when we toured the homes the families had a lot of questions; this year there were very few as the technology ...

Susi Delivering Supplies to the Malangali Blind School So we finally reached one of the places we hoped to help on this trip.  The Malanghali Blind School was originally run by the Diocese of Sumbawanga, but now is managed by the government.  It has 108 students, most of them board here and all have special needs.  The majority are blind, or have degenerative conditions that will make them blind, eventually.  About 40 of the students are Albino, a population particularly hard-pressed in Tanzania as they suffer from blindness, skin conditions, and are horribly maltreated by the society in general.  Albinos will never have regular jobs nor any real life prospects.  Most will die young and are often outcasts from their families.  Regardless, the Malangali Blind School is a refuge for them and others in need.  The government trains the children to read and write in Braille and prepares them with a Primary education.  When we were there we...

Sewing Machines in Action This is an exciting post to write as it feels good to see some of the seeds we planted last year bear some fruit.  Particular thanks here goes to the family who saw a need and funded this outreach last year.  In 2018 the senior women at Malangali Parish told us they wanted to set up a system of training the junior women in sewing.  Being able to make clothes is a skill here that can potentially bring in substantial extra money for a family.  Some genrous donor's quickly sent us some funds and before we left we purchased 6 manual and one electric sewing machines.  In addition, Fr. Chomba donated some space in his Parish House for the women to set up their workshop.  In the six months this has been in operation, the women are proud to report: 22 Young women have been taught to sew.  In the below pictures you will see two of the young girls who are now working unsupervised after completing their training 27 fabric bundle...

Julia at one of the Machine shops at the trade school Emma at a typical classroom in the Masonry section of the Trade School This is another place we are trying to help.  It is a trade school, set up by the diocese in 1950.  It has over 100 students and serves a large area around Sumbawanga.  The students choose a vocational track at this school:  truck-driving, electrical, auto-mechanic, masonry, sewing, secretarial, or computer science.  The Trade School issues two year degrees and can train students to a certificate level or just a skill level.  Many of our friends from the stove-team attended this school and we think they are doing a really good job preparing the next generation of Tanzanian people.  In fact, many of the top builders and tradespeople from the area are graduates of this school. Some of you may recognize the green cylindrical stove in the pictures below, that is an In-stove, a type of institutional wood-burning stove ...

Arrival Shot After a week and half of traveling, already full of several adventures we have finally arrived in Sumbawanga.  We have reconnected with all of our old friends including Fr. Chomba, Gabriel, Charles, and the staff at the Libori Center.  We were greeted warmly and treated to a nice dinner.  After a full rest tonight we will start our real work here in Africa. Meeting Father Chomba (right) and Godfrey (left) upon arrival Catching up with Charles Kasoni after being away for a year

Gavin at Orphanage teaching Kadama Everywhere we went Gavin used his Kadama skills to connect with the other kids his age.  Here you will see him showing the Masai Tribe and some of the kids at the Orphanage how to play this game.  They really enjoyed it and Gavin donated several of his best Kadama's to these two groups.

Two female and a large male lion were sleeping on a sand river bank at high noon.  It was very hot and not much was going on until a herd of Zebra wandered into the river bank.  One of the females started stalking them, but she had no cover.  Lucky for her, Zebras have bad eyesight and the sun, combined with the shadow of the riverbank, concealed her for a few minutes as the Zebras approached.  Eventually the Zebras figure out they are in a very bad neighborhood, but another ten yards and things would have had a very different outcome.  We were sitting within 20 meters of all of this action.  In the video you can hear Emma cheering for the Lions.

An unexpected benefit of bringing hundreds of Luci Solar Lights is we got to use them as gifts as we travel around.  We ended up giving one to Bebe, the Masai Grandmother we met back in Idodi.  We intended it just as a convenience item for her, as this family operates without any electrical power.  What we did not realize is this particular clan of Masai was a strong supporter of the  Ruaha Carnivore Project   which trains the local Masai to live in cooperation with the large predatory animals of Ruaha NP.  The large cats will often leave the park and kill the livestock on whom the Masai depend.  In defense, the Masai often kill these animals to protect their way of life.  The Carnivore Project gives the Masai special mobile fencing to protect their animals and a Mobile App which allows them to report and track predator movements (yes, the Masai have no power, but they do have cell phones with apps).  Through a...

Sam went out early while we enjoyed a slow morning in camp and found a Leopard dragging an Antelope up a tree.  The Leopard rested somewhere in hiding for the rest of the day, but when we returned to the tree in the evening, he was back to enjoy his dinner.

The videos were taken at 6:30 in the morning as we left the park.  This pride of lions lived about 1/2 mile north of our lodge.  We saw them all week as we came and left camp.  Most days they were quite lazy, mostly sleeping in the shade as we passed by.  This day, because it was early and still cool out, we caught them moving through their territory.

View from our Deck.  Hippo in Water to Right Elephants on the march. Emma overlooking Ruaha River.  This is where we ate lunch everyday All of us goofing on an adventure bridge Selfie time in the Safari Car These elephants blocked the kids entry into their hut as they took dinner on the porch one evening If you ever get a chance to take your family here, please do it.  Ruaha is full of life and adventure.  We had an amazing experience as a family exploring this special place.  Ruaha is the largest park in Africa and is home to 10% of the worlds Lions.  You slept with the near constant sound of them roaring in the distance and woke to Elephants walking by your front door.  The pictures attached do not do it justice.  We saw over 24 lions including three small cubs, countless elephants and giraffes.  We even had our very own pet Hippo we named Freeda who lived in the river in front of our place at  Ruah...