Twiga Group- the village women's project

A week ago today we traveled back to Arusha: our time in Mnenia village was finished- for this time. The standing question of the last few days there was "when will you come back?"
Following is a sequence of experpts from my journal to capture my time with the women of Twiga group, building their store in the village of Mnenia.

Dec 4
In the village there's not much available. Especially building supplies, either more expensive or not available at all.
On the 2nd day of each month there's a bigger market in Kolo: there you can buy clothing, shoes, roofing, baked goods, vegetables, cookware, tools, livestock and more. One can imagine that this becomes an important event in the life of the villagers.
The next larger town is Kondoa- 25 km from Mnenia , and if you can't get what you need there you have to travel 8o km to Babati. There are daily buses in both directions.
We tried to be very organized and purchase and load all supplies in Arusha when we went to pick up Sue and Sean.
A problem with the vehicle held us up on Tuesday so we didn't leave until 4 pm.  I was glad to leave the busyness of the town and head back out towards the village. We stayed the night in Babati on the lake. Our hope for a visit by the hippos that night did not get fulfilled, so we hired a fisherman to paddle us out to see them in the morning. Still no luck- all we got was their sound - no visual.
Arrival at camp meant unpacking everything and setting up kitchen and tents . Just when we had everything tucked in a thunderstorm blew in and tested all our tents and setup with strong gusty wind and rain coming horizontally. All was well and we took a deep breath!

Thursday came and time for the beginning celebration. The women had prepared the site with colourful strips of fabric, flowers and a few palm fronds for decoration. In the morning we slaughtered a goat for the occasion that later was eaten with the pilau.
Official beginning of the event was at two pm or saa nane- eight swahili time.
The women started by performing traditional dances to welcome us into the community. The village dignitaries were present and a master of ceremonies.
He gave me the name Mma Matumaini-(that means Hope) and everyone liked that. I received a black shirt, kanga and string of white beads and was asked to cut the ribbon for the other small structure that had been built.
Next the group presented me with a few local traditional gourd and clay cooking dishes.
I spoke a little to them about my hopes for the project and presented a unity flag to Twiga group. With all formalities finished it was time to eat and finally dancing in the square where Sue and I joined the women for a few dances.

After such a good beginning I was very excited to start work the next day. Everyone showed up as agreed at eight with hoes and shovels to excavate.
But first we had to decide on the final positioning of the building. The door will face onto the square where the waterfountain is and you can see the porch from the workshop as well as the road, so that when things are displayed outside they will be easily visible.
With many hands the digging was done quickly. A tractor load of stone was delivered and we started to build a dry stone foundation.
Teatime offers opportunity for a little bit of "shule" some short talks about things around the building, structure and process.

Mama fundi: Zenia

Dec 10
Snapshot of yesterday morning.
We now work on scaffolding made from Sisal poles. Sara is is now pretty competent at cutting "corner"bricks and works with three or four others: someone getting udongo,someone handing bricks, someone on the scaffold with her to spread the mud and fill the joints. From the inside of the building you can hear Sue's voice:"level?....level!" as she goes around checking level and plumb. There is another group on the other side also laying bricks and mixing mud. Everybody is engaged, occasionally visitors drop in and help out a bit.
Meanwhile in the backyard, a few women cook the day's meal on a couple of small fires. This is also where people go when they take a short break and need some shade.
Rain has been a daily event lately. Sometimes in powerful thundershowers, then in long periods overnight. Last night everyone in the small tents got wet from a long downpour.
The river at the bottom of the land is high today. We can hear it rushing from the kitchen.
There was an upset in the village and we found out that someone very respected had died when a tree fell on his house. The women needed time out to attend the funeral. So we stopped after tea and went to Kondoa for roof materials.
The road from Kolo to Kondoa is part of the historic "great northern route" from Cairo to Capetown. It's rough- damage from rain and earthmovements, broken bridges . Once again we're grateful for the Land Rover's power.
Massive Baobab trees mark the landscape and I wonder what their story would be if they could tell it.

see more here

Dec. 16
CM is here. His arrival was very much anticipated by the women and boys. At the end of the day yesterday I received a special gift of a fresh chicken with eggs inside that I was to cook for him. Saum help with preparing it and we cooked it in the earthen pot in the cob oven.
Today all the women showed up to welcome us. Seppo and CM brought three bicycles donated by folks in the Cowichan Valley and a sewing machine from Sue- items the women had wished for. Still more bicycles needed but this was a great start!
We danced to welcome CM and then went to work: plaster! We mixed lime and earth and many hands once again made fast work and by lunch time the building was plasterered inside and out.

Dec. 17
Last day on site. We have accomplished a lot. Walls are complete with plaster, the floor is laid and the door is hung. Costa will return in a few days to work with the group to build the roof. The model stove in the store room is finished and a few of the women feel confident to reproduce these.
I watched the women take on this project and my highlights were times when I stood back and saw everyone busy on the building- work divided by aptitude and energy level, and once scaffolding was involved, the older women stayed on the ground. They all mixed mortar and plaster, laid bricks and packed the floor. At one time all of them were inside the building singing and plastering. As they occupy this building they will always know that their own hands built it. It is my hope that they will take these skills home and perhaps do some needed repairwork . 
We had a closing celebration yesterday with a few “speeches”, the presentation of the bicycles and sewing machine, and expressions of gratitude and hope for future cooperation. And one more round of dancing together. Good bye hugs and words and wishes for our journey and then it was done.

Now the faces of Zena, Sara, Zura, the four Hadijas two Hawas , Zaina, Fatuma, Fatima, Mariamu, Hafsa, Maimuna, Rehema, Sewatu and Zaruna are part of my memory of a very special time in their village.
My gratitude extends to Seppo Hallavainio for setting everything up and for being my "brother", to Sue and Sean who stepped out of their comfort zone and joined the project without knowing much beforehand, to Daniel who gracefully danced between languages and cultures and to the village council of Mnenia for their support of this project.

Things will change here and I can’t help but wonder what it will look like a few years from now. Will it still be quiet and dark at night with the sounds of insects, dogs, the wind and the river and human voices? Will the women still wear their traditional dresses with Kangas and headscarves?
What of this lifestyle is important to take into the future and how can their standard of life improve? 
Many questions to take with me and to ponder.

Going back to Mnenia

November 29
Two days in Arusha have passed quickly collecting supplies for the projects. Tools, materials, pots, food.  We now have to load everything into the Land Rover and the trailer and then it'll be time to head back out to Mnenia village.
Sean and Sue, two new Volunteers, have arrived and will make this trip for the first time today.
Tomorrow we begin the work with the Twiga women's group: with a celebration. A goat will be sacrificed, we will all eat together, and the village officials will be there.  
I don't know when I'll be writing again- I intend to stay in the Village until we wrap up the work there around Dec. 18.  So stay tuned and no worries!

Kijiji means Village

Nov. 23

Masai compound from road

It took hours to get out of Arusha; picking things up , shopping, waiting for people and traffic.
Finally, around 1 we left town towards Kondoa region. Along a new paved road it was easy driving at first. We were crossing Masai land, where round houses in clusters dot the landscape and herds of cattle move about. Occasionally we got dangerously close to a goat or a cow crossing the road as we sped along in the Land Rover. Donkeys are plentiful too: Masai 4x4 Seppo said.
Then the pavement ends and we drove alongside road construction for what seems like hours. Rough, bouncy, dusty- I was glad for the 4x4 vehicle and Seppo's knowledge of the road.
The houses we drove past changed:  square little brick houses with small fenced yards lined the streets in the villages. In the distance the edge of Ngorongoro park.
On fresh pavement again: We reached the town of Babati. "No Mzungus here"said Seppo. There's a lake and a hotel on the edge of it- green grass, tables, a bar. Feels like an oasis after the drive. We ordered two beers and stretched our legs. There are hippos in this lake , about 300 or so. Local fishermen will take tourists to see them by canoe.

We didn't have time for that- another couple of hours to go before we would reach camp. But before  leaving town we went to the market for some fresh vegetables. Not much to pick from: Onions, potatoes, tomatoes and Mangoes. Dried goods in little shops surrounding the stands.
Leaving Babati the road becomes dirt road- good solid red earth. The rich color makes my heart sing. The road winding its way up through small settlements and rich treed landscape offering views in the distance of valleys and finally to the North the evening light on the Masai Plains. Breathtaking. Not much further ahead lies the camp also overlooking the plains and the Village we now are part of: Mnenia.
My excitement kept growing with every move. Seppo pointed to the tents and set me up in the big Safari tent- with a bed!
Soon it got dark and we sat with a few Kerosene lamps and a coupele of solar lights. Costa, the builder who is here, made some food and then another surprise: Full Moon rising over the Eastern horizon. The beauty of the moment brought tears to my eyes.
Early to bed, the night was cool and in the morning I was looking for some warmer clothes. A few hours into the day the heat comes back and we look for shade again.
Morning visit to the village. Seppo has been working with a group of women on a project that will have them produce briquettes made from plant waste. They will also make paper and be able to generate some income from these.When we drove up there was great excitement.  And much laughter as we struggled with languages. We have a young interpreter with us who patiently relates what we have to say.
The building that the women are using is located next to a water tap. Village watertaps are where women gather- carrying water in buckets on their heads.
Later yesterday we met again with the group and presented our idea for a small store next to the tap to have as selling point for anything they produce: paper, briquettes, pottery etc.
They loved the idea and got really excited when we suggested that we build it together without the fundi- the tradesman we always seem to be waiting for. It will be us and the women starting next week after two volunteers arrive.

Something completed and another soon to start

Usambara Mountains

changing landscape

roadside offerings

Nov 22
Hot pink and blue are the roadside colors of Tanzania. They represent  three large cellular providers Vodacom, TIGO,  and Zain. The presence of their advertising shows up on tiny roadside stores to large block buildings painted in these colors that everyone knows.
The busride from Dar to Arusha takes 9 hours on "kilimanjaro express". The landscape changes from the coastal flat land to red earth from which people make bricks, past vast areas of sisal plantation leaving the Usambara Mountains to the East. Looking West and North the view is wide open, small hills dotting the landscape.
We only stopped once for a 15 min food break at Kerogwe - a rest stop with restaurant, toilets and vendors selling fruit and newspapers.
Eventually towering clouds in front of us : Kilimanjaro is hiding. We drop passengers in Moshi and carry on to Arusha, another 70 km, now through green areas with rivers, small gorges and the everpresent mountains.  Mount Mehru to the West is visible - it anchors Arusha into place.
Seppo picked me up and we drove to his studio and gallery adjoining the Masai Cafe that his wife Julia runs. On display in the gallery are masks from different areas (not just Tanzania) and some prints of rock art on handmade paper by Seppo. The Rock Art is of course why this next project is happening- so I take this first impression as an invitation to awaken my curiosity.
Arusha is busy- and yesterday (Sunday) many churches held large celebrations for confirmation. The sound of their music and amplified voices reached everywhere.
Evening came with a full moon in the sky- first full moon in Africa this time. We went to dinner at a Lebanese restaurant. Yes this is truly a tourist town: you can eat greek, italian,lebanese,  ethiopian and probably a few other flavors. "too many mzungus" sais Julia, although she knows that this is what brings money to town, but also makes everything more expensive.
Today a little internet session and then off to Kondoa- another 4 hours in the Jeep. Away from the fancy food and busy streets.

Elke in the foundation trench

Before we start looking at the next location I want to just tell a little more about the Baobab site.
The builders went to work and quickly built the earthbag foundation. We topped it with a gradebeam to strengthen the structure and  provide good base for the blocks. Making a level form is easier said than done because the boards that are rented are not straight at all. So we did our best.

foundation done

By the end of Friday it's all done and the lead builder Mohamed , Caito and I went around and marked doors, windows and special features into the fresh concrete. Hopefully this will reduce errors when they look at the plan. When I return in a month the site will be transformed and I expect to see the walls up and perhaps even the top floor slab poured.
A lesson for me: Thinking about saving money I thought using rubble would be better than good gravel. Turns out that rubble is hard to get, involves more transport and costs almost as much! So ask questions befor making assumptions- and understand that what may be waste elsewhere is not necessarily seen that way here.

planting with Sally

Sally an I spent a couple of late afternoons last week planting the shrubs and trees she brought to the farm. David and Gabriel worked with us as we chose good spots for each. In a few years the garden will be tall and shady with all the beautiful trees.

Water: sweet and salty

November 13

Mchicha

It only took a couple of days for our seeds to sprout . I planted some cowpeas earlier this week and now they are up and growing on the "fence". The Mchicha greens also show and now I'm watching for the Zucchini.
It's the presence of water that creates the magic of course. We use a lot of it at the Shamba:

• Everything that's planted needs to be watered daily. 
• The animals need drinking water
• The builders use it for making bricks and mortar.
• The kitchen needs water for cooking and washing.
• People need water for washing.
• We wash our clothes.
• And the neighbors come to get water from us.

shower platform in banana circle

Part of what we're trying to do is get more use out of the water by setting up greywater systems from every building so that used water from sinks and showers gets distributed for irrigation.
Our "Banana Shower"is the first step. We all enjoy the beautiful set up in the middle of the garden and the plants will love it too.

building the shower

The kitchen building will be sending its waste water to the garden as well. I am looking  for a simple solution for distribution of water without small parts (as we use in drip irrigation). Send me ideas! I look forward to having the books from Oasis Design to help us make decisions. Thank you Art!

Back in the garden: we are now preparing beds for more planting: layering seaweed and manure under mulch, and letting this sit for while before we plant.
Gabriel split a cluster of lemongrass and now we have several new starts which will provide us with lovely flavored tea. It's pretty exciting to be part of all this!

The design for the kitchen is finalized and we will break ground on Monday- first by digging up a banana cluster and transplanting it.
The building will have a core storage room, a dishwashing area, cooking area, watchman's station, shower, and upstairs a sleeping place for one of the staff. It will be located at the entrance to the "compound" with a fence connecting to it in the future.

the building site before starting

Making the trip to Bagamoyo town is not a big deal- the hardest part is making up my mind!
Today we all went in for a birthday pool party at the Millennium resort. A great excuse to lay on a lounge chair and read a book while the children were playing in the water with the current volunteers from Baobab. I slipped away for a dip in the ocean: it was warmer than the pool, salty and pretty choppy water. Yes its the Indian Ocean- you gotta love it.
Good timing for a day in town: this morning we found that we had no water at the site- and there's that topic again....

Permaculture and stories

November 10...doesn't feel like November
A downpour woke me up this morning - I zipped up the tent fly and rolled over noticing  the slight cooling that came with it. It happens quite often that we get a short rain at that time and I can only hope that this brings some water to all the plants in the garden.
The farm was a hub of activity yesterday. Samson started making bricks (fired from our own clay), two others are producing blocks, two more are digging the sand for the blocks. We had a guy building a pidgeon house, and Gabriel and Kenneth made a gate for the fence.  Amy and I worked on the preparation for the porch floor and fixed the edge of the bench at the office.
Shelves were set up for the dishes, and in the house Terri was sorting things from the move and discussing plans with Katie. And, of course, the woman who cooks for us was working on just that.
I notice that Caito being here draws the guys in to working and being around.

After lunch I presented the kitchen plans to the group to decide on the final  location. We all agreed to keep the location that was layed out in the plan a couple of years ago. Now we can prepare the site and get ready to build.
We had a storyteller here for the afternoon and the children from Baobab came out for this special occasion.
A team of young film makers fro the college of performing arts in Bagamoyo  filmed the event.

We started planting a few things in the garden. In the morning Gabriel , Kenneth and  I started to make a garden layout in the Mandala Garden . We looked at the trees that have been planted and the layout of the beds. There is a lot of room for vegetables and we were deciding what to plant where. It's a little ironic that I should be doing this with them- I don't have much experience in the garden, but I have been watching the ecovillage gardeners do things and have picked up a bit from that. We returned in the late afternoon, when the sun was low, for the actual planting.
One big rule that I do know is:" Cover the soil ". So when we planted a bed of zucchini and mchicha (a fast growing spinach like green) I covered everything with rice hulls .

CM calls using gmail these days. I so appreciate his way of staying connected.

Here on the farm email and writing take a lesser place. With plenty of other things to do and a lack of electricity what would you choose?
Speaking of electricity: We had some success with the generator charging a battery and allowing things to get charged and lights for a night. But then the inverter overheated- I don't know why - and we haven't charged the battery since. Running the generator is terribly noisy and I struggle with the value of having the lights on or having the quiet.

I'm thinking about making a series of short sessions on permaculture to educate everybody who works here and have them all understand why things are the way they are. Perhaps once or twice a week  after lunch would be a good time for this- its too hot to do anything else then and the cook is free as well.


November 11
Painfully slow internet as I'm posting this. Looks like we will build a big earthen cookstove with the help of my friend from Germany....
Hoping to get better connection on Saturday.

Landing at the Shamba

The breeze/ wind here is reliable- starting mid morning and ebbing in the evening after sunset. There is no electricity yet so nothing can be charged, which in this time of electronics can be a challenge. I brought a small solar charger (mission1) and found out that the cell phones that I have use a different voltage than this one provides.
And the laptop of course needs charging as well, so we will be making trips to Bagamoyo regularly.
Aside from these small struggles I'm enjoying being back here.
Things have changed/ developed a bit since last year.
The house we started last October is nearing completion. Terri and Caito have moved in, even though there's still work to be done. It will be easier to make progress when they can be on site to move things along.
Things to be done on the house:

• install ceilings and insulate them
• finish window installation (security bars are in, and windows are being built)
• build compost toilet
• build shower and wash station (there is an existing shower house with toilet away from this house that we use now)
• install/connect plumbing fixtures

ceiling wanted...

I took a couple of walks since I arrived  and am trying to observe what is happening with the land.
This is a large plot  that has been farmed in the past.  There are two orchard areas: one grows oranges the other limes. Part of the area of the lime orchard has been identified as the best location for the cowshed/ biogas production, and has been cleared for that purpose. A couple of years of non-management of the trees allowed a noxious climbing weed to choke many of the trees. It must have been a big job to free the remaining ones.
The intention here is to apply permaculture principles in the farming and planning. I am talking with Gabriel who has worked with a visiting permaculturist and is now the resident manager of the farm. He is eager to learn more and it helps me a lot that his English is good.
Gabriel showed me a mandala garden that has been started : with banana circles, planted palm, Avocado, Guava and Passionfruit. He talked about his crop of sweet potatoes last season and is now preparing to plant summer crops.
Baobab has now started a new project that brings groups of HIV positive children and youth out to the farm for some education, play and a meal. The people meet monthly at the treatment center where the government gives them medication. The intention with this program is to create a peer network of people in the community that will help infected youth not to feel isolated or marginalized and  also give them a place to speak about their issues with each other as they grow up.   Terri tells me that in her observation medicine is provided but not enough social/ psychological support is given.

a bus arrives for a program

A great need related to this program and other groups that come, as well as to serve residents and workers on the farm is the central kitchen. We had made a plan for it last year and I am working on a simpler design, somewhat reduced in scale. This, I believe will be our building project this year.

Also much needed is additional accommodation so a first "dorm" room may also be built.
You can see there's much to do....is there anything you can do to help?

first days in Bagamoyo

Just in case you were wondering: Mount Kilimanjaro does still have snow

I left home on Wednesday around 2 pm. It took a couple of days ( traveling east I didn't count the hours), 4 flights and a 2 1/2 hr taxi ride to get to Bagamoyo. Everything went smoothly- that means no missed flights and all luggage appeared at the carousel in Dar Es Salaam. To top it all up I met someone at the airport who was traveling to Bagamoyo on business and offered a ride in his taxi.

I arrived a Francesco's hostel early afternoon, Friday. They expected me- Terri had called- and gave me a room upstairs where I like it because the fresh breeze from the ocean comes into the space and I get a balcony. Rooms here have a comfortable double bed with a mosquito net and a fan, and a private bathroom with shower.

Since I was here last year the management has changed. Now breakfast is included in the price (20 000 TSh). And this morning I found out that it's a good breakfast with coffee from a bodum, nice bread, choice of eggs, good jams and even cheese (you rarely see cheese here). We're talking about an earthen oven for pizza coming to Francescos soon!

Yesterday I spent a little time getting the basics together: got a phone, a local SIM, and ordered some shirts from the tailor at Bagapoint. And its so nice to sit and read and have some time to land.

My next post will give you updates on the Shamba....see you then

First post : still at home

...in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island, enjoying tea and late afternoon sun in front of moziro's coffeeshop.

I begin this blog on this Tuesday- a week before  I fly to Tanzania to continue the work with Baobab home in Bagamoyo and to start a new project in the Kondoa region.

This trip will be my fourth time in Tanzania (stories and pictures from previous visits are here) and I look forward to reconnecting with everyone there.

Once again the purpose of the trip is to help the projects along, and help takes different forms:

• Local organizations have asked me to consult and oversee the construction of buildings. 
• This gives opportunities to train people there in Permaculture and Natural Building .
• We also host Volunteer camps, which brings people from other places to help out on the projects and raise funds. 
• If enough money is raised we can hire more local people to finish the project and move occupants in.

This blog will share what's happening and keep you connected if you choose. I invite you to be part of the action in whatever way you can:

• Subscribe to this blog by email (below) or become a follower
• Spread the word...on facebook or at your coffeeshop or school or workplace
• Make a donation
• Become a volunteer
• Link your blog or website to us
• Write comments 

I look forward to sharing the journey