Planting Seeds of Empowerment

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Sanjoy and Oyaya work with Paulina
to update the KWGP database.

"I wish every woman could be in the KWGP [Kimokouwa Women's Goat Project] and be able to experience the sweetness of having your own money," says Penina, one of the original members. We are gathered in the Women's Banda in Kimokouwa with the women in the program, and many who are waiting to join. The program, only beginning its third year, is already making a big difference in the lives of its members.

I promised an update and can give you some details today. The program began in October 2010 with 15 women each receivng 2 female goats. These are the statistics to date: the women are caring for a total of 59 goats; 11 males have been sold during the past year, 10 females have been given away, 17 females are pregnant, and 12 goats have died (2 eaten by a cheetah). Four women have paid for memberships and are awaiting goats, as well as a number of interested women who have not yet paid. 

Grandmothers have milk
for the young children in their care.

TEMBO staff believe that close monitoring of this project by Oyaya and Sanjoy contributes to the success this KWGP is enjoying, including weekly visits, phone calls, and veterinary care. The husbands are not interfering and staff feel this is because TEMBO included them in the program right from the beginning. The men see these goats as “the women’s goats.” 

At a general meeting, a number of the women shared how they are using the money from the sale of goats. Uniforms have been bought for school, iron sheets have been added to houses, and food has been purchased for the family. Two women talked excitedly about soon finishing the payment of their ‘debt’ – giving away 2 first born females to a new woman in the program. 

The founding KWGP group members.

 For most - or maybe all - of the women it's the first time they have ever had money of their own to spend. Sixty thousand shillings, or about $45.00, may not seem like a lot but it is a huge amount for a woman in rural Tanzania. With luck, the women might end up with 2 or 3 females delivering one or two goats a year. In between there is milk for the family. Oyaya and Sanjoy say the women are having no problems selling their goats. Most of the time they don't even make it to market before they are spoken for.

Self esteem is a very tangible by-product for the KWGP women. You can see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices. This is empowerment on a very small scale that has the potential to spill over into other areas of the women's lives. We hope it is just the beginning of great things to come.

Acknowledging Courageous Girls

14 year old, Malala of Pakistan is a courageous young girl.

It's astounding, really, that just as the UN declares October 11 as the first ever Day of the Girl Child, a 14 year old girl in Pakistan is singled out by the Taliban on a school bus and shot in the face. Her name is Malala Yousafzai and her crime was wanting to go to school so she could realize her dream of becoming a doctor.

From the brave diary of a seventh grade school girl in Pakistan my thoughts turn to so many young girls I know in northern Tanzania who are choosing education to change their lives. Who knew going to school could be so life threatening? Malala, our thoughts are with you.

Secondary School Girls in Tanzania.

T is one of the girls living in Longido who also values education. She came to the TEMBO Guesthouse to see me last week, telling me she has been working so hard to prepare for an interview that would determine whether or not she would get a second chance at secondary school education. Why should T get a second chance, you might wonder. What did she do with her first chance?

It's not what T did; it's what was done to her but a man of an unknown age. T, who is still a child barely the same age as Malala, was forced to have sex and, as a result,  became pregnant. In the public school system in Tanzania this is not just a game changer. It's a game ender. Pregnant girls, or girls who have had a baby, are not permitted back into the government school system. Ever. There is only one very expensive option that very few girls like T will ever be able to access: private school. Fortunately, T was sponsored at a government school by TEMBO first time around and she will be the second time around, too, at a private school that understands only too well the situation she is in.

Young girls see a very different world for themselves,
one where girls have a voice and can make choices.

"I have been working so hard," T tells me with a wide smile and big bright eyes. Her English is unusually good for a girl her age. She listens carefully and actually understands the meaning beyond the words. That's why T is a good bet for future success. We're sitting with two young women from The Netherlands having a cold drink as the sun is setting. The young women have been in Longido for 3 months working with young child mothers like T.

The challenge girls face in Africa and the East is daunting. It is going to take people all over the world working together to make progress in reversing this horrible situation that robs girls of their right to be children and forces them to be child mothers. That is exactly where T was headed. And like Malala, T only wants to go to school.

Maasai leaders in Longido are taking a huge step outside of their cultural traditions in allowing their daughters and granddaughters to go to school. I urge them to take another giant step outside of their cultural norms - one that will no longer condone the actions of men wanting to engage in sexual activity with young girls like T.

Thanks to the UN for drawing our attention to the plight of millions of young girls. And thanks to courageous girls like Malala and T for risking so much to show many others the way.

An Elder, Guardian, and Protector

Treats for the children are part of every visit.

October 3, 2012. Today I met an old friend and I was aware we would not have many more meetings. Paulo is a Maasai elder in his upper 80’s living in Kimokouwa. His health is failing. I have known him for more than 14 years. He is the first person I met in 1998 when I visited his boma It's one of the villages area where TEMBO Trust now works.

As I rode out on the back of Lesaloi’s motorbike I was imagining the meeting. I could picture the tree outside Paulo’s boma that I sat under 14 years ago this past July. That day was my introduction to the world of the Maasai. It was startling and it was exciting. TEMBO co-founder, Marian, and I watched Paulo’s sons in the distance come closer and closer, carrying a goat that had been slaughtered and slow roasted all day to celebrate our arrival. We were coming to meet Paulo’s daughter, Kokoyai, a 10 year old girl we were sponsoring. I can see it today as though it was yesterday.

Discovering the mirror on Lesaloi's motor bile.

Time has past. Kokoyai did not continue beyond Standard 7, the final year of Primary School. She is a young woman living a traditional Maasai life, now the mother of three young children. Kokoyai seems happy with her choices. Paulo has since become an advocate, working with TEMBO to promote education as something of great value worth pursuing. He says education is the gift he can give to the girls in his family. He is so right.

With Paulo, his third wife, Kokoyai's mother,
and Kokoyai and her third child.

Kokoyai was there today, too. So was her mother, one of Paulo’s 4 wives. Mama Kokoyai is aging, too. I guess we all are. I am deeply grateful these rich relationships have endured over the years. We are from very different worlds and yet there seem to be no barriers between us. I respect Paulo living a simple endangered lifestyle in rural northern Tanzania. He respects me coming from a world so very different than his own. I am not at all like the women in Paulo’s boma – my customs, my traditions, my lifestyle, and my choices must been confounding sometimes. Yet there he was waiting for me under that tree today, sitting on a blue plastic chair. It’s easier for him to get into and out of now, since traditional Maasai stools are built low to the ground. Paulo and I embraced and shook hands and spoke to each other through Lesaloi, my translator, sharing the news from each of our worlds. A lot has happened in the year since I last saw him. Yet nothing in our past is forgotten. He still has the old photographs of previous meetings and he still asks about certain people Marian and I have spoken of to him.

Paulo's feet: Well travelled feet with so many stories to tell.

And that was it – a 45 minute meeting, a cup of hot sweet chai, then I was on my way. Blessed by Paulo and richer for having connected with him again. Paulo is such a giant in my world: wise, playful, open to change, a true leader, and a guardian to all in his boma.

The Sacred in the Natural World

Some Sunday morning visitors at the TEMBO Guesthouse.

While there are other guesthouses opening up in Longido now that the District Government is located here and the road between Nairobi and Arusha is completed, none compares with the TEMBO Guesthouse. Not by a long shot.

All the others are located on the highway, so welcome to noise and busyness. The TGH sits at the foot of Mt Longido, surrounded by lots of open space, trees, and so many different kinds of colourful birds that you quickly lose count. Welcome to tranquillity.

I sat outside early this morning with my press pot of hot strong Tanzania coffee, partially facing the mountain where the mist was still rising to reveal more and more of the mountain top; and partially facing the land on the other side of the dry river bed, where Maasai cattle were slowing making their way to the water trough for a morning drink.

So many sounds filled the air: roosters announcing that the morning had arrived; the rattle of cow bells in the distance; donkeys making their donkey sound; and the distant songs of the Sunday morning choir coming from the Lutheran Chruch. But it was the near songs of more than a dozen different birds in the trees surrounding me that provided the constant backdrop to every other sound.

A lot of these beauties are
frequent visitors to TEMBO.

I did not have my camera with me, or a bird book, and this was good. I could focus on what I saw and take it all in without being distracted by composing a picture or applying a name. Bursts of colour shot up everywhere then disappeared: teal blue, fluorescent blue, French’s Mustard yellow, oranges, muted reds, rich blacks and dusty blacks, and soft browns streaked with white.

I watched a weaver bird make numerous trips to the TGH garden to pick up one piece of straw at a time and take it to the nest.

In another spot the birds made their way over to the dripping tap coming from the large underground water tank that supplies mountain water to the TGH. A metal tray catches the drops so precious water is not lost.

The TGH is situated off the road
and is surrounded by the natural world.

Inside the guesthouse Carolyne is preparing soft chapattis for the guests and Ashura is passing a wet mop over the floors she has just swept. Oyaya has just come on duty as the daytime watchman replacing Sanjoy who was the night watchman. Here the staff are like family to each other and those who stay here are invited into that warm comfortable circle.

There are so many places in the world to experience the sacred this morning. I am glad I am experiencing it in Longido at the TEMBO Guesthouse. What a gift it is to be here. 

Good-bye to an Old Friend in Arusha

The Everest Chinese Restaurant and Inn has been my home in Arusha for the past number of years. And not just my home, but others, too. Canadian Directors, sometimes TEMBO staff from Longido, even some visitors with Travelling with TEMBO have stayed here.

Nicely set back from the street behind a wall.

The Everest Chinese will be closing this weekend after nearly 15 years in operation. What a loss for me - I know everyone might not share this sentiment - the accommodation is very basic and no where near 5 Star. Okay, it's closer to 2 Star. Still it's clean, central, safe, has internet access, electricity, running water, and it's quiet. Good Chinese Food, too.

Most of my visits have been spent in Room 1, located at the far end of the strip of 6 rooms, away from the activity. I've written a lot of reports and blog posts in that room. I have seldom turned on the TV.

Met a lot of interesting travellers here.

Mr. Liu Songfu is the Chinese-Canadian owner from Toronto. He and his family have taken turns managing the Everest over the years, including his mother, now in her 80's, in China. Liu says Arusha is changing and the world economy is playing a bit part. The economic crisis in Europe is causing people to cut back on travel or spend less when they do. The Arusha War Crimes Tribunal, once a large employer of many people from around the world, now has only a skeletal staff. The Arusha-Nairobi Road is now complete after being under construction for - what? - 6 years. A lot of Chinese and their families were here for that big road project, too. Now only a handful remain to take care of road problems that might occur over the next 3 years.

Luckily, Liu says he has managed to secure jobs in other hotels and restaurants for his current staff. If Liu is right about the Arusha economy going into a period of decline, there will be many Tanzanians negatively impacted for the next few years. Liu sees the signs and is choosing to leave before the situation worsens. Given the luxury hotel boom around Arusha, it seems not everyone sees the situation the same way. Time will tell. It always does.

Many dinner guests served  at welcoming tables over the years.

Thanks to Liu and his family, and all the staff at the Everest Chinese, for their warm hospitality...and for giving me a space where, from time to time, I could not only shower off the Longido dust, but also feed my soul.

The KWGP: A Really Big Small Project

A KWGP second level member with her children.

Wednesday, September 26: Mornings like the one I had today nourish me for even the most difficult of times. It’s why I, and many others in Canada and Tanzania, spend countless hours working hard so that TEMBO Trust can grow and succeed. Our commitment is to educate and empower girls and women and to develop the capacity for this work to be sustainable.

Just as the sun was about to rise behind Mt Longido, Sanjoy, Lesaloi, and I were already on the road to Kimokouwa about to pay an early morning visit to some of the women in the KWGP – the Kimokouwa Women’s Goat Project. It is one of the activities I most look forward to whenever I visit Tanzania. We travel by motor bike since the bomas of the women who care for the goats are scattered over many kilometers of very rough terrain. The only roads are the ones we make.

Sanjoy, one of TEMBO's two good shepherds.

For our visit today, Sanjoy has chosen two women who were original members of the group in 2010, and two members of the second level – women who are now in the KWGP because of goats they have received from the original, or first level members. Sanjoy and Oyaya make weekly trips to visit the women to record and help with births, deaths, sicknesses, challenges, and successes. They have basic training in veterinary care and are able to vaccinate the goats and treat minor illnesses. Lesaloi came along to act as translator for me, since he speaks three languages well: Kimaasai, Kiswahili, and Kiengaresa or English.

One of the drought tolerant Isiolo goats with
a tag in the right ear.

The air is fragarant with earthy smells as we drive off the highway and into the countryside, waving and honking at the other early risers we pass along the way. You never pass a person in these parts here without greeting them in some fashion. 

Lesaloi with Mt Longido behind.

It’s the dry season and we arrive at the first boma early or we will miss seeing the goats. They have to travel long distances now in order to find food so they must get an early start. We meet one of the original members who lives on the mountain side of the highway. She has been very successful. No deaths due to disease and one stillborn. Her goats now have ‘grand goats’ and as soon as the young one she points at is weaned and given away she will have met the conditions of the program. She will be free to sell both male and female goats and keep 90% of the selling price. Until now she has had to give her two firstborn females to other women - that's how the program becomes sustainable. She has sold males for 60,000 TZS or about $45.00 CAD each. And she has had milk from the goats each day for her children. Sanjoy is beaming as he relates these details to me through Lesaloi. His pride, understandably, cannot be concealed.

Before the goats go out to graze they are given some food to get them started. They are eating dry seeds that have fallen from the acacia tree (like elongated maple keys). Lesaloi explains they are full of nutrients. He says, “Nature is very intelligent. In the rainy season there is plenty of green food to eat. In the dry season there are leaves and seeds to provide nourishment.” The KWGP goats are easily identifiable as they graze, wearing blue or green ear tags sent from Canada and affixed by Sanjoy or Oyaya when the baby goat is old enough.

Two young shepherds at rest.

Time is passing and we travel on to meet some of the other women in the program. Every woman's story is similar. Everyone is very grateful to TEMBO. All the goats look healthy and well fed. Everyone feels well supported by Oyaya and Sonjoy.

Next week I will sit with Oyaya, and Sanjoy to do a full review of the KWGP. Sanjoy says the goat project is 'just beginning' and that great things lie ahead. He adds, "This will be very big and it will be very successful". He and Oyaya, themselves goat keepers, have taken such a sense of ownership of and pride in the KWGP. I also anticipate great things ahead under their leadership and guidance.

By 10 a.m. we are back at the TGH in time for staff chai. I am dusty, smelling of the earth, hungry, and very happy.

Violence: The Uninvited Guest

Everyone knew the uneasy calm of yesterday was very fragile and by mid afternoon the dukas in Longido had closed again. Shopkeepers were preparing for a second straight day of angry protests engulfing the whole town. Just before 5 p.m. the geologists staying at the TGH left for Arusha saying they would return once the unrest died down. The staff were on edge. As she held her baby, Angela, Carolyne wondered what she should do – stay or go home. She has a husband and two other young children – what about them? I offered all the staff the option of having their families come to the TGH until the situation settled.

Baraka Mark David, a Maasai friend from Kimokouwa I have known since 1998, called from Maasai Radio wondering how events were unfolding. He said meetings were being held at the highest levels with the Regional Commissioner, District Commissioner, the MP, village leaders from areas where the unrest had already spread, and the tribal leaders. A peaceful solution is being sought. He added that “grazing rights” seemed to be the issue. The Larusha were bringing their cattle into Maasai territory to find food, knowing well that some lines should not be crossed.

Nusra atop one of the water tanks
trying to see what is happening on the road.

We could hear the noise coming from the paved road but could not see anything. Suddenly we heard a gunshot. It was ominous, but welcome, because it signalled that the military were now on the scene. Everyone stayed put. Carolyne’s husband, Simon, who usually wears Western-style clothing, arrived at the guesthouse wearing his traditional Maasai clothing, knowing he could be targeted. A few World Vision workers were already inside the TGH gates. Lesaloi, the daytime askari, remained and was joined by Oyaya who came early for night duty. Sanjoy also showed up later in the evening.

Soldiers looking for ringleaders.
They are separated from the TGH by a dry riverbed.

Gun shots rang out intermittently for the next hour. I was told the military were firing into the air to disburse the crowds. We saw some young Maasai running in the areas around the TGH and on the other side of the dry river bed. An army truck filled with soldiers followed in search of the instigators. The staff were on cell phones getting information from friends in other parts of town. We were told the ringleaders were being taken to the Police Station.

A military vehicle passes by the TGH gate.
They came prepared for violence and, luckily, little force was needed.

We knew we were safe where we were, within the TGH perimeter. We sat outside listening and watching until it was clear the situation was under control. Just before dusk Carolyne, Simon, and Angela left for home to be with their other children. Nusra and Mama Ali prepared dinner and decided to stay for the night. World Vision field workers arrived back from Ketumbeine about 9 p.m. Longido town was quiet and the tension that had filled the air earlier had dissipated.

Though lots of activity had taken place all around us and on the highway, we saw very little since the TGH is set back from the road. Throughout, traffic never really stopped on the Arusha-Nairobi Road. Once it was evident the military were present I had a feeling the situation was changing and the unrest would quickly die down. It did. At the TGH we were never really threatened or in danger.

Carolyne, holding Angela, and her husband, Simon,
wait out the unrest at the TGH.

Rosie arrived for work this morning saying she was “not good.” I knew it was about all that has been happening. Everyone will finish their work then have the rest of the day to be with their families. Einoti, also a Maasai, says this unrest and “tribal conflict” is unheard of here and this is why people are noticibly upset. They point to places in Kenya where deadly tribal warfare is known to happen. “What is happening to the world?” she asks.

For today, everyone waits and hopes. What will dialogue and listening bring?

An Uneasy Peace in Longido

Travelling back to Longido from Arusha yesterday I was struck by the number of young Maasai men our vehicle passed along the way – groups of them – crossing dry barren fields or walking along the roadside. It was an unusual sight and I concluded there had been a ceremony somewhere.

When I was dropped at the roadside in Longido, on my way to the TGH, I passed TEMBO Housekeeper, Rosie’s home, and asked about her weekend. “Too many Maasai in Longido,” Rosie replied. When I arrived at the guesthouse I got the story from Carolyne and Nusra.

Longido, with hydro wires in the background and a finished road.
Development is changing the town, yet an uneasy peace is felt today.

It seems there has been a dispute going on for quite sometime between the pure Maasai and the mixed Maasai in the towns and villages here in the north of Tanzania. The mixed Maasai, also called Larusha, have moved to areas where farming is possible, so they can grow crops. They bring their cattle to the pure Maasai for grazing and keeping. The pure or traditional Maasai have retained their practice of keeping herds of cattle and moving the herds around to find food. Nusra used Sanjoy as an example. “You might see that he has 50 cattle but they are not all his. Maybe only 10 are and he is taking care of the others for grazing.” The Maasai have asked for food from the Larusha in exchange for taking care of their cattle and they are refusing to return the cattle until they receive food. The Larusha are retaliating be cutting the water lines, since they claim the water belongs to them.

As a result of this, violent disputes are rotating throughout the north. Yesterday the disputes moved to this area. Hundreds of Maasai warriors armed with pangas and spears descended on Longido and other towns threatening the farmers. Nusra said the shops in Longido closed in the afternoon and no one ventured out of their house after the sun went down for fear of being harmed. Carolyne heard that people had even been killed down the highway at Oldonyo Sambu during the weekly Saturday market. Here at the TGH, one of the guests was hit with an iron pipe.

Today there are still groups of armed Maasai here in town, though I have not seen any disturbances and people are cautiously going about their work. There is, however, an atmosphere of fear pervading the usual “laid back” atmosphere. Mama Nai was just at the TGH and said she was also afraid and wanted to return to her home as quickly as possible. Mama Nai added more information about the happenings on Saturday at the Oldonyo Sambu market. The Larusha stole cattle, goods, and money from the Maasai who had gone to the market to sell. Now the Maasai are threatening revenge. The local police are only a handful of people and they, too, are afraid to get involved. Mama Nai feels the Military Police might need to be called to monitor or intervene in the situation.

Children, like Rosie'd daughter, Noella, are kept out of danger.

It’s difficult to tell who is in the right and who is in the wrong. I don’t know enough about the situation. It seems there is some relationship to water underneath it all. The harsh reality is that water is scarce and getting scarcer, and the short rains are not due to begin for many weeks, if they come at all. 

A Day Around the TEMBO Guesthouse

Wednesday, September 19:  The TGH (TEMBO Guesthouse) is such an integral part of the workings of TEMBO Trust. Through the TGH, TEMBO is developing the capacity of many local villagers who work here doing various important jobs. And guests who stay here have the satisfaction of knowing that besides excellent accommodation and food, they are supporting TEMBO programs designed to help girls and women in Longido and Kimokouwa.

The towering Jacaranda Tree now blooming
scatters soft purple blooms transforming the dusty streets.

As I write this blog post this morning the place is filled with activity – it has been since 5:00 a.m. There are a lot of guests here right now and that makes for long days and creative sharing of space to meet everyone’s needs.

World Vision Tanzania is a regular visitor and TEMBO is grateful for their support. There are about 28 of them here for meals and as many of them staying in guestrooms as can be accommodated. TEMBO staff has helped the overflow requests find other lodging in the village. World Vision makes good use of our large inner courtyard that doubles as a meeting area. Their work during this visit is to map the World Vision project area with hand held GPS units. They are doing this for World Vision Canada, their funders.

Three of the guest rooms are accommodating some prospectors looking for gold in the area. They are working with a major geological company and have been here for awhile. They have set up a small area at the back of the TGH property where they bring their samples, sift them through a screen, then analyze the contents with a very sophisticated portable hand held unit. Everything in the handful of “dirt” registers and is named and the percentages are recorded. One of the prospectors tells me he found a large deposit of uranium on another expedition he was on near the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania.

In the kitchen Nusra, Carolyne, and Mama Ali are preparing dinner for the crowd of 33 who will show up hungry in a couple of hours. Whenever there is a crowd at the TGH, Nusra and Carolyne need extra help, and Mama Ali provides some ‘casual help’ and works efficiently alongside them.

Mama Ali cleaning fish for dinner.

And outside, on the TGH patio, sits one of the Maasai cocos or grandmothers holding Angela, Carolyne's 3 month old baby daughter. This coco takes care of Angela when Carolyne is working and brings the baby to the guesthouse to be fed during Carolyne's shift. Angela is a very content baby and already has beautiful curly dark hair to complement her soft skin.

Coco with baby Angela.

And in the TEMBO Trust office, at the front of the TGH, Paulina, Mama Nai, and I sat with an elder from Kimokouwa Village and his daughter. He brought his daughter to the office to explain why she wanted to quit school. The father wanted to be sure we knew he was not the one wanting his daughter to leave school. His daughter is in Form Three and not doing very well academically. Our counselling did not pay off, even when we offered to try to enrol her in a Vocational Program. It was up to the girl to make a choice. She wanted to go back to the village. Before they walked away the father told us what we already suspected: his daughter would now be married.

Sometimes things just don't turn out the way you'd like them to.

In My Second Home

It's been too long since my last post. So much to do before leaving Canada.

It certainly is good to be back in Tanzania after an absence of a whole year. I was warmly welcomed by everyone - familiar faces in Nairobi, where I landed - to the staff and villagers in Longido. The trip is a long one and my sleep pattern is still adjusting to the 7 hour time change. During the flight from Amsterdam, I sat next to a 2016 Olympic hopeful- a young Nairobi policeman who is a marathon runner. I will follow his progress with interest. One of the nicest things about travelling is the people you meet.

One of the colourful shuttle buses. I can't disagree. 

It's September and Longido is dry. Mt Longido does not have a lot of water to share since it has not rained in a while. The TGH - TEMBO Guesthouse -  is ordering a truck full of water this afternoon in preparation for the houseful of guests it will accommodate tomorrow. We're fortunate to be able to do this. Most people simply have to get by with less water when there is so little. Some turn to the open wells of unsafe water that is shared by the animals.

The internet connection at the TGH is intermittent right now so today I have come into Arusha for business. I was the last person on the shuttle so the driver brought me right to the Everest Chinese  Inn where I will spend the day working in my room. He made up for the not-so-nice shuttle driver that brought me to Longido from Nairobi and left me one the roadside rather than at the TGH door. This fellow was the exception in my experience.

On the way to Arusha we stopped at the bustling weekly Saturday Market that was just setting up in Odonyo Sambu. We dropped people off who added their hoping-to-be-sold goods to what will be hundreds of people selling anything and everything to thousands of people from miles around. The driver needed to do a quick tire exchange on the back right.

Market place setting up.

The staff in Longido were anxious to hear news about TEMBO co-founder, Marian Roks' year of cancer treatment. As I talked, I was only too well aware of how absolutely fortunate I am to live in a country like Canada. TEMBO staff, Mary Laiser, listened intently then told me about a woman from the village who had cancer. I looked at her and said, people here just die, don't they? Every single thing here related to health care and treatment costs out-of-pocket money. Most people do just die.

This week will be busy and I will be collecting stories everywhere I go. They are everywhere.

Toilets and Education

Three of many girls receiving TEMBO sponsorship.

No matter where you travel in Africa, the same thing is true:

Adequate sanitation encourages children to be at school, particularly girls. Access to latrines raises school attendance rates for children: an increase in girls’ enrolment can be attributed to the provision of separate, sanitary facilities.

World Health Organization (WHO) 

In the news this week we learned how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is taking action to fund a solution that addresses a problem affecting the health of so many people throughout the world. They held a Reinvent the Toilet fair and awarded a grant to the California Institute of Technology for coming up with a winning design that met these requirements: it runs without the use of water, electricity, or a septic system; it operates at a cost of no more than 5 cents a day; and it captures energy or other resources. This is part of an impressive larger strategy the foundation has set out. The fair has stimulated a lot of conversation that shows the widespread interest in finding realistic alternatives to both the lack of toilets and adequate sanitation in developing countries. 

Some UN statistics

As an organization that sponsors so many girls and young women for education and micro-business opportunities in rural Tanzania, TEMBO is keenly aware of the difficulties girls face. Toilet facilities are lacking in traditional settings like Kimokouwa. It's a sensitive enough issue for girls in the developed world to sometimes go to school when they are menstruating. Try managing this where there are no toilet facilities or where toilets are shared with boys. At the impoverished and resource-lacking Kimokouwa Primary School, where many of our sponsored girls come from, facilities are very poor. Many other rural schools throughout Tanzania find themselves in the same situation. As a result of very poor hygiene, sickness abounds. This contributes to absenteeism that results in very poor grades.

I am delighted to see that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding so many different initiatives related to overall health and sanitation around the world, including in various districts in Tanzania. They are working through the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program and the winning design in the 2012 Reinvent the Toilet fair is already being tested in South Africa. 

It's so important to see the connection between things like basic sanitation and education. And it's crucial to work with the local residents to come up with a design that meets their needs if we want to be successful. The Community-led Total Sanitation model that originated in Bangladesh 10 years ago, and is now being used by the Gates Foundation, involves villagers, entrepreneurs, and governments working together. You can read more in the strategic overview, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. It's worth the read and our support.

Be Inspired

Some TEMBO sponsored girls who attended TEC - TEMBO English Camp - in 2010.

Dear TEMBO Trust Secondary School Sponsored Girls -

I know many of you in places like Longido may not be aware that the Olympics are taking place in London right now due to a lack of electricity or TV. The athletes are doing some pretty amazing things and I wanted to share one of them with you today. It's about a 16 year old girl named Gabby Douglas.

Gabby's story is printed here in the New York Times. The important thing I want you to know is that this very young athlete has become the first African American woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in Gymnastics. This was no small accomplishment and Gabby had to make many sacrifices to reach her goal. Most of all, she had to gain confidence and to believe in herself. She told herself during the competition, "Believe, don't fear, believe."

16 year old, Gabby Douglas: "Believe, don't fear, believe."

Gabby knows she is now an inspiration to so many young girls all over the world and I wanted you to be some of those girls. You may not want to be a gymnast, and you have dreams and goals of your own. The message here is simply BELIEVE IN YOURSELF and have confidence that you can overcome whatever obstacles you find on the path between you and your goal. For you this might be just staying in school, or saying 'no' to marrying young and having a child. Keep your focus on your goal to finish Secondary School, then take the next step to learn something after Secondary School. Then, the next step will be clear. You can do it.

Good luck as you continue Term II studies at different schools in Longido District. I will end with another question I found today - I think it's a good one, not just for you, but for people of all ages.

Shooting For the Moon

This past week some pretty significant things happened in the world. One of them was that Sally Ride died. Many people remember her as the first American woman to fly into space. Sally was this woman, and a lot more. When she flew into space in 1983, Sally became a symbol to many girls and young women that it was possible to move beyond cultural barriers and do things that had never been done before. That's so important.

Some of these girls from Longido and Kimokouwa
are enrolled in Vocational Training courses.

Thirty years later, courageous young girls all over the world are still asking for their rights to be met, including the right to education. In many cultures and for many years, girls have been told their lives would be devoted to building the family home, having children, fetching water and firewood each day, cooking, and cleaning. What if a girl wants to do something different? It isn't easy and the obstacles are huge.

Not everyone has the privilege of helping young girls mount near insurmountable odds in pursuit of their dreams. I am one woman who does, and I am just one of many people.

Astronaut, Sally Ride, was the first American woman to fly
outer space in 1983 - breaking through barriers to achieve her dream.

Last week 11 girls from Longido and Kimokouwa returned to Vocational Training courses and 13 new girls began new Vocational Training programs. Taking this step has the potential to dramatically change their lives. The girls - Rahema, Mary, Martha, Tabitha, Rachel, Ester, Nimfa, Sereya, Upendo, Margreth, and many others, are stepping over the confines of old restrictive barriers and into very strange and new worlds beyond the security of their Maasai bomas and traditions. They are enrolled in many different courses of study including: marketing, tailoring, community development, early childhood education, food preparation, tour guide, police officer, bookkeeping, medical assistant, and agricultural college training. The girls may not think they are doing anything special, but they are trailblazers and role models today, just as Sally Ride was in 1983. The choice they are making today means their daughters will grow up in a world that is very different from their world today.

These 24 girls are courageous for another reason, too. By continuing in school they are saying very clearly "I WILL NOT BE A CHILD BRIDE AND A CHILD MOTHER." They will not be added to the 51 million other girls throughout the world who are adolescent brides and mothers. That is an astounding number that is larger than the entire population of my country, Canada.

To these girls I say, "You are pretty special. You are change makers. You are a very big news story in the world this week."

Just Imagine

I hope every girl, and every woman, and all the men and boys I know in Tanzania and beyond 

will take inspiration from the life of Nelson Mandela today. 

Imagine someone having the audacity to say that 

'no matter what you do, you will never imprison me.'

And even if you do imprison my body, you will never imprison my spirit.

Imagine witnessing this coming true

during our lifetime.

And imagine someone saying that we can accomplish even what seems impossible.

Don't let go of your dreams. 

Your struggle to achieve them is worthwhile, 

for you and those who come after you.

Being 12: the End or the Beginning?

I came across the above quotation from The Girl Effect today and it has really gotten me thinking. Thinking - about all the 12 year old girls in Kimokouwa and Longido who will be finishing Standard 7 in October - at the end of this term. What will the future hold for them? TEMBO will sponsor as many of the girls as we can and, hopefully, other organizations will do the same. Otherwise, the girls will miss the greatest opportunity in the world to set the course for the rest of their lives: Secondary School education. Yes, it really is that important.

Consider this excerpt from Girls Count: A Global Action and Investment Agenda from the Center for Global Development in Washington:

If you want to change the world, invest in an adolescent girl. 

An adolescent girl stands at the threshold of adulthood.  In that moment, much is decided. If she stays in school, remains healthy, and gains real skills, she will marry later, have fewer and healthier children, and earn an income that she’ll invest back into her family.

But if she follows the path laid down by poverty, she’ll leave school and enter marriage. As a girl mother, an unskilled worker, and an uneducated citizen, she’ll miss out on the opportunity to reach her full human potential. And each individual tragedy, multiplied by millions of girls, will contribute to a much larger downward spiral for her nation.

There was another quotation from an entirely different source that struck me, as well: "If you can't feed 100 people, then just feed one." Mother Teresa's words. I put them in the context of girls and school. Individually, we can do little more than help just one girl. And, if you think for one minute that this is not HUGE, it's only because you don't know the girls at Longido Primary School and Kimokouwa Primary School that I know.

Even with sponsorship, the girls face enormous challenges that threaten their success.

I am imagining a backpack filled with encouraging words and wishes and quotations from people all over the world. Imagine that every new girl TEMBO sponsors for Secondary School gets one of these backpacks at the beginning of the school year. If you could drop something inside that could be summed up in a word or a sentence, or a wise saying, what would it be? If you'd like to leave something, click on the 'comments' line just below the post and you can do so. You can also add your name and country, if you like. When I travel to Tanzania in September, I will bring all of your words and wishes and give them to the girls whose lives will be opening up because they are continuing in Secondary School - the next step to changing everything.

Against All Odds

Child marriages and early pregnancy spell the end of dreams.

This week 58 Secondary School girls being sponsored by TEMBO are preparing to return to school for Term II. Many have just finished a 2 week intensive English program called TEC - TEMBO English Camp - an experience in Longido that will better equip them to be successful in their studies. As many of you already know, this program, and Secondary School sponsorship, are generously funded by donations made to Project TEMBO in Canada.

I can picture the faces of so many of these girls. Compared to Canadian girls their age they are physically very small. Yet they teeter precariously on the edge of a very adult ritual they have, thus far, avoided - marriage. So many of their young friends, like millions of other girls around the world, have not been so lucky. This has prompted Time Magazine to recently ask the question, "Why is it so Hard to Combat Child Marriage?"

Joyce, from Kimokouwa, is currently at the 
University of Dar es Salam and stands as 
a role model for young girls.

 All girls TEMBO sponsors are not successful in navigating the minefield of child marriage and early pregnancy. I can tell you about Sara (not her real name) a Form 2 girl who attended TEC 2 years ago. Sara is from a very poor Maasai family and is young and full of dreams for life as an independent woman able to support herself economically. She could not attend TEC a year ago because she was pregnant and women in the village felt that allowing her to attend would be setting a bad precedent. Sara delivered a baby girl in October 2011. Still she enthusiastically wants to return to school and not get married to an older man. Sara knows only too well that marriage would spell the end of her dreams and relegate her to life as a woman with no voice.“[Child marriage] is one of the most stark examples of the devaluing of girls and of girls abilities beyond that of being wives and mothers,” says Margaret Hempel of the Ford Foundation. "The challenges faced by a female child bride are profound: the dwindling of opportunities for education, the loss of any hope for economic independence, the threat of infant mortality—the total narrowing of the girl’s life," the Time article continues.

The Ford Foundation has just released an interactive world map on child marriage and it is very telling and not surprising to those who have spent time in northern Tanzania. Tanzania is one of the 30 countries in the world with the highest rates of child marriages with almost 50% of girls married by age 18. Longido and Kimokouwa - where TEMBO works - are situated in one of two areas in Tanzania that have both the highest rates of child marriages and the lowest rates of education for girls. 

 The Ford Foundation believes that lasting solutions will come from those most directly affected. Those of us with resources can stand with mothers and daughters who want to change this practice.“Some of the most effective [solutions] are finding ways for girls themselves to be able to talk about the future that they want and be visible spokespeople for these changes in their own lives.” If you are supporting TEMBO you are actively engaged with us in doing this work through education sponsorships and the work of TEMBO staff, Paulina and Mary, in Tanzania. Sponsorship is crucial because it places girls in a safe school environment where child marriage is delayed. 

Mary and Paulina are powerful education advocates.

Mary and Paulina, two young Maasai women who understand the challenges, take it a step further by meeting regularly with the girls in school and talking about their "rights" and how to respond to unwanted advances by men. Girls who have had little experience outside of the confines of their family bomas don't know that life can be different for them then it has been for their mothers. Imagine the freedom and joy of  the sound of a girls own voice saying 'no' to centuries of ingrained behaviour. 

If the 58 girls about to begin Term 2 at Secondary School can withstand cultural pressures to be traditional Maasai women who marry early and have babies; and if they can stay in school instead, it will be thanks in large part to the partnership of donors to Project TEMBO in Canada with TEMBO Trust staff on the ground in Tanzania. Most of the credit, though, must go to the girls themselves for enduring in the face of such great odds against them.

We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For

Paulina is on the left and Mama Baraka, on the right.

Many of you who read this blog already know about Paulina, a mother, grandmother, and very feisty middle-aged Maasai woman living in Kimokouwa. Paulina gets frustrated with the slow pace of change where she lives in rural Tanzania and she's not afraid to tell you about it. I know she's not the only woman who feels this way; she's just one of the most vocal. I am thinking back a couple of years ago when we were standing outside of Philipo's duka or small shop by the Arusha Nairobi Road sipping on a warm Coke (regrettably, the only drink available) on a hot day. "Even the donkeys are treated better than we are," Paulina said with lots of passion and very expressive eyes. She was referring to 'women'. 

The Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development has ended in Brazil and, sadly, it did not deliver what so many around the world had hoped: concrete actions and commitments to achieving them. "Instead, we saw a wasted opportunity to build on the way the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) have focused global attention on the needs of the extreme poor...this is a huge setback for Africa...the continent continues to suffer from deep, persistent, and enduring inequalities," said Mohammud Yunus. The international aid organization, CARE, summed it up this way: "Without a clear road map to achieve sustainable development, millions of women and men are forced to continue a life of poverty and are threatened by ever increasing shocks such as natural disaster, food price hikes, and climate change." I have been trying to understand sustainability in a simple way. Isn't it about all of us living  in such a way that we take adequate care of our "home" - the earth - and our "families" - all the inhabitants of the earth? The failure of the Rio+20 Summit means that Paulina's life of extreme poverty - and others like her too many to count - stands very little chance of changing or improving if we leave things to the world leaders. We know we can't do that. 

"Women are the real architects of society."

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Paulina is already helped by the women in Kimokouwa Village when it comes to performing the daily activities she must do to take care of her own grandchildren and orphans entrusted to her care. Things like walking many kilometres each day to fetch water for cooking.  Paulina only has the use of one arm since losing half of her right arm to a snake bite years ago. Still, she makes the daily walk to the open well where the women draw water after the cattle drink. The other women hoist the heavy canvas water bag onto Paulina's shoulders and set the strap around her forehead so she can bring water back to her boma. 

In order to better provide for herself and her family, Paulina joined the KWGP - Kimokouwa Women's Goat Project. She is raising female goats and selling male offspring them when they are a year old. She keeps 90% of the sale price - usually about $50.00, and 10% or about $10.00 goes into a bank account for project maintenance. And Paulina gets milk from the goats, a good source of nutrition. In TEMBO's estimation, Paulina is doing all she can do to empower herself. Still, it's not enough to raise herself out of extreme poverty. She lives in a part of the world beset by extreme drought that worsens each year because of climate change. When the water supply from Mount Longido dries up each year, Paulina and her family have no choice but to drink polluted water, risking severe illness.

The Summit document agreed to by world leaders at Rio+20 contains inspiring words, like the ones below, from Paragraph 120:

We commit to the progressive realization of access to safe and affordable drinking water and basic sanitation for all, as necessary for poverty eradication, women's empowerment, and to protect human health, and to significantly improve the implementation of integrated water resource management at all levels as appropriate. In this regard, we reiterate our commitments to support these efforts in particular in developing countries through the mobilization of resources from all sources, capacity building, and technology transfer.

There are so many women just like Paulina in Longido and Kimokouwa and millions more like her in the world. It will be up to ordinary citizens like us to put the Rio Summit words into action without waiting for world leaders to set a course for us. That's why the title for this post is so poignant. The words were spoken by the elders of the Hopi Nation in Arizona in the year 2000. They are so relevant for us today. We simply cannot wait any longer for others to act: we are the ones we have been waiting for.