Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Goodbye Sengerema

I have just arrived in Dar Es Salaam. I left Sengerema and the Malekela family yesterday and not sure if I am feeling ready to go home. Both the family and I were truly sad to part ways but they tell me that I am warmly welcome (and all my friends too) again. The 2 months in Sengerema have been an incredible learning and life experience. I am so greatful for my experience and the things I have learned, only a small bit that I have mentioned on this blog. I head home in about a week and would be happy to catch up with family and freinds soon.

Here are some pictures from Sengerema since I am to tired to write anything interesting.



Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Water

Nearly everyone I ask here in Sengerema names the biggest problem they face on a day-to-day basis is access to water. Strangely enough, Sengerema has the largest coastal boarder of all regions in TZ, Kenya, or Uganda with Lake Victoria (the 2nd largest lake in the world and largest in Africa). Yet there is still a shortage of water. I do not fully understand why, but people tell me that the mechanic pumps are old and outdated, the lake is heavily polluted, and . Furthermore in a country where most power is supplied by hydroelectricity, shortage of water means no power (for those who are lucky enough to be connected to a grid).

The family I am staying with luckily has a water tap in their housing area. They told me that 3 years ago there was a massive water shortage and drought, all they told me was that it was "very very bad". This forced them to purchase a water resiovoir to harvest rainwater and to store water in during dry season as well as a new tap. Now in August nearing the end of dry season the resevoir is close to empty.

The Malekela family shares this tap with about 6 or 7 other families. They pay per litre of water harvested and have access to water about 3 times a week. When water is availible there are always large gatherings at the house as young girls and mothers (always and only females) fill their water pails to bring back home.

Keep in mind, here in Sengerema town (the largest village) there is the best and most provision of water. While travelling to other villages such as Nyehunge, water is even more scarce and people often have to bring it from longer distances that are less safe to consume. In Nyehunge very few people have taps which means there are many more than just 7 families sharing one.

Because the water system is much different than in Canada, I am very concious of how much water I am using. My showers are from a bucket so I know just how much water I have remaining (so I cannot stand under the shower for another 5 minutes and enjoy the warm (or cold) water). All drinking water must be boiled in an iron pot over a charcoal/wood stove; and all warm water must also be heated over an open fire. There are no flush toilets and no tap to wash your hands.

Over the past few days I have tried to measure the amount of water I used each day. My averages (ommitting washing clohtes) per day is:

Drinking: 3.5L
Cooking: about 8L
Brushing Teeth: 600mL
Bathing: 9.5L
Washing Hands: 2.5L
'Flushing' Toilet: 750mL
TOTAL = about 25L per day

Comparing this to the average Canadian water consumption per day (estimated at 343L per day in 1998) I use less than 8% of the average Canadian here in TZ. I also realized that my home in Canada has about 5 or 6 taps and 2 shower heads all that provide purified water ready for drinking. The average toilet flushes 3.5L each time using purified water and an average shower can be well over 50L. In TZ, the toilets are simply a hole in the ground and have no sophistacated or sanitary sewar systems. Some homes even have no toilet.

Something to think about.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Update from Sengerema

Sorry for not making a real post in some time, internet and power can be scarce here in Sengerema and I have been moving around quite a bit.

I was able to go on a safari to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater last week for a few days. I dont really know what to say but it was better than I could have imagined and never knew so many diverse animals could live in one area. Some memerable moments: watching the wildebeast migration, seeing the most beautiful starry sky and the milky way while camping in the serengeti, waking up in my tent to the noise of an elephant and several zebras walking past, winning a $50,000,000,000 (yes billlion, in Zimbabwe dollars = worthless) from a big game hunter over dinner, watching a leopard drag an antelope up an acacia tree with its mouth, and seeing the view into the crater. See pictures below (if the internet cooperates...).

I am again staying with the Malekala family. Originally I thought there had been 11 people at the home. I now realize this number fluctuates from about 11-18 with all the visitors, friends, and family moving in and out. There are always lots of children running around to keep me busy and entertained.

I was also sick last week with the flu and stomach problems. Ironically, I was sick, not from the food in the village, but from the safari. That wasn't a lot of fun and I got sent to the doctor. The doctor visit and medication cost me about $2, less than the taxi to get there.

At SISA (sengerema informal sector association) and with Joseph Shigulu, its director, I have been able to work alongside some government extension officers and see their projects in the various villages in Sengerema district, since SISA works in cooperation with the district government. This means I accompany people from various departments (fisheries, agriculture, livestock, natural resources, etc.) on their visits with small scale irrigation as well as illegal fishing patrol and others, which is always excting and a great learning experience to interect with both government officials and the farmers themselves. Im sure to write more on these details and things I've seen in the future.

I have also had the chance to visit several schools and talk with older students about the environment and issues of poverty. I ask them questions like 'what is the environment', 'what is its significance', and what specific environmental problems affect them day to day. It is an amazing experience to interact with them and learn from them, hearing their stories, perspectives, and understanding. They are also keen on hearing from me and asking me questions on my perceptions and what I am learning about Tanzanian life and their environmental issues. They intrigued to realize how their water shortages, deforestation, sanitation issues, food supply, and farming practices are all deeply related and how they too are a part of the environment. These are all issues they must deal with each day. (One secondary school of 900 students (most living on the grounds) has a single water tap!). I think it is a great experience for me to learn from them and for them to get another perspective. They always want to hear more and talk more so I am working at arranging youth-group meetings for the weekends.

Its hard to believe I have less than a month left in Tanzania, and even less in Sengerema. In some sense I feel I have just arrived while I also feel I have met so many people and been to so many places and have learned too much to write. I am looking forward to returning home and eating something other than ugali, but I know I will deeply miss interacting and living with the people here.





Friday, July 24, 2009

Karibuni Tanzania

(Welcome to Tanzania)

After 2 months here I have experienced some interesting things in Tanzania. At first these seemed very strange but now, after some time, I have grown quite accustomed to them.

Karibuni Tanzania:

-a duka (shop) that sells only oranges and rebarr
-everyone knowing only 3 phrases of English:
- "my friend!"
- "give me money"
- "hawayou"
-getting proposed to by a woman or (if a man) on behalf of their sisters
-men always holding your hand
-9 people in a 5 seated taxi, none of the dials work and there is only 1 window (the windshield)
-Bikes that sell the irresitable comination of phone cards and ice cream
-5 hour long church services
-children that play with bottle caps, garbage, and chickens instead of video games
-full meals for under 80 cents
-riding public transport (dalladallas) and barely having enough room to breathe
-being yelled at MZUNGU! an average of 8 times per km
-buying armfulls of groceries, fruit, vegatables and more for under 5$
-monkeys that steal your clothes
-hand shakes that last entire conversations
-bartering for EVERYTHING including a bus fare
-having hundreads (literally) of eyes on you when in busy areas
-never feeling a drop of rain in these 2 months!
-taps that dont work and children walking 2 (often 8) Kiliometeres to get water
-people with malaria or typhoid who come to work anyway and brush it off as no big deal
-finding strange bugs in your bed in the morning
- leaving for a day and when returning to your room finding thick layers of dust on everything
-a relentless sun that is always right above you

That is all for now, but I am sure there is more to come...

Monday, July 20, 2009

Micah Network Declaration on Creation Stewardship and Climate Change

After a week of discussion and working on several drafts, here is the finished statement from my conference in Kenya:

Micah Network Declaration on Creation Stewardship and Climate Change
17 July 2009


We, members of the Micah Network , gathering together from 38 countries on all 5 continents, met at Limuru, Kenya from 13–18 July 2009 for its 4th Triennial Global Consultation. On the matter of Creation Stewardship and Climate Change, we sought God’s wisdom and cried out for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as we reflected on the global environmental crisis. As a result of our discussions, reflections and prayers, we make the following declaration:

1. We believe in God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit in community – who is the creator, sustainer and Lord of all. God delights in His creation, and is committed to it.

2. In the beginning, God established just relationships amongst all of creation. Women and men – as image-bearers of God – are called to serve and love the rest of creation, accountable to God as stewards. Our care for creation is an act of worship and obedience towards the Creator.

3. We, however, have not always been faithful stewards. Through our ignorance, neglect, arrogance and greed, we have harmed the earth and broken creation’s relationships. Our failure to be faithful stewards has caused the current environmental crisis, leading to climate change, and putting the earth’s ecosystems at risk. All creation has been subjected to futility and decay because of our disobedience.

4. Yet God remains faithful. In Christ’s incarnation, life, death and resurrection, God is at work to reconcile all of creation to Himself. We hear the groaning of creation as in the pains of childbirth. This is the promise that God will act, and is already at work, to renew all things. This is the hope that sustains us.

5. We confess that we have sinned. We have not cared for the earth with the self-sacrificing and nurturing love of God. Instead, we have exploited, consumed and abused it for our own advantage. We have too often yielded to the idolatry that is greed. We have embraced false dichotomies of theology and practice, splitting apart the spiritual and material, eternal and temporal, heavenly and earthly. In all these things, we have not acted justly towards each other or towards creation, and we have not honoured God.

6. We acknowledge that industrialization, increased deforestation, intensified agriculture and grazing, along with the unrestrained burning of fossil fuels, have forced the earth’s natural systems out of balance. Rapidly increasing greenhouse gas emissions are causing the average global temperature to rise, with devastating impacts already being experienced, especially by the poorest and most marginalized groups. A projected temperature rise of 2°C within the next few decades will significantly alter life on earth and accelerate loss of biodiversity. It will increase the risk and severity of extreme weather events, such as drought, flood, and hurricanes, leading to displacement and hunger. Sea levels will continue to rise, contaminating fresh water supplies and submerging island and coastal communities. We are likely to see mass migration, leading to resource conflicts. Profound changes to rainfall and snowfall, as well as the rapid melting of glaciers, will lead to more water stress and shortages for many millions of people.

7. We repent of our self-serving theology of creation, and our complicity in unjust local and global economic relationships. We repent of those aspects of our individual and corporate life styles that harm creation, and of our lack of political action. We must radically change our lives in response to God’s indignation and sorrow for His creation’s agony.

8. Before God we commit ourselves, and call on the whole family of faith, to bear witness to God’s redemptive purpose for all creation. We will seek appropriate ways to restore and build just relationships among human beings and with the rest of creation. We will strive to live sustainably, rejecting consumerism and the resulting exploitation. We will teach and model care of creation and integral mission. We will intercede before God for those most affected by environmental degradation and climate change, and will act with justice and mercy among, with and on behalf of them.

9. We join with others to call on local, national, and global leaders to meet their responsibility to address climate change and environmental degradation through the agreed inter-governmental mechanisms and conventions, and to provide the necessary resources to ensure sustainable development. Their meetings through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process must produce a fair, comprehensive, and adequate climate deal. Leaders must support the efforts of local communities to adapt to climate change, and must act to protect the lives and livelihoods of those most vulnerable to the impact of environmental degradation and climate change. We recognize that among the most affected are women and girls. We call on leaders to invest in the development of new, clean technologies and energy sources and to provide adequate support to enable poor, vulnerable and marginalized groups to use them effectively.

10. There is no more time for delay or denial. We will labour with passion, persistence, prayer and creativity to protect the integrity of all creation, and hand on a safe environment and climate to our children and theirs.

For those with ears to hear, let them hear.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

"A Matter of Life and Death"

I have the wonderful experience of attending the 4th triennial Micah Network conference on Climate Change in Nairobi Kenya.

The conference is organized by the Micah Network, a international coalition of over 550 Christian relief, development, and justice organizations, churches and individuals from over 80 countries.

The conference I am able to attend is composed largely of the directors and CEOs of these organizations with representatives of 39 countries (me being the youngest in attendance and clearly least qualified to be here). The purpose of this gathering is to adress the issue of climate change and the church's response to it. Some of the organizations are dealing with mitigating the effects of climate change on the field in their various regions (South America, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, etc.) while others are working towards advocacy in the church in the North and working towards pressuring world leaders. One of the objectives of this conference is to together create a statement representing the views of the Global Church on the issue of climate change. (When this statement is finished I will try to post it.) It will be drafted and be send to the UN climate gathering at Copenhagen (at a gathering of world leaders in December of this year) and also be presented to thousands of church congregations and organizations in over 80 countries. What an incredible place to meet Christian leaders and be a part of such an important movement in the world church.

It has been radically eye-opening for me to listen to (and see for my self) the reality of the issue of climate change here in East Africa. Headlines in a Ugandan newspaper announced just this past weekend that, as I write these words, over 2 million are in danger of starvation in Uganda alone ( with a population of only 30 million). This same story is true for most East African countries including Tanzania and Kenya where I have been able to travel in these past months and visit with and talk with farmers. All these East African countries (and most developing countries) are completely dependent on agriculture, not only for income and exports but for their own survival and nutrition. Much of this East African region is incredibly rich in abundance, wildlife, mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, and a dual raining season meaning there are two harvests each year. These farmers have been raising crops to sustain their livelihood for thousands of years. Yet these farmers are fully reliant on the seasonal rains and predictable climate patterns, WHICH HAVE CHANGED. The climate IS changing and HAS changed. I have heard it from the mouths of farmers as well as from NGO workers that these droughts and famines are worse than they have ever experienced in the past. Here in Limuru (just outside Nairobi), I am told that there has been about 16 inches of rain so far in the year. This after the first heavy rainfall which should be yielding over 35 inches by this time. As a result, fields are producing less and less crops that many families are not even able to support themselves.

I have realized that for us, at least in Canada, Climate Change seems distant, improbable, even laughable. Yet here in East Africa, and I am learning from those also in Bangladesh and in Argentina and other corners of the world, climate change is very real and felt in the lives of those starving and being forced to seek food relief in countries which should be exporting abundance of crops. I have been told time and time again here: Climate Change is a matter of life and death for millions of people.

What is humbling about this is that those in the African church who have seen and are experiencing starvation first hand (along with years of violence, genocide, and oppression) are not blaming the North or the developed world. As church leaders have gathered together here, they have collectively announced that the entire human race, the entire church has failed our calling to be stewards over God's earth. It is the brokenness and corruption of all human relationships and sin that has allowed this to be. Together our church leaders are seeking repentance and looking to move forward.

However, the cry of the church in the developing world and specifically here in East Africa is that we in the developed world come to terms with the fact that the implications of climate change are very real, they are being witnessed here, now. Again and again I am reminded that this is "a matter of life and death". May we acknowledge that those suffering the most from climate change are those contributing the least to it and are the most vulnerable to disease and starvation. May we repent, seek forgiveness and begin to take responsibility and find ways to move forward to restore the earth and all its interconnected relationships and complexities.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Half way reflections: "Development"

I just relized my internship is about half over. Its crazy how fast time goes. I thought that this would be a good oppurtunity to write about some of the major things I have been learning about 'development' in general. Although, it is sort of a rediculous idea that I am a "Student for Development" as my internship states. Apparently I should supposed to be developing Tanzania?

As I mentioned before, the idea of development is a gigantic term that continues to be larger than I imagine. It can be defined in so many different ways from expanding the wealth of the economy to reducing poverty and from to increasing infastructure and communication to eradicating diseases; it encompasses all people and all sectors of society.

I have had many conversations with people (rrual Tanzanians, fellow SFD interns, businessmen, and CRWRC staff) here about what poverty is and what development is. Many Tanzanians tell me they are poor and need to be 'developed' and 'organized' (their words) and are happy to see wazungu (white people) doing this, but most cannot define what being poor means or what development they need. But often it comes down to increasing their income. Undestandably people want more money, especially those who make barely enough to support their own families. Although I have my concerns with the idea of development being reduced to increading income or poverty simply reduced to a lack of money, I can feel their desperation and frusteration.

Yet when I look at the overall development plan of the Tanzanian government, it doesn't seem to make much sense, even if they define development as increasing the income of the poor. Let me try to explain...

The history of Tanzania is heavily influenced by socialism under the highly respected and honored first President Nyerere, who united the country in a single language and worked towards the best for the very poor. However, this history of socialism has created an attitude of suspicion to outsiders and foreigners which has also led to very closed off trade borders and a reluctance to capitalist policies. Only recently has Tanzania begun to open up their borders and has been encouraging investment from large foreign corporations.

A recent budget released in June announced that the government would offer tax exemptions for large corporations importing oil and exemptions for new foreign businesses being started. These appealing prospects for foreign investments have attempted to attract business from abroad to boost GDP and other economic indicators. However the same budget announced new taxes on non-profit organizations (such as CRWRC) and religious organization, charities and churhes.

Thankfully the Tanzanian parliment shut down the budget in outrage and demanded adjustments (which is still being debated). Yet by looking at the budget we can observe what the development plan is for Tanzania. There is a large desire to increase the size of the economy and GDP, assuming that it will eventually help the poor ("trickle down"). However, my stay in Dar Es Salaam (financial/business capital) showed me that large amounts of wealth and property were owned by a few foreigners and rarely gets to the poor. Often I would see huge construction projects happening in the city only to realize that this building is being contracted by an American or Chinese man who does not even live in the country and in fact owns many other projects. Although these large scale developments boost indicators like GDP they do little to improve the lives of the poor who are begging in the streets in front of the construction site without work.

At the same time, non-profit organizations like CRWRC, are working with the poor and for the poor at a very basic and grassroots level. I have seen the effects of small micro-finance projects and co-ops and how a cippled man is able to own a farm that now employs several non-crippled men and can support his family (and theirs) well. The problem with this is that these small entreupenures have very little effect on the overall economy or measures such as GDP, because most cannot even participate in the 'official economy' since they trade and barter goods at small markets, which simply dont measure on national scales but is how most people engage in market activity dat-to-day (thier own economy).

But at the same time a government must be responsible to its citizens, not foreign NGOs or outside governments, and not be dependant on foriegn aid to do so. Many people say that the long-term goal of development should be that governments are able to care for their own citizens (even in Canada, which also has NGOs and charities). If this is true then how does a government reach the very poor when they are often very heirarchal/top-down structures and can often only influence large scale policies. Perhaps this is the central issue of development. Sorry about the rant....any thoughts?

Monday, July 6, 2009

Sasa, ninakaa kijiji

Now I am living in the village.

I have had a busy week of travel, planes, ferries, and buses. I went to mwanza for a few days and was able to meet some other SFD interns from Western University in Ontario, who let me sleep at their place for free(fellow Canadian students make great friends). I was also to meet with a few other individuls who work in all sorts of areas from development, missionary work to businessmen. It was fascinating to learn what a diverse and complex area Lake Victoria and Mwanza is. [For anyone with an interest in Northern Tanzania, specifically Mwanza, there is a facinating and shocking documentary called Darwin's Nightmare which is banned here in Tanzania. It tries to depict the socio-economic, environmental, and political aspects of poverty and globalization in the region. Although I am told it is not completely an honest film, I believe it is still able to expose certain problems that are really are massive issues here (trade injustice, environmental degredation, HIV, streetchildren, and prostitution). I recommened it... it gained some popularity a few years ago so you can probably find it in Blockbuster.]

I am now staying in Sengerema, which is a small district of many villages but home to about 500 000. Despite the population it is a very rural and spread out district with over 90% of individuals working in agriculture as farmers or livestock herders.

Staying here, I am able to live with the Malekela family, a wonderful family of about 11 including 3 generations and a handful of children. They have taken great care of me and are trying to fatten me during my stay. I have a nice room beside the chicken coup, enjoying the bucket showers, and how there is only one family memeber who speaks english in the family. It has been such a learning experience so far living with them. I have already picked up so much swahili. I am also privileged to join them in their meals, to their church (5 hours and in swahili) and prayer/singing time before they go to sleep. There are three young girls who cook for me, draw me a hotbath, do my laundry, make my bed, and insist that they carry my bag for me where ever I go. Although having three servants sounds pretty great, it can be a little ackward and is still a little strange when they dont let me do anything. Yet hospitality is highly prized here and I have been told that they would be insulted if I refused. Nonetheless, I am able to get to know the family and build some wonderful relationships. I was connected to the family through SISA (sengerema informal sector association), as mama Malekela is the chair-woman.

Here in Sengerema I will be working with SISA a NGO that is now of the most mature partners of CRWRC. They are directly and closely related to CIDA, USAID, and the UN but are also under the Prime Ministers Office of Tanzania. SISA has shown such good potential and organization that they have gained the attention of many and is appointed to lead many sectors of informal development work in the Sengerema area, including areas of adult literacy, trades, micro-finance, agricultural education, environmental work, and several more.

Joseph shigulu, the director of SISA, is my new 'boss' who is a very intelligent and kind man who seems to know just about every person in Sengerema. When he shows me around the city (there are few cars and even less taxis, so everyone walks or bikes) everyone is greeting him. So far he has shown me the various government offices, different farms (including that of the Jatropha, Moringa and Amirinth plants, all of which are facinating and will write about some other time), tree plantations, production facilities, projects and their personal radio station which uses the airwaves to reach farmers in the surrounding area and offer news and information about recent developments in agriculture. I am facinated and inspired by the work I am seeing.

Very soon I will be travelling to Nairobi for around 2 weeks for the Micah Conference on Climate Change and to visit the work of CRWRC in Kenya. But I will be able to return to Sengerema and the Malekela family for the 2nd half of my internship (which is approching half way). My stay in Sengerema looks like I will be travelling to the different areas of Sengerema meeting with and interviewing fisherman and farmers to understand their challenges. I will also be able to meet with government employees incharge of natural resources and fisheries to hear the challenges that they face. I am also told I will be able to participate in many other areas of the work that SISA does.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Leaving Dar es Salaam




Tomorrow (monday) I will be leaving for Mwanza, up North towards Lake Victoria.

I am finished here in Dar and will be spending the remainder of my time in that region. In mid-July I hope to be in Nairobi for a Micah Network Conference on Climate Change. For the rest of the time I should be in Sengerema district, west of Mwanza. It is a collection of small villages where I will be living with a family, that doesnt speak English as far as I know, and working with SISA (sengerema infromal sector association). This is one of CRWRCs partners that works with several thousand individuals in a variety of ways. My conversations with the project director, who I will be working under and assisting, tells me that they have many micro-finance groups and several agroforestry projects, literacy groups, agricultural training projects, energy efficient stove teaching, as well as some health and HIV/AIDS projects. I am excited to leave the sometimes fast paced and busy city of Dar and get a feel for what the village looks like. This will also be a great test for my swahili.

I have been here just over a month now it seems. Time is flying so fast. I have had many ups and downs but overall I am learning so much, meeting many facinating people, and having a great time. Yesterday I celebrated my brithday with a few friends and was reminded of what an amazing experience I am able to have out here. I hope I can continue to have good health, learn (about myself, about development, about life, poverty, and my future) and be surrounded with supportive people here and all your prayers from abroad. Thanks for following along so far...


[I am not sure what my access to internet will be out there, but I will do my best to keep in touch.]
Friends...

...and coworkers

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

World Refugee Day




This past Saturday (June 20) was World Refugee Day.

I was informed of this by a few friends here in Dar and I was able to participate in the Tanzanian event/walk through the downtown core, hear testimonies from some refugees and an adress from the Tanzanian director for the UNHCR.

Tanzania, because of its relatively peaceful history, cooperative political situation and geographical location has been a haven to hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring countries over the years. Conflicts in Burundi, the DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Somalia have caused many to flee their homes, jobs, loved ones, languages, countries to find refuge in Tanzania.

In 2007, Tanzania had about 350 000 refugees hosted in 11 different camps. And over 35 years ago in 1972, 220 000 people fled from Burundi during its civil war, many of which are still living in camps in Tanzania today. Some of the Burundi refugees remaining in Tanzania were born and raised in here, speak swahili and were educated in the Tanzania school system, yet did not have citizenship or a real home. I cannot image what it would be like to spend your entire life in a refugee camp, but there are thousands of them here in Tanzania.

I am told that refugees are only alowed to move within a 4km radius of the camp which many use to find employment on farms or gather firewood. Over a timeline of 35 years, many people begin to make homes and start lives in these camps. These camps are not the tent cities that you might have seen in pictures but real villages, densly populated with homes and narrow streets. Yet, there are little oppurtunities for refugees whether with employment or education. They are not given the oppurtunities to develop ordinary lives, own land, attend university, make real savings, or develop business and agricultural skills. Many struggle to find a purpose or vocation and have little to do remaining wholly dependant upon food rations and aid. Furthermore, about 60% of refugees in these camps are children.

While I walked through the city center and into a TZ ministry building, I took a seat in one of the pews and heard a speach from the Tanzanian home affairs minister and some UN staff. I was told how today there are less than 150 000 refugees in Tanzania as many have returned home and by 2012 Tanzania aims to have none. They also announced that some refugees, many who spent their whole lives in these camps are being offered citizenship is Tanzania.

Yet afterwards there was a presentation from some Burundi and Somalian refugees, first of their traditional drumming and dancing and then their heart-felt testomonies.

I was told how the Somalian refugees, centuries ago, were removed from their homes in Tanzania by the slave trade and taken North into Somalia. Over 300 years later, civil war in Somalia caused them to retrace the footsteps of their ancestors and find refuge in the very land they had left behind, discovering that they share the same language as those in the region.

One Somalian woman shared her story in a passionate adress to the politicians and other listeners in the room. Although it was in swahili (later translated), this woman's voice echoed with strength, frusteration and a rage with the situation in her camp. She spoke of the lack of medical supplies, sanitary living conditions, adequate food, clean water, land, education and much more, reminding us of what they are going through.

Despite the Tanzanian government, the UN, and larger international community doing much to assist these displaced people, there is much that remains unresovled. The Tananian government's goal to remove all refugees is a good one, but not if it is forcing people back into their countries where things may not be completely safe.

It is easy for us to pass judgement on the Tanzanian government, criticising the way they run the camps and how they keep much of the situations private and hidden from the public and media. Yet, we in the developed world are even more strict and demanding when it comes to immigration, refugees, and other matters of this sort.

While the UNHCR deals with just over 8 million refugees, there are an estimated 62 million refugees in the world not given official status or rights. Conflicts in the Congo, Somalia, and in Darfur nearby to Tanzania continue to rage on, often with little attention to the public. Here in Tanzania it is a close reality, they have opened their doors to hundread of thousands and are struggling to manage this overwhelming number of people. In Canada we can often remained separated, intellectually and physically, from these people. Yet it does not reduce the urgency of the issue or the reality of it all.

[this post was supposed to go up last week, but internet and computer problems are limiting... Karibu Tanzani = "welcome to tanzania"

Friday, June 19, 2009

Hunger and the Body of Christ

'World hunger hits one billion'

So says the recent headline of BBC news:


I have been in Tanzania almost a month now and I am still blown away from the abundance I see here. Markets are literally overflowing with food and scarcity seems more like a myth than a reality, thus, the headline today baffles me.


Yet it is true that hunger and malnutrition exist here in Tanzania. The first Millenium Development Goal (the United Nations' targets to defeat poverty by 2015, signed on by 192 member countries) aims to reduce by half those who are malnurished and underfed as well as to reduce by half the number of those living in extreme poverty (under 1$ a day).

Currently more than half (56 %) of Tanzania live under a dollar a day, and roughly one quarter of all children are under nourished.

In the media last year, pleanty of coverage was given to the global rise in food prices since, as the BBC article states, the number of hungry people is directly tied to the rising prices. For those who live under 1$ a day much of their income goes to buying food, so when prices expand their meals get smaller.

For a long time it was said there is little that governments (of North or South) can do. The rising prices has been linked to the inadequate production (suppy) and rising population levels (demand). Economically speaking: rising demand and falling supply is a recipe for disaster.

Here in Tanzania, despite being a food economy where agriculture is the number 1 employer and export, the government often finds themselves having to import certain staple crops (such as rice) because they cannot seem to produce enough themselves.

However, rising prices and world hunger can also be caused by climate change induced drought and famine. A few years ago, East Africa was hit by a large famine due to a shortage of anticipated rainfall causing massive failures in crops, making a dent in the National GDP, and more painfully leaving many hungry.

A few weeks ago, headlines in East Africa reported on the meeting between Tanzanian President Kikwete and US President Obama at the White House. Kikwete's main plea was that the US stop giving Africa food hand outs (which floods the country with free food defeating Tanzanian farmers at the markets) and start investing in the agricultural capacity of the country. As I have seen with my own eyes this week, by empowering the poor in rural areas (as I mentioned in my post HOPE...), where nearly 90% of rural dwellers depend on farming, you can fight hunger and poverty in a very real and tangible way.

Again, as I said, there is so much abundance in Tanzania, but this is not simply from my ignorant observations. It is widely understood here in Tanzania that there is pleanty of perfect land that remains uncultivated. Even talking with individuals here in Tanzania I have learned that attaining a plot of land to farm from the government is not very difficult.

Just now, I read on the TZ government website that "The major constraint facing the agriculture sector is the falling labour..."

But falling labour? Tanzania has a massive unemployment rate and. I have personally heard complaints from many Tanzanians about the lack of jobs. But they are telling the truth as well.

Because people are leaving behind their village life and migrating to the cities (like here in Dar Es Salaam) looking for work allured by the dreams of making it BIG, they are also leaving behind work and land that remains uncultivated. Often, it is young males who are migrating...those who need to learn the valuable skills of raising crops and who have the physcial ability to do it.

This past week I have visited many farms of individuals who are excited to show me around. They guide me along fields that are growing an abundance of rice, potatoes and corn as well as show me their fruit trees, spices, vegetables, pigs, goats, cattle, chickens, mushrooms, and much more. These provide their (often large) families with more than enough to eat and an income to send children to school even university, pay for healthcare, and sometimes buy a nice TV for their home

CRWRC works at linking farmers in similar regions together so that they can learn from eachother new techniques, how to diversify and rotate crops, as well as gain knowledge on how to start co-ops and finance groups from which they can give out loans to assist new farmers with start up costs. This work is truly making a difference in many lives and is the very beginning of disrupting the vicious but not invincible poverty cycle.
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In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul condemns the church in how during communion some members are getting drunk of the wine and bread while others are left hungry (and probably sober). Clearly, Paul condemns this saying that it is sinful and against the God vision for the Church. In the next chapter Paul then describes this vision for the body of Christ as united, just as the human body is one: The capacity of each body part enables the other to function to full capacity.

Perhaps Paul is also speaking to our Church and the body of believers today as well. The body of Christ is not simply constrained to our church buildings, the CRC or the North American continent. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom that transcends borders, peoples, income groups, languages, cultures, and yes, even calorie intakes.

If this is true, than the Church in North America is called to reexamine its place in the global economy, its impacts on climate and the natural environment, in the political world and in the field of missions. We cannot be living lives of 'drunkeness' or overconsumption here in the North while 1/6th of the worlds population is left hungry; Nor can we simply offer our good intentions and donations to the poor without advocating for fair policy (domestically and internationally) and better aid.

For as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13:25-26
The body's (Church's) parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
So let us both suffer together that we may be compelled to work together so that we may also rejoice together.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Heron Wsega's Farm





Today I visited Heron Wsega's farm.

Heron grew up with a Maasai background. The Maasai are a traditional nomadic group from northern Tanzania and Kenya often recognized by their tradition dress and ties to the Serengeti and other parks. For hundreds of years their way of life, culture and religion have centered around cattle raising. Because cattle need lots of land to graze they have adopted nomadic lifestyles.

However, because of globalization and the opening of markets to the international community land has become privatized and their freedom of mobility is restrained. Much land is being subdivided, sold, zoned and given out while others are made into conservation sites (over 10% of Tanzanian land is reserved as national parks). As a result of these modern changes in land policy, Maasai no longer have the same freedom to roam and be mobile threatening their way of life.

Despite these changes, their culture still holds strongly to raising livestock. I have been told that they would rather let their cattle die than kill them, since it is a sign of accumulated wealth and power. With population growth and the continued need to raise cattle on the decreasing availability of land, the bush is being over-grazed and erosion becomes inevitable. This turns previously good soil dry and uncultivatable, forcing Maasai to burn bushland to make room for pastures and further increasing the demand on pastures that have been sustainable for years.

Often what happens is many Maasai (like other Tanzanians) will migrate to the capital centers (such as Dar Es Salaam) to find work. Because of their lack of education and knowledge in swahili, the Maasai people often take small poor paying jobs. For example many Maasai become gatekeepers like the one at my guesthouse, and others become ‘guardians’ of certain lands like the beaches here in Dar. Others who hold onto in the nomadic life find it increasingly difficult to cope with modernization and the needs for cash which can be used for modern medicine and school fees.

One of the partners that CRWRC works with helps the Maasai explore other areas of livelihood. By offering training in financial management linking new famers with experts or other farmers in the area, they are able to acquire new skills and learn farming techniques.

Heron Wsega is the chairman of his financial group and has become a sort of role model for others wanting to adopt farming techniques. On his land Heron has installed sanitary latrines, is raising chickens, growing cassava, sugar cane, oranges, mangos, passionfruit, jackfruit, rice, maize, while at the same time still possessing a few cattle.

Today, he was excited to show me around his farm, introduce me to his family, and show me into his home. Because he is able to raise and sell crops, he is also able to make some money and send his children to school (cover uniform and supply fees), buy medicine and make savings along with the rest of his finance group. Savings can be used to buy more chickens, and make investments in their childrens' futures through schooling and medicine.
Showing me around his farm and how to pound maize


Friday, June 12, 2009

pictures

Visiting a goat farm/project in a surrounding village

Beautiful beach in the Indian Ocean


Mwalimu (Teacher) na Mwanafunzi (Student). Vialet and me.

Watching a sunrise from the terrace of my guesthouse

Hope to have better pictures up soon, maybe with actaul people in them...

an 'avarage' day

Sorry for the gap with no updates, but let me explain, First of all my computer died probably due to all the ants that are crawling into it. Also life here is finally setting into a routine, even though it feels far from ordinary, meaning that I never really know what to write. I hope this post satisfies the complaints how I never update. (Note to reader, this computer does not have spell check).

So what does my day look like?


Well I get up around sunrise and either go to the beach about a 15 minute walk to go for a jog or to catch up on my Swahili hw that I didn’t do the night before (but usually just sleep in). Afterwards I take nice cold shower, and eat a breakfast of fresh bananas, mangos, oranges, papaya and the like. I eat a lot of plain toast too, which is also pleantiful.


At around 830 or so I walk the the bus stop which is anywhere on the road side, and try to wave down a dalla dalla (small bus/van). Because Dar es Salaam is the largest city in TZ attracting people from all over the country (and world) traffic into the city is pretty bad. This also means that dalla dallas are packed solid. And by packed I don’t just mean I have never had a seat but I am usually hanging out the door getting whacked by branches on the way. [Don’t worry mom, im safe]. On the odd day when the dalla dallas wont stop or if the guy whose job it is is to manage people coming in and out looks particularly intimidating, I will take a bajaji which is a small three-wheeled motorbike, but those are about quadrouple the price of a dalla dalla which is still less than a dollar. White people usually have a vehicle or take taxis. I always get lots of strange looks when I ride public transport and sometimes people like to touch my skin and pretend they didnt.


Once I arrive at my Swahili school I greet my teachers and classmates (2 in all) and we go over vocabulary, verbs, and such. Often we are sent to converse with people in the area to practice our language which can lead to very interesting conversations, whether being proposed to by a Tanzanian woman or being invited to meet some people's families. Once class is over I usually try to find a place for a late lunch or go to the CRWRC office and have lunch with the staff there.


Here in dar es salaam every block has a restataunt which pretty much sell the same things no matter where you go. I usually end up buying ugali (maize meal) or rice with beans and a little bit of unidentified meat. The grand total of this meal will cost me between 60 cents to a dollar. Sometimes I like to spoil myself and spend 5 dollars for the world’s greatest buffet (im not kidding) at the local shopping centre but this is not nealy as fun.

After my lunch I will head to the office. Some days I have the opportunity to travel to the outskirts of Dar and visit partners, and sit in on some finance management training or on small micro credit group meetings. These are always great tests for my Swahili skills and to get out of the busyness of the city and allows me to see the actual work at the individual and comuntiy level. I will also have chances to see the very buisnesses and projects that the training allows people to expand. Sometimes this means checking up on the progress of a chicken farm, or another small buisness like growing and processing cashews. Other days at the office I will look through and help update the growth of these financial groups or simply help set up some networking and computer software. CRWRC uses an approach called results based management which has very systematic and efficient ways of tracking progress and savings of these credit groups, this allows CRWRC to know exaclt how many people are involved, what savings they have, challenges they face and what progress they are making. And even other days I will find myself being introduced to partners and people with whom CRWRC works.

I am finding work here is very different from North America. We are very task oriented, focused and don’t make much time for relationships and converstations. Here I am realizing that development work in particular and partnerships are all about fostering and building relationships. So sometimes I find myself getting to know my supervisors or about their families, lives, hopes and work. It can be frusterating at times to not get things done but I am realizing that relationships and learning from these differences are just as important... Im sure I will write more about this later, bare with me.

After work I will head back to my guesthouse. My guesthouse is run by some sort of branch of the catholic church (Passionists) run by a Father and Brother and a few Sisters too. They are much to kind and are trying to fatten me while I am here in Africa. The passionists have a charity organization that opens health clinics, schools, and orphanages for communtieis. They also run this guesthouse to help pay for their work. Thing means that there are always fresh faces and lots of new people to meet. They also have good connections in these villages so that every few days there is a shipment of fresh pineapple, mangos, bananas, papayas, organges and a few crates of wine.

Before dinner and before sundown I try to get out into the surrounding community and get to know people as well as practice Swahili. Sometimes I end up playing a pick up game of soccer with a few kids, go to the beach and read, go to the market and look for some snacks/street food, or chat with an Indian man whose name I never get right and who always sits on the same corner as if he is waiting for me. I have heard it said before but its very true: Tanzanians are very friendly. Even if we don’t speak the same language sometimes they insist that I sit with them and enjoy the view of the ocean or busy road since people-watching is never boring and a popular activity. There are always so many people everywhere that its hard to feel alone. It is a massive change from the distant and secluded suburban life in Edmonton. One of the most fun parts about walking around the neighborhood and area is meeting children who either greet me with Shikamoo (the very respectful greeting reserved for elders, which actally means 'I clasp your feet' as if they were bowing) to which they wait for the reply from me marahaba (I accept your greeting) or they greet me with Mambo Vipi which pretty much means: 'sup. The greeting usually depends on if their parents are near by to overhear.

People are also biking, walking, skipping or driving in every which direction but never really seem to be in a hurry (I realized that either people walk really really slow here or I just walk ridiculously fast). It is refreshing that despite the busyness and crowded places, people seem to be laid back take things as they come.

When dinner comes I am presented with quite a feast of food, drink, and company. Dinners are intimate, shared, loud, and always start with the lords prayer. The nuns here always like to test my Swahili which always ends up with them laughing at me and me not knowing about what. There are always new people at dinner and no one ever has the same accent.

After dinner I try to finish some Swahili homework which is often about writing a story about a dog looking for a ball or a boy late for school which seems slightly juvenile but I do it anyway. Other evenings I find myself forgetting to do my homework and at the local bar/restaurant watching a football, rugby, basketball, or cricket game.


Its not long before I am exahausted and head to bed beneath my misquito net sheltered bed.

Although each day is different, I have gotten myself into a routine of never knowing what to expect.

Soon enough I will be heading to Mwanza district and to Sengerema, where I should be spending the majority of my time over these months. It will be great to get into the village and be a part of the grassroots work there. I will also be travelling to Nairobi, Kenya for a conference with the Micah Network on climate change and East Africa. I am also hoping to get to the Serengeti grasslands to see some animals. More information to come...

I hope to put pictures up very soon, but again with so many strange sights I never know what to take pictures of and usually end up taking none.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

hope...

While being here I have found the issue of ‘poverty’ to be quite daunting. While reading ‘The East African’ (a local newspaper) I come across headlines that recite of the problems of food shortages, bordering warfare and rebel groups, failing crops, natural disasters, food price shocks, aid cuts and the problems of aid dependency. Moreover, studying the topic in school and seeing it on TV ads can dethatch you from the reality and humanity of it all. Even  here in Tanzania I am finding the magnitude of the issue and its reality very difficult to wrap my mind around.

Here in Dar es Salaam there is massive urban sprawl as many people are leaving more traditional lives in the villages to a more modern/western life in the city, only to realize it wasn’t all it was supposed to be. I have already personally run into several individuals and had conversations with them about how they came to Dar. All the youth say how “I came to find life”. This isn’t poor English but it is how they truly feel about life and opportunities back home: hopeless as if there is no life back home.

Many youth are leaving their families and farms to ambitiously follow their dreams of becoming rich and successful in the city discarding the humble village farming life. Furthermore, while speaking with some development workers from rural areas I hear that climate change and rainfall shortages are causing huge problems for farmers who are obviously highly dependant on their crop yields. I've learned many people often stick solely to corn as it gets a good price, but if the rains aren’t enough there is absolutely nothing to show at harvest time which is devastating. Furthermore agriculture employs 80% of the work force and accounts for 85% of their exports. When an industry that is so reliant on a variable like climate patterns  there is a lot of uncertainty in the lives of the poor who already live on the brink of livelihood.

When moving to Dar, these youth realize how few jobs there are and how expensive living costs are. So many find themselves homeless or move into slums around the city in small makeshift shelters forced into unstable and insufficient sources of income.  For example: when stopped at a traffic stop or caught in rush-hour traffic cars are swarmed with venders who are trying to sell goods anything from car seat covers and bubble gum to giant wall maps of Tanzania and cashews. What’s even more odd is how they all sell the same random assortment of things so that competition is more about luck than anything else. How can they make a livelihood off this is mindboggling. I am realizing many of them are not.

There are hundreds of thousands of people here in Dar who live like this. As I said, the actuality of poverty is incredibly complex and difficult for me to understand. The dilemma of worrying about where tomorrow’s food will come from is very real. Because of this its all to easy to be discouraged by numbers and headlines, see Africa as a lost cause and be overwhelmed. Many of us do this, not even just with Africa but with many problems the earth faces from homelessness, corporate greed, extreme poverty, broken economic systems, climate change … anything.

I’ve had to ask myself what am I, a white 20 year old from Vancouver Island doing here? What can I possibly do? What can any foreigner/aid/development worker possibly do? What place is there for good intentions in such a mess of a world?  Even with the thousands of experts studying these problems they cant seem to find solutions.

However, I am also realizing that this reality of poverty although highly complex as a massive interconnected cycle has to be addressed in small steps. If you can intervene in someway in the cycle than you can make a difference. Rather than being discouraged by the massive issues that we face we can look at the community level at families and individuals. Change happens in small steps no matter what you are trying to accomplish.

That is why the work that CRWRC and their partners are doing is so important. For example: I visited a project today and sat in on a micro-finance group made up of 7 women and 7 men some about 60 years old, some less that 20, some Christians, some Muslims. Together they are makings savings and pooling money together, out of which they are able to give out loans to each other so that they can purchase capital and get ahead in their business. For example one man took out a loan that allowed him to travel to the nearby city and restock his shop while another was able to purchase a motorbike to use as a taxi. These loans are not donated by the West, it is not even donated by CRWRC, it came from themselves. All they received was some education and guidence on how to manage a group like this and co-operate with eachother. There are many of these groups in many villages across the country, they have the potential, they have the recourses, they just need to realize it. 

If you can assist people from the villages in their work, you can make their life more sustainable, prosperous, and full. As a result you provide hope into a community and for their youth. They wont have to leave families behind and leave land uncultivated. I am not trying to confess that these issues are simple, but trying to show how true progress can and is being made.

There is hope, and its about uncovering the potential and capacity in every ordinary person, empowering them to realize that there is hope and there is room to grow. If we get caught up talking in about it and planning it, and have conferences and discussions and read books on it and pray about it but don’t do anything, then we haven’t accomplished much. Sometimes the solutions to these massive problems can be taken in small steps person by person and community by community. I am seeing this hope and I find it empowering for me, not exactly showing what I can do for people, but what any everyday person can do in their own life and in their own community (including you). I hope this provides hope for all of you reading too. Don’t be overwhelmed by the negative images we are presented with, but realize that beautiful things are happening and are so ordinary that they don't need news coverage. 

 

Thursday, May 28, 2009

first impressions of Dar

Habari gani
Mambo
Vipi
Salama
Mzima
Hamjambo
Greetings to you all (there are many ways to greet people here and its quite a necessity)!

Ive been in Dar Es Salaam for about 6 days now and am trying to figure out what to write. Its been an interesting first few days, although that at the least should be expected.

The first few days left me with a lot of time in a city and with language I knew little of. Although, the people whether Tanzanians or foreigners are more than friendly which has lead to interesting conversations and a few adventures. Dar Es Salaam brings a peculiar group of people together in a city. The city itself is like none I have ever been to. With strong influences from the Arabic/Islamic north, India to the East, and Congo to the West it makes for a culturally, religiously, and linguistically diverse place. Just tonight I had dinner with a South African manager of a fair trade farm, a 60 year old Tanzanian man, a researcher of Impala from the UK, a refugee lawyer from Malaysia, and an Italian priest. Interesting dinner conversation.

I am staying at an Italian Guesthouse where people from all over the world come in an out frequently allowing me to meet many people. On my first day a few people from the US took me to a beautiful beach about a 15 minute walk from my place where they serve fresh fish, have live music, and white sand. While walking along the wake I met some Maasai men and we attempted to get to know eachother by both speaking swahili, a language neither they nor I spoke well. They seemed more fascinated by the colour of my lips that listening to my broken swahili.

The past four days, and for the next 2 weeks, I will be in Swahili Language school which is about a 15 minute Bajiji (3 wheeled taxi) ride each morning. Dar es Salaam, which means 'Place/House of Peace' in Arabic, is far from what its name might imply. Although Dar has been a fairly stable place for commerce and politics, day to day life is chaotic and full of life as people migrate in herds of taxis and buses through rush hour on the way into the city centre. In a country with increasing Western influence and little opportunity, many people are moving to the cities (including the traditional Maasai) in hope to find jobs and a better life.

So every morning I get up (with jetlag) to watch the sunrise over the ocean and catch a ride to school with my 2 classmates (a grumpy old man from Denmark and a wonderful French woman who has shown me around the city a bit). Classes are moving very fast and also gives me a fair amount of homework to stay busy with. It feels oddly like French class in highschool again, although I'm actually trying to get my head around it all and my fellow students are a little different. Swahili is a language very different from English and can be challenging, even though the pronunciations and rules are rather straightforward. I find it amazing how almost everyone I meet who speaks English speak it not as a first language but as a second or third. We (me) in North America are regrettably unique to only know one. 

After class and after going to lunch with people from class or from the guesthouse, I have time to visit the CRWRC office, meet some staff and go through some orientation. 

So far, I am amazed by the work that CRWRC is doing here in TZ. The organization here in TZ is run by my wonderful supervisor, Margaret, who seems to be an incredibly capable woman. What CRWRC does here in TZ is a lot of consulting with partner organizations which are working to become independent. The vision of CRWRC is to foster the growth, capacity, ownership, and self-sufficiency of  these new organizations that work to empower the disempowered and make God's Kingdom more of a reality in people's lives. CRWRC in Tanzania alone has 9 partners, with 282 committed groups reaching over 16 000 participants. Their work is spread across many fields from small business/income-generating projects, to agricultural work and training, work with disabled people, orphans and street children and more. In the next few weeks I will be visiting a variety of these partners around the Dar Es Salaam area. Ill try to keep you posted.

Wish me luck as I finish my first week of schooling tomorrow and as I continue to adjust. Your prayers and emails have been greatly appreciated. 



Friday, May 22, 2009

leaving tomorrow...

Tomorrow (Friday) morning, I'm finally leaving. I wont arrive in Dar Es Salaam until Sunday, but I will still be leaving behind snow ridden Edmonton destined for coastal/tropical rains and humidity. I can't believe I'll finally be going. I have been pursuing this internship for almost a year and I still have lots to get in order and to pack. It is a mix of nervousness and excitement but it will be a relief to finally just go. 

For those of you who don't know yet...

I am going to Tanzania (East Africa) for an internship from my degree at King’s with the help of the Micah Centre on campus. Today I also discovered I will be the recipient of a CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) grant from the Students for Development Program. This is great news as it allows me more freedom when I am in Tanzania and covers most of my trip. I will be working with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) for just over 3 months and doing a bit of travelling until I return to Edmonton on August 23rd. I will be working under the country director and travelling around Mwanza/Sengerema area towards the North around Lake Victoria. Although I have much to learn when I get to Tanzania, so far it sounds like I will be working with various branches of CRWRC that work with microfinance (small business operations), agriculture, street children, and other areas of society. I will be spending the first month in Dar es Salaam (the financial and old capital city) learning Swahili, visiting projects and getting accustomed to life there. 

I have been interesting in development work in the past and I hope that this opportunity will not only stretch me as a person and challenge me, but also be a way to discern my future and what I want to do with my life. I will be travelling independently for the first time, and I have never been as far away (southern hemisphere & 9 hour time change) from North America. I know there will be challenges but at the same time I know I will be learning and growing so much. I was having a conversation with someone the other day and I realized how its these opportunities in life, that when they are pursued, change and transform you, it is only our responsibility to accept them and go forth with hope and faith in God. 

 Your prayers, emails, and comments would be greatly appreciated.


See:

Students For Development: 

Micah Centre: 

CRWRC Tanzania: