Home Visits: Zenab & P5 boy

The first person we visited was Zenab who has a small business selling tomoatoes and other vegetables in the Kalerewe Market (picture on the left). She is in a wheelchair because she had polio and has had a wheelchair for six months. Since she lives in a swamp area it's difficult to keep her wheelchair clean. Although she has a business and at first glance you may not notice that she is disabled (she scoots around while working), she is segregated from the other sellers. Her area is a blanket clearly distinct and in front of the line of vegetable sellers. Although many of them have shade and a table, she does not. While we were there Fatuma had a chat with the manager (apparently there is some organization to the chaos?) about that. She encouraged him to think of people with disabilities as a responsibility of the community. A very active lady, she would be interested in going into a group with some of the others and expanding her small business.

After visiting Zenab, Fatuma, Steven (Fatuma's driver) and I went to St. Jude Primary School to visit a boy who was in a wheelchair at the school there. Right now the place is completely unaccessible.


In order to even get up the step to his class he needs a bit of assistance. His chair also isn't very fitted. The cushion is good, though, so I suspect he's using that so that he can grow in the wheelchair. He's in P5 right now and seems to be doing pretty well for now, but his classes in P6 & P7 aren't remotely accessible. Fatuma talked to the headmaster about everyone contributing and helping.


Here he is with his class. He generally sits in the back with some friends, but when the kids crowded in the front I insisted on being able to see everyone. The kids were super cute. On the way out we moved at a snails pace with the car because all the kids wanted to wave bye and Steven was driving very carefully.

Fatuma is of the mind that disabilities must be supported by the community and it's admirable that she makes that effort. She was telling me today that she wants MADE to expand to also focus on advocacy in the times where it doesn't have a lot of wheelchairs to build. She had a meeting with the director of Disability Rights Fund. (ironically, located in Boston!) The advocacy would be for making private schools accessible. Public ones are mandated by law to be accessible (although law and reality are completely different), but there is less regulation on the private ones. Here's hoping Fatuma's application is successful! =)


And random: I saw this little guy outside my hostel when I got back from the home visits. I think he was greeting me. Now I just need a banana so we can be friends...

Fort Portal aka Monkeys!

So this was definitely another fantastic weekend. Kristen (who is blogging this summer about her OLPC experiences) invited me to be part of her OLPC team (also blogging) for the weekend while they were visiting another OLPC team's project, which just happened to be in a national park. The person we were visiting was Ian, who lives in the Kabali National Forest research station. His dad is a Harvard professor who has been studying the chimps in the forest for years. (Small world, right?) Kabali National Forest is known for its chimps, baboons, and other primates. We went on a few nature walks led by Ian and got to see a ton of monkeys of different types. Baboons wandered through our camp and we saw red tails, blues, and black & whites in the trees the first day. The second we went to one of the crater lakes to swim. There were these funny fish that come up to your feet and eat the dead skin. Kinda tickled. Not so unlike these, except we paid about $1 to get into the crater lakes. As we were heading out, we got some fantastic shots of some red caspers in the trees around the lake. Without further ado, my weekend in pictures!



KWat & me


Me in front of a cool tree


KWat and a kid who goes to Duke who's working with Ian's dad this summer studying chimps


Jeff! In our first walk through the forest on Saturday.


Big tree! Smaller tube trees grow up the sides and eventually combine to form a super tree.


Kwat showing off the beautiful views we saw while we were walking between crater lakes.


Stoney - this strange ginger soft drink. Made by the Coca Cola Company. Fun fact: if you go to the Coca Cola museum in Atlanta, GA, at the end you can taste Coke products from around the world!


KWat getting a fish pedicure


Crater Lake! Do you see the money tail?


crater lake crew: Ian, Jeff, KWat, me


These are red colobus monkeys, three in this picture


Tiny red colobus monkey!


Two more =)

The Aid Debate

On the way back from Fort Portal this weekend (more about that later!), I borrowed a newspaper from a fellow passenger and read this article by Dr. Ian Clark, The Aid Debate. It was an interesting article to be reading and made me think about several things.

Definitely read through, but the summary in a sentence: Aid by foreign governemts to Uganda is having little effect on the daily lives of the people.

I was interested that Americans were mentioned as primarily giving aid through their own organizations. Yes, it's more difficult, but real benefits can be measured.

"Donors put money in at the top, in the hope that the ministry will deliver results out the bottom, but sometimes all that can be measured are more four-wheel drive vehicles in the car park."

The article encourages the use of results and measurements in order to determine whether to give more aid.

Here in Uganda I've met with both the Ministry of Health (mentioned in the article) and smaller NGOs and I'm glad to see support for my decision to pursue the NGOs as a better option for donations. In addition to cutting the bureaucracy, it's more transparent and more possible to trace the money flow.

I also remember some outrage about the US cutting aid to Africa. Let me propose a different solution: instead of our government donating to the Africa governments, have that funding be donated to the local grassroots non-profits.

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Extra credit: Desist from Racist Tendencies by Deo Kabwende

A very interesting article to read from the Uganda standpoint. While I do sympathize with the woman somewhat because she may have genuinely been concerned that she was a muzungu being ripped off (probably wasn't the first time), her behavior didn't help the situation in the slightest and displayed racist tendencies that could have easily been avoided.

NGO Profile: Action on Disability & Development

I was fortunate enough to be connected to an NGO in Uganda, Action on Disability & Development. Fatuma recommended them as a trusted organization and so far, I definitely like what I've seen. I met Lugemoi Bongomin (cool name right!?) who is the "Fundraising and Resource Mobilization Officer," which basically meant he was the perfect person to talk with.

ADD has their headquarters in the UK and in addition to their branch in Uganda, have others in Tanzania, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Sudan, Zambia, Bangladesh, and others. In the 22 years they've been in Uganda, they've worked at both the grassroots and national level to have interventions and mobilize the disabled to have a voice in their country. Fantastic group, actually.

A few organizations ADD works with: National Union of Disabled Persons, Mental Health Uganda, Association of the Deaf and Blind, Association of Parents of Children with Disabilities, Association of Disabled Women, ...

Additionally, they do research and field work. I'm hoping to go with them into the field for one of the upcoming weeks.

I told them about Worldwide Mobility's goals to connect disabled people to microfinance institutions (MFIs) only to discover they had a similar goal and are doing research into the topic.

ADD is interested in getting volunteers from Uganda, USA, and around the world, so if you're interested, let me know! With all their connections, they would be a great group to work with on a project!!



(PS - Sorry if a few British phrases slipped in. I've been hanging out with several here. Although it could all be in my head hearing the accent...)

Uganda!

I'm alive and in Uganda. Flight over was decent, but expensive. There were about ten people on a plane for 100, so that might explain the price.

Staying at a fairly popular hostel, but managed to snag the last single! It's nice because they arrange trips, permits, etc. Hopefully will be going whitewater rafting with some other people from M-Lab who might come down one of these upcoming weekends!

Uganda seems pretty cool. Still having small "this is expensive... oh wait, it's ok" moments (US$1=1300 Tsh=2097 Usx) because of the difference in conversion rates but I'm sure that'll subside in a few days.

UPDATE: pretty excited to find something here I wanted to get for my brother, but at almost half the price it was in Tanzania!

Zanzibar: in pictures

Last Sunday I took a walking tour of Zanzibar with a wonderful tour guide. I think it was probably my favorite thing that I've done so far. We saw the touristy things, but the real joy was seeing all the back allies and roads that I never would have traveled to on my own. (It's a crazy maze in there!) Without further ado, my favorite pictures:


As you walk along the road closest to the water, there is this huge metal fence much taller than a person. It's the public garden, currently being rennovated and hopefully opening up "soon." After passing this fence several times, when I went to the wrap-around balcony on the top floor of the House of Wonders, I was shocked to see this absolutely pristine garden. It's a little gem hidden by an ugly shell. It being closed made for a much better picture, but I would like to walk around there when it opens.


Three women in the hidden garden. They were three of about maybe ten people who could access it. I'm not actually sure what they are doing, but I like this one because of the colors and serenity of the scene.


Down below in the House of Wonders courtyard, many small shops are set up. Here's a bird's-eye view of the wooden wares.


Came across this guy while on the walking tour. He's hand carving a headboard. You can see the one he's actually been carving on the ground.


"Zanzibar 4 Obama" is pretty self explanitory. I even saw a Kanga with his face and "Hero Barak Obama" printed on it. (A kanga is a cloth that you can wrap around and make a skirt with, a shawl, a head scarf, anything really.)


St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral - it was beautiful. I was able to listen to the choir practicing a bit too. They might just be visible in the front left pews.


I met this little girl as she was coming down the outside stairs. Not shy in the least, when she realized she was falling she grabbed my hand, so we walked down together. She and her sister were very happy with their oranges.


The red fruit that I saw EVERYWHERE - still don't know what it is. It's small, red, and spiky. White inside, I think.


This was in front of the open air market - craziness. This guy is bringing in fresh fish from a van.


Octopus. I tried grilled octopus at the food stands, not half bad. (Before anyone flips, it's not your typical group of food stands, and obviously I didn't die.)


Last but not least, my favorite picture! These kids are playing soccer (football) in front of a health clinic for children. The kids are super cute, and I love this action shot.

Home Visits: Linda

Linda is in a very unfitted imported wheelchair that she got in Arusha. She had one of the Free Wheelchair Mission chairs, but only kept it for a day before exchanging it in Arusha for her current one. She said for washing and for indoor activities the wheelchair she has is ok, but it's difficult to transport because it isn't foldable. She found the footrests to be cumbersome when she maneuvered and went about her day, so she removed them and uses a piece of cloth instead. That can't be comfortable, but I guess at least it's easier to get around.

Several years ago, she discovered that she had a tumor in her back and since has been confined to a wheelchair. Last year, she got her wheelchair new in Arusha, but it looks much older. It's difficult to imagine that she's only had it for a year. The seat is literally falling apart and the wheels look like they need to be replaced.

She has one daughter, Matrona (5 yrs old and adorable), and is living with her mom. For income, she has a small business selling sunflowers and sewing. She's looking forward to having a better, fitted, foldable wheelchair, because she'll be able to use public transportation and expand her business. She will still need to rely on her nephew to aid in getting to the bus stop (when I say the roads leading to her house are ridiculous, that doesn't do them justice), but she will be able to go to town herself to buy things instead of relying on others.

She's hoping to obtain a microloan for 200,000 Tsh ($167) so that she can expand her tailoring business. She has a sewing machine in her home, but currently depends on customers bringing their own cloth. With the money, she would be able to buy cloth and have customers choose from her home. I hope these meetings in Dar Es Salaam go well this weekend, because there's a lot of potential growth. I've met several people who already have small businesses and have plans for expansion, but they need something to take them to the next step.

Tanzania Drivers

...never went to Driver's Ed. I thought things were bad in Moshi, but Dar Es Salaam was worse.

So in Moshi, if you're in the middle of town, roads are decent enough. You can drive just fine. There isn't a single traffic light anywhere, but things work out well enough. There are lots of turnabouts, which cuts down the need for intersection lights and makes things very interesting for pedestrians. (There's definitely a reason why there's a high accident rate.) However, the second you turn off the main few roads, you're in all dirt roads, potholes that have their own potholes, and mini hills that make everything more interesting. Unsurprisingly, on these roads people seldom follow the traditional stay on the left to drive idea. (Yes, they drive on the left like the Brits.) Drivers become adept at locating the best place to maneuver next on the dirt roads and often even this is a bumpy circuitous route. Even on main roads, if there's no one else there, it's common to drive in the middle. There are few lines to speak of so people pass each other in the oncoming traffic lane. Seatbelts are common in the front but not guaranteed in the backseat. (So all in all, I see why people are in wheelchairs for auto accidents.)

Dar was worse. They do have traffic lights, but either they follow a pattern I can't fathom or people completely ignore them. (I think the latter.) It can be very confusing to see a red light and then under, a green arrow, and then your driver goes right through. That might be legal. But then there's seeing five people pass under a definitely all-red light... When I put my seatbelt on, my Dar friend said people don't use seatbelts in Tanzania. The roads are better in Dar, so they can drive faster. There are more lines on the road, but people often make their own lanes when they feel like it. Passing is a nightmare and drivers are crazy aggressive.

Then there are the traffic jams. I was taking a taxi to this hotel in Dar that someone wanted to show me, and we came up to a huge line of cars that were backed up maybe 30 deep. Unperturbed, our driver went into the oncoming lane and passed all of them... until he came face to face with a driver going the other way. As the traffic inched forward in the lane we should have been in, he edged in. However, some other cars had seen what our driver did and had followed suit several cars deep... so no movement in two directions. And people wonder why there are traffic delays. (I suspected that a similar thing had happened farther up in our real lane, but when we got there, I saw that it was the HUGE crowd of people that were far into the street waiting for the dali dalis/buses). We decided to turn around after that... the trip wasn't worth it, because what was supposed to be a five minute trip had taken 30 minutes to even just get to that point.

We may be providing wheelchairs, but I think we're missing the problem...

Dar Es Salaam

(No pictures from this one... all of them are on my friends camera, so I may try to get those later.)

Dar Es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. One short eight hour bus ride from Moshi, and you're being yelled at by taxi drivers who all want to charge $20 for a cab ride into the city. I took an early bus into Dar and just happened to get onto the "luxury" bus. It was only an extra 3000 Tsh (~$2.50) so I didn't wait for the next one an hour later. Wow - the seats were nice. You know how in American buses the seats don't go back far enough to sleep comfortably? These did and were very comfortable. I was rather surprised, actually.

One notable difference about Tanzania distance buses is that they do not have bathrooms on the bus. The bus would stop occasionally and a few people would quickly scurry off and disappear behind a house (I'm using that term loosely) or a bush. I had been asleep for about two hours when I looked out the window for the first time and was just blown away by the view. Greens of all shades winked down from the scenic mountains. No animals in sight, but it was a beautiful view. Every once in awhile the bus would pass a mini town with several shops and guys with baskets on their heads trying to sell things to people in buses. At one point, someone knocked on my window for five minutes straight, so I closed the curtain.

There was one stop about half way through the trip to a rest stop where we had twenty minutes to get food. The bathrooms there were quite literally a hole in the ground. (That type seems to be very popular.) There was a thing to pull so it would flush, but mine didn't work. They helpfully provide a bucket of water for when that happens. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that they had both soap and running water in the faucets.

Eventually, I got to Dar Es Salaam and was greeted by Sarah's friend's taxi driver. He had agreed to do the trip for 10000 Tsh (compared to 20000 Tsh that other taxi drivers were offering). We got to my hotel, New Continental, and suddenly the price had jumped to 15000 Tsh. Aie. My dilema: the guy had waited for me for a long time at the taxi stand so I had wanted to give him a bonus. However, you can't let people pick higher prices because it inflates everything from then on, so I told him I was only paying 10000, but I would call him later when I needed rides. (Which I did try to do when I needed rides on Monday, but his phone would reject my calls. Aie.)

I was met by Sarah's friend Muffy who showed me the real Dar Es Salaam.. the clubs. We got food at this place called Eater's that served real pizza! That was a very nice surprise. And then we went to this hotel called Sea Cliff Village. I was very skeptical because who hangs out at a hotel?? but it turned out to have a lot of people milling around and had a bar, casino, and shops. More like a mini mall than a hotel (although that was beautiful). It was right next to the water and even though it was dark, you could see the white tufts of waves coming in and crashing on the sand below. From there, we went to a club - Bistro, which was relatively quiet at midnight (things heated up around 1am). I was intrigued by the dynamics - white guys danced with far more attractive and younger local girls. I'm not entirely sure what to make of that, honestly. Colonialism might not be dead =/ Around 1:30, a lot of youngish professionals came in (30-35). It was sort of like they waited for the younger crowd to get things started so they could come when there was enough people. It was a nice set up. There was a dance area with small tables surrounding the floor, an area to watch cricket or football (soccer) games on a big screen, a quieter eating area, and paths around the open air club. Music ranged from English typical to Swahili with English mixed in. (Although, the English songs couldn't have been too new or I wouldn't have heard of them =P)

And then I went to Zanzibar the next morning. That's it's own post.

Came back from Zanzibar and immediately got to work calling MFIs and trying to set up meetings. The first place I went to was called REPOA, which is a research institute that studies poverty alleviation. They're currently doing a study on microfinance, so I'm looking forward to reading that one. He was very helpful and told me about another MFI called Pride Tanzania that is opperating in Moshi. (Pride was also recommended to me by Faustina at KASI, so I think they may turn out to be a good one to work with.)

Then I talked to the director of Tujijenge Tanzania, another microfinance place. Tujijenge is a Kiva partner, which is how I found them in the first place and they are planning to expand into Moshi in a few years. They have a great system and provide good training, so I'm looking forward to when that happens.

In between I went back to the hotel because I had a few hours so I talked with the manager of the hotel for awhile. Apparently he wants to come to America (Washington DC and California) so I was able to give a little advice for those places. I was also sure to mention that he definitely did not want to drive to CA from DC especially if he was only there for 10 days...

People in Tanzania are very nice overall. I had wondered how it would be as a female traveling alone, but what I've found is that people tend to be very helpful and do actually look out for you. When I wanted to go to an internet cafe after dark, the manager walked with me for several blocks and then waited 30min for me to finish.

The last meeting was with Pride Tanzania and I was able to speak with the Managing Director (his last name is Obama, which I thought was cool). He described the structure of Pride and how they operate. They're in a reorganizing process right now, but are looking into outreach into rural areas, which means great things for future people who need microloans. Hopefully I'll be able to speak with the Moshi regional director soon.

That night, my Dar guide showed me the other most popular club in Tanzania -
Maisha. It was Bhangra Night, so lots of fun. I didn't stay too long because I had a super early bus ride the next day, but it was fun. Met a few of Muffy's friends too.

Highlights from my 6am eight hour bus ride back:
- Met a Tanzania lady who lived in NY for five years (her husband worked for the UN)
- At one point, a guy stood up and talked for, I swear, 30 minutes straight in Swahili. He occasionally held up items like toothpaste, soap, etc, so it was clear he was trying to sell stuff to his very captive audience. I was amused. Every once in awhile I picked out the few words I know in Swahili or things like "vitamins."
- More beautiful scenery
- You know you're in a Muslim country when... you see "We Trust in Allah" on the back of a bus. (Nice variation to "In God We Trust")


ok I'm done. kudos to anyone that actually read all of that.

Life in Tanzania

Just got back from trips to Dar Es Salaam to talk to MFIs (MicroFinance Institutions) and Zanzibar (for fun!), but I need to upload a lot of pictures, so in the meantime, here's a filler post since I haven't updated in a week.


There are so many things that are impossible to describe...

- Hearing people shout "mzungu!" as you pass by ("white person")
- Getting ripped off by taxis (they often start at a price two to three times higher than the actual price)
- Showing the slightest interest in someone's wares and having them follow you for a few blocks until either you buy something or you firmly say you're not interested at least three times
- Satisfaction of successfully bargaining down the price to something realistic
- Getting used to being the minority, then being in shock when in an area with a high concentration of wazungu
- Convincing the touts that their initial asking price of 10000 Tsh for something was actually worth 2000 Tsh (~$9 to <$2)