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...

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...)

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.

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.

MFIs, Swahili, and Obama

Majorly excited about the rest of the week. Tomorrow I'm going to visit the third recipient of a wheelchair. She currently has an unfitted, imported one so I think it will be very interesting to compare. Today was another research day, and I've identified several more microfinance places (ironically, and fortunately, many in Dar Es Salaam) so I think going to Dar is not only a fun idea (because of weekend plans to go to Zanzibar) but an important one. If we can partner with established microfinace institutions (MFIs), we'll be in much better shape. It's important to realize what you can and cannot do, and what you can delegate. Delegating the training and funding of people in wheelchairs to MFIs with significant experience is far better than trying to throw something together. I've focused primarily on finding places that have ties to Kiva because those loans are funded so quickly (average is less than two days) but may explore other options.

The best part about being here is the interactions with people. Hearing the other perspective on random topics helps to enable understanding on important ones. Moshi, and Tanzania, have significant Muslim and Christian populations, and they mix fairly well. I had lunch with one of the KASI guys today and somehow we got on the topic of the 9/11 attacks and the effects on the average American. The thing I remember most was reading about (and seeing) the discrimination that resulted. One (white) reporter spent a day wearing the Muslim shawl and described the interactions (from not so casual bumping to blatent comments) that she witnessed before people even saw her face. As always, it is vital to remember that one quality doesn't define a person.

I was initially surprised by the interest in American topics. The day Michael Jackson died, several people asked me if I liked his music or was upset. Almost everyone I have a long conversation with asks me about Obama. Unsurprisingly, my KASI friend (and most people here) like Obama, not only because of his Kenya heritage, but because he is trying to improve ties with other nations. (I'm sure this could be debated, but I'm thinking of his address to Muslim nations. Not saying it's perfect - but it's a start.)

Maybe it's just because I don't speak Swahili and don't understand half of what is said around me, but Moshi seems to have very little religious descrepancies. Mosques and churches coexist. Five times a day you can hear the Muslim prayer music (at all hours) and nuns walk around. It's encouraging to see and something I do admire Tanzania for. For better (or "worse" in one respect, more on this later), Tanzania has been relatively peaceful, especially considering its neighbors' history - no genocide, no major civil wars. Ironically, this means that there is less support for the disabled. KASI was the first such non-profit, but similar organizations in Uganda and Kenya expanded much more rapidly because the demand for disabled services post-conflict was much higher. The primary causes of injury are from falling out of trees and vehicle accidents. I couldn't understand why falling out of trees was so common until one of the people I met explained that men of the Chagga tribe take pride in raising goats. They climb trees to get leaves for their goats to eat. It's amazing what you learn that you never would think to ask.