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.