Our visits to Tanzania usually spark some activity on Church projects. This is partly because we can bring some financial help and partly because they like to proudly show some progress when we visit to celebrate together. This trip is no exception. I texted Pastor Wihale that I was coming a few weeks before I left and they have been busy framing the roof for the new main Church building in Kising'a. The building site is a beautiful location on a hillside overlooking many homes of Kising'a. It was just a foundation ring when we visited in 2007 and we have been watching the walls grow over the years.
The only materials they need from the outside are cement, iron sheets, and nails. They make their own bricks and cut their own boards. They need iron sheets now to complete the roof. I met Pastor Wihale and Mponzi, the Parish treasurer, to buy 80 iron sheets and some nails and arrange transport to Kising'a. This meant starting at the bank to withdraw some construction funds that had been transferred to the parish account from our BKB account for Kising'a. This took about an hour with a line of 30 people and only one or two tellers at different points during that hour.
We hunted for a place that had Simba Duma (Lasting Lion) iron sheets and Pastor Wihale called to arrange transport. With all things arranged, we bought 75 iron sheets, 12 kg of nails, and 5 translucent sheets that provide natural lighting from the roof. Kind of like the sky light in our Church at home but without the flies.
I had sent a few Kiswahili children's books home with Pastor Wihale when I met him last weekend and he said that the family gathered and were reading them last night. Stephano is starting to read Kiswahili and Rushua was enjoying the pictures. I will go to Kising'a on Friday Oct 11 and bring the rest of the books for the library. I am really looking forward to showing them to children and seeing how they like them. Asante to those who contributed for the library, I think this is going to be a great project.
Walking the church foundation in 2007
Video of men cutting boards in Kising'a from a previous visit. Anyone want to trade their table saw for this?
Simba Dumu, "Lasting Lion" brand sheets
Translucent sheets for sky light, they cost 50,000 tsh (~$30) which is twice the iron sheets.
Me, Mponzi, and Pastor Wihale with sheets waiting for transport.
The Mwangaza staff came down from Arusha to conduct a workshop for teachers from the Iringa Diocese schools. Mwangaza is a Lutheran partnership for education that has developed a program for how to teach in Tanzanian Secondary Schools where students are learning English, the language of instruction, at the same time they are learning content. 24 teachers from 6 diocese schools are attending the week long workshop along with the new headmaster for Ipalamwa school which is scheduled to reopen in November. Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church provided financial support for the workshop. The conference is being held at Huruma Orphanage so we are supporting the orphanage as well as the teachers.
Children on a rotating swing at the orphanage.
L2R Allen, the Mwangaza driver, John Kavishe, Thomas, a volunteer from MN, and Salome. John and Salome are the Mwangaza instructors.
Mwangaza has adapted Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) for Tanzanian schools by creating their own 118 page manual. SIOP is a designed to teach students who are learning the language of instruction while they are in school. In the US this approach is needed for immigrant students who may not speak English when they start school. In Tanzania it is needed for almost everyone since they speak Kiswahili in primary school and must learn English when they start Secondary School. The teachers estimate that 90% of the incoming students are in the Entering Stage of Language acquisition, which means a vocabulary of 0 - 500 words. The only exception would be the few that come from an English medium primary school. The picture below is a page from the Mwangaza book that describes this stage and strategies for teaching students.
Stage 1 Language Acquisition and Teaching Strategies
The Mwangaza approach incorporates language objectives into lesson plans for all subjects so all teachers become English teachers. Many strategies for communicating with English learners have been presented as well as general learning strategies such as building background and connections with students experiences and techniques to enhance learning of lesson content. I will bring a copy of the Mwangaza manual home with me. The workshop runs from 8 AM to 4 PM and the teachers have arrived promptly with 100% attendance. I have been impressed by their attention and willing participation. The Mwangaza staff have said this group of teachers is unusually cooperative and eager to participate and this is making the conference very successful.
The conference room at Huruma.
John teaching.
Group work.
We discuss what we are learning in pairs and then form a circle and pass the football around. Each person has to say what his partner said about the topic.
Lunch, the women at Huruma have served us Chai (tea in the morning), lunch, snack, and dinner. The food has been great with a good variety from day to day. Big bowl of rice this day and ugali the others.
I stayed at Wista's Inn for the first time and was pleasantly surprised to find a quiet oasis in loud and hectic Dar es Salaam. This is the new recommended stay in Dar for our Bega Kwa Bega groups and is close to the road on the way to Iringa and also close to the big bus terminal at Ubungo.
Wista's Inn front entrance.
Courtyard in front of my room.
Flowering hanging vines, I had to duck to go in my room.
"We are victims of situation", click to enlarge
Trucks and Buses in Tanzania often have sayings on them, frequently about trust in God or Allah which is especially important on Tanzanian roads. I thought this one captured the African psyche well with "We are Victims of Situation". Life is a struggle for many people here and they often are resigned that this is just the way it is. Quite different from American hope and optimism and expectation for better.
Why did the Zebras cross the road?
We saw a lot of wildlife on the drive through Mikumi including these Zebra crossing the road in front of us. We also saw many giraffes with one about 10 yards off of the road, a large group of warthogs, two elephants, Cape Buffalo, Impala, and wildebeest. You are not allowed to stop for pictures in the park without paying park fees (unless you are breaking for animals) so it is hard to snap photos at 70 km/hour. Still it is always fun to see animals.
Greek Salad lunch in Iringa, I am eating well.
Iringa University (Tumaini) Science Building, all floors in place.
I took the dala dala bus up to Iringa University (formerly Tumaini University) and was lucky to catch Richard Lubawa. The science building, under construction since 2009, is getting closer with mostly finishing work remaining. They plan to start the Science Education program in the 2014-2015 school year. Right now they are looking for help acquiring laboratory equipment and hoping to find a PhD scientist from Europe or the US to come for at 2-3 years full time to get the program started. A professor from Finland came full time for 2 years to start the Information Technology program and they hope to repeat that model. The syllabus I worked on the last few years with the Education Department has been approved.
Our Church donated funds to start a library in our partner village of Kising'a. We especially want young Children to start learning the joys of reading. I visited TPH Bookstore in Dar which stocks books from a publisher, Mkuki na Nyota (Spear and Star), that is producing high quality books in English and Kiswahili at affordable prices for the Tanzanian market. I purchased a nice selection of Children's picture books in Kiswahili and books for older children in both Kiswahili and English. The thin picture books cost 4000 tsh ($2.50) and the larger books ranged in price from 6500 to 10,000 (~$4 to $6). Several of the children's books are available in both Kiswahili and English and I will bring back some books when I go home.
TPH Bookstore on Samora Ave
Bookshelf of Mkuku Na Nyota books, don't you wonder about Kisa cha Mbwa na Panya (Story of the Dog and Rat)
The Chameleon who could not change her Colour, click to enlarge photo to read English version
"My Sister Julie" HIV awareness story book in Kiswahili
English version of My Sister Julie, click to enlarge to read.
Saa Ngapi (What time is it?) Saa Moja means 1 AM. Notice the clock, in Kiswahili our 7 AM is 1 AM because that is the first hour of the day in a place on the equator where the day is about 12 hours all year long. Maya is having chai (tea) and mkate (bread).
Books from TPH on the lower shelf and table top, books I brought from home on the top shelf. Click to enlarge photo if you want to read titles. (warning large photo)
TPH is conveniently located on Samora Ave between Mkwepu and Azikiwe Streets. 3 blocks away, on Ohio and Sokoine, is Steers, a western style food court with hamburgers, pizza, salad, and Chinese food stations. Within walking distance are the National Museum (which is really worth visiting), the beautiful bright yellow downtown Lutheran Church on the harbor, the fish market, and the Zanzibar ferry terminal. Our BKB groups could have a nice day in Dar visiting the National Museum and TPH Bookshop with lunch at Steers. This also might be a nice way to recover from jet lag with an easy day before the long drive to Iringa.
