Greetings from Tanzania!
Dear Friends,
Linda and I have been in Tanzania for about twelve days. We travelled on Turkish Airlines from New York’s JFK, via Istanbul to Kilimanjaro Airport. It was a pretty tiring trip since we lost two nights sleep due to the travel schedule. We arrived in Moshi around 3AM on 2/13. We slept for a few hours and then spent the first day on housekeeping activities – changing money and getting mobile phones working. In the evening of 2/13 we had dinner with Edith (our in-country student coordinator) her husband Frank and the new addition to their family, Malaika.
Moshi is located in Northern Tanzania and has a beautiful view of Mount Kilimanjaro. The map below shows the location of Moshi. Mount Kilimanjaro lies between Moshi and the Kenya border.
In Moshi we stay at a local B&B, Tembo Tamu. This is our fifth stay at Tambo Tamu and it has become “home away from home.” Sandra, who runs Tembo Tamu, is a New Zealander who came to Tanzania as a volunteer in 2006. Her husband, Frank, is a native Tanzanian who arranges safaris and climbs on Mount Kilimanjaro. They have a son named Tony and when we are there, the son is referred to as “little Tony” and I am “big Tony.”
The next day (2/14) we visited the School of Nursing at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (“KCMC”). KCMC is one of four large referral hospitals in Tanzania. It has approximately 450 beds and many outpatient clinics. It is also a teaching hospital with many healthcare related programs. Over the course of the day we had meetings with the second and third year students that we currently sponsor. We met the students at a canteen on the hospital grounds where we provided them with a soft drink. This was our chance to introduce Linda, who had not met these students in person. Below is a photo of the 2nd year students with Edith.
And a photo of Linda talking to the 3rd year students we sponsor:
The 3rd year students are looking forward to finishing their studies this summer and taking their national board examinations. Unlike the US board examinations, in Tanzania the board examinations include a practical component. On passing the national examinations they will receive their registered nurse and registered midwife designation.
The following day, 2/15, we visited the family home of a third-year student. We travelled from Moshi by public transportation into the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and then had to walk approximately three miles. The family has a small farm of approximately 1.5 acres on which they raise maize, beans and cassava for their own consumption. She is the third born of four children and she is the only one who has finished the equivalent of high school. Both parents have medical problems which limit their ability to work on the farm. Cash income is generated by her mother by making and selling banana beer (mbege). The family earns the equivalent of approximately $2.50 per week from the Mbege. We brought the family a solar lantern as a gift. This particular lantern model, when charged, can be connected to a cell phone and charges the cell phone. Her mother was quite excited when she saw that it would charge a cell phone – this would eliminate having to pay approximately $.20 for charging the mobile phone. The solar lantern will replace a homemade kerosene lantern that she showed us.
Her family had prepared a lunch for us consisting of banana soup and meat:
The family housing consisted of the two very small buildings that you can see in the photo below:
We ended our visit with a photo of the family with the student in front and her younger sister next to Linda:
Walking back to public transportation, we came across a peasant woman turning the ground. I asked to take her picture and she was very happy to allow me to do this. This is a typical sight in rural Tanzania.
In our next letter from Tanzania we would like to tell you about our traditional dinner with students and the students we selected for sponsorship in Moshi.
We thank you for your support and interest.
Tony and Linda