Albino killings: Witch doctors tell people that killing albinos will make them rich so (mostly in the Lake Victoria region), people still basically "hunt" albinos and kill them. They keep a part of the person in their home because they believe it will make them rich.
Owls: If an owl hoots by your house, it means someone will die.
Relationships: I've learned a lot about dating and relationships here. Even at the age of 33, relationship are kept secret from families until there is an engagement.
While I can't speak for all of Tanzania, I know that Sakina is a village very representative of many villages here.
In Sakina, the majority of people believe that 1) condoms are bad, 2) it is a woman's responsibility to avoid getting pregnant, 3) the major role of women is to cook and clean and serve her husband, 4) it is ok for a man to hit a woman if she won't sleep with him.
These are all questions we asked in household surveys, so we have data that shows this. It has been really interesting for me to talk to people about what they believe.
Healthy food: My brothers and sisters have never seen the food pyramid and didn't know that soda was unhealthy.
vocab word of the day:
simu - phone number
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Men's Focus Group
We had a men's focus group with some men in the community. After I turned off the tape, we said bye and the men started talking to me in English. I was really inspired by what they said.
"Thank you very much for all you are doing. We are very happy the way you are doing this [talking to people and getting their opinions] so we can start to improve our Sakina and other communities will know about Sakina and what we are doing. The truth is that we have the ability to do each and everything but our leaders like to despite the teenagers. Most of us we can say, “I am not responsible for that” but we can agree that we can do it all ourselves and that IT IS OUR responsibility to take care of our Sakina and improve our Sakina."
Another man said: "We appreciate what you are doing. It is hard for our village leaders to do something like this [a health assessment of the village by visiting houses and talking to different groups of people] so we really appreciate what you are doing. Anytime you need us, call on us."
"Thank you very much for all you are doing. We are very happy the way you are doing this [talking to people and getting their opinions] so we can start to improve our Sakina and other communities will know about Sakina and what we are doing. The truth is that we have the ability to do each and everything but our leaders like to despite the teenagers. Most of us we can say, “I am not responsible for that” but we can agree that we can do it all ourselves and that IT IS OUR responsibility to take care of our Sakina and improve our Sakina."
Another man said: "We appreciate what you are doing. It is hard for our village leaders to do something like this [a health assessment of the village by visiting houses and talking to different groups of people] so we really appreciate what you are doing. Anytime you need us, call on us."
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Birthdays and Dirt
They love my hand sanitizer – we call it magic maji (maji=water in Kiswahili)
Birthdays: They don't even know when their own birthday is or sometimes how old they are. I was telling them how it's my mom's birthday and my half birthday next monday and they were so amazed that I knew that kind of information. We had to ask mama when her children were born and she knew what month but now what day. They looked at their birth certificate and Winston’s birthday is on Saturday! So, I am throwing him a birthday party. I have invited the whole family. He is turning 33...or 34, we're not sure. Haha.
Anthills: Irene, my sister, was eating something that looked like chocolate. I asked her what it was and she said it was the stuff that ants make to make anthills. I asked her if that meant it was...dirt? They sell it at all the local shops for about 10 cents. She said it's dirt but it turns into a special kind of dirt when it's in the anthill. My friend Remmy said that a lot of pregnant women eat it and people with iron deficiencies eat it because it is a good source of iron. I tried some and it tasted like...dirt. Surprise!
vocab word of the day:
sawa - ok (pretty much the only word I say all day)
Birthdays: They don't even know when their own birthday is or sometimes how old they are. I was telling them how it's my mom's birthday and my half birthday next monday and they were so amazed that I knew that kind of information. We had to ask mama when her children were born and she knew what month but now what day. They looked at their birth certificate and Winston’s birthday is on Saturday! So, I am throwing him a birthday party. I have invited the whole family. He is turning 33...or 34, we're not sure. Haha.
Anthills: Irene, my sister, was eating something that looked like chocolate. I asked her what it was and she said it was the stuff that ants make to make anthills. I asked her if that meant it was...dirt? They sell it at all the local shops for about 10 cents. She said it's dirt but it turns into a special kind of dirt when it's in the anthill. My friend Remmy said that a lot of pregnant women eat it and people with iron deficiencies eat it because it is a good source of iron. I tried some and it tasted like...dirt. Surprise!
vocab word of the day:
sawa - ok (pretty much the only word I say all day)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Let's Compare Lives
Let’s compare lives…let me know if you have had any of the following experiences or have had any other experiences equally or more interesting:
1) Have the Village Councilor’s number in your speed dial
2) Made copies using a copier from the 90’s
3) Hand collated over 3000 pages to make 3 page and 17 page surveys
4) Have an open account at the local copy shop
5) Average 3 marriage proposals a month
6) Wear long sleeved shirts and skirts every day
7) Have to visit offices multiple times because people don’t show up for work
8) Make all food on a charcoal stove on the floor
9) Have to avoid getting pooped on by pigeons, duck under a clothesline, and pass by the cowshed before getting to the outhouse where your 2 options are to use the squatter or take a bucket of heated water in to bathe
10) Ride in a public transport van with more than 20 people and have to stop to put the door back on
11) Land on a runway that was last paved in the 80’s so that it’s part dirt, part asphalt
12) Greet your neighbors that live in a mud hut as you walk through your grove of banana trees
13) Have taught people how to turn on a computer, use a mouse, change a battery, use a digital camera, or use a withdrawal slip at the bank
14) Pay to use “fast internet”, which is slower than dial up
15) Don’t blink twice at someone walking down the main road in town with a goat or chicken
16) Have to avoid the chickens and ducks walking around the road
17) Live on a dirt road that is so rocky it is more enjoyable to walk than ride
18) Have to check the power timetable to see when the power in your community will be turned off that week
19) Have thirteen intelligent children living in poverty come over to hang out and play
20) Think that stale chocolate and riding in an SUV are the best things ever
21) Greet the Masai warriors that live in your neighborhood (that have big holes in their ears, wear brightly colored cloth, carry a walking stick, and wear rubber shoes made of tires)
1) Have the Village Councilor’s number in your speed dial
2) Made copies using a copier from the 90’s
3) Hand collated over 3000 pages to make 3 page and 17 page surveys
4) Have an open account at the local copy shop
5) Average 3 marriage proposals a month
6) Wear long sleeved shirts and skirts every day
7) Have to visit offices multiple times because people don’t show up for work
8) Make all food on a charcoal stove on the floor
9) Have to avoid getting pooped on by pigeons, duck under a clothesline, and pass by the cowshed before getting to the outhouse where your 2 options are to use the squatter or take a bucket of heated water in to bathe
10) Ride in a public transport van with more than 20 people and have to stop to put the door back on
11) Land on a runway that was last paved in the 80’s so that it’s part dirt, part asphalt
12) Greet your neighbors that live in a mud hut as you walk through your grove of banana trees
13) Have taught people how to turn on a computer, use a mouse, change a battery, use a digital camera, or use a withdrawal slip at the bank
14) Pay to use “fast internet”, which is slower than dial up
15) Don’t blink twice at someone walking down the main road in town with a goat or chicken
16) Have to avoid the chickens and ducks walking around the road
17) Live on a dirt road that is so rocky it is more enjoyable to walk than ride
18) Have to check the power timetable to see when the power in your community will be turned off that week
19) Have thirteen intelligent children living in poverty come over to hang out and play
20) Think that stale chocolate and riding in an SUV are the best things ever
21) Greet the Masai warriors that live in your neighborhood (that have big holes in their ears, wear brightly colored cloth, carry a walking stick, and wear rubber shoes made of tires)
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Vicious Cycle of Poverty
We went to the primary school to congratulate the two new Sakina Scholars for Sustain Foundation! The first student, Gerald, was very happy. The second, Suzana, was not at school. This was the second time she hadn't been to school when we had visited, so I asked where she was. The headmistress informed me that she had been sent home yesterday because she didn't pay the 2000 TSH (less than 2 USD) for lunch during her national examination (which is in September). Apparently they continue sending children home until they pay for lunch. The ironic thing is that if the children don't go to school, how are they expected to pass or even take the exam (in which case they wouldn't even need lunch)? Why is education taking a back seat to lunch during two days in September? Shouldn't the student be able to decide whether they want lunch or not? Since Suzana can't even make it to extra classes which cost 300 TSH, no wonder she didn't have 2000 TSH. I asked what happened if a student couldn't pay it and the headmistress said that eventually they would stop sending the student home. I was not very happy with that answer. I gave 2000 to the headmistress and asked nicely for Suzana to return to school.
Teh children that can't pay for lunch are the ones that should go to school so that they can get an education to eventually make money to support themselves. Instead, they are being sent home until they can make enough money to satisfy the school and the poorest will end up missing a lot of school and thus stay in poverty. That is a vicious cycle.
I admire Suzana even more because she is one of the top students in her class.
Teh children that can't pay for lunch are the ones that should go to school so that they can get an education to eventually make money to support themselves. Instead, they are being sent home until they can make enough money to satisfy the school and the poorest will end up missing a lot of school and thus stay in poverty. That is a vicious cycle.
I admire Suzana even more because she is one of the top students in her class.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Update
Wow...we hit the ground running with the health assessment. So much to share, so little time. Going to focus on being immersed here and will hopefully update soon.
I made guacamole and macaroni and cheese for my family though!
Saw Mt. Kilimanjaro
Did some focus groups with women in the community, village leaders, and church leaders.
Very dynamic.
I made guacamole and macaroni and cheese for my family though!
Saw Mt. Kilimanjaro
Did some focus groups with women in the community, village leaders, and church leaders.
Very dynamic.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Scholars Retreat!
Sorry it's been so long before I've posted...suddenly got very busy!
See sustainsakina.blogspot.com for some more updates!
Some highlights of the past two weeks:
Thursday, July 2
Today we got a lot accomplished business wise (yay!). In the morning, we talked a lot about strategic planning. We created a budget for the rest of the summer, trying to anticipate all costs we might have. Then we prioritized them. I also taught them a little bit more about excel. While we were creating our budget we practiced doing some math to calculate the budget. They learned how to add, add different boxes, and use the sum formula. We also talked about different business models (donation based, service providers, and those that sell goods) and brainstormed ways SF in Sakina could raise money. Finally, we did a SWOT analysis of Sustain Foundation in Sakina to really demonstrate what resources we have that we should utilize and what things we still need to figure out. Overall it was a very successful morning!
Saturday, July 4
Happy 4th of July!!!! No fireworks here.
Today we had our scholars retreat!!! All the scholars finally arrived by about 10:30 and we were off. Most of them wore their school uniform and some of the early arrivers that didn’t wear the uniforms were sent home to change. I really didn’t care, but Emanueli and Irene seemed to think it was necessary. At snake park they have a lot of snakes (huge ones) as well as all different kinds of crocodiles. There were little ones and big ones. We all took turns holding a snake as well. The scholars really seemed to like it! I gave them the camera and they loved taking pictures with it again. Then we went through a Masai cultural tour…it was really interesting. The masai drink blood and eat a lot of meat. They do a lot of hunting and keep cattle. They wear a lot of jewelry which is just for decoration and once someone becomes a dad, they take off the jewelry. I asked the Masai guy why he wasn’t wearing ear jewelry and he said because it is too painful. He said the Masai can choose whether to make their earlobes super big. It was also interesting because about half of the exhibit was about the circumcision rite of passage when the boys are 18. Basically they get circumcised and they aren’t allowed to cry. If they cry, they bring shame to the whole family and are treated like a child for the rest of their life. If they don’t cry, they drink blood from a cow and there is a party at night. They used to have a ritual for women, but they don’t anymore.
We stopped at a little Masai boma that was right outside the exit and I bought rings and bracelets for each of the girls. The boys took my camera and ran off to take pictures. Then we all went on a camel ride which was really fun. I think they all loved it.
Lunch was amazing and they loved using my hand sanitizer. The idea of soap without water was so cool to them. We also went through a shop that was waaay overpriced, but the proceeds went towards a health clinic that treats anyone for free. I thought that was really interesting – it was about 1 km away. I also started interviewing all the scholars to find out about their lives.
July 5
Today we finished up the last 5 interviews. Then we started some arts and crafts. Some of the scholars used Emanueli’s paint and glossy paper to make beautiful pictures. The others just used the supplies I brought to make acrostic poems (in Swahili or English), self portraits, bookmarks, and placemats depicting their favorite subject. Some of their A’s in the acrostic poems said Anneliese…haha. We also had the best meal I’ve had since I’ve been in Tanzania. There was also this potato salad thing that reminded me of fourth of july, so I felt right at home!
Then all the parents came, which was really cool.
Tuesday, July 7
HOLIDAY!!! Saba saba! It is a day of exhibition in Dar es Salaam and is a national holiday (although mostly it’s just government that gets off of work). They asked me if we have something like that and I said that we have exhibitions going on all the time.
We also visited our neighbor, the Councilor of Elerai. It turns out he is Baba’s older brother. He looks and acts just like him. Baba used to be a village chairman a long time ago as well as headmaster of Burka Primary school, so he is well connected.
Names: I’ve seen multiple types of spellings for our scholars and I keep getting confused. I asked about it and found out that they have anglicized versions of their names. For example, Dominiki Loakaki is the Swahili version and Dominick Loakack is the English version. Irene said that people sometimes spell her name Airene. They also said that they can tell what masai names are sometimes because they have good meanings but they just sound weird. The Masai choose their names based on meaning but a pretty sound isn’t as much of a priority.
Wednesday, July 8
We had a focus group with the scholar parents as a practice for the health assessment we will be starting next week!!! The focus group actually went pretty well! It was also a real morale booster because Emanueli and Irene felt like they were really doing something and could see actionable results.
I asked Emanueli and Irene why the government business is conducted in Swahili (we watch the Tanzania Budget Committee - TBC channel all the time) yet they have all secondary school classes in English. I think it would be super hard for students here to go into an English language immersion where the teachers don’t even speak completely great English. It seems like there should be more opportunities to speak English around here if they are expected to be educated in English. It seems like it unfairly disadvantages those that can’t learn languages very well and also that students would learn a lot more if they could learn in Swahili. They said that there just aren’t textbooks in Swahili for highschool levels.
Anyways, I learned that a lot of the leaders don’t actually know English – many of them only completely Standard 7, some form I, form IV, or Form VI. Very few of the government leaders went to university.
This really hit home how important education is. Not that the leaders aren’t knowledgeable about their country, but the decision making process and understanding about economics, mistakes made in the past, etc. might go a lot smoother if there were people with a little more education. How can they reform the education system here if half the people creating policies haven’t even gone through it?
See sustainsakina.blogspot.com for some more updates!
Some highlights of the past two weeks:
Thursday, July 2
Today we got a lot accomplished business wise (yay!). In the morning, we talked a lot about strategic planning. We created a budget for the rest of the summer, trying to anticipate all costs we might have. Then we prioritized them. I also taught them a little bit more about excel. While we were creating our budget we practiced doing some math to calculate the budget. They learned how to add, add different boxes, and use the sum formula. We also talked about different business models (donation based, service providers, and those that sell goods) and brainstormed ways SF in Sakina could raise money. Finally, we did a SWOT analysis of Sustain Foundation in Sakina to really demonstrate what resources we have that we should utilize and what things we still need to figure out. Overall it was a very successful morning!
Saturday, July 4
Happy 4th of July!!!! No fireworks here.
Today we had our scholars retreat!!! All the scholars finally arrived by about 10:30 and we were off. Most of them wore their school uniform and some of the early arrivers that didn’t wear the uniforms were sent home to change. I really didn’t care, but Emanueli and Irene seemed to think it was necessary. At snake park they have a lot of snakes (huge ones) as well as all different kinds of crocodiles. There were little ones and big ones. We all took turns holding a snake as well. The scholars really seemed to like it! I gave them the camera and they loved taking pictures with it again. Then we went through a Masai cultural tour…it was really interesting. The masai drink blood and eat a lot of meat. They do a lot of hunting and keep cattle. They wear a lot of jewelry which is just for decoration and once someone becomes a dad, they take off the jewelry. I asked the Masai guy why he wasn’t wearing ear jewelry and he said because it is too painful. He said the Masai can choose whether to make their earlobes super big. It was also interesting because about half of the exhibit was about the circumcision rite of passage when the boys are 18. Basically they get circumcised and they aren’t allowed to cry. If they cry, they bring shame to the whole family and are treated like a child for the rest of their life. If they don’t cry, they drink blood from a cow and there is a party at night. They used to have a ritual for women, but they don’t anymore.
We stopped at a little Masai boma that was right outside the exit and I bought rings and bracelets for each of the girls. The boys took my camera and ran off to take pictures. Then we all went on a camel ride which was really fun. I think they all loved it.
Lunch was amazing and they loved using my hand sanitizer. The idea of soap without water was so cool to them. We also went through a shop that was waaay overpriced, but the proceeds went towards a health clinic that treats anyone for free. I thought that was really interesting – it was about 1 km away. I also started interviewing all the scholars to find out about their lives.
July 5
Today we finished up the last 5 interviews. Then we started some arts and crafts. Some of the scholars used Emanueli’s paint and glossy paper to make beautiful pictures. The others just used the supplies I brought to make acrostic poems (in Swahili or English), self portraits, bookmarks, and placemats depicting their favorite subject. Some of their A’s in the acrostic poems said Anneliese…haha. We also had the best meal I’ve had since I’ve been in Tanzania. There was also this potato salad thing that reminded me of fourth of july, so I felt right at home!
Then all the parents came, which was really cool.
Tuesday, July 7
HOLIDAY!!! Saba saba! It is a day of exhibition in Dar es Salaam and is a national holiday (although mostly it’s just government that gets off of work). They asked me if we have something like that and I said that we have exhibitions going on all the time.
We also visited our neighbor, the Councilor of Elerai. It turns out he is Baba’s older brother. He looks and acts just like him. Baba used to be a village chairman a long time ago as well as headmaster of Burka Primary school, so he is well connected.
Names: I’ve seen multiple types of spellings for our scholars and I keep getting confused. I asked about it and found out that they have anglicized versions of their names. For example, Dominiki Loakaki is the Swahili version and Dominick Loakack is the English version. Irene said that people sometimes spell her name Airene. They also said that they can tell what masai names are sometimes because they have good meanings but they just sound weird. The Masai choose their names based on meaning but a pretty sound isn’t as much of a priority.
Wednesday, July 8
We had a focus group with the scholar parents as a practice for the health assessment we will be starting next week!!! The focus group actually went pretty well! It was also a real morale booster because Emanueli and Irene felt like they were really doing something and could see actionable results.
I asked Emanueli and Irene why the government business is conducted in Swahili (we watch the Tanzania Budget Committee - TBC channel all the time) yet they have all secondary school classes in English. I think it would be super hard for students here to go into an English language immersion where the teachers don’t even speak completely great English. It seems like there should be more opportunities to speak English around here if they are expected to be educated in English. It seems like it unfairly disadvantages those that can’t learn languages very well and also that students would learn a lot more if they could learn in Swahili. They said that there just aren’t textbooks in Swahili for highschool levels.
Anyways, I learned that a lot of the leaders don’t actually know English – many of them only completely Standard 7, some form I, form IV, or Form VI. Very few of the government leaders went to university.
This really hit home how important education is. Not that the leaders aren’t knowledgeable about their country, but the decision making process and understanding about economics, mistakes made in the past, etc. might go a lot smoother if there were people with a little more education. How can they reform the education system here if half the people creating policies haven’t even gone through it?
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