The second week…and what a week! We definitely got our hands
dirty (and clean!) in a very eventful week at Memorial.
After school on Tuesday we headed to Mr Michael’s for lunch.
Magreth prepared a very traditional lunch for us – ugali and dagaa, which is
teeny tiny little fish.
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| Ugali and dagaa |
Mmmm. Honestly, it wasn’t particularly easy to get
down, especially when those teeny tiny bones got stuck in my teeth, but it was
pretty tasty. I just tried not to think about it. Dad, on the other hand,
seemed to love it! While eating, Mr Michael told us he hoped to one day visit Australia . We
said he was very welcome, however when we told him there was no ugali in Australia , he
may have reconsidered! This is how much he loves ugali. Give me a steak and
seven veg any day! He also told us that he went to Nairobi for a conference over the Easter
weekend. He then gave me the manual (Child Friendly Schools) and asked me to
present a seminar to the teachers covering the topics…what the?? I’m on
holidays, and you want me to do what a do for a living??!!! But, me being me, I
agreed (I did try to convince my team leader and the Family Relationships
Services Manager to refund me a weeks leave – but because I didn’t bring the
required paperwork over, it’s a no-go ;)
We then visited a few kids’ homes. This was a big eye-opener
for Dad, as we visited children who don’t pay school fees. The way Mr Michael
has set up the school is that well-off (by Arusha standards) families pay full
school fees (Tsh 120,000 per term – there are three terms per year), some
families pay half, and some families (the ones in really difficult
circumstances) pay nothing – these are the students that I’d love to find
sponsors for. Currently, there are only about five out of eighty students that
have sponsors. One of my tasks to do while I was here was to sit down with Mr
Michael and get the names, photos, and stories of every child that doesn’t pay
school fees – sadly, however, time is tick-tick-ticking away, and I don’t think
it’s going to happen. Still, it will be something for me to get Mr Michael to
chase up when I’m back in Australia .
Anyways, I’ve gone off topic – visiting homes.
The first child we visited was Janeth Philemon, who is
sponsored by my old team leader from Child Safety days, Carolyn Travers
(Hosey). Carolyn has been sponsoring Janeth and donating regularly to the school
for the past three years. Janeth lives with her ‘Bibi’ (grandmother), and three
other children. Their house is in the middle of a cement factory – Bibi rents
out the backyard as a means of income, because she is too old to work. Pretty
clever, but the noise is unbearable. Luckily, the kids are at school most of
the day, and I think Bibi makes herself scarce. We had a chat with them (yay,
Bibi remembered me from last time), and arranged to come back with a few odds
and ends that they need, courtesy of Carolyn – a desk for studying at home, new
uniforms and shoes, and some cooking utensils for Bibi.
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| Janeth and Bibi |
Next we visited Kelvin. Both of Kelvin’s parents are HIV
positive, and sadly, his father had an accident about seven years ago which has
left him brain damaged, and at the moment, one side of his body is paralysed. This
means that Kelvin’s mother must stay close by to attend to him – feed, bathe,
and carry him to the toilet etc – so she can’t work far from the home. So she
and Kelvin collect water from a nearby source for builders in the area. I’m not
sure how much they are paid, but the last person I knew who did that for a job
was paid 50 shillings per bucket (about 3 cents). They family has seven kids to
feed. This is why I am sometimes angry at the world.
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| Kelvin and his parents |
Quick note - we also ask to take photos, and I've yet to meet an African who does not what their photo taken. They don't often smile without prompting though - Benja says "it's not a part of our culture".
Lastly, we visit Isa and his aunt. They live in a fairly
typical mud house, outside which Isa’s aunt sells fish. If she doesn’t sell any
fish, they don’t eat. Isa’s aunt asked us why Isa didn’t have a sponsor. It was
pretty hard to explain why. They were in need of medication for malaria, so I
slipped her the lousy ten grand ($6) I had on me, which is enough for two rounds of
medication. She was very grateful.
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| Isa and his aunt... |
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| ...at the fish shop |
On Wednesday, we visited some more kids, and then spent the
afternoon in a hardware store negotiating water tanks! We decided on a 5000L
tank (for cooking, drinking, washing hands etc) and a 2000L tank to use for
flushing toilets. They, plus all the taps, pipes etc, came TSh 1,289,000
(that’s one million, two hundred and eighty-nine thousand shillings) or about
$785. A bargain. The problem then was getting the cash, as no stores in Arusha
have EFTPOS or credit card facilities. I asked if I could do a bank transfer,
but in order to transfer money to an international account through NetBank I
need a code sent to my Aussie phone number…which obviously is not in action here.
So, we headed to the ATM, and of course the ATMs only let you withdraw
TSh400,000 at a time. Two withdrawals on Wednesday, and one the next morning
just about covered it.
I have never been so nervous walking in the streets of
Arusha than I was on Thursday morning, with over one million shillings strapped
to my body (well, except for the week after the machete incident). When we
arrived at the store, we were surprised to hear that the tanks had been
prepared (holes cut, etc…I dunno…tank type stuff…Dad’s department) and ready to
go. We were told they wouldn’t start preparing them until we paid at least a
deposit, but we must have trustworthy faces. The best thing was that the price
included delivery to school, and we got a lift in the truck. Oh, funny story –
the day before when we were negotiated prices and Mr Michael asked about
delivery. When the storeman asked how far the school was, Mr Michael replied
“about four kilometres.” Dad and I were like “ummmm...what???” thinking it was
much further. I couldn’t possibly believe that the trip from Friends Corner to
school was less than a short run. But, sure enough, I checked out the odometer
of the way there, and it was only four kilometres! Seems so much further when
you’re in a dalla dalla or dodgy school bus.
When we got to the school, we were greeted with much
excitement. The two guys from the store, Dad, and a bunch of teachers got the
tanks off the back of the truck (I, of course, was the official photographer).
After the 5000L tank was on the stand, Dad realised he had to access the top of
it, to attach the lids. There’s life in the old dog yet!
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| Go Daddio! |
The pièce de résistance, however, came on Friday. We turned
on the generator, got the pump pumping, and filled ‘er up! Then came the obligatory
“washing our hands at the water tank” photos. Man I love these people!
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| Mr Michael |
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| Yay for running water!! |
That afternoon, after a standard lunch of ugali and “some green vegetable” made by the wonderful cooks…
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| Mamas |
That night, I read a Facebook message from my dear friend
Sally, which said: “Hi mate, hope everything is going swimmingly for you and
you are remembering the joys and tribulations of trying to get things done like
a westerner in the 3rd world! Just remember: 1. You will either look back on
this and laugh OR 2. It will make a great story for other people to look back
and laugh on!!" Despite that day being tough, I think she was foreseeing
the future that was Saturday.
Saturday. Oh Saturday. You will be the perfect example of
all the things I despise about Africa ! Haha,
oh no, I am exaggerating greatly. But it is the perfect example of trying to
get things done in the third world…everything is five times as hard, and takes
fives times as long. We agreed to meet at 9am. This is a brief summary of how
the day went:
9am: Alan and Kasey arrive at school. Mr Anode is the only
teacher there, along with the night guard. A few teachers arrive in dribs and
drabs until…
9:40am: Mr Michael and Benja arrive, with two of Mr
Michael’s kids, Nyerere and Kembaki.
**Because the previous afternoon was spent listening to Mr
Michael’s seminar, Kasey and Alan didn’t have time to get to the bank or the paint
store that afternoon. In hindsight, not getting paint before the day of the
painting is a mistake**
9:45am: Mr Michael, Nyerere, Kembaki, Alan and Kasey get in
the school bus to go and get paint, brushes etc.
9:46am: The battery in the school bus is flat. Swap
batteries. Stuff around with the school bus. Kasey tells Mr Michael not to buy
anymore school buses, as they are a drain on the budget, unless the person that
donates them is willing to make regular contributions towards maintenance.
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| Changing the battery, behind the driver's seat |
10am: Bus starts. Alan is driving in the backblocks of
Arusha.
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| Captain Al! |
10:10am: Arrive at our first “paint store”. The only
water-based paint they have is white or cream. Alan says we want water-based
paint, not oil-based. We leave.
10:15am: Arrive at our second “paint store”, to find that
the only water-based paint they have is white or cream.
**use of inverted commas being due to the fact that, in
comparison to Bunnings/Mitre 10, these paint stores look like Alan’s shed**
10:20am: Arrive at our third “paint store”, to find that the
only water-based paint they have is white, cream, or apricot. A theme is
emerging. Alan resigns himself to using oil-based paint.
10:20 to 11:00: Visit various “paint stores” and locate 20L
of white undercoat, and a few tins of light blue, summer blue, and ripple green
oil based paint. Visit various other stores to purchase pitiful paintbrushes,
rollers, and turps.
Mr Michael leaves team at the first “paint store” to go in
search of sticks for rollers. Kasey shouts team (which has increased to include
Danny, one of Kimbaki’s friends from Standard Five) a packet of coconut
biscuits and a pineapple juice. Delish.
Mr Michael returns with actual sticks (as in, from trees)
for the rollers. Team heads back to school, collecting four brooms on the way
(to use as sticks for rollers).
11:10am: Arrive at school. Alan starts sorting out paint.
For the fiftieth time since arriving in Arusha, Kasey thanks the lord that Alan
came on this trip. Teachers start painting the outside of the school with the
water-based paint, as Alan has said the oil-based paint is a “pain in the @rse”
to get out of everything.”
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| One of the few pictures Benja took without his finger in the top left hand corner |
11:30am: Mr Michael receives a text from Alan “Mr Michael we
need another 20L of white paint.”
11:50am: Mr Michael and Kasey arrive back at school.
Everyone smashes the white outside of the building.
12:00: Time for lunch. Yum, ugali. Kasey and Alan shout
everyone a soda. 20 sodas for about $7. Everyone is very excited.
12:30pm: Alan starts mixing oil-based paint and solvent.
Alan stresses about oil-based paint. Kasey is yet to understand the stress (but
of course, belives everything Alan says). Kasey suggests starting with the
unfinished baby class. Summer blue it is!
12:40pm: It becomes clear that 4L of summer blue will not be
enough to complete the room, as the walls are not plastered and are made of
what Kasey compares to pumice stone, hence it absorbs paint. Kasey sends Mr Michael
to pick up another tin of summer blue.
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| Madam Editha, Benja, and Mr Ipini |
12:40-5:30pm: Painting continues. Kasey now understands
Alan’s dislike of oil-based paint. Kasey has no idea how this day would have
turned out without a working water source. Kasey can’t even write anymore about
the painfulness of the day. Buuuutttt…Kasey still had fun, as did Alan and all
the teachers...
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| Mr Anode |
...and the kids!!
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| Nyerere and Kembaki |
Oh and there is still more painting to do!! And we’re out of
paint. But that’s a job for another blog :)
**A big ASANTE SANA to everyone who donated money towards
the tanks and the painting. Despite the difficult of getting it done, it is so
totally worth it :) **
Whoa...Longest.Blog.Ever!!
xx
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