What Comes Around, Goes Around

It was our last full week at Neema. Ben and Katy come back and on 1st May we fly back to the UK.

For Irene she returned to one of her first jobs - tying string onto price tags ready for the craft market in Dar es Salaam in 2 weeks time. However, she was delighted that Dom had redesigned the labels so they were much easier to put together.

There was also time for one last Football Match. The team got a new ball and we travelled with supporters on the 50 mile journey to a small village.

The trip had several purposes. In addition to an exciting game of football, it was an opportunity to attract visitors to the church so they could hear the gospel, and to hear that disabled and deaf people can be of great value to their communities if they are given the right support.

The match was exciting - trailing 1 - 0, Neema then scored 2 goals, only to let one in in the last few minutes . 2 -2 ; a fair result.

How Neema Crafts changes lives

This week we share some of the stories of staff here.

 

Eliza was one of the first staff at Neema in 2003, making paper from Elephant dung. She says: ‘ I am really happy to work at Neema  and cannot think of any place I would rather be. I have food, an income and joy here. Before Neema became known in Iringa, hearing people would ignore me because I was deaf, but now they know I work at Neema Crafts they communicate with me and are happy to be seen with me. I am part of the community where I live and have friends and a family here. Working at Neema has given me experience I could never have had if it was not here. God has helped me in the past  and I pray that He will continue to help me in the future.’

 

Benjamin is well educated with a qualification in Commerce. Yet, as a disabled person as a result of polio he was unable to get work, so he spent 14 years at his parent’s home repairing shoes for little money. He is now our Weaving Manager. He says: ‘Now I can afford daily needs and send my children to school. In Iringa people respect us and see our talents. They thought we could do nothing and could not be employed but this attitude is changing slowly. I love the work I do.’

Fatuma was a normal girl until she became deaf at 9. She started business as a tailor but because she could not hear, customers went elsewhere because they thought she could not communicate. She says: ’At Neema Crafts it is great, because I am amongst other deaf people and I like working in a group with friends. Neema has not only helped me financially but also spiritually. We do bible studies every week and one time the pastor of my local church invited me to come and visit. From then I started going to church and really enjoyed it. People sign there, and I can understand the talks and the Bible. I got married as a Muslim. I continue to go to church and believe it and my faith is as a Christian.'  

Match of the Day!

This week Malcolm went Neema's Deaf Football Team for a match at the school where many of our deaf staff were taught. Ally, who is popular with the current pupils, showed Malcolm around.

He met with the pupils who now use the small dormitory he used to sleep in.



Although some of the buildings are in good condition, some are closed because of subsidence as the school in built on marshy land. The classes are, by Tanzanian standards, small with about 10 in each class comparedwith the usual 60 to 80.

Pupils collect water for the kitchen at a pump about 100 yards from the school.

There is an outdoor oven that uses firewood.

Some other staff from Neema came to cheer on the team, including one of our deaf waiters. William was also a former pupil at the school.

The football match was closely fought. Neema were 1 nil down at half time

After a pep talk by the coach, Neema came back with 2 goals in one minute eventually winning 3 - 2.

In the end, bad light stopped play

There are some things that you can do without, and some you can’t!

Easter Sunday is always a special day in the Christian calendar. And this year we had a really special outdoor service we didn't want to miss at a nearby farm with the Iringa Christian Fellowship.

  

Irene offered to sing a song……..

 

….. and some puppets told, and sang the Easter story.

  

Compared with our other the other times we worked in East Africa there have been very few power cuts….. until this week. On Friday the power went off at ab9.30 and returned at 5.30. For most of the staff this made no difference to their work. They didn't miss the power as they continued working by hand or using treadle machines.  For us it was a problem – no power = no computers!

 

We were also invited to a ‘Pizza party’ by a couple of American Missionaries, who happen to have their own pizza oven. Malcolm did not take many photos as they all looked like this.

 

When he used a flash it ruined the atmosphere, and he almost ended up in the oven having blinded everybody else. They could have done without that!

 

One of the Missionaries had built their own house on the hillside. The geography of the area is such that the landscape is covered with massive boulders. It is hard work to try and remove them to clear the site, so what better way of dealing with one than to build the house around it and make it a feature. Not a furnishing you will pick up at IKEA!.

Finally, it was one of our cafe staff's birthday. Oneof the customs is that the person feeds cake to their friends. Malcolm couldn't do without that!

Iringa – A brief Historical and Cultural Tour

One of Malcolm’s interests is the history of places, so last Sunday he went on a walking tour of Iringa. This was led by a resident, Darlene, who described some of the history of the town.

 

The Germans first colonized Tanzania in the 1880’s and fortified Iringa in 1890. One of the oldest buildings, built by the Germans as a hospital, is the ‘Boma’. This has recently been renovated and houses the small museum and was the start of the tour.

The Germans did not have an easy job holding onto Iringa. One of the heroes of the country is Chief Mkwawa who defeated an expeditionary force of German soldiers (mainly Askaris) in 1891 using spears to defeat muskets. The site of the battle, Lugalo, is now used as the name of the Tanzanian military base in Dar es Salaam.

The memorial to the German 'Askaris' (Foreign mercenary troops) stands in front of the original German military headquarters.

 After the battle Chief Mkwawa continued to harass the Germans using Guerilla tactics until his death, by suicide, in 1898 to avoid being captured.

 

One interesting thing about the German occupation, is that they didn’t build a prison.  So much more efficient to ’interrogate’ any suspects – and then hang them!

The Germans lost Tanzania in 1916 when it became a British Protectorate.

The German’s also built the original market hall, which still stands but is difficult to see as it is surrounded by the new market and shops. 

Here you can by a wide range of vegetable, spices and other day to day necessities.

The tour concluded with a visit to the war cemetery which contains graves of British, Commonwealth and German soldiers killed in both world wars as well as those of the early settlers,

 

The Cat Lady Returns – and other shocking developments

A few weeks ago we reported Irene’s once-in-a lifetime experience when a cat gave birth on her lap. 

And it has happened again (that’s twice in a lifetime).

The house cat has been pregnant and this week lay down on Irene’s lap. After a few minutes she started to strain and before long gave birth to the first of 4 kittens. I think we have found a new career for Irene as a birthing partner – but maybe it only works with cats!!

 

 In previous year’s we have talked about some of the eccentric electrical arrangements to be found in East Africa. Malcolm’s problem is he is too accustomed to the safety standards in Britain.

This week there was an electrical supply problem and one of our large carpentry machines was not working. When Malcolm inspected the plug there was what seemed to be a normal 13 amp fuse. Closer inspection revealed that the fuse was blown, and underneath was a spiral of wire. 

It seems that fuses are unnecessary parts of electrical equipment. Malcolm did try to buy spare fuses from a local electrical shop and the best hardware store in Iringa, but failed. Why use a fuse when a bit of wire will do?

 

To be fair plug fuses are a British ‘thing’ – 2 pin continental and American plugs do not use them. However, what was more worrying was that the main fuse protecting the building had also been replaced by a piece of copper wire. This is the large 100 amp fuse that in UK houses is sealed and should only be opened by someone from the electricity supplier.  This fuse is the last defence against a major electrical short circuit – or would be if it is in place.

But then, electrical problems don’t happen in Tanzania………………..

The final 'shocking' report is Malcolm's latest culinary disaster. You would think even he could manage to use an automatic bread maker. And yes, it tasted as bad as it looks!!