Your're Fired !!! You're Hired.

One of the hottest jobs at Neema Crafts is the ceramics area where there is a kiln for firing pottery and fusing glass for jewellery. This week the kiln was fired up by one of the potters, Maneno. 

The kiln was designed by a visiting specialist and can fire up to 45 mugs at a time. It is designed to run on sawdust bought from the nearby saw mill. The sawdust is placed in a large hopper and fed into the kiln by a series of pipes.

Last week we introduced Agustino who was making hanks of wool ready for dying. This week the hanks were dyed and left out to dry in the same work area as the kiln.

One of our tailors is Julius. He was the first born in his family, but because of his disability of having undeveloped legs he was not regarded as of any value, and hidden away at home. 

As an adult he made some meagre money by sewing sacks by the side of the road. One day, the farmer who owns the farm we visited last week noticed him and offered him a job. Julius’s skills were later recognised by Neema Crafts and he was trained as a tailor. He is now one of the most productive workers here.

One of the schemes of Neema Crafts is to raise funds to build houses for the workers to buy at a discount. With his earnings Julius saved enough money to purchase a plot of land and to make a 5% contribution to the cost of building a house on it. The 2 roomed house has recently been built and is just waiting for doors and windows to be fitted. (Julius will think about installing electricity and water sometime in the future). When we visited last week he was levelling the garden by hand and plans to rebuild the 50 yard track leading to his house, again by hand. Enabling staff to own their own homes is a key step in making them valued members of their communities.

We sometimes think that certain people should be hidden away. In the following video being shot for one of the UK companies who assist Neema Crafts by supplying rolls of felt at cost price, someone makes an un-welcome appearance (taking the photo of Julius above)

You’re fired!

 

Remembrances

Although he thinks he knows a bit about history, and about the battles in the Great War in France, Russia, Turkey etc, Malcolm doesn’t remember that fighting in the 1914-18 war took place in Tanzania. One of the war cemeteries is near Neema Crafts in Iringa. This week the UK’s High Commissioner for Tanzania came as part of a nationwide visit to meet UK citizens living in Tanzania and she held a brief remembrance ceremony to honour those killed in war.

 Later she took the opportunity to visit the workshop with her Vice Consul, to speak with the staff and to find out how their lives have been transformed by having employment. She also went away with a car full of goods bought from our shop!!!! The next best place for retail therapy to Oxford Street.

The week always begins with a service in the chapel led by our chaplain. This is an opportunity for staff to pray for the coming week and for the work of Neema Crafts. It will also be one of Malcolm’s duties to make announcements of what will happen in the coming week – he had better start remembering some Swahili!!!!

Some of the techniques used here are a reminder of the traditional ways of working. There are several weavers using hand machines. Agustino is one of the older disabled workers and he turns cones of natural wall into hanks ready for dying, using a traditional wooden machine turned by hand. These hanks are then used by the weavers to make cloth, or to make table runners on the smaller table top looms.

Miriam (Mim) is a physiotherapist working at Neema Crafts. Because many of the severe physical disabilities in adults are a result of child-hood difficulties not being treated properly she provides care to children in the community. Paulia suffers from cerebral palsy due to a difficult birth which has resulted in weakness in her ankles and left arm. Today she received her new, reused, boots to help her to walk.

There have been opportunities for relaxation. This week was the 2^nd birthday for Alessia (daughter of Ben and Katy Ray, the Directors of Neema Crafts). Fortunately Irene remembered to bring a roll of pre-made icing to decorate the cake.

A regular feature of life here is to visit a local farm on Saturdays to play Volley ball. This farm has been in the same family for generations – and for a moment the farmhouse reminded us of Merrie England.

 Until we saw the scaffolding which certainly doesn’t meet UK Health and Safety standards.

Moving Forward

We arrived in Iringa, Tanzania, just 26 hours after leaving our home in St Neots. Not bad for a 4,600 mile journey by car, coach and 3 aeroplanes.

Iringa is set amongst the mountains in southern Tanzania, which means the weather is cooler, but the air thinner than where we worked in Central Tanzania 8 years ago.

Our first day was spent finding our way around the craft workshop which employs 100 physically disabled and hard of hearing adults. In under-developed countries like East Africa, where everyone struggles to scratch out a living, it is vulnerable groups such as these who really suffer from discrimination as it is believed that they are unable to contribute to society. It was to prove this attitude to be wrong that Neema Crafts was set up 14 years ago.

Irene began to learn about the stock control of products, including those made by the tailoring workshop. This is a particularly busy time as the centre prepares for a major ‘artisan’s fair’ to be held next weekend in Dar es Salaam when it is likely a large amount of stock will be sold.

Malcolm’s first day included going out as part of a group to complete negotiations to purchase a plot of land about 5 miles from Iringa. This will be used to build an additional 20 subsidised houses to be purchased by staff. This will be a major step in building their self-esteem as valued members of society. Although land boundaries are uncertain we were assured by the surveyor that a rectangular plot of exactly 2 acres would be properly identified through the use of GPS satellite tracking.

 

Tanzania may be a developing country, but it is moving forward quickly in adopting new technologies

Creating Order out of Chaos

It's time to pack again, this time to go to Tanzania.

It's 'interesting' when you have to decide what you need to take when you are going abroad for 6 months. Whilst sorting this out Irene came across the suitcase she used when she joined the Wrens before we married. It is now far too small to use for Tanzania, and yet, at the time, held all her worldly possessions. Has the suitcase shrunk, or have we just got more 'stuff'?

Now she had to decide what to leave, what to throw away and what to take.

Fortunately between us we can take 4 large cases and 2 small. And this also enables us to to take some supplies to the Neema Craft workshop. Everything from beads to bales of felt;  face masks to headles (for weaving machine). The mountain of clothes and boxes seemed impossible, but Irene performed her magic and managed to pack it all turning a chaotic pile of 'stuff' into well packed order.

In a few days time these cases will be unpacked in Iringa where we start to work at the Neema Craft workshop for disabled and deaf adults.

And what was Malcolm doing during this hard work? Playing table football with his grandchildren - what else? Well at least he was out of the way.

PS the result of the question in the last blog about whether Malcolm should do something with his beard before we go to Tanzania was that everyone said either to trim it or shave it off. No-one thought it should be left alone. There has therefore been a major attempt to once again create order out of chaos

Getting the Timing Right

When we first went to Tanzania in 2008 and 2009, we would leave the UK in April and return 6 months later in October, just is time for winter. This led to our vicar pointing out that we always got the timing wrong.

We have learnt!!!

This week we booked tickets to return to Tanzania for 6 months, but this time we leave the UK in November and return next May. This means a long, hot, winter.  (Oops - it will also be the rainy season - a long, hot, very wet winter).

We will be 'relieving' the long term Mission Partners, Ben and Katy Ray, who have been managing Neema Crafts in Iringa. They have been there for about 6 years and are due a break. It is really a 'house-swop' as they will be living in our house whilst we are in theirs. They get carpets and central heating, we get house staff and lizards.

Neema Crafts was set up about 14 years ago to train and employ disabled and deaf people. This is a group which is normally ignored in Tanzania as they are often seen to be a drain on a very poor economy. Neema Crafts now employs about 90 staff working in a range of crafts such as tailoring, carpentry, silk screen printing and paper making. They also run a guest house and a cafe (one of Malcolm's jobs will be to test the quality of the food in the cafe - it's going to be tough!!!!).

So - in just 3 months time we will be packing up and on our way. We will hope to restart our weekly blog diary while we are there.

For more information on Neema Crafts go to: https://www.neemacrafts.com

And if you happen to be passing Iringa do drop in for some chocolate cake at the cafe!!
Neema Crafts, Tanzania

PS Malcolm's beard has now grown so he looks like David Bellamy / Father Christmas. The most difficult decision in the next 3 months - should he keep it or lose it?

Blood, thicker than water

It’s time for Malcolm to return home to his family.

 Before doing so he did first go to see if he could give blood in Uganda. Unlike the UK the location for donating is much more relaxing – like sunbathing under the shade of a mango tree. 

Now that's how to give blood.

 The only problem is that in Uganda there are 3 reasons why Malcolm couldn’t give blood, which don’t really apply in the UK:

-          He has high blood pressure

-          He’s too old!!!!!!!!

-          He’s on malaria tablets.

The good news that as a result of this disappointment Malcolm has discovered that after being back in the UK for 6 months (having returned from a malaria country) he will be OK to try and donate, being neither too old, nor prevented as he has medication for high blood pressure.  Yippee!!!

The first stage of the journey home was a 50 mile drive to the airport. This was going well until, in a Kampala traffic jam, the engine ‘refused’ due to an electrical fault. After a 15 minute hunt around the minibus to find out where the battery is, Malcolm and Rory surprisingly found the owner’s manual. (How many used cars in Uganda do you think still have an owner’s manual????) Only problem is, neither of them could read Japanese. Doh!

Now we know where the battery is!!!!

Eventually the battery was found, and a temporary fix made to get the minibus to a KFC for lunch. Here, their friend, Rashid, a mechanic, met them to do a proper repair.

Thank you, Rashid

So, finally, it was farewell to Rory and Uganda, for Malcolm’s flight back home.

Dinner for One?

Dinner for One?

It’s Malcolm’s last week at Kiwoko Hospital. Any thoughts that he might lose some weight during his time in Uganda have been swallowed up in a round of meals.

 Firstly, there were some new visitors at the Guest House. Gillian, Wendy and Myrtle from Northern Ireland came for a few days to visit friends, carry out some staff training and pray with patients. They even survived some of Malcolm’s cooking.

When we lived here, we attended a weekly Fellowship group. It so happened this week was ‘Swallowship’, a meal to celebrate the birthdays of 4 group members.

 

Malcolm has been working with the Finance Team for the past 5 weeks and it is time to say farewell. You can’t say goodbye without having a proper party, can you.

 

Finally, there was a farewell meal at the Guest House arranged by Michael and Conrad.

 

 

We are now a little worried about Malcolm carrying excess baggage on the flight home!!

 

Incidently, after the farewell meal we played a game of Cranium. For years, for some reason known only to him, Malcolm has been carrying an old 3d coin in his wallet. This odd behaviour has now been totally justified as it proved the answer to on of the question.

 

The other ‘oddity’ is that Malcolm learned that, whereas in Britain during Christmas the film, ‘Great Escape’ is usually shown on British TV to remind us of life inGermany, in Germany the tradition is to show a short film ‘Dinner for One’ which gives them an impression of normal typical life in England. The following is a link to the film Dinner for One – fast forward the 2 minute introduction in German – the main film, starring Freddie Frinton, is in English and lasts about 15 mins.

Next week – back to dear old Blighty