Watch out, Lewis Hamilton

Neema has a new ‘speed merchant’

A few weeks ago our blog introduced one of our tailors, Julius. He has been unable to walk from birth and uses a hand propelled tricycle to get to work – a journey that takes 2 hours each way.

A donor who was concerned about the difficulties Julius has to travel agreed to pay about £150 for his tricycle to be upgraded with a small petrol engine, new wheels, tyres and disc brakes.. This will shorten his journey time considerably, and means he should be able to climb the long, steep hill into Iringa without too much effort.

The engine had to be ordered from Dar es Salaam, and was sent with the tricycle to the mechanic for fitting.

The finished machine was admired by staff members.

Julius has never driven a powered vehicle before so was somewhat nervous. However, he was given some advice on what to do.

The first part of the journey home was through the busy town centre – not ideal for your first attempt at driving a powered vehicle. He sensibly asked for a lift to the other side of town so he could make his first journey on quieter rural roads.

 

Variety - The spice of Life

 

Some things stand out as different. For example, the typical Tanzanian house is a simple 2 room property with a simple tin roof and a plot of land to grow food.

  

And then there are the exceptions which seem to have come from a different world. And they did, being built by British staff before Tanzania became independent.

And nearby other new houses are being built, which also seem to come from another world

 

The typical Tanzanian food is rice and beans, or ugali (ground maize and beans).

 

 

And then some Saturdays we enjoy pancake and syrup.

 

Then we sometimes see things which are peculiar. Such as this motorcyclist looking for somewhere to park and using a drainage slot as a wheel stand.

 

One of the attractions to customers of the products produced at Neema Crafts is the variety. Here are a selection of lampshades ready for delivery.

 

 

 

To return, we first have to leave

Because we work in Tanzania on a 90 day Business Visa it is time for us to get new visas. We could have ‘unofficially’ paid someone $200 to do it on our behalf (which may result in a confrontation with Immigration when we try to return to England – not advised), or spend a bit more on a 4 day break to Malawi. The only problem it’s a 250 mile journey each way taking a day each way including an overnight stop at the border.

As you can see we chose to travel – and the arrival made up for the journey. We hope you enjoy the pictures.

Call the Midwife (or Wanawake Paka)

Part of the wildlife here is a semi tame cat. It is often outside our house but is too timid to come in – that is until last Friday. To our surprise ‘outside cat’s fear seemed to have disappeared, and Irene was very pleased when the cat settled down on her lap.

However, this was not for a sleep. Suddenly the ‘outside cat’ started to strain and slowly gave birth to a solitary kitten. We think she decided Irene was the cat equivalent of a birthing pool.

 

As a result ‘outside cat’ temporarily become ‘inside cat’ in our house, and is just about tolerated by the pet cat, Tika, that lives here.

There is other wildlife that is not so welcome in the house. Snails here are larger than we have in the UK. This one was slithering up a child’s bike. To guage its size, the large tyre is from a 4 wheel driver land cruiser.

Life in Iringa is interesting and colourful. It is unusual to find carpets here. Most houses have bare floors with occasional rugs. On Sunday, on one of the town’s main streets, a local shop was measuring out a length of carpet. They were lucky no car drivers came and decided to park on it.

The Town’s Law Courts are located near Neema Crafts. One day we heard a marching band which was part of a parade of judges, lawyers and other dignatories making their way to the Court buildings. We are still not too sure why.

 

As for ‘Wanawake Paka’?  That means the Cat Lady; Irene’s new career path, maybe.

A nice day for a party

It is always sad when friends move on, and this week a family who have worked in Iringa for over 13 years said good-bye as they move back to High Wycombe. As regular members of the English church here they were first formally sent on their way at the Sunday Service. This seemed particularly difficult for the children who have lived their whole lives in Tanzania, and going to England is like going to a foreign country.

  

Then we were all invited to a farewell party at a lodge site some miles outside Iringa. The site usually caters for American students visiting Tanzania on field and research trips. Irene took the opportunity to explore the surrounding countryside with Gaia, who is completing research in Iringa for her PhD. (About the impact on families hosting visitors from the developed world).

Lunch was a Bring and Share event with piles of food brought by the Guests. Irene soon settled down to a fine meal. Unusual for us to be able to eat in the open in January!!!!

Back at work we are considering  introducing cash-less payments. When we were last in Tanzania 10 years ago, using phones to transfer money to other people was already commonplace and many people, even if they did not have a bank account, used this method to pay for goods and fees etc. This was in advance of the UK. At Neema Crafts this week we met with representatives of Vodacom, a major mobile phone service provider, to consider enabling customers to pay for goods and meals from their phone’s mobile money account.  

Emergency Services

Last week we mentioned that a new café counter had been made, but with a bend to the left rather than the right. The good news is that very quickly Mateso was able to prevent the emergency becoming a crisis, as he adjusted the frame and flipped the worktop so that no-one would ever know there had been a problem (that is, if Malcolm hadn’t put it in our blog!!!) 

It is always helpful to have someone available in such as Emergency. Opposite the Neema Crafts building is the Iringa Fire Service office, which often has a fire engine stationed outside. This week we had a typical African rain shower which quickly turned the roads into rivers. The good news is that for a while there was no problem with fires!

The workshop is a factory and there are daily risks of someone being injured and requiring medical treatment. Although the government hospital is only a few hundred yards away there is no reliable equivalent to the ‘999’ service, which means it is harder to call an ambulance in an emergency, which puts increased reliance on First Aid staff. This week 6 staff from Neema Crafts were trained in basic First Aid by Dr Marcus, and they all received their certificates.

 

There are also incidents of personal emergencies. This week one happened to Irene as it was time to review her hair style. Fortunately Savannah was on hand to ensure that Irene continues to be well presented. The best place for the 'service' was in the local church, where the job could be done in peace and quiet.

Left or right? - Taking the ‘Pretty’ Route

Normally when we walk to work we turn right outside our house. For a change Malcolm decided to explore where turning left would lead.

It was not a short cut to work!

Iringa is built on a hill. It was a strong defensive position for the local tribe and then for the German’s when they colonised Tanzania. Unfortunately for Malcolm turning left took him the wrong side of the hill, down a narrow track, to the outskirts of Iringa, all the way to the bottom. This meant he had to walk all the way up the steep road and concrete footpath to reach the town.

But there were good views of the country.

 

The steep steps he climbed to return to the town led to one of the street markets. Unfortunately the nearby stream was choked with plastic bags discarded at the market.

 

At Neema Crafts work is progressing with a new counter for the café. The basic frame is welded and a top is being prepared by Mateso. Unfortunately some modification will be required as the end of the counter should bend to the right, not the left. Just another minor diversion.

So remember. Although the other way may seem at first pretty, always take the right way!