Back to Dar, Back to Work

We arrived back in Dar es Salaam this past Saturday. How wonderful to be greeted at the airport by a friendly MEDA face and then again at home by our other housemate! The sticky, sweaty weather aside it is great to be back.

Getting home also means getting back to work – and although I was able to keep up with some of the projects I have been working on via email it’s been a busy week as I get caught up on a number of different initiatives.

One such initiative is my work on the youth, livelihoods and HIV/AIDS concept. This past Tuesday we gathered with two other potential partner organizations, some of their implementing partners as well as some youth that they work with to brainstorm on what a successful project might look like. It was a great day with all of the attendees seemingly energized and excited about next steps and the potential impacts for young Tanzanians involved in the project.

There is a continued and growing recognition of the importance of integration in development work and taking a more holistic approach to serving others. By involving organizations that have experience and expertise in the various components of this project we are working together to come up with an innovative and integrated approach to supporting young people not only in protecting themselves against HIV/AIDS but also in providing skills and resources to support themselves economically and plan for their futures.

The importance of having hopes and plans for the future within the context of HIV/AIDS was demonstrated again to me through a conversation I had with a taxi driver named Simon. Simon and I spent some time together and talked a lot about life in Nairobi. He earned his living through driving a taxi but had also secured a small loan in order to build apartments that once completed he will rent out. He was starting off small with only 5 to begin with but he also had plans to expand. Through this project he had hired his cousin to oversee the crew which included 12 men.

When talking about HIV/AIDS he told me bluntly that he was too busy for dating many girls and besides, he had plans for his future and didn’t want to risk things by spending time in bars. He told me he was being picky and waiting to meet the right girl who could help him with his plans. The link was clear to both Simon and I – if you have hope and plans for the future you are more likely to change your behaviour and protect yourself.

In other news the abstract I submitted to the National AIDS conference was accepted for an oral presentation! Unfortunately, because of the short notice and various logistical challenges we are unable to present – but it was great to get the positive response from the review committee. I will be traveling to Arusha on Sunday to attend part of the conference and will be reporting back to my colleagues when I return.

However, what I will be missing during my travels is the staff retreat in which an HIV/AIDS training session for MEDA staff that I coordinated will be taking place. It’s exciting to see an idea transform into reality and I look forward to hearing the feedback on how the session goes in my absence!

Last but not least I am also working on organizing a Microfinance Roundtable Discussion on “Innovation in the Youth Market” for early 2007. As of today I have received positive responses from a number of key stakeholders and have now moved on to doing some logistics work. As always there is an issue of funding but we are exploring a variety of options to address this challenge.

So this is what I have been up to lately. I am finding it hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner – it feels decidedly unlike the holiday season with all this sunny weather! I am heading down to Zambia for Christmas with some friends to distract myself from being away from family by gazing at Victoria Falls. I then head to the beaches of Zanzibar to celebrate New Years. It should be an incredibly busy week.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and lots of love from Tanzania!

In Nairobi

What a week! Last Monday I spent the afternoon with Kelly in a hospital in Dar. She has been sick for quite some time and had failed to really get better since October. In the end a doctor at a private clinic decided that she should be air-lifted to Nairobi in case she required surgery as appendicitis was suspected. So in a bit of a panic I threw some clothes in a bag and escorted Kelly on "her own private jet" (as I like to tease her) off to Nairobi in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The flight itself was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. I was very worried for Kelly of course and I felt very responsible for her care and safety. On the other hand it was pretty cool to sit behind the pilot and watch him take off and land the plane - in fact at one point the crew asked me to tap him on the shoulder to turn up the heat! I myself, would have preferred to let him focus on flying but he didn't seem to mind and proceeded to offer me chips - so bizarre!

After my second wander through an empty (but this time bigger) airport with some random security guard and a brief discussion with yet another customs official we boarded the ambulance (another first for me) and raced to Nairobi hospital.

After a whirlwind of doctors and tests and phone calls to MEDA, Kelly's Mom and various insurance representatives I fell into bed Tuesday night exhausted but content that Kelly was in good hands and would be well taken care of.

The first few days were a bit of a blur as we travelled the hospital for various tests and scans to determine what was wrong with Kelly. I also had trouble finding a hotel that could keep me longer than one night, so each morning came with it the challenge of finding a place to sleep. The hotel across from the hospital became my choice spot and I have now gotten to know many of the staff on a first name basis - all of whom ask about Kelly and how she is doing.

As one friend commented to me in an email, the first few days were a bit like a travel adventure show with various tasks to be accomplished each day like finding a Kenyan Sim card, a place to sleep, socks for Kelly and a travel agent to book and change flights etc. However, the Kenyans I have met so far have been nothing but friendly and helpful, the hospital staff outstanding and I have even become good friends with a taxi driver who took me on a tour of Nairobi complete with an aerial view of the city from one the tallest towers in town.

I'm also happy to report that Kelly spent her first night out of hospital last night and seems to be recovering well from what turned out to be Typhoid. Initially we were planning to leave Nairobi last night but one of her doctors asked her to stay a few more days for follow-up. She has definitely been a trooper with all the poking, prodding and pricks while staying cheerful and optimistic.

Last night we had a lovely dinner with one of the previous interns who now lives in Nairobi. I cannot begin to tell you how nice it was not to eat alone in yet another hotel restaurant. I was a bit disconcerted to hear how dangerous Nairobi can be and the types of crimes that have been committed recently though. I consider myself pretty cautious and street smart but out of necessity (because of all the hotel switching) on more than one occasion I found myself walking with Kelly's laptop on my back and all of our belongings in my purse (like passports etc.) Not an ideal situation to find yourself in! However, it was interesting to hear that many "mzungus" don't walk at all in Nairobi and others choose not to go out at all at night. I will continue to be careful.

Stories, warnings and crime rates aside, my impressions of Nairobi are of a cool (I've worn a sweatshirt every day!) green, lush and developed city. I love the green space and parks which are missing from Dar. The shopping centre I visited felt very strange and as I walked around with Christmas music playing and an African Santa to boot I felt a bit lost and out of place - was I still in Africa?

But as good as Nairobi has been to me (and Kelly) and as much as I have enjoyed catching a few glimpses of a new city (although I really only know the hospital and vicinity) I will be very happy to return to Dar - which now feels so much like home. It may be less pretty, more dusty and hot and perhaps a bit grittier but it also has an innocence and character all its own. Most importantly it is home to people that I love and care about and miss.

Thanks to everyone - MEDA staff, the many doctors and nurses at the Nairobi Hospital, friends and family and Kelly's family for all your support, concern and love this past week - it is much appreciated! We hope to see many of you soon!

Wandering Stonetown

This past weekend I took the ferry over to Zanzibar to explore Stonetown. Originally our plan was to check out some DJ’s from France but the venue and time changed so we just caught the end of the show. It was a fascinating mix of local musicians and singers mixed with sampled in French beats.

The rest of the weekend was spent getting lost in Stonetown – a wonderful place to wander and explore narrow, cobbled alleys. Seeped in history and Islamic influence the tall stone buildings rose up tall on all sides and gently guided us past shops, ornate doors and playing children. Our ancient hotel had an incredible covered rooftop where we could take in the sights and sounds and smells.

The alleys and streets are too narrow for cars to travel through the interior and I enjoyed lying in bed in the evening and listening to the sounds of daily life echoed up through my window. I often had the feeling it would be an interesting place to disappear for a while.

Mvua Nyingi Sana!! (Lots of Rain!!)

Well the short rains have started and Dar es Salaam has turned into one big muddy puddle! This morning when we left the house there was a new chorus of frogs croaking away – it seems they were rejoicing (as are many Tanzanians I am sure) at this new wet weather. The rains also provide some hope for the power problems here in Tanzania as many of the dams used to generate power were about to dry up. However for most of the folks living in Dar – the rain causes all sorts of headaches in terms of getting around.

However as is often the case here, problems give birth to new opportunities for entrepreneurship! My colleague was telling me today about the long rains (which start in March) and how folks in the city centre use carts (normally used to transport goods) to take people across flooded intersections….for a fee of course.

I am trying to embody that Tanzanian entrepreneurship spirit of identifying a need and coming up with a practical, effective solution in my work now. Along with developing the youth, livelihoods and HIV/AIDS project (of which we have had very positive response so far in speaking with others in the donor/NGO community), I am also working with my colleagues here in the microfinance department to develop a proposal for a global competition to address issues related to health and nutrition.

It is a fascinating task as I learn more about the challenges facing Tanzanians (especially rural women and children) and how interventions such as adding Vitamin A to children’s diets and ensuring women consume enough Iron can radically prevent blindness, child and infant mortality and all sorts of other health complications caused by a weak immune system. Providing access and means to these foods and making use of Tanzania’s existing resources is the challenge!

So over the last few days, as I wait for my clothes to dry on the line (which may never happen) this is what I have been thinking about, talking about and sometimes even dreaming about. I will keep you updated on what we come up with.

Island Hopping

The past two weekends I have explored nearby islands off the coast of Dar. Last weekend I took a speedboat (an adventure in itself) over to Mbudya, a small island with beautiful turquoise waters. Although the sky was a bit grey and rainy the weather made for a choppy and exciting ride back to the mainland. Flora (one of my housemates) and I sat in the front, half laughing, half screaming as we clung to the side of the boat as it went over the waves. The best part – seeing a whale (the species of which is under debate)!

Yesterday we explored Bongoyo island (the pics posted are from Bongoyo), a much bigger island than Mbudya. Getting there was interesting as the tide was out so we had to wade to a smaller boat that then ferried us out to a larger boat (and then repeat once we arrived at Bongoyo). Both islands provided beautiful swimming, white beaches, fresh seafood and the perfect lazy way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

This morning was interesting as there was a chance it would be the start of a two day public holiday because of Eid, the end of Ramadan. However this is dependent on the sighting of the moon, which apparently was not spotted last night. So tomorrow may be a public holiday! It’s been a bit confusing with some people coming to the office and others not but at the same time it also feels a bit exciting and spontaneous.

Work is also going really well. We recently submitted an abstract to the National AIDS conference in Arusha for this coming December in hopes that we may be able to do a short presentation. I am also working on organizing a discussion event with microfinance institutions about how to become more engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS and researching and developing a couple of proposals around livelihoods and youth. All the while I continue to meet with various AIDS support organizations big and small. It’s all very exciting and I would love my job - even if it didn't come with the perk of lovely beaches and islands nearby (not that I am complaining).

Thanksgiving

On Sunday we were meant to have power – a special treat as 5 out of the 7 days of the week the power is cut from 7 to 7 (although this has shifted to 6ish to 5ish because of Ramadan so folks can start cooking in preparation of breaking their daylight fast).

Power rationing is a pain because it means you must be very organized when the power is on and iron ahead of time (something I tend to put off doing!), shift food from the freezer and then back again so it doesn’t freeze but stays cool when the power is off and turn the pump on to fill the water tank (that is, if there is water to pump!). It also becomes a challenge for things that you can’t do ahead of time like staying cool under the fan (especially as the temperature starts to creep upwards each day) and cooking meals.

However, living without something tends to make you appreciate it that much more. I now take great joy in the hum of the fridge and am acutely aware of whether the fan is on or off as I sleep. On those rare mornings when I wake and the fan is still spinning away I tend to jump out of bed and run with glee to the kitchen to toast my bread.

This past weekend I had shopped for a number of things to make brunch for my housemates on Sunday. However, when I opened my eyes the fan was eerily still. Very disappointed and grumpy, I dragged myself up and out the door on a search for a gas canister to use with our camping stove. Success! The gas shop was open and my delicious brunch plans were salvaged. We enjoyed French toast (complete with maple syrup and Tim Horton’s coffee from home) with bacon while listening to Jack Johnson on my battery powered speakers…it felt just like a lazy Sunday at home….(minus the electricity of course).

When the power did finally come on around 6 that evening cheers were heard from all across the neighborhood. In retrospect, it was sort of a fitting way to spend Thanksgiving Sunday – being very appreciative of a resource we take so much for granted at home.
I hope you all enjoyed sharing a meal with family or friends (in whatever form it took) this past thanksgiving weekend!

Into the Field

I am writing this entry on my notebook in Dodoma as I travel back from my trip out into the field. I’m staying at a small guest house and I have just finished the book I brought along (a GREAT book by the way, check out Sweetness in the Belly, by Camilla Gibb) and the evening stretches long in front of me…

What to make of these last few days – my journey began in the wee hours of Sunday morning when my taxi driver Mr. Kipimo picked me up at 5:00 a.m. I don’t particularly enjoy the chaos of Ubongo bus station but I managed to find my bus in the dark and slip on without much notice. Two and a half hours later I was still on the bus in exactly the same spot. Needless to say, it was a slow start, well slow trip really. The bus required repairs four times along the way and the 7 hour trip turned into a 12 hour adventure. Not to fret though, those handy peddlers that sell snacks through the window kept my belly full and I talked at length with the fellow sitting next to me about life in Tanzania and Canada. It was his first lengthy chat with a mzungu and assured me his young sister would love to write a composition about me if I stopped by his spice store the next day in the market.

He also kindly showed me where to get off the bus and which direction to walk to get to where I was staying. Another fellow on the road escorted me from the bus to the guest house (part of the Lutheran church) and I then ran into another fellow from the bus that accompanied me for dinner. I continue to be indebted to Tanzanians for their kindness and willingness to put up with my broken Kiswahili and point me in the right direction!!! After dinner I was able to connect with Boaz, the MEDA staff person I was meeting and went to bed assured I was in the right place - which bodes well for a good night’s sleep.

The next two days were spent accompanying Boaz on a monitoring and evaluation consultancy for RFSP (Rural Financial Services Provider). RFSP has been supporting rural SACCO’s in Tanzania and contracted MEDA to facilitate monitoring sessions with members and board members. The sessions are aimed at evaluating where a SACCO is in terms of capacity and development and an opportunity for the SACCO leaders to receive feedback.

I found it interesting the formality involved in holding these meetings. In Mpwapwa we had to visit the District Executive Director and receive her “blessing” before we began our meeting. At the beginning of both the sessions with the SACCO’s there were a number of greetings and introductions (including my being required to stand and explain my work in Kiswahili!) before starting on the agenda. A good lesson in the importance of getting community leaders on board before starting any work here!

The meetings were held in Kiswahili and I feel extremely motivated to get started with my lessons. In Dar, I can get around but traveling to the village made me realize how much I have to learn! It’s so frustrating (and I find embarrassing) not to be able to express my gratitude for being welcomed at these sessions and explain the work that I am doing properly. It was quite touching actually when the group in Lumuma applauded my efforts (perhaps out of pity) after I stood to introduce myself. Good thing I start at the Kiswahili Language School this week!

Tanzania’s spectacular beauty continues to impress me. In stark contrast to this beauty are the many challenges facing the rural communities we visited. In traveling to Lumuma we drove for two hours from Mpwapwa along bumpy dusty roads cutting through dried up river banks and streams and passed small clusters of mud and straw huts.

As we drove past folks literally living off the land, I found myself thinking about the enormous challenges that exist around the HIV/AIDS pandemic here. How is it possible to encourage people to use condoms when they have no money, spend hours fetching water and are focused simply on survival? Where would they even access condoms? And how do they make sense in the context of their every day lives?

I also had the feeling in Lumuma that people expected a lot from me. They had questions about my expertise, what I was doing in Tanzania and what I was going to do for them. I left Lumuma feeling a bit overwhelmed with the challenges facing these folks and what little I might contribute in my time here.

Anyhow, as I type this up, I am now back at work in Dar es Salaam. The bus trip home was an uneventful but tiring 7 hour journey from Dodoma. Seeing as I was coming from a larger city I was able to take a different bus company and therefore a more reliable one!

Although my travels provided many questions my experiences also provided a deeper context to my work. I am happy to be “home” and to plug away at the MEDA office. Hopefully the future months provide some answers to my many questions…

Girls 2, Spiders 0

I am not particularly squeamish. I really don’t mind the variety of spiders and bugs that live in Canada. In fact, I’m usually the one nominated to kill or remove whatever insect is being a nuisance at home, but the spider we killed last night literally made me scream. Well, actually all three of us scream. At least our newly honed three-step approach to killing the spider (which by the way was found in my closet which is even more horrifying!) worked well. Here’s how it goes:

1) Flora sprays with the “Doom” which paralyzes said spider
2) Kelly uses the broom to control its movement
3) I swoop in with shoe for the deadly blow…or blows.

As much as I hate them, I almost wish we encounter one more so I can take a photo and share how gruesome and BIG they truly are with you folks at home.

In other news, most things to do with the house have been settled and it truly feels like home now. Work is also going well and I am travelling this coming Sunday to a rural community to observe a microfinance institution (MFI) in the field, learn more about how they operate and start to do some ground work for collecting case studies on the impacts of HIV/AIDS on rural MFI clients. I have also been meeting with AIDS Support Organizations here in Dar to learn more about the work they are doing and share information about the work of MEDA. Out of this sharing we are hoping that opportunities to work together in the future emerge.

On a personal level it’s a bit of a struggle to balance the great aspects of living here and the not so great aspects of living here and how those relate to each other. How do I reconcile children on the street asking for food and meeting a man on the road with a horrific wound on his leg who doesn’t have the money for medical treatment, with enjoying a lovely dinner out with friends or a weekend at the beach (the cost of which could treat the man AND feed the child). I suppose we face the same questions at home but in a much less literal sense then we do here.

In the end, we gave food to the child and money to the man and through our work we try and contribute to sustainable solutions to poverty to prevent people from having to beg. I know we face similar dilemmas in Canada, but it’s not the same. They may be flawed or under-funded but social safety nets DO exist.

Anyhow, these are some of the things I am thinking about during my time here. I will try and post some more photos this weekend and write again when I am back from my travels to Mpwapwa – bus trips here are always an experience in themselves so I am sure I will have lots to share upon my return!

The Beach

We finally made it to the beach this past weekend! The Indian Ocean is just as spectacular as it was the last time I left it and my housemates and I treated ourselves to a “weekend away” (technically we were still in Dar) at Kipeppeo Beach. After fending off marriage proposals from our taxi driver and a creepy dala dala rider who locals assured us was a thief, arriving at Kipeppeo on Saturday afternoon turned into a relaxing weekend of sand and surf. The best part of sleeping overnight in a beach banda was listening to the ocean as we drifted to sleep. And there is nothing better than waking up and taking a dip – so refreshing!

At Home with the Ants

Well, we moved into our new house on Saturday and what a treat to be able to unpack and feel a bit more settled! In some ways this house is actually the nicest place I have ever lived - somehow I ended up with the master bedroom complete with a walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom - talk about luxurious!!

On the other hand, we have no living room furniture, no working stove, no permanent water solution (we had water trucked in our first night) and lots of ants, HUGE spiders and lizards!

As for the ants, I think its all about keeping them at bay and not actually getting rid of them - they are quite industrious - I will give them that, but I can't say I enjoyed waking up to HUNDREDS in my bed the first night! Turns out my mosquito net (which I had draped to the floor) was in their path from the window to wherever they were headed and I had indirectly added my bed as their new destination - lesson learned, always tuck in your mosquito net to your mattress!

Having a permanent place to live has allowed me to focus more on my work here at MEDA and this week I am finishing up some research on Aids Support Organizations (ASO's) working in Tanzania. This week I am hoping to set up some meetings with folks based in Dar to learn more about the specific work they are doing. At the same time I am reading Stephen Lewis's book "Race Against Time", which is heartbreaking at times and brings such context and urgency to the work we are doing here(Stephen Lewis was head of the UN Envoy on AIDS in Africa). In the lecture I read last night he spoke of a group of Grandmothers he visited who were caring for their orphaned grandchildren. One woman he spoke to had lost all 5 of her children to HIV/AIDS and all of her grandchildren in her care were HIV positive. Its hard to imagine surviving through that kind of loss over and over again.

So really, ants are not that big of a deal. I look forward to my work ahead...

Friends & Houses

It’s hard to believe that a year ago I was leaving Tanzania not sure when I would be returning. After three months working as a volunteer here in Dar es Salaam I had forged many friendships and did not feel ready to return home. Now, exactly a year later I am back working as an intern at MEDA – what a wonderful privilege to have returned!

It’s been just over a week since I arrived with two other interns from Canada after a long and tiring 20 hour flight from Toronto. Kindly, a friend I met last year picked us up at the airport and helped cram all of our oversized bags (we are here for six months after all!) into his car and drove us to another friend’s house who offered her place to us while she is away.

Our focus since arriving has been to achieve three objectives:

1) Buy cell phones (in Dar this is the only way to communicate!)
2) Locate our offices (addresses and street names are less common here in Dar and landmarks are more commonly used to describe a location).
3) Find a place to live!

Our first two objectives were achieved our first day here and we felt quite optimistic about the third…however over the course of the last week we have met a few challenges to say the least!

Invariably, when looking for a place to live you must go through an agent or a tout – and there seems to be some sort of network in which these agents operate – from fancy estate agents to a bunch of fellows who seem to hang out on a corner and share information about which houses are empty. Sometimes these folks work together and many times we have found ourselves in a car with one agent picking up another to direct us to the right house…this makes things a bit tricky when you get to the negotiating stage and there are 4 agents between you and the landlord all telling you a different price!!

This process has been frustrating because most often we are taken to places we can’t afford (I like to call this the “Mzungu effect”) or that are unfurnished or to houses that can only be rented for one year (we are here six months!).

Oh, and this is after waiting for an hour on a street corner to meet an agent who then has to deliver a tire before showing you the house and by this time it is late and you are tired and hungry (as we are also working now) and then you talk to the landlord’s brother’s friend who thinks the rent is X when in fact it turns out to be Y which is beyond your budget and you go home defeated and exhausted – can you sense our frustration?!

Anyhow, aside from the wild goose chase that has been our house hunt everything else has been going quite well. Aside from my computer crashing on my second day at the office, work has been great so far and the folks at the MEDA office warm and welcoming.

I also appreciate what a difference speaking the little Kiswahili I know has made along the way in arranging meetings with agents and touts and my friends here have been truly amazing doing all they can to help. In fact this past week has made me appreciate how important friends are and what a difference they make in our lives and how important a home is in whatever form it takes. This is true for my fellow interns as well – being able to share in this house hunting experience and laugh over it the next day over a glass of wine has allowed us to get to know each other quite well, quite quickly!

In fact we are cautiously optimistic about a house we negotiated a price on yesterday. We are arranging a visit tonight to see that all the appliances work (there is power rationing here in Dar so all power is cut from 7 am to 7 pm 5 days a week) and then we plan to sign our contract tomorrow if all goes well. I shall keep you posted….