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…