A long journey home...

The trip home really began for us on Saturday when we said goodbye to Karatu... we had enjoyed a great party the night before and headed out first thing so that we would have the afternoon to do last minute souvenir shopping in Arusha. We spent the night there and then left on Sunday for Nairobi.

This time around we were able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the road:

We arrived in Nairobi late in the afternoon and spent a quiet evening at the 680 Hotel. Checked out at noon with a little less than 12 hours until our flight. Left out luggage at the hotel and walked to the National Museum which was, unfortunately, closed for renovations. Instead we ate our last traditional meal for lunch and enjoyed an afternoon exploring downtown Nairobi.

Here's a couple photos of the city:

We arrived at the aiport at 8:30pm local time and spent the next 24 hours either in the air or in transit at Heathrow before finally arriving in Toronto late afternoon on Tuesday.

All in all it was a great trip! We're all close to being adjusted to the time change...

Check back in a couple of weeks to hear some reflections from the group!

Friday, September 8th

Hard to believe that it is our last day here in Karatu!

Yesterday was market day, and what a day it was…there were thousands of people there with vendors covering a space spanning about three football fields, selling everything from clothes to electronics to livestock and produce.

We were also there to see CPAR-Tanzania in action doing outreach work around sexual & reproductive health issues – the highlight being the condom demonstration!

This is the CPAR tent from which they run their outreach programs:

After the market wound down we walked over to a tent-come-restaurant to enjoy some Choma (BBQ) – a must have Karatu experience!

Here's Japhet, the Program Manager for CPAR-Tanzania, carving the Choma:

Today we had our wrap-up meetings here at the CPAR office and are having a little party out on the patio with, you guessed it, Choma.

Tomorrow we leave for Arusha and then on Sunday it will be on to Nairobi where we will spend one night before flying out…

Wednesday, September 6th

Just got back from Safari...

3 Days...2 wildlife parks...2 amazing lodges (one built right into a rocky oasis in the Serengeti and the other on a cliffside overlooking Ngorongoro Crater!)...21 different mammal species including all 3 big cats (Leopard, Cheetah & Lion), 5 species of Antelope, Zebras, Wildebeasts, Warthogs, Baboons and Giraffes galore, Elephants, Hippos and 3 endangered Black Rhinos!

It was incredible! Likely best to let the photos speck for themselves…

Checking back into our hotel in Karatu felt a bit like coming home though. We’ll be here for three more nights before started our long journey home.

Tomorrow is market day – we’re all very excited!

But now, time for photos…

Sunday, September 3rd

The weekend has had a slightly more relaxed pace…

Saturday morning we got our hands dirty so to speak – helping with the construction of new pit latrines at a local primary school (phase two of the project we visited on Friday). We learned to carry bricks, carry water on our heads, mix mortar and even to lay bricks! It was a first for most of us! We stayed about two hours at which point we decided to leave the real construction crew to their work (we may have been more of a hindrance than a help despite our best efforts). The afternoon we took it easy and then headed to Ngorongoro Farm for dinner and sat out on their deck with a bonfire enjoying a beautiful Tanzanian night.

Today was a officially a ‘free day’…most of the group opted for a walking tour leaving from a local lodge which took us into part of the Ngorongoro Conservation area to see a local waterfall…caught a sneak preview of wildlife in the form of a pack of baboons.

This afternoon/evening we’re all just taking it easy…walking around town...killing time really as we are all looking forward to tomorrow when we leave for Safari! Here's a photo of Karatu town - the main drag:

We’ll be back in Karatu on Wednesday evening…check back for Safari photos…

Friday, September 1st

Schools + Water + Sanitation = an inspiring day!

So today was all focused on the Rainwater Harvesting for Karatu Schools Project which, as the group learned, is about so much more than just clean water…

We started the day with a visit to Magesho Primary School where we were greeted by the school choir – singing a song that they had written especially for our visit which overviewed all of the project activities/inputs that had been taking place at their school: Rainwater Harvesting Tanks, new Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines, Hand washing Stands, Drinking Water Stands, cups for the students, tree nursery & environmental sanitation. We also visited Gendaa Primary School which has received much of the same support (with the exception of the tree planting activities).

In case you’re unsure of what all this means I will rely on photos to tell the story…

This is a 30,000 litre Rainwater Harvesting Tank (Mogesho) which is storing water from the rainy season which is collected from enclosed eaves on the roofs of school buildings so that the children have clean, safe water to drink during the dry season:

This is a hand washing stand in the school yard at Gendaa:

This is the tree nursery at Magesho and one of the seedlings that has been plated on school grounds (each student is responsible for taking care of their own seedling):

One of the most interesting things for our group was that the project is largely being managed by student water committees – they are responsible for managing water use and ensuring that the hand washing and drinking water stands are full and are in working order.

The teachers and students were all very proud of the changes that have taken place at their schools and report that the incidence of students missing school due to waterborne illness has decreased, that more students are regularly attending and that it is now easier to retain teaching staff at the schools. They also say that the students are taking what they have learned about sanitation, hygiene and environmental conservation home with them which is resulting in changing behaviors in the surrounding communities.

All in all it was inspiring to see how the school communities themselves have embraced this project and are continuing in their efforts!

Thursday, August 31st

Today’s Theme: Sana, Sana, Sana, Sana! (i.e. Very very very amazing!)

We spent the day in Buger Village and had an awesome time!

First we met with the village chairperson who officially welcomed us to the village and, of course, had us sign the official guest book (we do this everywhere we go)! Here we are in his office:

After our meeting we made our way to the primary school where we signed the guestbook and then were treated to a student performance of music, drama and dance which were focused on sexual & reproductive health issues and environmental conservation.

The students at the primary school also cooked us a lunch of local dishes which was a delicious surprise! After filling our bellies, we got back into our vehicles – which look like this by the way:

We stopped in to visit Adalina who has been another all-star participant in economic activities directed at women including beekeeping, chicken rearing and making fuel-efficient stoves. Here's Adalina in her home showing us her stove:

Finally we drove to the far end of the village where there is a deep gulley and learned about how environmental conservation methods are helping to make the land more suitable for economic activities. We met with Elibarki and his wife Regina and learned about their efforts to allow natural regeneration to occur on their land and the investment they have made in tree planting – this is us with Elibarki, Regina and their three children:

All in all it was a fabulous day…we didn’t make it back to town until long after sunset and after dinner most of us were just ready for bed!

Wednesday, August 30

Today's theme: HIV/AIDS and Health Care

Today started out with a visit to a local clinic/dispensary just down the street from the CPAR-Tanzania office. Not much to look at in terms of the building or equipment - but what the two doctors (a father and son team) have been able to accomplish was quite remarkable! They have a small lab, three beds and a minimally stocked pharmacy. They see up to 60 patients a day, run a HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing centre and are extremely well respected. They receive no funding from the government whatsoever and are dependent on patient fees. However they are well known for treating everyone, regardless of ability to pay!

Afterwards we went back to the CPAR office where we met with Umatu - a group of HIV+ women. They came together about a year ago and have been meeting every week since at the CPAR office. They provide support for one another, work together to educate themselves about how to live positively with HIV and have received small-scale business loans from CPAR in order to start up income generating activities. They are truly inspiring for the way they are confronting their positive status and working to combat stigma. They asked us a lot about HIV in Canada and were interested to here from members of the Study Tour group who had attended the AIDS Conference in Toronto earlier this month. Here’s a photo of all of us after a wonderful meeting:

Finally we went to visit the local hospital. We met with the two doctors who are involved with the HIV Care and Treatment Centre (CTC) which they opened there just over a year ago. HIV treatment is now free here in Tanzania! We also toured around the rest of the hospital which was quite interesting – especially to the two physicians in our group. This is Doctor Chuwa and Doctor Mziray at the CTC:

This evening we will feast on a Tanzanian BBQ specialty – Choma and Chips at the CPAR office…tomorrow we’re out in the field again to visit Buger primary school.