African Update: July 11

First off, we must apologize for the scarcity of these e-mails; we have yet to find a Starbucks with wi-fi here in Bukoba.

Over the past couple days, we have learned a lot about Tanzania and the wonderful people who live here. Tanzania is about 75% Christian and 24% Muslim. There are one-hundred twenty-eight tribes living in the country, but they all speak the same language (Kiswahili). The fact that everyone speaks the same language has contributed significantly to the stability and peace in Tanzania.

Bukoba is a town about 3 hours south of Ugandan-Tanzanian border on Lake Victoria. We are here visiting the Bukoba Women’s  Empowerment Association (BUWEA), which does microfinancing.

To give you a little background, BUWEA was founded by Regina Majaliwa. The organization began in 1996 as a women’s prayer group who decided they wanted not only prayer, but action as well. The ten women each put ten dollars into a group fund. The collective one-hundred dollars would then be loaned out to one of the members each month. They called it a “Mary-go-round.” BUWEA has now grown into a 147 member organization with an excellent track record of repayments. They provide workshops and employment opportunities. In order to increase their revolving loan fund they have begun an ingenious endeavor called the “Soy Project.” Not only does growing and selling soy products increase the accessibility of nutritious foods to people living in Bukoba, it also increases the amount of money BUWEA has to fund loans. The women of BUWEA have been welcoming and eager to learn about Microfinancing Partners in Africa and what we are doing in Kenya and Uganda. We have been just as eager to tell them!

On July 7th, Claire went to the Tanzanian Trade Fair with members of Women’s Global Connection who were also visiting BUWEA from the States. The trade fair was held in a crumbling concrete stadium. No one was allowed beyond the ground floor because the upper levels were not safe. Every side of the stadium was dominated by a different truck selling goods and blaring loud music with booming bass that made your teeth chatter. Each truck played a different song so listeners were left with an incomprehensible throbbing. Needless to say, they didn’t stay long. Afterwards, while Toni was working, Claire and her new friends from Women’s Global Connection went to the beach. Terri Horn, a long-term volunteer from San Antonio, took everyone to a clubhouse where children were playing soccer. The goal was made of three long branches whittled into posts, tied together, and stuck in the ground. Further along the beach were old stone buildings. Terri explained that they used to be German cannon posts that protected the settlement from pirates.

On July 8th, we again visited BUWEA headquarters. It is a small rented two-room space with a barred porch. They have built a small tin storefront facing the road. The BUWEA office shares a dirt courtyard and a single toilet which is actually a ceramic hole in the ground. A note to future travelers: bring lots of TP. Across the dirt road is a fenced park with a statue of a soldier in the center. Some people say the statue is a tribute to the soldiers who fought for Tanzania’s independence. Others say it is for the soldiers who fought against the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 1980s. We don’t know which, but every afternoon men, women, and children gather in the square to talk, play soccer, and do business.

Claire visited the Hekima Girls’ School. It is run by Sister Esther who became headmistress in 1992.  They sang. They danced, and when they began a traditional Ugandan dance! We broke into groups to speak with the girls after the celebration and Claire was asked many questions about American life and being a student in America. When asked how old I was, they were surprised. The girls were between the ages of 15 and 20 in Form Four (similar to about sixth grade in the United States). The young girls were optimistic despite the disadvantages they face. One girl wanted to be a pilot; one expressed a desire to become a lawyer; another wants to be a road engineer. From the roads we’ve seen the road engineer will certainly never be without a job in Africa!

Tomorrow we are heading to Rubondo Island National Park in the Southern part of Lake Victoria. I hope I get to see hippos and elephants! I know that the island is huge and people don’t always see everything, but Sister Toni and I are sending out “elephant energy!” Theodosia from BUWEA will also be joining us so that we have a translator.

Stay tuned for the next installment of “Sister Toni and Claire: African Adventures!”

Mungu awabariki (God bless you!)
Claire and Toni