Creating a Sustainable Future

Project TEMBO's work is ultimately about the people of Longido and Kimokouwa, of course. They are the reason we are in Tanzania working to improve lives. The guesthouse is about setting a large income-generating mechanism in place to help provide many of the funds in the future that Project TEMBO Canada is currently providing.

This young girl will be sponsored for secondary school one day.

The grandmother of the child on the left is a beadmaker TEMBO supports.

Arnold and Michael's sister is being sponsored in secondary school by TEMBO supporters.

Young mothers receive micro-finance loans to help their families.

Extended families are supported, too.

Both women and men.

Joseph, on the right, works with TEMBO. In a traditional Maasai culture such as in Longido and Kimokouwa it is important to work with and through men.

We're also fortunate to know wise women and respected community leaders like Nai, shown here with a visitor to the work site. Her guidance is invaluable to TEMBO.

Esupat is learning to write her name because of Mary's literacy work in Kimokouwa village.

Here Mary, center, is pictured with some members of her group that meets each Wednesday. Joseph is on the left.

These three girls are receiving TEMBO sponsorship to begin secondary school this week. Faraja, a TEMBO volunteer pictured with them, helps the girls get the supplies they need for boarding school.

Here is the mother of Nimfa, the girl on the right in the photo above this one. TEMBO staff had a going away party for me last Thursday and invited many villagers including the girls I just mentioned and their mothers. Everyone in the village is deeply grateful to TEMBO and its supporters for the assistance we provide. We are making a difference in many lives and so many dreams are being realized. So, thank you for all you do.

But I just couldn't end this blog without another photo of...

TEMBO Dog.

He was a great furry friend during the past three months!

The Guesthouse

With so much happening the last few weeks I was in Longido, I did not have an opportunity to post updates - sorry. I am including here photos of the roof in the making. First the trusses made from scratch onsite for the lower roof above the rooms...

Then they were hoisted into place and securely lodged in the brick face of the building.

Pine 3x2's are carried up ladders made onsite, placed across the trusses and nailed into place.

A coating of oil is then spread on all the pieces of wood to deter the termites. Termite activity in Longido is a real problem.


Then attention turned to the inner roof that we call the "mushroom". Long eucalyptus posts were first cemented deep into the ground to hold the structure. The roof is octagon in shape just as the roof above the rooms but this roof rises higher and will completely protect the inner courtyard from rain, thus creating another room. The mushroom roof will have a one meter gap between it and the lower roof allowing rain water to fall into gutters and into a tank. It, too, will be made of 28 gauge iron sheets but these sheets wil have intermittent translucent sheets to allow light into the courtyard.

Below is a view of the 2x6's that will hold the roof sheets.

Here are the two roofs. The mushroom roof has not yet been coated with oil so it appears lighter in colour.

One of the workers waves goodbye to me on Friday morning from the roof pinnacle. I left Longido just as the workers were to begin nailing the iron sheets in place. This is the building as I last saw it.

And here is Nai and some of the workers. Nai will continue to follow things closely for TEMBO. She has much experience in construction and materials and has gained the respect of the workers.

Completion date is scheduled for the end of July.

The final few days

It's hard to believe three months in Longido are nearly over. It has been quite an adventure this time. I will upload the most recent photos from the guesthouse site on Friday before I get on the plane.

For today I leave you with two photos of Loveness and her family. I took these photos as Loveness was leaving Longido Village for secondary school in Arusha.

When you go to boarding school in Tanzania, you have to travel very light. All personal supplies must fit into one suitcase.

Here Loveness is accompanied downhill to the road by her mother, Mama Faraja, and her sister Namelok. Loveness is repeating some Form Four subjects so she can sit for the National Exams again in order to qualify for advancing to "A" Levels.

I am back to Longido now for final meetings with the TEMBO staff and for celebrations with the villagers. The leaving is made easier by the awareness that I will be returning in a few months to the many good friends that we have here. More on Friday...

Here are a couple of photos of children from this past week. Happy faces like this are everywhere in Longido.

Work on the Guest House continues and has progressed even more since the photos below were taken a few days ago. I am expecting to see roof trusses being built any day now.

Nai continues to visit the work site morning and night to be sure everything is unfolding as planned. All the men have a real respect for her expertise.

She will often get her hands dirty with them.

Nai had some of the villagers dig the water line to the site, some 230 meters. The pipeline should be laid very soon.

The hole for the septic tank has been dug.

Most of the news from the village is about Sandra Hession, from Ottawa, and her daughter, Katie, from Toronto. Sandra turns 60 this month and Katie turns 30 on the same day. They decided they wanted to mark this celebration by participating in a project that would help make life better for other people. We were delighted when they asked Project TEMBO if they could volunteer in Longido for 10 days.

Katie is a teacher by profession but found herself giving hands-on workshops to the Longido beadmakers. She brought and donated many useful tools, beads and wires that will greatly improve the quality of jewelry the women produce.

Here is an earring sample worn by Mama Ola.

Sandra spent her time teaching English to willing students who were eager to learn new words and practice through conversation.

Paul Hession came for two days to meet the villagers and see what his family was doing. Paul went to work right away replacing screens in the LOOCIP rest house, where we currently stay.

Faraja, pictured here with Mary from TEMBO, spent the 10 days with Katie and Sandra acting as guide, translator, and even jewelry maker. He will continue helping the women.

Joseph Mara works with TEMBO's Micro-finance groups. Here he is with some visitors to the community library.

And I formally introduce you to "TEMBO dog" who accompanied Mary to the library one morning. Dogs in Tanzania are not pets as they are in Canada but this little guy insists on staying in Mary's house rather than living on the streets. Here, Leah, TEMBO assistant Librarian, offeres TEMBO dog a puzzle to work on.

Longido gave Sandra and Katie a birthday to remember and they both forged new relationships that will last a lifetime. TEMBO is deeply grateful for the generosity and support of families like the Hession's!

Dreams Becoming Real

I begin this entry with Nusra, shown above. I am not sure of her age - she may be 20 or older and she is an orphan. We met Nusra over a year ago in Longido where she was working as a "house girl". Lucky us to be able to sample her delicious meals each day. In talking with Nusra we learned she wanted to go to school in Hotel Management and specialize in Food Preparation. As with most young Tanzanians, she had a dream but not a hope of realizing it...without sponsorship. TEMBO was thrilled to offer Nusra the assistance she needed and we hoped she might even end up in our guesthouse one day. Today I visited Nusra at The Sinon College in Arusha to pay the fees for her last semester and for her cook's uniform. I was greeted by a beaming young woman who had become much more fluent in English. (Part of their studies include learning English, French, and Computer.) I felt like such a proud parent when Nusra informed me she stood first in her class of 16! (I can hardly wait to sample her meals.) I met her classmates and the head teacher and saw the wonderful relationships she has established. And to top it all off, Nusra wants to work in the new TEMBO Guesthouse. Just another of those "one girl at a time" stories that keep us going.

Samwel the Contractor asked someone to do some art work for the guesthouse gate. The photos represent girls and women, books

The panga (machete) is used for many things here, including splitting the bricks.

It's looking pretty level...

You may not be able to see it, but a string is being used here to make the bricks level.

Stones are being sifted out of the sand through this screen.

Each of the rooms will have a red brick wall for contrast.

The lintils are in place over the framed window spaces.

And more bricks are placed on top.

A view from the inside.

Another view through one of the windows. Come and see for yourself.

Lastly, Mama Farajah's daughter, Loveness, and my neighbour came by on Sunday to get some water. The house I am in is fortunate enough to have a reserve tank. I wanted to help her pick the bucket up but I couldn't budge it - really. Here she picks it up with little effort.

And walks away singing to take the water to her family. Amazing Tanzanian women.