Habari za leo?
I know it has been a long time since an update. We have had busy days with writing exams, correcting exams, and writing end of term reports. In addition, we have had bad luck with electricity, such that the days we go to town there is no internet. The computer that we were able to get internet at school sometimes died.
Good to be back to writing a blog update!
Since I wrote last we had Peter Jensen the PC biointensive gardening consultant come to our site. He worked with students, teachers, and school shamba workers to look at the current gardening techniques, consider spots to construct a demonstration garden for the schools and to teach some basic techniques for composting and for planting in beds that are double-dug to allow more food to grow in a smaller area. The reason these are important at our site and for many Tanzanians is that the good soil is at the bottom of the mountain in the valleys but many people plant both the valley and the steep slopes. The steep slope planting further erodes the soil, so there is less food and also a great loss of trees. The idea is to get more food from the low lands and plant trees on the slopes that are better at holding the soil and creating habitat for wildlife, and good for the ecosystem as a whole.
Students built two compost piles by my garden, 1x1x1 meter using brown and green plant material and then cow manure and water. I have turned these piles once after three weeks and already it is starting to look like rich soil.
Peter sculptured four matutas (beds) with water meandering from my sink outlet then around the beds. So, even on the dry days, my garden gets watered. Two village farmers came one day to help me finish double digging these beds, add manure to the lower soil, and plant French beans, potatoes, leeks, carrots, and nasturtium. I added a few smaller matembele mounds around a papaya tree. Last week I had our local carpenter make a garden bench that will seat three-four. When he delivered the bench we all sat and had sodas, enjoying the comfort of the bench (with a back rest!).
Peter is returning in September to work again with the community to build a demonstration garden. The primary school next to the secondary school where we teach can use this garden for students to learn biointensive techniques and to grow more food for school lunches. We have been told by the headmaster that currently they do not grow enough food to feed the student’s lunch everyday and if the school does not feed students, many do not eat a good lunch because families do not have enough food either.
My sister visited our site in May-June. She helped me work with the primary school leaders to draft a proposal for a partnership grant to build teacher housing. I hope to submit this proposal and have it approved by January so that Americans can donate funds for teacher housing. Currently the school has 13 teachers, but many have to travel a long distance to teach and then return home every night. This has really hurt the students learning, as the teachers are stretched beyond reason both physically and mentally.
John and I finished our first school term May 30th. Form I and Form III students went home and will return July 12th. Form II and Form IV students remained at school for three additional weeks to attend classes for further tutoring. These two Forms take the national exams in October which determine if they will be able to continue their education. If they do not pass or pass with low scores, the Form II and IV students have to repeat or find another school. Of course often this means school fees that the family cannot afford. SO… continuing classes and studying during the school holidays is an assumed necessity. Many teachers are hired to continue teaching during holidays.
John and I went on holiday with my sister Barb! We first went to Morgoro to visit our Tanzania family that we lived with during training. This was wonderful as it did seem like returning home to see our family, without having to go to school! After four days we traveled by bus to a beach area by Pangani. We had four days of swimming, snorkeling to see a coral reef, and paddling a kayak up to see the mangrove forest. After 5 days back at site, meeting with two schools to design a girl’s workshop on life skills training, we went on Safari through Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorngoro.
We feel very refreshed and I have a long list of new birds seen which I can boast about!
Got to go! More later….
Randee
I know it has been a long time since an update. We have had busy days with writing exams, correcting exams, and writing end of term reports. In addition, we have had bad luck with electricity, such that the days we go to town there is no internet. The computer that we were able to get internet at school sometimes died.
Good to be back to writing a blog update!
Since I wrote last we had Peter Jensen the PC biointensive gardening consultant come to our site. He worked with students, teachers, and school shamba workers to look at the current gardening techniques, consider spots to construct a demonstration garden for the schools and to teach some basic techniques for composting and for planting in beds that are double-dug to allow more food to grow in a smaller area. The reason these are important at our site and for many Tanzanians is that the good soil is at the bottom of the mountain in the valleys but many people plant both the valley and the steep slopes. The steep slope planting further erodes the soil, so there is less food and also a great loss of trees. The idea is to get more food from the low lands and plant trees on the slopes that are better at holding the soil and creating habitat for wildlife, and good for the ecosystem as a whole.
Students built two compost piles by my garden, 1x1x1 meter using brown and green plant material and then cow manure and water. I have turned these piles once after three weeks and already it is starting to look like rich soil.
Peter sculptured four matutas (beds) with water meandering from my sink outlet then around the beds. So, even on the dry days, my garden gets watered. Two village farmers came one day to help me finish double digging these beds, add manure to the lower soil, and plant French beans, potatoes, leeks, carrots, and nasturtium. I added a few smaller matembele mounds around a papaya tree. Last week I had our local carpenter make a garden bench that will seat three-four. When he delivered the bench we all sat and had sodas, enjoying the comfort of the bench (with a back rest!).
Peter is returning in September to work again with the community to build a demonstration garden. The primary school next to the secondary school where we teach can use this garden for students to learn biointensive techniques and to grow more food for school lunches. We have been told by the headmaster that currently they do not grow enough food to feed the student’s lunch everyday and if the school does not feed students, many do not eat a good lunch because families do not have enough food either.
My sister visited our site in May-June. She helped me work with the primary school leaders to draft a proposal for a partnership grant to build teacher housing. I hope to submit this proposal and have it approved by January so that Americans can donate funds for teacher housing. Currently the school has 13 teachers, but many have to travel a long distance to teach and then return home every night. This has really hurt the students learning, as the teachers are stretched beyond reason both physically and mentally.
John and I finished our first school term May 30th. Form I and Form III students went home and will return July 12th. Form II and Form IV students remained at school for three additional weeks to attend classes for further tutoring. These two Forms take the national exams in October which determine if they will be able to continue their education. If they do not pass or pass with low scores, the Form II and IV students have to repeat or find another school. Of course often this means school fees that the family cannot afford. SO… continuing classes and studying during the school holidays is an assumed necessity. Many teachers are hired to continue teaching during holidays.
John and I went on holiday with my sister Barb! We first went to Morgoro to visit our Tanzania family that we lived with during training. This was wonderful as it did seem like returning home to see our family, without having to go to school! After four days we traveled by bus to a beach area by Pangani. We had four days of swimming, snorkeling to see a coral reef, and paddling a kayak up to see the mangrove forest. After 5 days back at site, meeting with two schools to design a girl’s workshop on life skills training, we went on Safari through Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorngoro.
We feel very refreshed and I have a long list of new birds seen which I can boast about!
Got to go! More later….
Randee
