Set Back
Moses and I went back to the Mbulu region this weekend. I was excited about giving our first traning for the farmers in Haysali. The plan was to teach them composting which utilizes resources they already have in the maize field. This should increase land fertility and reduce water usage. If they follow through, they should be able to have some vegetables in 2 months to relieve the food shortage issue.
We squeezed into the Land Cruiser along with 12 other passengers as last time. It cut through the mountains so we could get to the region quickly. As soon as we dropped off our luggage at the guest house, we hopped on a car and were on our way to Haysali. I asked the driver to stop by Kainam before our final destination, hoping to find the village leader so we could include their farmers in our next training. Kainam is probably in worse shape than Haysali since it gets less rainfall. For the second time, we missed the village leader.
Our next stop was the family in Kainam who just lost the grandfather. We were finally able to meet with the son who is the only one in the family who speaks Swahili. We wanted to know more about his farming techniques and family situation to figure out how to help him. He said he couldn't attend our meeting today because he needed to go to the mill to grind the maize (probably the one that dropped off last time). It's hard to expect a farmer to think long term when his family is starving.
Just as we were finishing our discussion, the rain started pouring on us. The driver suggested that we turned back because of the road condition. I didn't want to give up and urged them to continue on with the hope that the rain would stop soon. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was too dangerous for us to go up into the mountains in the rain. The engine stopped as we tried to make our way up. The driver stuck his head out so we could steer the car in reverse to back up. He was soaking wet by the time we turned the car around. A few minutes later, we ran into a slippery slope. This time, the car skid downward and sideway until it hit a small sand dune. We decided to leave a message with the family in Kainam and asked him to deliver it to the leader in Haysali.
I was disappointed that the training didn't take place as planned but was glad that the farmers were finally getting much needed rain. It's been almost a month since the one-day rain a month ago.
I also heard that the government was doing food rationing this weekend. It's free for the most poor and 50 Tanzanian Schillings or US 50 cents for the others. Some villagers slipped and struggled to walk home with the maize the rain avalanched down the road. Although it's a one-time food program, it couldn't have come at a better time as most farmers are already running out of food. The effort was delayed by the rain but I am sure will resume again as soon as the rain stops.
From Tanzania, Africa
We squeezed into the Land Cruiser along with 12 other passengers as last time. It cut through the mountains so we could get to the region quickly. As soon as we dropped off our luggage at the guest house, we hopped on a car and were on our way to Haysali. I asked the driver to stop by Kainam before our final destination, hoping to find the village leader so we could include their farmers in our next training. Kainam is probably in worse shape than Haysali since it gets less rainfall. For the second time, we missed the village leader.
Our next stop was the family in Kainam who just lost the grandfather. We were finally able to meet with the son who is the only one in the family who speaks Swahili. We wanted to know more about his farming techniques and family situation to figure out how to help him. He said he couldn't attend our meeting today because he needed to go to the mill to grind the maize (probably the one that dropped off last time). It's hard to expect a farmer to think long term when his family is starving.
Just as we were finishing our discussion, the rain started pouring on us. The driver suggested that we turned back because of the road condition. I didn't want to give up and urged them to continue on with the hope that the rain would stop soon. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was too dangerous for us to go up into the mountains in the rain. The engine stopped as we tried to make our way up. The driver stuck his head out so we could steer the car in reverse to back up. He was soaking wet by the time we turned the car around. A few minutes later, we ran into a slippery slope. This time, the car skid downward and sideway until it hit a small sand dune. We decided to leave a message with the family in Kainam and asked him to deliver it to the leader in Haysali.
I was disappointed that the training didn't take place as planned but was glad that the farmers were finally getting much needed rain. It's been almost a month since the one-day rain a month ago.
I also heard that the government was doing food rationing this weekend. It's free for the most poor and 50 Tanzanian Schillings or US 50 cents for the others. Some villagers slipped and struggled to walk home with the maize the rain avalanched down the road. Although it's a one-time food program, it couldn't have come at a better time as most farmers are already running out of food. The effort was delayed by the rain but I am sure will resume again as soon as the rain stops.
From Tanzania, Africa
posted by Nancy at 5:18 AM
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