Sabotage

It always rains like crazy in April in Tanzania. We had postponed a few training sessions due to the weather condition but decided to give it a try this past weekend as the farming season is looming and we need to teach new tenchniques to farmers prior to that.

Despite having malaria, Moses went back to Mbulu which is the main town about 1 hour from Haysali. The plan was to have a training session in Kainam in the morning and another in Haysali in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it was pouring the whole day. He was stuck in town because taxis were unable to make it to the village through the slippery slopes. Finally, he convinced a motorcyclist to take him there in the rain. By then, it was already too late for the training in Kainam so he went straight to Haysali only to find out that village chairman never annonced the date of the meeting to the villagers.

It is now clear to us that the chairman was not cooperating with us. In fact, we suspect that he is trying to sabotage our efforts because I refused to give in to his demand for free dairy cows. We had also been training the villagers to form groups and elect group leaders so they can help each other out with the project when we are not around. This would potentially weaken the chairman's clout in the village so I believe he is trying to prevent us from having the important election.

This problem is not unique to Haysali. It's a relfection of the Tanzanian society where the officials' corruption and greed prevent progress in the community. They put their own priorities above the interest of their people. We know that the villagers are eager to get training for new techniques so I am determined to make it happen. If we don't, then we have changed nothing and we won't make a difference in their lives.

Moses was discouraged and felt defeated, but I assured him that we will overcome the problems. I already have a few ideas for getting around the chairman and will reach out to other partners in the area.

If the farmers need us, then we shall return!

Walking Closet

The town I stayed was only 20 minutes from Arusha which is one of the main cities in Tanzania. Many of the non-profit organizations, such as United Nations and World Vision, and tour operators have their offices here. Overall, the living standard here is much better than the rest of the country. The pleasant weather and good rainfall also help.

People here are quite entrepreneural. Many who cannot afford to open their own stores would walk around with their merchandise on them, literally. So you see mobile stores everywhere - women with fruits on their heads, men with candies in wooden boxes in their hands, even those with goods hanging all over their bodies to maximize the "store real estate". I couldn't resist it when I saw a man carrying clothing with hangers over his head, arms and chest so I named him the "Walking Closet".