Village Africa Fundraising Event

24th October 2008, 19.30 til midnight. The Barbican Centre, London

TO ORDER TICKETS PLEASE EMAIL: christina_lh@hotmail.com

Carillion plc has nominated Village Africa to be its charity during its Sustainability Week starting on 2 June. Two hundred employees working on Channel Tunnel rail repairs will be collecting items for the villagers of Yamba and Milingano. This follows the visit in April by Alistair Geddes who gave seminars to local builders and villagers maintaining and extending the steep road to Yamba's health post.

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RAF paramedic, Fiona Inge, joined Village Africa. She will give first aid seminars to Village Africa's ambulance drivers, health post staff and villagers in Milingano and Yamba. Also in consultation with Village Africa's African nurses, Fiona will give training on how to keep babies healthy. Large seminars will be followed by demonstrations with small groups. Children often carry their siblings on their backs so training for pupils in first aid and childcare will be included.

Father Stanislaus Baruti, co-founder and co-leader of Village Africa, visited the UK and met Village Africa's Directors for the first time.

Three building volunteers joined the project: Tahmour Afzal, Giles Fleming and Will Flood. They are working alongside Village Africa's African building team to build a secure store for the motorbike which is Village Africa's backup vehicle. The store can also be used to keep equipment, supplies and donated goods until the weather is dry enough to carry them up the steep mountain. A room for the garage watchman to shelter plus a bathroom and toilet will also be included. Tahmour is also giving IT lessons to Village Africa staff and Giles and Will are helping to computerise Village Africa's accounts.

Project Leader, Caroline Johnston, has been invited to meet the MP (for Lushoto). She will be accompanied by the diwani (local councillors) for Milingano and Makanya.

Village Africa's four wheel drive vehicle transported a number of critically ill patients to hospital including patients with burns, a swollen gall bladder, child delivery difficulties and malaria.

Village Africa bought 20 hard hats for villagers to use when maintaining and extending the access road to Yamba and Village Africa's health post.

Washing lines and pegs were given to all members of the Village Africa knitting group. These will help them to keep their newly-made sweaters in good condition. Villagers usually dry their clothes on bushes and the thorns often snag the fabrics.

Yamba Primary School welcomed five teaching volunteers: Carol Gee (from Australia), Sibyl Batey, Tom Dickin, Miranda Naish and Victoria Wilson from the UK.

Milingano Primary School welcomed four teaching volunteers: Roseanna Agnew, India Corbin, Flora Duguid and Eleanor Porritt from the UK.

Village Africa introduced villages to Medicine Education Africa, a UK charity. MEA trains village health workers and provides medicine free of charge on an on-going basis. It invited eight villages or subvillages recommended by Village Africa to apply to join its scheme.

Seriously ill patients were taken to hospital by Village Africa. These included patients suffering from asthma, TB and malaria.

Goods sent by Village Africa supporters in the container despatched in Dec 07 by the UK charity Hereford Link were received in Muheza and safely transported to Yamba.

Village Africa Housekeeper, Jois from Milingano is expecting her first child in July.

Alistair Geddes, a civil engineer from the UK, gave seminars on health and safety in the construction industry.

More than sixty villagers, both men and women, attended the seminar designed for those maintaining and extending the 3km access road to Yamba.

The villagers have identified the road extension as their greatest need. They need to get seriously ill patients to hospital as soon as possible. They have spent two years digging and removing boulders but now need professional help to proceed. A surveyor is urgently needed to advise on the best route round a mountain pass. A volunteer with professional skills and the necessary equipment is greatly needed.

     

Photos: Digging the Road

The second seminar was aimed at Village Africa's building team. It was attended by the builders, carpenters and site managers. Others interested in building were welcome to attend and did so. Villagers build their own houses.

Alistair kindly presented safety goggles, builders' pencils and a football.

Donations of other safety equipment would be most welcome: hard hats, goggles, boots, gloves and overalls. Many villagers have no shoes.

English lessons were started for Village Africa's African nurses.  They requested these to better understand medical books, pamphlets, posters and medicine packaging and instructions which are usually printed in English. They are also keen to communicate with volunteers, especially medical volunteers. Currently a translator is used when medical volunteers are assisting but the nurses would like to have more informal relationships too.

Village Africa's overseas volunteers have started employing a local to give them Kiswahili lessons so that they can better integrate into the community. The tutor wanted to become a school teacher but had to drop out of secondary school due to lack of school fees. He is determined that his own children should get a good education. Volunteers are also employing villagers as guides to show them the spectacular viewpoints which take in Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro. They point out flora and fauna including dikdik and rock hyrax.

An Easter fayre was held for Yamba Primary School pupils. They took part in many activities including a 'paper' Easter egg hunt. (There are no chocolates or fridges in Yamba!) The children and local teachers particularly enjoyed making pop-up Easter cards.

The African building team at Village Africa requested English lessons so that they can communicate better with overseas building volunteers. The lessons are being taught twice a week by Village Africa's translator, Salome. She comes from Lushoto and is a trained teacher.

Over the past three months, Village Africa has transported a large number of seriously ill patients to hospital. Many lives have been saved.

The leader for Yamba recognises that the number of deaths has dropped due to both Village Africa's health post and the emergency transport that has been given to serious cases.

Due to the long distance to a big hospital and the very rough terrain, the costs of diesel and car maintenance are extremely high. The special heavy duty tyres used cost 200 pounds each and need to be changed every few months.

Donations are needed so that Village Africa can help the villagers at such times of great distress.

A knitting seminar was held to discuss the considerable progress made in knitting and the way forward. Many women have knitted hats, sweaters, trousers and socks for their children. One lady has opened a wool shop and others have sold garments. At this seminar a knitting committee was formed and the idea of a cooperative is under discussion. Donations of wool and knitting, crochet and darning needles are welcome, especially as many women have no cash income to buy such items.

Photo: Volunteer Tina with knitting group holding a friendship blanket

Photo: Proud mother showing off the new clothes she has knitted for her children
 

Lydia McCormack and Tim Ryan from Dublin joined Village Africa for a month. They were due to work in an AIDS orphanage in Kenya but were unable to go there due to the unrest in the country. Instead they volunteered at Village Africa in neighbouring Tanzania and did a range of activities including building work, tree planting, road digging, teaching in the kindergarten and inputting health post data. Their geography talk on Ireland involved Tim dressed up as St Patrick wearing a long beard. The other volunteers soon learnt that Tim was very partial to chapatis!

Emma Southey joined Village Africa for six weeks as a building volunteer. One of her tasks was to help renovate four school toilets in Yamba Primary School. Emma hopes to study building design at university when she returns to the UK.

Anthony Hoffman and Andrew Hoffman joined as the first volunteers from Canada. One of their many tasks was to make hundreds of bricks for the renovation of the kindergarten at Yamba Primary School. Fundraising for the renovation is still under way and contributions are most welcome. The overall cost to repair the two kindergarten classrooms is 3000 pounds.

The brothers' geography talk on Canada was warmly appreciated by the pupils, especially the free samples of maple syrup!

Roseanne Benn and Roger Fieldhouse, retired lecturers from the University of Exeter, visited Tanzania as Village Africa's first fundraising volunteers. They researched the project by interviewing a cross section of villagers. They intend to use their findings in applications for funds to grant-making bodies. Village Africa is now a registered charity.

Kids Helping Kids, an American charity, formed a partnership with Village Africa. Kids Helping Kids (called 'Tiwoshe' in Tanzania) works in the Lushoto area of the Tanga Region. Three of its Directors (Salie and Ray Rossen from the US and Fr Baruti from Tanzania) visited Yamba and agreed a collaboration. Fr Baruti is also one of Village Africa's founders. www.kidshelpingkidsafrica.org 

Christina Holden joined Village Africa as its first medical volunteer. Christina, a nurse from Great Ormond Street in London, played an advisory role. She made recommendations about Village Africa's Health Post and its procedures, equipment and stock of medicine. She identified equipment needs; donations towards these would be appreciated.

Christina also held seminars on HIV/AIDS and malaria - the two big threats to villagers. These seminars were carefully planned and delivered in conjunction with Village Africa's African nurses and others interested in health care.

An HIV/AIDS Prevention committee was formed for Yamba. Its aim is to disseminate up-to-date information, encourage testing and offer practical support to HIV/AIDS sufferers. HIV/AIDS information in either Kiswahili or English is needed.

Photo: Christina with mosquito nets for malaria seminar

Baby Caroline Makihiyo was born to Paulo and Renatha Mbiu. The baby is named after Village Africa's Project Leader and combines her western and African names! Paulo works as a builder for Village Africa and is the son of Mzee Jango'fua, Village Africa's most senior watchman.

Kelly Cribbens and Michelle Warner Borrow joined Village Africa's teaching programme in its third academic year. Both are teaching English in Yamba Primary School.

They have also been involved in many extracurricular activities. In particular they have taught tag rugby to pupils and adults alike - the mothers play with their babies on their backs!

Kelly has worked with the local teachers to establish a lending library for the pupils. More story and picture books aimed at beginners would be useful.

Tina Freeman returned to Yamba for her second time as a volunteer. She is teaching Std II English in Yamba Primary School, computer skills to Village Africa's staff and knitting and crochet.

The knitting group which started with 14 pairs of knitting needles has expanded to 70 members. The members were so delighted to see Tina
return that they presented her with a goat dressed in a sweater - a most generous and witty gift!

Congratulations to Edmund Senkunde who has passed his driving test and has been promoted to Village Africa's Driver/Site Manager. A big thank you to donors who made this training course possible. Village Africa now has two drivers which allows 24 hour cover.

The Village Africa team is pleased to announce that Village Africa is now officially registered with the Charity Commission.  Registered Charity Number 1122410.

Edmund Senkunde, Village Africa's first member of staff, is being trained as a driver.  He is doing a VETA (Vocational Education and Training Authority) course in Tanga.  He will become Village Africa's Site Manager/Second Driver. Village Africa is committed to training and developing the Tanzanian staff as much as possible.

Baby Peter was born to Mama Ade (Nurse/Laboratory Technician) and John Samweli (Driver) on 29 Dec.  It is called Baby Peter after the father of Village Africa's project leader (Caroline Johnston).  The baby was born at Tumaini Hospital in Tanga.

A container was despatched for Tanzania on 8 December.  It contains many donations for Village Africa and is expected to take two months to reach Tanga.

Village Africa is now advertising for a wide range of volunteers from the following categories: teaching (primary and secondary education), building, administration, journalism, photography, marketing, research, nursing, first aid, cookery, knitting and crafts, pottery teaching, environmental consultancy and advanced driving instruction.  For details see www.thepodsite.co.uk

  

Nurse Hilda Shemzigwa was appointed as maternity cover at Village Africa's health post.  Mama Ade (Nurse/Laboratory Technician) and John Samweli (Driver) are expecting their fourth child on 8 Jan 08.

Photo: Hilda with UK Nurse Christina Holden

Village Africa's Environment Committee, with the help of the local schoolchildren, has gathered 700 timber tree shoots and planted them in the tree nursery.  The seedlings will be transplanted to land owned by Village Africa.

Village Africa took a number of patients to hospital including a woman with cracked ribs, a man with a chest complaint and a woman with cerebral malaria.   The car was also sent to Makanya (a neighbouring village) to collect a 14 year secondary school boy with malaria but unfortunately he had passed away before the car reached him.

Sixteen children have been registered for school following a seminar held by Village Africa.  Volunteers realised that children living a long distance from school were not registered. The day after the meeting with village elders from Kwembalazi and Mweni, the children were enrolled.  It takes 75 minutes to walk to school from Kwembalazi and 3 hours from Mweni. 

The Kwembalazi villagers are making a shortcut to school.

As usual, Village Africa will give donations (e.g. clothing and jewellery), when available, to local volunteers.

Roy Gee (affectionately known as Babu Roy) has returned to Tanzania for 3 weeks.  Roy was a volunteer teacher in Yamba from Sept - Dec 07 - one of the 'pioneers'.  He is the second volunteer to return to Village Africa within twelve months of leaving the project.

The villagers of Makanya have started to dig a road to their village and have promised to help Yamba to extend its road up to Village Africa's health post.

David Elms, the first building volunteer, worked in Yamba Primary School laying floors in Std II and III classrooms and renovating the old school toilets.  He also helped with the final stages of Village Africa's health post renovation.

 

 

John Shekumba, Assistant Director, returned to work after an extended sick leave.

Simon Faulkner visited Village Africa as its first photography volunteer.  Working from a brief drawn up by previous marketing volunteers, he took over two thousand photographs in Yamba and Milingano.  He was stunned by the beauty of the area and the warmth of the people.

Baby Allison - The Village Chairman has named his new baby girl after Allison Yearsley, one of Village Africa's first teaching volunteers.

 

Photos: Baby Allison and her father, Chairman of the Village

Baby Doug - Edmundi Maiko, Village Africa's day watchman at Mzizma (the volunteer house) has named his new baby boy after Doug Brazenall, a teaching volunteer.  It is the custom to name babies after visitors in order to remember their visit.

Photo: Baby Doug

Yamba villagers have formed an environment committee.  It will work with Village Africa to raise awareness on environmental issues especially as they relate to health.  Local volunteers will work with Village Africa to plant trees.  Timber is in short supply in Yamba and particularly Milingano and yet much is needed for school toilet doors, desks etc.

The road to Yamba is being extended by hundreds of volunteers from the village.  This will allow vehicular access to the centre of the village.

Patients being rushed to hospital will no longer have to be carried on a stretcher down a steep mountain pass.  Pregnant women with labour complications will have a better chance of a safe delivery.  The road extension is expected to take 1 - 3 years to complete.

Village Africa has bought six shovels to assist the villagers.  It is also distributing donations (eg secondhand clothing and jewellery) to encourage this local initiative.

Allison Yearsley and Alan Turk have agreed to be Directors of Village Africa.

Allison Yearsley, a primary school teacher, was one of Village Africa's 'pioneer' teaching volunteers from Sept 06 - Mar 07 and returned in Aug 07 during her own school holidays. Alan Turk is a retired software engineer and now runs the UK office on a voluntary basis.

Village Africa's teaching programme is now in its second year.  Kate Drew and Melanie Hurt are teaching in Milingano Primary School and Doug and Moe Brazenall are teaching in Yamba Primary School.  Besides teaching English, they are organising a number of extra curricular activities including dance, football and jewellery making.

 

 

More than 500 gifts have been distributed to local volunteers over the past three weeks.  A distribution team, drawn from different parts of the community, undertook this task.  Volunteers range from 4 - 80 years old depending on the work.  Duties included digging the road, clearing fallen trees, widening paths, carrying heavy items up the steep mountain and washing the car!

There were 3 emergency trips to hospital this month: an elderly woman with malaria; a young man with a leg injury and a five year old girl with a high fever and unable to eat.  Village Africa hopes all will make a full recovery. 

The diesel for each trip costs 25 pounds.  It is a 5 hour walk from Yamba to the nearest bus or a 2 day walk to the hospital in Korogwe.

Yanika Hennig visited Village Africa to see progress.  Yani is reading environmental studies at York University and is a friend of Fr Baruti.  Yani said "I really had a fantastic time and the best welcome of my life".

Elders of Yamba threw a party to celebrate the developments that have taken place since Village Africa started 18 months ago.  A traditional party consisting of singing, drumming and dancing took place and Village Africa was proudly presented with two goats, four chickens, eggs, sugar cane and other crops.  One goat was given to the
new volunteers and the other to Caroline Johnston (the project leader) to celebrate her birthday.  Birthdays are not usually marked in Tanzanian villages.

Village Africa was the guest of honour at Kwemisambia Primary School standard VII graduation.  Kwemisambia lies in a remote setting between Milingano and Korogwe.  The
villagers have spent 7 years completing a road and Village Africa's car was the second to pass!  The MP's car was the first.  In her speech Caroline Johnston encouraged lifelong
learning.  She was presented with a large chair made of goat skin.

Four book cupboards have been given to Yamba Primary School by Village Africa.  These are to store local textbooks and English story books kindly sent from the UK.   They will protect the books from rats.  The cupboards have been made and beautifully decorated by carpenters from three villages in the West Usambaras: Milingano, Gare and Mhanko.

Dry timbers have been purchased to make book cupboards for Milingano Primary School and the new secondary school in Milingano called Mibukwe Secondary School.

Mzee Jango'fua is recovering well from a gall bladder stone operation that took place at Teule Hospital in Muheza.  Jango'fua has been Village Africa's watchman since July 06.  Village Africa pays for medical treatment for all its permanent staff, thanks to the kind generosity of its donors.

Yamba Village Health Post is being renovated.  A warm waiting area will be added to make patients and staff more comfortable.  The Uncle's House - kindly lent by local elder Mzee Petro - is being used at the temporary health post.

www.safarinet.talk features an interview with Village Africa's co-founder Caroline Johnston, known locally as Makihiyo ('our mother').

http://safaritalk.net/index.php?showtopic=1051

Skynet, the international courier company, has offered a special deal for donors wishing to send gifts (e.g. warm clothing) to Village Africa.  Skynet has offices in many countries.

The owners and employees of Skynet have already been very kind by regularly sending gifts themselves.  The gifts have been greatly appreciated by the hardworking villagers.

For details of the Skynet offer, please contact villageafrica@hotmail.com

High ranking government officials welcomed Village Africa's project leader in Tanzania , Caroline Johnston.  The District Commissioner in Lushoto and her officers wished to learn more about the project.  The DC gave the Government's warm thanks for all the hard work of the project staff and volunteers and for the generosity of all its overseas donors.  The meeting on 31 August was followed by a visit by the DC to Milingano the following day.

Village Africa was invited to attend Tanga Rotary Club to introduce itself.  Following a short talk about the project, the President promised to visit to see progress.

New blankets were given to the ten people in Yamba who have reached 80 years and above.  The weather in Yamba is now very cold, wet and muddy so they were very much appreciated.

Baby Mark - The headteacher of Milingano Primary School has named his new son after Mark Shaw who visited the project at Christmas.  Mark is the partner of Allison Yearsley one of our 'pioneer' teaching volunteers.  The headteacher now has four children.

Vocabulary books and pens were given to pupils in the brand new secondary school in Milingano, which opened in March.  This follows the successful introduction of such books into Yamba and Milingano Primary Schools.

Baby Tina (named after volunteer Tina Freeman) has recovered from yellow fever and is healthy.

Allison Yearsley, one of Village Africa's first volunteers, returns to teach in Milingano Primary School during her own English school holidays.  Allison continues to work with the African teaching staff to strengthen the behavioural policy drawn up by local teachers in consultation with Village Africa teaching volunteers.

More than 1000 tasks have been undertaken by local volunteers in Yamba since the start of this year. Village Africa staff are currently sorting all the donations received from the UK container, Skynet, Tanzanian shopkeepers and other sources to distribute to these volunteers.

A small children's football practice area has been created by the villagers in Yamba.  It is in the hamlet known as Kitunda. This follows the earlier purchase of land and creation of a football pitch by Village Africa. All want to get in on the action and 'make the team'.

Leather footballs and football strips are most welcome to encourage these players.

Village Africa has taken a number of patients to hospital in emergency situations - a mother who had given birth and needed blood, a man who needed stitches on his eyelid, a child with malaria and bilharzia, a mother who had given birth and became blind for a few days, and a child with malaria.  All have fully recovered and have returned home except the last child who unfortunately died in hospital.  It costs 25 pounds to take patients to the nearest hospital.  It takes two and a half hours by car or two days to walk there.

Alan Turk has taken over the running of the UK office.  Jenni Wilson has stepped down to spend more time with her two daughters but will continue as webmaster and Director. Alan Turk is a retired Software Engineer.

The container sent from the UK has safely arrived in Tanga and 73 boxes are being transported to Yamba and Milingano.  Many thanks to all who donated, collected, packed and paid shipping on the following items: clothes, shoes, books, stationery, toys, games, walking sticks, crutches, sewing machines, typewriters, tools, spectacles and sleeping bags.

The expedition from Godolphin School, led by POD (Personal Overseas Development) was a great success.  Fourteen sixth form girls, two teachers and the group leader made a big impact when they arrived in Yamba.  Their packed itinerary included - a traditional welcome, cultural, health and safety and teacher training, a tour of health post and village, a church service, home visits, teaching - 5 mornings in Yamba Primary School, a children's party, a sports day, a knitting lesson, hairbraiding, crafts shopping and a lively goodbye party.

An extra set of textbooks was bought for Yamba Primary School to help the pupils with their studies.  It came complete with Teacher's Guide.

Christine Young and Silke Buhr join Village Africa as marketing volunteers.  Christine from Scotland and Silke from Germany (living in Rome) will visit Yamba and Milingano before drawing up a marketing policy.  Christine from Scottish Widows and Silke from the UN Food Programme have both offered to continue assisting Village Africa when they return to Europe.

Village Africa celebrates.  Birthday big meal for school children a great success!

"washing hands before meal"

"children with their food"

"happy child"

"gifts of shoes/flip flops (yebo yebos) given to every pupil"

 

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