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A Path breaking AGM confirms new direction for BTS Two years ago we took a decision that BTS would in the future work much more with the Diaspora in this country. Our AGM this year (see page 2) ended with Tanzanians forming a majority of our management committee.
They are also assisting with the time-consuming tasks of running a friendly society with 800 members and no paid staff. So we have a Tanzanian Vice-Chair (Petronilla Mlowe), Treasurer (Gabriel Mgambwa) and Website Manager (Alex Paurine). Welcome to you all! Tanzanians are influencing how we use new technology – with innovative uses of social media, live streaming of meetings, even sometimes “attendance” by Skype (though we are still working out how to make that effective). They are influencing the topics we choose for our seminars – with recent seminars on how to import agricultural products from Africa to the EU, led by our Vice Chair Petronilla Mlowe, or Modern Swahili Poems, run jointly with the Swahili Department at SOAS, where most of the
preparatory work was done by another new member of the committee, Ida Hadjivayanis.
We are supporting TUHEDA, a new organisation of Tanzanian medical professionals in this country who want to support medical work in Tanzania.
We held our AGM in a London church which hosts a service in Kiswahili every month. And we are seeking to work jointly with the 14 “diaspora organisations” around the UK. We hope that this will lead to interesting social events and films, not just traditional meetings.
Meanwhile our grant-giving Tanzania Development Trust is also looking to give more responsibility to Tanzanians. We have recently welcomed Joe Warioba on the TDT committee. Joe, who is an accountant, will work alongside Robert Gibson in handling our account management, allowing
Robert to spend more time on liaison with donors and broader financial issues. We are lucky that a former TDT Treasurer, Danny Mwansandube, is
now resident in Dar es Salaam and can give us often profound advice.
A few years ago TDT started appointing “resident representatives”, Tanzanians who live locally and visit projects which apply for funds, or are being implemented. Now we are working out how to give our Resident Representatives more influence in the decisions we make about which projects to fund, and how.
We will not lose our links with the expatriate community in the UK, who were largely instrumental in creating BTS in the UK, or with the “Tanzanian Chapter” in Dar es Salaam. Our aim is to get the best of both worlds. In so doing, we hope that we will help those who have formerly lived or worked in Tanzania to keep in touch with the ever-changing situation in Tanzania, while also supporting the Diaspora and its organisations as they too endeavour to keep in touch.
Andrew Coulson Chair, December 2017
BTS NEWSLETTER
www.britaintanzaniasociety.co.uk www.tanzdevtrust.org
January 2018
Volume 16 Issue No1
AGM 28th October Speaker: Zawadi Machibya of BBC Swahili This was the best-attended AGM for many years, with over 50 people present including many Tanzanians. Willie Fulton stood down as Vice-Chair and was replaced by Petronilla Mlowe. Gabriel Mgambwa is our new Treasurer. Elizabeth Taylor stood down as Secretary but is staying on the committee, and was replaced by Tessa Most who already knows a number of BTS and TDT committee members. John Wood has agreed to maintain our database of members. Drs Hamza Mohamed and Gideon Mlawa have joined us to facilitate liaison with TUHEDA, the new organisation promoting medical work in Tanzania. Ida Hadjivianis will link us with the Swahili Department at SOAS – she specialises in translation, and among much else has translated Alice in Wonderland into Kiswahili. We were more than pleased when, after these changes had been approved, 5 people stood up and offered their services to the committee. We hope that this will give us a much improved administration, enable us to promote our events and other activities much more, but above all link us with a wide range of activities involving the Diaspora in the UK.
Willie Fulton was presented with a picture entitled ‘Feeding Time’ by the artist Omari Adam Ally. See photo far right. He thanked the committee for its support and promised to keep in touch.
The venue was stunning: St.Mary-at-Hill, Lovat Lane, London, one of the churches redesigned and rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the Fire of London in 1666. Many Tanzanians feel at home because it also hosts the Lutheran congregation which meets there for worship in English every week and in Kiswahili every month. We must give our apologies for some who had difficulty hearing. We promise to get the sound system working better next year.
Have you filled in the BTS survey? We have 114 responses, but we would like more. Several who filled it in found it refreshing and interesting!
Go to https://goo.gl/forms/cWxzT6AZrTUIAS7O2
You do not have to be a member. Anyone interested in Tanzania can use it to tell us about themselves and about what
they would like BTS to do.
Centre right, Ron Fenell, Honorary Vice
president talking to Andrew Coulson Chair
Page 2
BBC Swahili: “A Flagship for the Swahili Language” Zawadi Machibwa
The speaker at our AGM was Zawadi Machibwa, an experienced journalist who has worked
for the BBC Swahili Service for many years. BBC Swahili has broadcast to East Africa,
Democratic Republic Republic of Congo and other places where Swahili is spoken for more
than 60 years. It attracts 17-20 million listeners every week, while many others listen on
YouTube or contribute to its blogs on Facebook. Its TV channel was lauched five years ago.
It prides itself on its accuracy. In a world where “fake news” and unconfirmed gossip is
often reported, the BBC tries to get a controversial story cross-checked from three
separate sources before it uses it. The result is that listeners trust it, and believe what it
says.
BBC Swahili is keen to employ women and to discuss matters that are important for
women. 17% of those working in the media in East Africa are now women, and the numbers
are rising.
There is clearly scope for BTS to provide BBC Swahili with ideas and stories, and for at
least some of our members to contribute expertise to its programmes. Zawadi offered the
hope that her talk would be the start of a long and productive relationship.
PAST EVENTS: Tanzania APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) meeting Minerals and Mining sectors, 12th September, 2017, Houses of Parliament Jeremy Lefroy MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tanzania, chaired a most interesting meeting at the House of Commons. Coming five days after the parliamentary reports into the diamond and tanzanite mining industries had been presented to President Magufuli and the subsequent assassination attempt on the opposition MP, Tundu Lissu, this meeting proved to be very topical. The meeting was attended by representatives from Acacia Mining, Petra Diamonds, an assay company and AngloGold Ashanti as well as members of the diaspora. Dr Alex Paurine from South Bank University gave a very well considered presentation, setting out, as he saw it, the case for the Tanzanian government to improve their revenues from the mining industries. A representative of Acacia Mining pointed out that the £700million they are contributing to the Tanzanian economy every year in salary payments amounts to 2% of Tanzania’s GDP. A recent report by a leading firm of accountants shows that Tanzania offers the least potential for investors in the mining industry and the greatest risk. All parties found this to be a very worthwhile meeting, which the chairman described as being the best
meeting of this APPG so far. Report by Willie Fulton
Derek Ingram, now 92 and not able to get far from his home in London, sends Greetings and Best
Wishes to all his old friends and BTS members.
He is one of our last surviving founders - a journalist who got to know Nyerere, Joan Wicken,
Bishop Trevor Huddleston and many of the Tanzanians who led the campaign for Independence,
and joined them in creating BTS in 1975.
He is still very lively, and well looked after.
We send our Greetings and Best Wishes back to him.
Page 3
PAST SEMINARS
BTS Seminar October 12th 2017
Modern Swahili Poems - Ushairi wa Kiswahili wa Kisasa – a first for BTS
On 16 October last year , at a seminar held at SOAS, London, BTS introduced Modern Swahili Poetry to audiences in
Europe . The poems were published in the book Diwani ya Tunzo ya Ushairi ya Ibrahim Hussein, published in Dar es
Salaam by Mkuki na Nyota. They were selected from the entries submitted for the Ebrahim Hussein Prize for Swahili
Poetry established in 2014 using money left by the Canadian film-maker Gerald Belkin.
The friendship between Gerald (who sadly died in 2012) and Ebrahim dated from the early 1970s when Gerald was
planning to film life in selected but pioneering ujamaa villages in Singida and Tanga Regions [See last Newsletter
page 11 ]. Ebrahim, an enthusiast for the language and its poetry, and a canonical playwright and poet, was part of
his advisory and linguistic team, and they remained in touch whilst he took his PhD in East Berlin. Gerald’s films are
now being curated by the Bibliotèque Nationale in Paris and will be publicly available in a year’s time.
Ahmed Rajab, a London based journalist born in Zanzibar chaired the event and gave a brief introduction to the
modern development of Swahili poetry. The tradition of poetry writing and recital has very long roots in Swahili
culture, and is recorded as a feature of life in the great halls of Kilwa in the sixteenth century. Ebrahim Hussein,
whose family originates in Kilwa Kisiwani, is both an heir to this tradition and one of its leading modern exponents.
The first round of the Prize was awarded in 2014 and the second in 2016. The 2016 award and reading of the poems
was held at the National Museum in Dar. Ebrahim Hussein was present on both occasions. Ebrahim was not able to
be present at the SOAS event, but his teacher from the University of Dar es Salaam, the Swahili author Farouk Topan,
read one of the poems to an audience that included the renowned Swahili poet Abdilatif Abdalla and Gerald Belkin’s
daughter Aurore. Other poems from the selection were read by Salha Hamdani, Chege Githiora, Caitlin Clark,
Donovan McGrath and Ida Hadjivayanis.
After the reading, the audience were transported on to a great intellectual adventure in the form of a conversation
about mashairi ya kimapokeo and mashairi ya kisasa. This stems from a debate that consumed Swahili scholars from
around 1968 concerning the nature and meaning of Swahili poetry. There were those, including Abdilatif Abdalla
who defended the centuries old poetic canons of Swahili poetry. These were called traditionalists for their
preference of ‘mashairi ya kimapokeo’. And there were those who were seen as modernists, ‘mashairi ya kisasa’,
and wanted to break away from the established form.
Interestingly, the winner of the 2014 Diwani ya Tunzo ya Ushairi ya Ibrahim Hussein wrote using the modern free-
verse style, ‘kisasa’; but the majority of poets in the collection use the centuries’ old style.
At the end of the event, people called for more such gatherings. It was a great success.
Ida Hadjivayanis
Page 4
Here is one of the poems that was read aloud at the seminar on 16 October -
Tunda (Fruits) by Rashid Abdul Rai – from pages 5-6 and 198-9 of the book
Tunda 1. Tungalingali dhaifu, mtini twalipurura Bure tunalitilifu, kulivunjia ijara Hatuogopi latifu, angatupiga bakora Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 2. Iweje changa kwa nini, shambani uliropowe Liso na ladha kinywani, pakachani ushindie Mwenye shamba hakuoni humfikirii yeye Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 3. Kwetu halina faida, tunda changa ni la nini Bure tunalipa shida, na kujitia dhambini Siyo nzuri hi husuda, twalipoteza thamani Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 4. Kuliondoa mtini, matatizo twalitia Twajifanya hayawani, tusozijua sharia Mtiwe unatulani, huku ukijililia Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 5. Halifai kwa juisi, seuze tupu kulila Sukari siyo rahisi, kutolea ina hila Na iweje ulighasi, mtini lilipolala Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 6. Hata liwe komamanga, utajipatisha adha Tuelewe tunda change, mlaji hapati ladha Ni bure tutajizonga, na kutaka kujiponza Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 7. Tundatunda baadaye,litalotunifaisha Vipi tulishambuliye, hadhi kuliporomosha Vyema tulifikiriye, siyo kulibadhirisha Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 8. Ni kwa wingi duniani, tunda change laonewa Hatusubiri kwa nini, tunda change likapea Tunalikashifu kwani, siku hazijafikia Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 9. Tukitia hatiani, twona tumeonewa Kichanga cha kazi gani, kwa pupa kukibwakia Na kukitia tabuni, hadhiye ikapotea Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 10. Hii si tabia njema, nawasa walonayo Tunda change kulichuma, tuache mwenendo huo Tusiwe kama wanyama, tukaenda mwendo huo Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa. 11. Tunda natulihifadhi, litufae baadaye Sote tuwe roho radhi, liivapo tufwaye Tusije tukajiuzi, tukaikosa ladhaye Tutalichumaje tunda bila hata kukomaa.
Fruits 1. The fruit is still fragile, yet from the tree we pick it, We spoil it unnecessarily, and destroy its development, We do not fear God, who may decide to whip us, Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 2. Why do you harvest the farmer’s fledging fruit? It does not have a taste, but you keep eating it, The farm owner doesn’t spot you, and it’s not him you are thinking of, Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 3. It is so useless, what’s a young fruit for? We trouble it unnecessarily and commit sins, This greed is not good, we are devaluing the fruit, Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 4. When we pick the fruit we put it into trouble, We behave like animals, who don’t know the law, Its mother tree curses us as it weeps, Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 5. It is unfit for making juice or even for being fresh, Its sugar does not easily dissolve, Why do you have to mess with it in its sleeping habits, Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 6. Be it a pomegranate, you will give yourself stress, We should know an unripe fruit, to the devourer is tasteless, We bring unnecessary stress and ruin on ourselves. Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 7. It is a future fruit, which will benefit us, Why now attack it, and reduce its esteem? Let’s reflect well and not waste its value, Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 8. Everywhere on the planet the young fruit is oppressed, Why don’t we wait for it to mature? Why shame and abuse it before its prime? Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 9. When convicted we claim we are persecuted, For what do we pursue the unripe fruit relentlessly? And cause it to suffer and lose esteem? Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 10. This conduct is not good, I caution those who practice it, We should abandon the practice of harvesting young fruit Let’s not behave like brutes, Why are we harvesting an immature fruit? 11. Let’s conserve the young fruit for our future benefit, Let’s be content to wait until it ripens and becomes beneficial, Lest we deny ourselves the real good taste, Why are we harvesting an immature fruit?
Page 5
BTS Seminar November 20th 2017, Informal Housing in Dar es Salaam: A Tale of Many Cities
At Independence in 1961, Dar es Salaam was a sleepy little port and administrative centre. Today it is home to upwards of 5 million people, one of the fastest growing cities in the world, projected to reach 10 million in the 2030s and perhaps 20 million in the 2050s. It is a city of contrasts – skyscraper offices and luxury flats, luxurious detached houses in large plots, planned housing and commercial developments, but the majority of the people live in unplanned and overcrowded housing areas, increasingly distant from the original centre, and lacking piped water, solid waste collection and reliable drainage. The average income is higher than elsewhere in the country. But only a small fraction have jobs in the formal sector. Most have insecure, unreliable, and often minimal incomes. Many rooms in the poorer areas are individually let, and many families live in just one room. The Development Planning Unit, now part of the Bartlett School at University College London, have been sending masters students on study visits to Dar es Salaam for the last four years, where they have been hosted by local NGOs struggling to improve the conditions. Stephanie Butcher and Tim Wickson, the speakers at the Seminar on 20 November, have been part of this. The students met local people, and identified the challenges facing them and the NGOs who work with them. The housing team focussed on three contrasting locations. Kombo, in the Vingunguti area, is about three miles from the harbour, and very convenient for jobs and services. The area has been settled for many years, but liquid waste is a problem. Most houses use pit latrines, not good in a densely settled area. But CCI, the Centre for Community Initiatives, the
Dar es Salaam branch of the international Federation of Urban Poor, have a solution. Working with small local savings groups, for
£30 per house they can install drainage and flush toilets in a group of houses – though for many the water for the toilet will have to be lifted by hand to a tank on the roof. Suma, about the same distance out, is on the floodplain of the Msimbazi River, which flows out under Selander Bridge. In 2011 nearly all the houses were flooded, and the Government decided to demolish most of the remaining houses and move the residents to new settlements to be constructed 20 miles North. But this meant moving away from employment and friends. So many have returned, living where they can, often in lofts or roof spaces, or moving out each year in the rainy season. It is very hard to see a basis for long term improvement here. Chamazi is a rapidly growing “town”, about 12 miles South and a bit West of the Centre. Here CCI were able to access 30 acres, which they divided into plots of 144 m2 on which, for £2,000, a family can build its own four-room house to a standard design. They can take out a loan, and repay £25 per month over 7 years. It shows what can be done physically; but is there the financial discipline to make it work? Already there are problems collecting the repayments, and those who live this far out have to pay for bus fares to commute in to Dar es Salaam. The Jury is still out.
Meanwhile the practical problems of life in Dar es Salaam continue, and as yet there is little sign that the authorities are able to keep even one step ahead of the rapid expansion of the city. For more information on these schemes, in the first instance contact Stephanie Butcher [[email protected]] Or Tim Wickson [[email protected]]
Page 6
Tanzania Independence Day Celebrations
BTS Scotland - December 8th
On the 8th December there was a
BTS Scotland Dinner and Dance at
the Hibs Supporters Club, Sunnyside,
Edinburgh, to celebrate the 56th
anniversary of the Independence of
Tanzania mainland.
The guest of honour was Dr. Asha Rose Migiro (Tanzania High
Commissioner to the U.K). Over 70 people attended.
Watanzania Birmingham and Black Country - December 9th
More than 100 people attended the Independence Day celebration in
Birmingham. The event was opened by Renatus Mgetta, Chairman of
Watanzania Birmingham and Black Country, and Hassan Khalfan
Hamidu, Secretary General, who gave a talk about the significance of
Tanzanian Independence. Guests of honour were Dr Andrew Coulson
and Jackie Morgan of the Redditch-Mtwara One World Link. Excellent
music was provided by the Africa Jambo Band who travelled from
London.
Tanzania APPG Event, Houses of Parliament – December 12th
A reception to celebrate Uhuru Day
Tanzania Independence Day was marked at an event in Westminster organised by Jeremy Lefroy MP, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Tanzania, and for Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases. Tanzanian High Commissioner Dr Asha Rose Migiro highlighted public health issues facing Tanzania and thanked those present for their efforts to combat malaria and other neglected diseases. Jonathan Pace, TDT chairman explained how our charity operates and especially the contributions of our local representatives. Speakers from Novartis pharmaceuticals and MMV (Medicine for Malaria Venture) spoke about resistance to drugs used to treat malaria, and new therapies and drugs. There are promising results from trials using emergency injectable and suppository drugs which can be administered by health officers at local dispensaries and give the patient with severe malaria time to reach a major hospital. Professor Joanna Webster from Imperial College London presented a case on Bilharzia, or Schistosomiasis, which is showing some resistance to Praziquantel, the only effective drug available. There is a need for more public awareness and further research to better understand the parasite. The Diamond Jubilee Trust has a mission to combat Trachoma, an infectious cause of blindness and endemic in Tanzania and 16 other Commonwealth countries, which can be treated by antibiotics combined with better personal hygiene.
To conclude the event, Jeremy Lefroy wished all the speakers and participants a wonderful Christmas. The event closed with the Tanzania National Anthem led by Hon Ambassador Dr Asha Rose Migiro. Photo: Dr Hamza Mohamed, founder of TUHEDA and BTS committee member; Joe
Warioba, BTS and TDT committee member; Jonathan Pace, Chair of the Tanzania
Development Trust; Andrew Coulson, BTS Chair; Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, Tanzania
High Commissioner; Jeremy Lefroy MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group
for Tanzania; Petronilla Mlowe, BTS Vice-Chair; Salha Hadjivayanis; Peter Kaiza,
BTS Committee Member, George Hadjivayanis; Deo Kamahanda, Publisher, the East
African Magazine.
Page 7
MAPPING UPDATE
The first State of the Map Tanzania mapping conference On Friday 8
th December 177 people from all over Tanzania
and 10 other countries came together in Dar es Salaam for the very first State of the Map Tanzania 3 day mapping conference to learn about the value of maps and how to create maps of their communities. It was organised by Crowd2Map, in conjunction with Humanitarian OpenStreetMapTeam and Youthmappers.
Attendees learnt many new mapping skills at introductory and advance levels, learning how to create and print out maps of their villages and districts. There were also talks highlighting good practice in developing mapping communities throughout East Africa, discussion groups on many aspects of mapping and community involvement, and many chances to network.
The programme included talks on mapping to improve access to water, health, electricity, education, employment and the environment, plus practical workshops on the impact of maps and open data and how to create them.
The conference was featured on 2 Tanzanian TV stations, IVT and CGTN, and in the Daily News
Newspaper. Delegates included many of our TDT local reps and Neema, who works closely with Rhobi as a social worker, talked about the value of maps in the fight against FGM. This led to a heated discussion on whether FGM was a crime, and was featured in the media.
There was also a mapathon on Friday night, at which people from all around the world participated online.
The conference which took place in the Tanzania Data Lab at the University of Dar es Salaam was a great success and we are already planning State of the Map Tanzania 2018.
https://www.hotosm.org/updates/2017-12-13_the_first_state_of_the_map_tanzania_2017
Page 8
Gille Delaunais speaking to SMEs
during an environmental awareness
training session in Mtwara.
TDT News: VSO Small
Grants Scheme REPORT ON COMPLETION OF THE TWO RECYCLE BINS FOR PLASTIC BOTTLES AT VSO OFFICE VETA1 MTWARA COMPOUND The need for recycle bins as collection points for plastic bottles was identified by Environmental advisor Gille Delaunais from Canada who was volunteering in Mtwara in the Tanzania Local Enterprise Development project (TLED). TLED is working with SMEs in empowering them with knowledge and resources to access new markets and grow their businesses while considering the importance of conserving the environment.
As the environmental advisor, Gille’s role was to help SMEs comply with environmental good practices and regulations, international and national. Part of this was done through raising environmental awareness and training. She also helped the SMEs to link together to create an eco-friendly enterprise community and to improve the environment. The two recycle bins have been completed and placed in two points within the VETA compound. The launching of the metal bins was done on the 20th November, 2017 at VETA in the presence of VETA students, teachers, VSO volunteers and staff. The completion of the two recycle bins will significantly improve the VETA environment in terms of collection of plastic bottles. The bins will also ensure a constant supply of raw materials to the plastic bottles recycling enterprises in Mtwara and Dar es Salaam. VETA and the VSO community in Mtwara remains thankful to the Tanzania Development Trust for funding the project. 1VETA (Vocational Education and Training Authority) www.veta.go.tz
Marumba primary school new classrooms – Kevin Curley TDT Project Officer
Two new classrooms have been completed at Marumba village primary school in the forest about 80 km from Masasi, close to the Mozambique border, joint funded by TDT and Eucanaid. When I visited in January children were sitting patiently under trees waiting for their 'turn' to use a classroom. The new classrooms have resulted in two more teachers being posted to the school by the district council. We have also funded school toilets with water storage tanks. For the first time children can wash their hands after visiting the toilet.
Page 9
Butiama Safe House Opening
Ceremony
Girls and young women from the Butiama Safe House perform a song against gender based violence in Tanzania
Continuing Fight against FGM: News from Mara
Between 2014 and 2017, TDT worked with the Anglican Church of Tanzania of Mara to construct a
Safe House and Vocational Training Centre for girls fleeing FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) in
Mugumu.
Support from donors was overwhelming and the safe house opened in December 2014 with Rhobi
Samwelly, TDT local rep for Mara as its Director. In three cutting seasons over 500 girls were
prevented from being subjected against their will to FGM. But a new Bishop of Mara, appointed in
August 2016, had less interest in FGM than his predecessor and moved Rhobi and all her staff from
the Safe House in July 2017.
TDT is not at present sending money to the original safe
house, and in November the TDT trustees set up a Girls’
Rights Fund (GFR) to support projects that contribute to
the fight against FGM and the wider campaign against
forced early marriage and gender based violence (GBV)
anywhere in Tanzania. The first grant from this fund
enabled Rhobi and her team to shelter girls fleeing FGM in a
new safe house in Butiama and to keep them safe and cared
for until the end of the cutting season when the process of
reconciliation with their families can start, in conjunction
with local officials. In the 2017/18 cutting season they
sheltered 168 girls.
You can follow their progress on the Facebook page of
Rhobi’s new NGO, Hope for Girls Tanzania https://www.facebook.com/HopeForGirlsTZ/
and support the Girls’ Rights Fund through https://mydonate.bt.com/events/nofgmtanz/451816
Butiama Safe House Opening Ceremony In the photo below left, Rhobi Samwelly, the director of Hope for Girls and Women, speaks to the crowd at the opening
celebration. The photo on the
right shows Rev Canon Francis
Sender addressing the crowd.
Behind the table stands Titus J
Kamwaga (acting as District
Executive Director), Dickson
Mwandala (acting on behalf of
the District Commissioner), and
Major EP Mkama (head
commander of the Kiabakari
Tanzania People's Defence
Forces).
The banner reads: Celebration of 16 Days Fighting Gender Based Violence in the Year 2017
Rhobi on outreach visits to villages to stop people practising FGM and
Child Marriage
Page 10
In the Name of Your Daughter
In The Name of Your Daughter is a documentary film by the celebrated Canadian filmmaker Giselle
Portenier about Rhobi Samwelly and her work to support the most courageous girls in the world who are risking
their lives to run away from female genital mutilation and child marriage. There was a private showing for the film
crew in Arusha which Rhobi attended, to a standing ovation. The film was also shown in Mugumu, but
unfortunately the girls were not permitted to attend, and in Dar es Salaam. The situation at the Mugumu Safe
House is still unclear and we continue to work with officials at all levels to try to resolve the situation and
ensure the girls are safe. We expect the film to be shown on British and International TV later this year,
details to follow.
CHILD HELPLINE - PIGA 116 116 is a helpline number for children in Tanzania that works to prevent, protect and to educate children and adults about child abuse, children’s rights and their responsibilities. The helpline exists not only to receive cases of child abuse by
giving room for children to report about any abuse that has been done to him/her or to any
other child.
allowing children to talk freely about their daily life and obstacles that they face as children.
guiding children in matters that they cannot share with any other member in the family.
helping children to know and to adhere to their responsibilities as children.
but it also provides support to parents, caregivers and whoever calls on child-related matters, by providing them with advice, counselling and guidance for the wellbeing of their children through the phone.
Kumlea mtoto ni jukumu letu sote
For more information http://sematanzania.org/about-us/
Empowering illiterate rural women URIDU is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that empowers rural women in developing and emerging
countries. It was founded by Felicitas and Marcel Heyne.
URIDU believe that empowering illiterate rural
women is the key to eradicate poverty and hunger
in developing countries. But how can you
efficiently provide vital knowledge to remote areas
that have no electricity?
URIDU are tackling this challenge using solar-
powered MP3 Players
The rugged players contain more than 400 relevant
questions and answers about health, nutrition,
family planning, child care, income generating
activities and more. More than 10,000 volunteers
worldwide are currently working to translate the
contents into more than 100 languages.
http://www.uridu.org/
You can support URIDU by spreading the word – everybody should know about the smart
way to end poverty Page 11
Eradication of Lymphatic Filariasis – Report by Willie Fulton
At a recent AGM of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, it was reported that the School's
team worldwide is moving on to the final eradication phase of lymphatic filariasis (LF - or
elephantiasis). They are now actively looking for small clusters of the disease, which will most likely
be found in small remote rural communities near lakes and in coastal regions.
If anyone is travelling to Tanzania shortly, please could they enquire, when they are visiting
projects close to Lake Tanganyika or Lake Victoria - or down in Mtwara - if they are aware of
anyone or any community, which is still affected by LF.
Any cases should be reported to the National Institute for Medical Research, 2448 Barack Obama
Drive, 9653, Dar es Salaam T: +255 22 212 1400. Every district and regional hospital SHOULD have the
skills and medication to treat this disease. However, it is so common in some communities that it is
often thought to be untreatable.
African Palms – 53 years on
In the early 1960s, Trevor Huddleston, then Bishop of Masasi appointed Alan Talbot, a young priest to a parish in Masasi Diocese. Alan saw that the local people were making palm crosses and realised that these could be sold in the UK to help the local people. Today, over 53 years later, the
business is run by Alan and Shirley's son, John, and is still thriving. www.africanpalms.co.uk/ All the profits from the sale of palms go to the African Palms Association which has made grants of over £50,000 in the last 5 years to projects in Tanzania, specially in Mtwara region. Below left is a photo of the house where Alan Talbot lived in 1965
Right is a photo of Alan, now in his late 90s, with his wife Shirley (whom he met when she was working as a nurse at Mkomaindo hospital in Masasi) and TDT's Rhobi Samwelly during her visit to England in 2015.
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Sense International in Tanzania Sense International, established in the UK, supports children and adults with deafblindness. In 2008, Sense International registered locally in Tanzania, and now works with hundreds of people with deafblindness and multiple impairments. The work includes community-based support, inclusive education, vocational training and advocacy. Abbas’s story
Abbas is a 14 year old boy with multiple disabilities. He has weak leg and arm muscles which make it difficult for him to stand without support, to walk, and to pick up and hold objects. He is also deaf in his left ear and he cannot talk, but can make sounds. Before he started attending Uhuru Mchanganyiko Primary School, Abbas spent most of his time at home with his mother, Fatihuba. For Fatihuba, this meant that she could not work or take part in any income generating activity to support Abbas and the rest of the family. Whenever she had to leave the house, she had to carry Abbas on her back and move around with him because she had no one, other than her husband, to help take care of him.
In late 2016, Fatihuba heard about the Inclusive Education programme introduced by Sense International. The programme supports children with complex disabilities to attend a mainstream class with teaching assistants that provide communication support. The programme also offers a home-based education provided by parents with the help of videos uploaded on a tablet computer. Upon learning about the inclusive education programme, Fatihuba enrolled Abbas at
School in January, 2017.
Being in school has really helped Abbas. He can count, recognise different colours, and colour within shapes. His movement has also improved; he can walk a few steps without any support and can pick up objects and place them in order. Abbas’s interaction with the other children has improved immensely. He has made friends but he’s especially close to two boys in the class. The other children are no longer afraid of playing with him because he can now communicate, through gestures. He is also able to use gestures to indicate what he wants to do, for instance, go to the bathroom.
Our supporters We are grateful to all our supporters, donors and partners. In Tanzania, funding has been provided by the Big Lottery Fund, Department for International Development, European Union, Jersey Overseas Aid, as well as a number of trusts and individuals. One of these is Khadija Mwanamboka, Sense International’s Goodwill Ambassador for Tanzania. On 14 th September 2017, an event was held at the Tanzania High Commission where Khadija talked about the vital work that Sense International does and launched her new children’s clothing range: the ‘Pendeza Kids Collection’, with proceeds supporting what we do in Tanzania. At the event, Khadija said, “I believe that every child has the right to be nurtured and supported to grow up and develop, regardless of their disability.”
To find out more about Sense International please visit www.senseinternational.org.uk Damian Field Tel 020 7014 9379
Deafblindness is a combination of sight and hearing loss that affects a person’s ability to communicate, to access all kinds of information, and to get around. Deafblindness is not just a deaf person who cannot see, or a blind person who cannot hear. The two impairments together increase the effects of each.
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Tanzania trips 2017 by students from St Bede’s
This year, for the first time, two separate groups of students from St Bede’s School,
accompanied by staff, travelled to Tanzania during the summer. This was organised by
GOMAD1 and Graham Mclure, also a BTS member. One group went to Musoma in the north
and the other went to Mtwara in the south. The students were encouraged to raise money in
advance for the project work that they would be undertaking, and they raised a total of
£14,538, thanks to generous donations. Here is a brief summary of their intense two week
trips.
Musoma In July a group of twentyone Year 12 students and four staff had an incredible two and a
half weeks in Musoma. For the first two weeks, the
group worked hard building water tanks, goat sheds
and the beginnings of a toilet block for a local school.
During this period, they also helped at youth groups,
an orphanage and a leper community, as well as
visiting (and singing at) a local church and school.
They certainly deserved their reward on the final
weekend of a safari in the unforgettable Serengeti
National Park and trip back to Nairobi via the beautiful Ngorongoro Crater.
Mtwara Two weeks later, a second group of 16 students
and five staff including BTS member David
Gibbons, headed to Mtwara. They were welcomed
by GOMAD staff as well as three ex St Bede's
students from 2016. The group's projects
included helping to build an 11,000 litre water
tank at a secondary school, two goat sheds and a
very sturdy fence for the Napier grass to be
planted, as part of the community goat project. They also repainted a classroom and
blackboard, beautifully adding wall designs. Other memories included much time spent playing
with children, singing in Swahili “mungu u mwema” to the congregation on Sunday, beautiful
sunsets and sunrises on the beach looking out over the Indian Ocean, playing 'keepy uppy'
with Tanzanians, as well as a trip to the Selous Game Reserve including a boat trip. The group
left funds for a toilet block to be built by GoMad at a primary school. The experience taught
everyone a lot about teamwork and the success hard work can achieve, as well as truly
appreciating all that we have in the UK. Both groups of students worked incredibly hard whilst gaining memories of a lifetime.
http://www.st-bedes.surrey.sch.uk/187/school-news/post/278/st-bedes-6th-form-trip-to-musoma-tanzania
1GOMAD Go Make a Difference in Tanzania - www.gomakeadifference.co.uk
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New Committee members New Executive Secretary: Tessa M. Most I have been visiting Africa for over forty years, having been married to a Zulu-speaking South
African, from Kwazulu-Natal since 1972, living and working there for VSO’s Education Programme full time for 5 of the last ten years, three of them on the Maasai Plain, in Kiteto, from 2011-2014. (My VSO trainer pre-departure was Phil Grant, and, during a two-year Placement in Namibia, I was lucky enough to work with Jonathan Pace.) Now, despite being old enough to know better, I am getting itchy feet again and joining you to work with the BTS is one way of appeasing this. I look forward to meeting you all and perhaps, finally, learning Swahili!
New Treasurer: Gabriel Mgambwa
Gabriel is a humanitarian, peace and extreme poverty campaigner. He was born in one of the poorest districts , Manyoni, in the central part of Tanzania. He has been volunteering in different charity organisations and local community projects throughout his life. He currently works at RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects ) Headquarters.
New Membership Secretary: John Wood
John, who worked in Uganda 1967 to 69 is now a retired Hereford consultant physician and chairman of and one of the founders of the Hereford-Muheza Link Society. He was a previous UK Governor of the Commonwealth Foundation. (Dr)John Battersby Wood, OBE, FRCP.
Have you filled in the BTS survey? We have 114 responses, but we would like more. Several who filled it in found it refreshing and interesting! Anyone
interested in Tanzania can use it to tell us about themselves and about what they would like BTS to do. Go to https://goo.gl/forms/cWxzT6AZrTUIAS7O2
Love Tanzania - Time to join BTS! It costs £25 a year, or £5 for concessions or students
plus an extra £4 if you live abroad.
Membership will give you hard copies of Tanzanian Affairs and our Newsletter.
You can download the form at
http://www.britaintanzaniasociety.co.uk/about-bts/membership/
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would be greatly appreciated.” Andrew Coulson
BTS Who’s Who & Contacts
BTS CHAIR Andrew Coulson 0121 475 4615
BTS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Tessa Most 02392347021 [email protected] BTS TREASURER Gabriel Mgambwa 07968851007
BTS MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY John Wood 01432 850543 [email protected]
BTS EDUCATION GROUP CONVENOR Janet Chapman [email protected] BTS Seminar Organisers Janet Chapman and Alex Paurine
TDT CHAIR: Jonathan Pace o7901563322 [email protected] TDT EXECUTIVE SECRETARY: Vacant TDT TREASURER: Robert Gibson [email protected]
TDT FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Joe Warioba TDT FUNDING APPLICATIONS: Phil Grant
[email protected] TDT CARD SALES: [email protected]
EDITOR TANZANIAN AFFAIRS Ben Taylor [email protected] WEB EDITOR Alex Paurine [email protected] BTS NEWSLETTER EDITOR Sue Mitchell 020 3665 1144 33 Viola Ave, London SE2 0TQ [email protected]
BTS President: HE Ali Hassan Mwinyi, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania BTS Vice-Presidents: Derek Ingram, Ron and Liz Fennell, Trevor Jaggar, David Brewin
BTS Tanzania Chapter contacts: Hon Secretary: Ms Rita Mkama [email protected] Chairman: Ambassador Paul Rupia [email protected]
BTS Scottish Group contacts: Ann Burgess 07858 481038 [email protected]
NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
1stApril 2018.
Tel 02036651144 but email preferred
Tanzania APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group)
6 March, at 6.00
Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster.
Seminar "Tanzania: Making Progress in Agriculture"
Over 60 per cent of Tanzania's population earn their living from agriculture, and while this percentage is reducing slowly the absolute numbers involved are increasing. Yet the importance and potential of the
sector is often played down. This event will look at some of the recent successes in the sector, and the ways
in which it is likely to develop in the future.
Speakers will include Antony Ellman, whose field experience of agriculture in Tanzania goes back to the 1960s,
Jeremy Lefroy MP whose family is involved with farming in Northern Tanzania, Andrew Coulson who is writing a
book with Emmanuel Mbiha about small scale agriculture in Tanzania, and other speakers to be confirmed.
The short presentations will be followed by discussion and debate.
BTS Newsletter January 2018 Volume 16, Issue 1 Back page
BTS Diaspora contacts: Petronilla Mlowe mwakatumap@gmail Fadhili Maghila [email protected] Joe Warioba [email protected] Renatus Mgetta [email protected]
