ZAP NEWSLETTER - August 11th 2008

We were delighted that the restoration of power, much earlier than predicted, enabled us to go ahead with our field trip from which we returned last week. The fact that we experienced none of the customary lengthy cuts during our visit, and that the power seems much stronger than in the past would seem to be a good sign!

 

As ever, 3 weeks flew by. With so many projects on the go, and the arrival of our new VSO volunteer, Liz Rose, we seemed even busier than usual; Mr Pandu as ever proved a tower of strength, always ready to ferry us to and fro for meetings and project organisation,  and to give us the benefit of his wide experience and his wise counsel.

 

It cannot be stated too often that every overseas charity should have its Mr Pandu! Without his enthusiasm and dedication to ZAP, his deep knowledge of the village and his ability to get on with everyone in any circumstances, we would be achieving only a tiny fraction of our work. He is absolutely tireless, never short-tempered or impatient and always ready to seek solutions to problems through new ideas and perspectives. His customary ‘Hodi!’ at Blue Lagoon at supper time is such a welcome sound; often his lovely wife Basira gives him a ‘pink ticket’ (how he loves English slang, and this was a brand new one!) so that he can share our meal and reflect on the day’s work and plans for tomorrow. He would deny it of course, but we feel he and his family must heave a sigh of relief on the day of our departure.

 

The new water pump for the North villages has been ordered and is expected any time now, and the authorities at the Ministry of Water promise ‘swift’ installation. Judging by Mr Vuai’s frustration at the delays he experienced  in the installation of the pump for the South villages – at long scheduled for 14^th August - it seems that this process is not altogether straightforward, but Mr Pandu is keeping up the pressure (no pun intended!).

 

Needless to say, ZAP’s major role in the purchase of both Jambiani water pumps has been welcomed by the Village Committee, but until full restoration of safe water supply is achieved the community as a whole is not yet able to benefit. The minute this happens, you will be the first to hear about it!

 

Early in the trip, we welcomed Liz Rose, our new VSO volunteer from the ferry from Dar, along with a large assortment of packing cases, and Janie had a hectic few days overseeing refurbishment of the little beach house we found for her in Kikadini (south village). Liz had just settled in as we left, and was thoroughly enjoying the village atmosphere after two years’ work in Mwanza, Tanzania’s second largest city. Liz has made many plans and set targets for herself both in the schools and in the wider community. Her main task is to work together with Jambiani’s teachers, especially in Maths, English and IT, with the aim of improving the standard of education across the board. The strict curriculum enforced by the Tanzanian Ministry of Education, together with the comparatively new edict that all subjects should be learnt in English from Form I upwards will pose enormous challenges, and Mr Maabad, the Headmaster, and his senior staff is fully supportive of Liz’s official appointment.

 

Liz also has plans for an out of school hours Ecology Club, extra Maths and English coaching, and practical help for the nursery schools, to say nothing of the Ladies English Classes and IT lessons. Quite a daunting prospect – but one which Liz is eager to tackle with help and support which we know she will get from all quarters. Other experienced VSO personnel in Stone Town will be able to give valuable back-up and advice, especially Kendra (previous ZAP Administrator during her time as a VSO volunteer in Zanzibar), who is visiting the island for a six week period at the moment.

 

Liz has had a big welcome from the whole village, and we will post her first report on the website in a few weeks’ time.

 

Are proving as popular as ever, with the 5^th new intake of ladies just starting during our visit. Khadija and her two senior lady helpers are doing a great job, and the atmosphere in the sewing room is always busy and happy. The ladies have done well in marketing their garments, and Khadija keeps immaculate accounts. She accompanied us into Stone Town, and purchased many more lengths of material with the money put aside for re-investment from garment sales. A local government official met Janie at one of the sewing classes and was full of congratulation and encouragement for this project. (See photos)

 

Normal service resumed after the power cut. In the face of previous dire warnings that the cut could have been prolonged until the autumn, ZAP had made the decision to purchase a generator for the Library. This will ensure that during any future cuts, we can function without interruption.   Nabawia and Vivian continue their excellent work as Librarians, and Nabawia’s English classes for nursery school children are wonderful – as witnessed by us one afternoon (see recent photo). The kids love it, and are really making progress. Liz Rose tells us that our Library is well-stocked, and we certainly see a number of students studying in there most days.

 

ZAP has purchased a second computer from our supplier in Stone Town; this has already made a significant difference to both tourists and students alike.

JAMBIANI CLINIC – now has a wide reputation for excellent facilities, much to the satisfaction of Dr Hamza and of the Village Committee as a whole. We hear that patients from other areas – Paje, Kizimkaze and even Stone Town –  travel regularly to Jambiani to attend the clinic. The heavy duty generator has had teething problems, but these are now fixed and it proved absolutely invaluable during the recent power cut. As previously reported, incidence of malaria is now less than 1% in the area and Dr Hamza’s valiant struggles in preaching good hygiene to the villagers during the current water restrictions appear to have successfully prevented any serious  outbreaks of disease.

 

The Hamza family have also generously played host for 3 weeks to Amy Neale, young ZAP volunteer (see FOOD QUESTIONNAIRE below).

 

 

Though not directly ZAP-linked, the new Primary Care centre for this hospital was designed by ZAP Director, Martin Hall and we were asked to the grand ceremonial opening during our visit. It is a very impressive building, and will offer a hugely improved service to the whole area.

 

Results of the simple food questionnaire undertaken by these two young people will be published at a future date.

 

Ably taught by Mr Vuai with his new assistant, young Mr Pandu (no relation!), these classes for pupils out of school hours have been much better attended this year. Liz Rose’s additional help will also be much appreciated. Liz has the somewhat daunting target of teaching 6 school teachers to use the computer, including Mr Maabad. She will use the new computer in the Library for private sessions as necessary.

 

Work has just been completed on a large new computer room at the school, funded by a Swiss charity. It is hoped to increase the number of school computers, and Liz would like ZAP to fund the purchase of a simple DVD projector so that other subjects can be taught with the benefit of IT technology.

 

STUDENTS – Vocational training of ‘fundis’ (craftsmen). 

Of all ZAP’s projects, perhaps this is the most satisfying because it began as an experiment – an innovative concept to try to provide a rural community with a wider range of potentially life-enhancing skills. Without Mr Pandu’s excellent pastoral care, our 7 young embryo tradesmen, all from a simple village background, might have floundered in the more urban and competitive environment of college. As it is, all of them (2 electricians, 2 plumbers, 2 motor mechanics, 1 refrigeration engineer), are  doing extremely well, in both theory and practice, and their above average exam results after two years’ training made us wonder if they should stay on for  a third year. We travelled to Karume and JKU technical colleges, and had quite lengthy meetings with all the students and with their tutors and college Principals. The college staff advised that an extra year would be of great benefit, and since all the students were eager and enthusiastic to stay on, we have agreed that ZAP should continue to fund them into 2009.

 

At the same time, we had a thorough discussion about future plans for a ‘Jambiani Fundi Co-operative Workshop’. Their tutors are enthusiastic about this idea, regarding it as a possible model for other areas, and have pledged their full support during its setting up – hopefully next summer. They assured us that they would be happy to give advice, and to visit the village at regular intervals to check the progress of the newly-qualified tradesmen.

 

Most encouraging of all, the two ZAP Electrical students (one of whom is totally deaf) were hard at work in the village during our stay, having completely wired up a large tourist house on the beach. The owner told us that he was absolutely delighted with their work and will write them a reference for the future. We promptly employed them to re-wire Liz Rose’s new house, and were most impressed ourselves. If the other student ‘fundis’ are as good as this, their future looks extremely promising.

 

During Village Committee meetings, forward planning for the Jambiani Fundi Co-operative was discussed, with several members pressing for immediate steps to be taken to start the ball rolling. Pat and Janie re-iterated that ZAP would take its cue from the village regarding suitable sites, and suggested that two ladies be selected as potential future Administrators. These ladies would have the opportunity to study in Stone Town for business and secretarial qualification. It may be sensible to have the motor mechanics based on the main bypass road leading to Makunduchi and Paje, where they will have plenty of room to operate, whereas the ‘cleaner’ domestic trades might be better off in more compact premises in the middle of the village. In this case, it should be possible for the Administrators to divide their working hours between these Fundis and the new Disabled Association Fish Project (below).

 

Makame and Nassra, our first students studying for degrees in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths, have had an excellent first year. Both have attained good exam results with Makame scoring straight ‘A’s. While we were in the village, they were back teaching in the school during their long vacation, and will resume studies in October. Mr Maabad gives good reports of their work, and we ourselves saw them teaching in Form IV.

 

With the restoration of power, plans are proceeding for a project suggested by the Jambiani Disabled Association. It involves purchasing fish direct from the fishermen, freezing it and retailing it at a profit when fish stocks are scarce. Lock-up premises in a central village location have been made available by a Zanzibari gentleman, and ZAP has agreed to purchase a freezer, small generator and simple office supplies which we would loan to the Association.

 

Clearly, the business would need a competent Manager/Administrator, and we hope that this position could be shared with the planned Fundi Co-operative in the future (see above). Help and advice will also be provided by the Zanzibar Association for People with Developmental Difficulties (acronym, appropriately enough = ZAP DD). We attended a meeting at the offices of this organisation in town, and were very impressed with the Director and his Assistant who promised to visit Jambiani in the very near future to discuss all the plans with Mr Topu.