Annual Review

 2010-2011: ZAP Annual Review

This has been another busy but rewarding year for ZAP. Some projects have required a great deal of input, but we have had more than our fair share of successes. We are particularly heartened by the progress made in our educational projects. Also this year we have been pleased to facilitate several new initiatives which, through the generosity of ZAP supporters, are making a real difference to the lives of villagers who are only too eager to improve their standard of living.

It is our policy to visit all our projects regularly, and ZAP personnel and supporters undertook various field trips during the year. Once again our focus has been on five core areas:

CLINIC

ZAP continues its regular support of Dr Hamza with transport and medicines, especially antibiotics for children. Now that Wadhifa is firmly established, we are pleased to report a new Lab assistant has started training, with her bursary funded by a German charity.

The Hemacue machine taken out in summer 2011, for testing for anaemia, has been most beneficial, and the Headington School group once again brought out supplies and baby clothes.

During the year work commenced on a new room for a visiting dentist to use, and ZAP will be providing equipment through our supporters. The dentist’s weekly visit will be funded by the government, made possible through ZAP’s special relationship with the Ministry of Health.

NURSERY SCHOOLS

New lockable cupboards were provided for the two poorer (Northern) nursery schools, courtesy of Headington School girls. The difference in standards between the two northern schools and the southern one is more noticeable than ever, and more work is needed to rectify this.

SEWING LADIES

This self-administered scheme (with only minimal ZAP help for teachers’ wages and electricity) is a real success story. As an extra facility, prompted by the Headington girls visit, ZAP has this year agreed to provide and equip a sewing room for graduates.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Changing our focus to higher education is paying dividends. The Jambiani Community Academy is thriving, and without the extra tuition provided it would be almost impossible for secondary students to attain the necessary grades to pass into Forms V and VI in Stone Town. Eight youngsters achieved this in this financial year, and they will receive ZAP bursaries for the next stage of their education.

We continue to pay rent for the ZAP Boarding House in Stone Town, which gives students a safe haven where they can study and help each other progress. The scheme enables more students to move up through Form V and VI each year, and this year’s Form VI have all gained University places which is amazing.

Unfortunately the government has recently brought in restrictions in their criteria for loans for university fees. The shortfall is beyond the scope of what ZAP is able to afford, so we have had to take the tough decision to support only those students who have achieved top grades (two this year) and we hope this will be sustainable in the future.

On a more positive note, three new scholarships have been arranged, funded through ZAP by generous supporters: an academic scholarship for a Form V girl; and two vocational bursaries, also for girls, for a Lab Technician and a Business/Accountancy degree student.

JAMBIANI FUNDI WORKSHOP (JFW)

ZAP has now financed technical training courses for 9 young men, with the two latest about to qualify as carpenters. We can testify to the skills of several of the fundis as they did a super repair job on the hot water at Blue Lagoon in July!

The mechanics completed their work experience in Stone Town, and more tools were taken out during the year to equip the Autoworks. This is now awaiting the appointment of a local manager to become a fully functioning repair workshop, thanks largely to support from the management at Pamoja, the new Autoworks linked to Karume College in Stone Town.

We are delighted that the Workshop is creating a source of local employment, and have great confidence that it will turn into another success story.

JAMBIANI NEWS - General

Power and water problems continue to beset the village. Frequent power cuts affect the Academy, though the ZAP generator can be used in emergencies, and Mr Pandu’s internet dongle helps him to maintain reasonable communication with us.

New supporters Joe and Mary Braitch visited Jambiani for the first time in February, taking out tools for the Autoworks. Visiting the clinic they noticed that a very large number of patients were being treated for respiratory disorders, especially children. One of the main causes is the widespread use of kerosene lamps in homes where electricity is either unaffordable or unreliable, and the Braitches were determined to help. Returning in July, they took out more tools, solar lights and a solar water pump. Sourcing a reliable supplier in Zanzibar, they invested their own money in the initial purchases then organised a system of Hire Purchase for the villagers. Many families have benefited so far, and it is hoped to expand the scheme more each year as finance permits. The water pump is working hard on a local “shamba” (farm), and there are plans to install further irrigation pipes and water tanks.

The second Headington School field trip took place in July 2011, providing a great opportunity for the English contingent to experience life in an undeveloped country, and giving both groups a chance to learn about each other’s cultures and traditions. The girls took out supplies for the clinic and the nursery schools, and made several excellent suggestions to improve facilities such as new storage cupboards at the nursery schools, and a sewing room for ladies who have graduated from the ZAP classes. While most of their sponsor money goes towards bursaries for higher education students, we have also allocated some funds to these two new initiatives, and to providing a dongle for the Boarding House students to use with their ZAP laptop.

FUNDRAISING

Despite not hosting a major ZAP event this year, our work in maintaining the website has brought us many new donors and supporters, including Joe and Mary Braitch whose input for the Autoworks and the Solar project has been amazing.

The Christmas Appeal was very successful. Our target is to achieve a total of £10,000 per year in Regular Giving, and we were delighted to reach almost £8,000 by Spring 2011. We also received a remarkable £2,000 in one-off donations as a result of the Appeal. In one of our newsletters we were able to demonstrate just how far each £1 goes in Zanzibar: for example, £100 trains a nurse for one year, £12 buys porridge for a child for a year, £75 buys a new sewing machine and £600 trains a plumber for 3 years.

Our supporters have been extremely active on our behalf. In April Sophie de Winton ran the London Marathon, raising over £5,000 with the help of husband Tom and his company Reeve Flooring. In July a team from Equinix climbed Kilimanjaro, donating part of their sponsorship money to ZAP and visiting Jambiani afterwards to meet Janie and visit some of our projects. Then in September, ZAP director Andrew and his daughter completed the London to Brighton ride, raising more much-needed funds for us. Finally in October, six-year-old Joseph Purcell and his parents climbed Mount Snowdon to help the people of Jambiani, prior to visiting Zanzibar at half term. They also took out toys and equipment for the nursery schools, and laptops and software for the Academy. We are eternally grateful to all our supporters, and to all our donors throughout the year.

We continue to keep administration costs to a minimum, and are proud that the partnership between ZAP and the local community of Jambiani is making a big difference.

Janie Preece, Director

April 2011

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 2009-2010: New focus in Jambiani

The Board of Trustees has welcomed a new member, Mr Mark Coley. Mark is a retired financier, and takes a special interest in Administration, PR and budget forecasts. His experience is proving particularly useful in the setting up of the most recent ZAP project, the Jambiani Fundi Autoworks (see below). During the recent year, ZAP has continued to flourish, providing financial and practical aid to the remote rural community around Jambiani in Zanzibar, specifically in the areas of:

It has been an active year, both in Zanzibar and on the home front in the UK. A serious ‘power outage’ which lasted 3 months (December 10 2009 – March 9 2010) affected our village very seriously. Unlike neighbouring communities, which have access to manually operated wells, Jambiani depends entirely upon electricity to pump water to around 10,000 people from the two deep wells situated at some distance from the village (ZAP supporters will remember our successful campaign to purchase a new water pump in 2008, when the old one broke down). The facts are simple: no power = no water = disease.

As ever, we were kept closely in touch with the situation via our two African managers, and received heart-breaking text messages (no power=no internet), describing the terrible hardship endured by the Jambiani villagers. Re-opening local contaminated wells caused an outbreak of disease, including cholera and dysentery with a huge increase in workload for Dr Hamza; many people were hospitalised and several lives lost. As before, a temporary clinic staffed by outside medics had to be set up in the village – but there was a critical lack of bottled water for the patients, and even basic food for the doctors themselves. As the suffering of the community increased, we began to receive desperate pleas for ZAP’s help. As ever, Jambiani seemed to be below the radar of the authorities and no-one else was able or willing to respond to the emergency; hotels, private houses and businesses who could afford to run generators or to fill up their tanks from water lorries were relatively unaffected.

We suggested that a Steering Committee of senior villagers should be convened to lobby for government aid through their local M.P., and this did result in the sporadic loan of a generator to work the north villages pump (which inevitably broke down days later): however according to ZAWA (Zanzibar Water company) the pump in the south villages would need a new larger generator, which – at a cost of $12,000 - was quite beyond our means, and presumably theirs too.

ZAP (with help and encouragement from many supporters) embarked on an exhaustive campaign to raise media awareness; we applied to a number of large relief organisations, including DFID in the UK, Oxfam, Water Aid, Save the Children and the Tanzanian High Commission for emergency funds. When this was not forthcoming, we took the difficult decision to step in ourselves with relief aid to Jambiani. Mr Pandu sprang into action and organised a fleet of water Lorries to circulate through each area of the village in turn; he made sure that the clinic was well provided for, and everyone had a chance to fill containers with fresh water on a regular basis for the duration of the crisis. Altogether, ZAP released funds of $6,000 and we believe that by doing so we literally saved lives.

Unfortunately, our small ‘hands on’ charity has suffered financially as a result. $6,000 US dollars goes a long way in Zanzibar, and represents a significant proportion of available funds – quite a body blow in the present financial climate. We have had to make cut-backs as a result, and have refined our targets further. We are no longer able to respond positively to ad hoc requests for funds in areas which lie outside our main projects, where experience tells us that our work is most effective for the greatest number of people. These are:

CLINIC

The excellent reputation of Jambiani Clinic is being upheld, and we are justifiably proud that we help to sustain it by practical support for Dr Hamza. For us, the most exciting moment came in the summer when ZAP trained male nurse Wadhifa was finally posted to Jambiani. Fortuitously, the moment of his arrival in the clinic coincided with the visit in July of Pat, Janie, Andrew and Janet who witnessed the absolute delight of both men. Dr Hamza’s workload has been considerably eased, and Wadhifa is settled happily back in his home village. The other ZAP trained nurse, Mwatima, has gained in confidence and now presides with great authority over the ‘mother and baby’ immunisation clinic. (See website for photographs).

NURSERY SCHOOLS

The porridge provided by ZAP on three days a week has been augmented by another NGO, ‘African Impact’, who make up the rations on the other two days. ZAP also gives a monthly rice allowance to the teachers. The three nursery schools are lively, thriving places – always a pleasure to visit. Janie and Andrew managed to arrange a meeting with a senior government official from the Minister of Education in July at which they gathered that some strict standards are to be introduced into pre-school education in Zanzibar. Apparently, nursery schools will have to be officially registered, and teaching staff properly qualified. Potential teachers graduating from Form IV will not be permitted, as they are at present, to become primary school teachers automatically, but will have to attain proper qualifications at a teacher training college. We are somewhat cynical about this ambitious objective. We would, however, like to set up some English classes for the present nursery school teachers and are exploring the practicality of this. Many of them are also ‘seaweed farmers’, and all of them are burdened with a heavy domestic workload after school.

SEWING LADIES CO-OPERATIVE and SEWING CLASSES

This continues as a real success story. Well over 100 village ladies have now completed the 3 month training courses, and there is still a long queue for places. The ZAP trained teachers are headed by the inimitable Khadija – who has proved to be a canny business woman as well as a strong mentor to the group. Janie accompanied Khadija and two assistants on a material buying spree among the traditional dukas of Stone Town in the summer, because she wanted to encourage them to buy materials that would appeal to the western tourist market. Khadija was in charge of the purse strings, however, and took quite a bit of persuading; happily Janie’s more sober choices subsequently sold well to European tourists, though the majority of the garments will always be in the bright, zingy colours which look so fantastic in Africa.

This project has attained the status to which ZAP aspires; i.e. almost self-supporting. We do still pay the teachers a small wage for their lessons, and are responsible for the electricity they use, but in essence it runs itself, and even enables local women to earn a little money for themselves. Just as important in some ways, is the camaraderie and social opportunity which the sewing group provides. Jambiani women lead very hard lives, doing the back-breaking task of farming seaweed, besides looking after their families. To see them all sitting on the schoolroom floor, busily cutting out garments from patterns made of newspaper, chattering happily amongst themselves, with their babies and small children playing near them is a lovely sight. Long may these classes thrive – for it is the only small ‘recreation’ readily available to the majority of Jambiani women; besides giving them a skill, it increases their confidence and self-belief.

HIGHER EDUCATION: Jambiani Community Academy (JCA)

As a result of what seemed to be a catastrophe at the time – ZAP’s sudden dismissal from the school Computer Centre in January 2010 – our focus in education has undergone a sea change. The Headmaster announced, only a couple of months after we had moved our Internet and office services to the Secondary school (with his initial encouragement and blessing), that he had accepted a new offer from a Swiss Charity (whose name and contact details he consistently refused to divulge) to endow the school with free Internet access and 13 brand new computers – on condition that ZAP moved lock, stock and barrel to another premises. Since we had invested considerable funds and a great deal of energy and time in the initial set-up, and were providing a valuable service to the community, not only in the free IT lessons provided, but also in attracting tourists to the school, this came as a very unpleasant shock, and has naturally affected relations between ZAP and the skuli - at least in the short term.

Whilst we (and poor Mr Pandu) were still reeling from this blow, an even better opportunity presented itself. Mr Vuai, long time friend and excellent ZAP-funded IT teacher, offered us free long-term use of his premises in the centre of Jambiani, ideally situated on the main street opposite the Post Office. This had previously been a small internet café, and has now undergone a ZAP financed transformation to become the new Jambiani Community Academy and Internet centre. Mr Vuai moved our computers and office services, built shelves for our library, and installed a secure lockup cupboard for office equipment. Fortuitously, an extremely generous ZAP supporter donated 11 more laptops and other useful IT items; ZAP provided 15 desks and chairs, and our internet and office services are up and running once more.

We knew that, for many years, Mr Vuai and another teacher, Mr Suha had been providing critically important after school tutorials (entirely free) in some key subjects, including English, to the brighter and more ambitious secondary school pupils. These had taken place (attended on occasion by Janie) in a small, hot, badly lit room where up to 16 students studied on a dusty floor every evening until the small hours. Happily, these lessons are now taking place in our bright, cool school-room. A large whiteboard, the ZAP-donated projector and the internet are valuable teaching aids. Vuai has enlisted the services of a volunteer IT teacher to help him and there is now a busy timetable which includes English lessons for adults and small children. The village is delighted with the new facility, and of course internet income from tourists contributes to maintenance and running costs.

Vuai himself presides over the ZAP office and internet services, and is invaluable in his role as administrator, coping admirably with ZAP accounts and communicating with us in the UK at regular intervals on SKYPE.

N.B. At the time of going to press, we regret to say that the school Computer Centre lies empty and idle. The Swiss Charity’s promises have not been fulfilled; there is no internet, and no computer classes. It has been a sad and sorry story, and we are told that ZAP is very much missed.

ZAP Boarding House: Ambitious, intelligent and hard-working students have to transfer to Stone Town from Jambiani for Form V and Form VI, (equivalent to UK ‘A’ Level years). Early in 2010, we became aware that these youngsters were living in unacceptable conditions in a very dodgy area of town; Mr Vuai and Mr Pandu asked if it would be possible for ZAP to rent premises specifically for Jambiani boys and girls. Suitable rooms – Spartan, but serviceable - were found by Mr P; and for the reasonable rent of $1000 US dollars per year, plus some initial outlay for mattresses and mosquito nets, (funded by ZAP and by Headington School), it has become home to the 11 ZAP students who now live and work there.

It is always difficult to assess whether a new venture will be successful, but in this case we have concrete proof that it is – greatly improved exam results, and exceptionally high numbers of University scholarships among the Jambiani students. Through visiting the new ‘boarding house’ and meeting the young people on several occasions, particularly during the week which they spent in Jambiani in July hosting Headington School girls (see below), we have got to know them quite well. We feel very proud of them, and confident that ZAP’s support has made a significant difference to their chances of success in the future, inevitably bringing with it a better life style for their families.

Headington School Visit – July 2010: This was a great success – 11 girls and 4 teachers spent a week in Jambiani, being hosted and mentored by ZAP sponsored students from Forms V and VI in Stone Town. The girls had worked incredibly hard to raise £3000 for ZAP – which was largely spent on extra bursaries, textbooks, mattresses and mosquito nets for our students. The group also brought the laptops out with them, together with vast quantities of posters, toys and educational equipment for the new Academy. A full account of this visit can be found on our website at www.zanzibaraction.co.uk/news/95.html

ZAP Volunteer Teacher: We were fortunate to have Douglas Perrin, volunteer English teacher, who dedicated the first couple of months of his retirement to ZAP in Jambiani in September 2010. We were very grateful indeed for his input, and also for some useful feedback on his return. Autumn is the season for exams in Zanzibar, during which all schools seem to need to shut down entirely for long periods, which is extremely inconvenient and annoying and has made us resolve to advise future volunteers to go out earlier in the scholastic year. Despite this setback, Douglas made good headway with an adult English class in the Academy and with Forms V and VI in town.

JAMBIANI FUNDI WORKSHOP (JFW)

Considerable funding and much hard work has been channelled for the past 12 months into the set-up of this innovative ZAP project – a full account of which can be found on the ZAP website. It is one thing to train 7 raw young men at technical college, and quite another to instil them with an entirely unfamiliar business ethos. Again, Mr Vuai’s entrepreneurial skills have been pivotal; taking his cue from Marcus Collie’s valuable donkey work during 2009, he holds weekly meetings with the ZAP fundis (tradesmen) when he instructs them in business matters such as diary keeping, estimating, invoicing and accounting. Owing to generous sponsorship from a UK charitable trust, we have been able to provide basic tools and equipment for their trades, and to rent a couple of secure lock-ups in which they are kept. We bought two vespas – one for the RAC engineer (Refrigeration and Aircon), whose work involves travelling long distances, and one between the two motor mechanics. Fortuitously, Marcus Collie met the site manager of a new luxury hotel under construction just north of Jambiani, and arranged extended employment for our 2 electricians and 2 plumbers. This gave them exactly the practical experience they needed and they are now ready to branch out on their own, with Mr Vuai in overall charge of operations.

Meanwhile, 2 further trainee fundis - carpenters - have begun their training at a specialist college in Stone Town. The 2 motor mechanics are still at work experience at the Toyota garage but the new Jambiani Autoworks is under construction and we hope to open it in February 2011. Located bang opposite the Fundi Lock-ups, it is intended as a rural outpost for the Toyota garage in Stone Town and we hope it will be a hub for small industry in the village, attracting custom from a wide catchment area.

The JFW has been a long time in the planning but ZAP has taken great pains to try to ‘get it right’. The financial outlay was and still is considerable, but already we are seeing signs that it will fulfil our ambition to improve economic opportunities in this very poor and underdeveloped community. All our fundis will be taking on apprentices next year, and Mr Pandu reports on numbers of eager youngsters wanting to learn a trade. Two of the fundis have got married, and one, whose father died recently, has now undertaken to provide for his entire extended family, regularly banking a portion of his salary with Mr Vuai for their support. The co-operative seems to be holding up well, for a further 10% of each man’s salary is allotted to communal needs, such as when one of the plumbers broke his leg badly and had to be off work for several months.

FUND-RAISING

In the prevailing difficult financial climate, ZAP has had to work extra hard to attract funding. We have had several generous endowments from charitable trusts, and have increased our list of Regular Givers.

The major fund-raising event of 2009 was the Grand Quiz Night held in Norfolk in January. It was a sell-out and a huge success, netting over £8,000 in total. For details and photographs of the evening, type ‘Quiz’ into the Search engine of the ZAP website.

Once again, enterprising young people have accomplished feats of endurance on our behalf this year. We had a runner in the London Marathon, another in the Great North Run, and a long distance swimmer! Between them, they raised approx. £5,000 – an extremely significant sum for which ZAP is very grateful indeed.

As ever, ZAP Trustees give of their time entirely free and we continue to peg administrative outlay to the minimum. It is, however, very important to keep our website and PR literature fresh and up-to-date. The website underwent a major overhaul early in 2010 and continues to attract interest and attention, often resulting in most welcome donations. The ZAP leaflet was also re-designed and brought up to date, and several other minor administrative adjustments made to improve day to day fund-raising potential. We have given talks, using a projector to illustrate them, to several institutions – including schools and clubs, such as Rotary and Lions, with some success. Our support base has widened further, both in the UK and further afield, with significant support from Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Canada and America.

Janie Preece, Director

December 2010

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 2008-2009: SIX YEARS ON – A little charity has made a lot of difference.

Six years ago, we set out to help a massively underprivileged community in Zanzibar. We targeted our help to these three areas which concern us all, whether here in the UK or far away in Jambiani, a remote fishing village (population approx 10,000) built on a narrow strip of sand and limestone on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

The difference is that we have the ‘safety net’ of the Welfare State, whereas most families in Jambiani struggle to live barely above subsistence level; their poverty and lack of education denies them the means to better their standard of living - let alone take advantage of the growth of tourism in Zanzibar.

From the first we were determined to work within existing village structures, responding to the needs of the people, as expressed through the Village Committee – rather than impose our western values and methods where they could be inappropriate. So we focus our aid on education, health and employment. Our aim is to give the people the opportunities that they could never afford, to enable them to help themselves and their families towards a better future.

It is one thing to raise money for an African cause – quite another to deliver it. ZAP is a truly ‘hands on’ charity and regular Field Trips (2/3 times a year) have been the key to much of our success.

ZAP has been very lucky to have attracted many talented volunteers – of all ages - who have gone out to Jambiani, freely giving of their time and expertise and cementing friendships within the community. To say that to them – and to us - the village feels like a second home is no exaggeration.

Six years on, we feel proud at what we have accomplished, which has made a real, tangible difference to many people’s lives. A strong bond of trust has built up between ZAP and the villagers. They know we keep our promises, and we know that they will seize upon the opportunities which we can offer them. We are as determined as ever that we will not let them down.

During this year, the ZAP supporter base has widened considerably. Still a very personal ‘hands-on’ charity, ZAP has become more widely known, and we are frequently contacted by people interested in our work, and in Zanzibar in general. Some of these people pledge money, or practical support; a number of them want to volunteer for work in Zanzibar.

In response to the global economic downturn, ZAP Directors have thought it prudent to re-focus and take stock of all our projects during the past year. Fund-raising has become very difficult in the present climate, and no major fund-raising event took place. We improved our website, and employed a consultant to help with our newsletters, both online and by ordinary mail. Regular communication and news updates are the hallmark of our charity, and they seem to be greatly appreciated by our supporters who have continued to be extremely generous.

We concentrated on pitching for funds from about 50 charitable trusts with known links to our area of work. We have been most fortunate to obtain grants from 5 of them and therefore our income has remained stable, or even slightly increased.

During 2008 – 2009, ZAP Directors paid a total of 3 visits to Zanzibar, staying at Martin Hall’s house in Jambiani, Blue Lagoon. Sadly, Martin decided to stand down as a Director in the summer of 2009, due to pressure work in the UK. We are very grateful to him for everything he has done for ZAP, and we shall miss his wise counsel and his long experience of Zanzibar. So far, his place on the Board of Directors has not been filled, but we have employed the fund-raising consultancy skills of Janet Lane which have been invaluable.

Education: Our VSO teacher/volunteer, Liz Rose has continued to work in the school, but will retire in December 09. One of her main projects has been a complete reorganisation of the School Library, with the addition of new and useful books, so that it has now become one of the most comprehensive libraries in the area. ZAP has paid for newspapers to be delivered weekly. The School magazine introduced by Liz continues to flourish, and she has set in place a replacement editor – a member of the regular staff. ZAP provided a set of English grammar books for Form III and IV. This means that, for the first time, all pupils have their own course text books. A new ZAP English prize for Form I in memory of Mr Ameir was presented by Mr Ameir’s son at a special presentation ceremony on the occasion of ZAP Directors’ visit in July.

Canadian volunteer teachers, Simon and Nan Oliver spent six months from October 08 to March 09 in Jambiani. Their contribution was extremely valuable. Simon presided over English in Form I and Nan was pressed into taking remedial classes for the young ones. Nan was initially nervous at being plunged in at the deep end, but her lessons proved extremely popular and her lively methods, using her artistic and imaginative skills were extremely effective and much appreciated. The Olivers met Pat, Janie and Andrew for a ‘debriefing’ meeting in the UK on their way back to Canada; their first hand experience of the difficulties which unfortunately face any overseas volunteer teachers trying to work within the Tanzanian curriculum gave us much food for thought as to the best way to use available resources in the future. In particular, it has become clear that future ZAP volunteers with teaching skills would be better employed in a private teaching capacity. Next year, it is our intention to support a small private ‘academy’ in the village, specifically aimed at those pupils willing and able to take advantage of higher education.

ZAP Internet Library/Computer classes

ZAP was given notice in the summer that the building which housed our Internet Café and Library would no longer be available from July. With the blessing of the school headmaster, we moved our computers, internet connection and library to the new Computer Centre at the school. Together with computers already provided by ZAP for school use, this room now contains a colour printer, laminator, binder and photocopier. The internet connection was re-instated, and Mr Vuai, long-term computer teacher whose salary is already provided by ZAP now presides over the Internet Library. He is ably assisted by ‘Little’ Mr Pandu.

The change in venue has been a success in that the computers and internet facilities are now more widely available for school use. Tourists continue to use the facility at the usual rate and their presence on school premises has given the school a higher profile among the visitors to Jambiani. The computer room is adjacent to the Sewing Ladies Room, which is also an advantage.

Further education for Jambiani students in Stone Town.

In response to requests, and on the recommendation of Mr Pandu, ZAP awarded bursaries to 5 students who are now attending Form V of secondary school based in Stone Town. These bursaries provide them with help towards text books, travel and living costs which their families are utterly unable to afford. ZAP has also paid the exam fees for students in Form VI in Stone Town. In total, 11 young people from Jambiani now benefit from these annual bursaries, and we hope to increase their funding in due course.

Provision of Laptops

In response to an appeal to our supporters via our emailing subscriber list, we were able to provide 6 laptops to our University student and to Mr Vuai and his pupils (2 brand new, and 4 refurbished). Makame, ZAP sponsored student at the University of Zanzibar has already put his to excellent use. He is writing a research project at the moment, and has also instigated extra tutorials using his laptop to Jambiani and two other villages.

Nursery Schools (180 children) – non Government funded: ZAP now provides a regular monthly rice allowance for the teachers, whose pay is abysmal and intermittent. We continue to fund provision of ‘porridge’ 3 times a week (organised by ladies from ZAP English classes), and the ZAP Sewing Ladies Co-operative has made uniforms with material supplied by us for those many kids whose parents cannot afford them. Another organisation, African Impact has undertaken to provide rice or porridge to the children on the two other days of the week. They have also painted the schools and provided some basic equipment.

Medical Clinic: ZAP continues to assist Dr Hamza with equipment and medicines when necessary. The large generator is now functioning well, and is invaluable during the frequent power cuts; we also pay for the maintenance and fuel for Hamza’s motor bike.

Ladies Sewing Classes: continue in ZAP’s room at the skuli and is a real success story. So far over 80 ladies have completed the 3 month training and there is still a long waiting list. The ZAP trained teachers are headed by the inimitable Khadija – who has proved herself to be a good business woman as well as mentor to the group. Nan Oliver is greatly missed, but her brilliant designs incorporating the local Swahili sayings have continue to be produced and are very popular. The ladies provide a bespoke service for tourists, making up garments to order. Just as important in some ways, is the camaraderie and social opportunity which the sewing group provides for the women of Jambiani. Most of them lead very hard lives, doing the back-breaking task of farming seaweed, besides looking after their families. To see them all sitting on the schoolroom floor, busily cutting out garments from patterns made of newspaper, chattering happily amongst themselves, with their babies and small children beside them is a lovely sight. Long may these classes thrive – for it is the only small ‘recreation’ readily available to the majority of Jambiani women, and it gives them a useful skill and a means of earning a little money besides.  

Clinic

ZAP continues to support Dr Hamza whenever possible. Mr Pandu responds on our behalf to his requests for drugs when needed, and we continue to insure and maintain his motor-bike. The large capacity clinic generator seems to be dogged with problems, and we have had to spend far too much money on repairs. Obtaining a reliable generator ‘fundi’ is very difficult. However, the generator is utterly vital, especially during the frequent power cuts and breakdowns which the village endures. Almost as valuable as ZAP’s money, is Pat’s good relationship with Dr Hamza. He is always the first visitor on our arrival, and we feel that our moral support helps keep him going in often extremely difficult circumstances. He is very meticulous in his accounts, and in his purchase of drugs and other necessities, and very proud to have the reputation for running the best stocked clinic in the area. This reputation can slightly backfire however, as patients tend to come from far and wide, thus adding to his workload considerably. Jambiani is fortunate to have such a good man, and ZAP confident that the financial support we target towards the clinic is spent wisely and greatly to the benefit of the community.

Jambiani Fundi Workshop (JFW)

Definitely the most exciting and potentially far-reaching of all ZAP Projects, the JFW was all set to start up in November 09, when our 7 tradesmen (‘fundis’) finish at technical college. Starting up a workshop to be run on business-like principals is – to say the least – a challenge in such a poor and undereducated part of the world, where estimates are scribbled on scraps of paper, parts are scarce as hen’s teeth and the only transport is the local ‘dala dala’. There is no business culture for tradesmen in Jambiani, and it seemed absolutely necessary to have someone ‘on the ground’ as a temporary business manager. ZAP has been very lucky to secure the voluntary services of Marcus Collie, recently retired, who accompanied us to Jambiani in July with a view to taking this daunting project. When we left, Marcus stayed on and did some valuable spadework, holding several meetings with the fundis and their college tutors, and overseeing renovations to a couple of lock-up premises which will form the basis for operations. Marcus undertook to return for two months in October, and his progress will be detailed on the ZAP website in due course.

Disabled Association Fish Project

You win some and you lose some – this project has unfortunately failed. Partly due to the erratic nature of the power supply, and partly to the dwindling supplies of fish in the area, the enterprise was doomed quite early on.

In consultation with Mr Topu, chairman of the Disabled Association, whose brainchild it was, we have closed down the premises, and distributed the ‘seed capital’ which was fortunately intact, amongst the disabled members of the association. Meanwhile, since we have rented and renovated the lock-up, we have re-designated it to the JFW (Jambiani Fundi Workshop) for a supplies and spare parts store.

Janie Preece DIRECTOR

January 2010

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ZANZIBAR ACTION PROJECT is a Registered Charity in the UK No. 1108030
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