The Kanga Project

Paul Bradford’s challenge

kanga — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:50:26 +0000

On 15th April, Paul will be running the Bungay Blackdog Marathon and needs your support. He has today created a Just Giving page to help with his fundraising, so please help him along. Paul is a teacher at a primary school that is in the early stages of linking with a primary school in Ilongero. The kids could do with a few educational resources and may be playful ones too and all the funds Paul raises will go to the primary school. Here is what Felicity, our Trustee, teacher at the UK school and project co-ordinator said about this new project.
“I am wanting to introduce the kanga project into our school curriculum via a link to a local school in Ilongero. The idea would be to widen the children’s perceptions and cultural understanding and facilitate the breaking down of cultural and geographical barriers by communicating with another school. My aim would be to present the UK children with a balanced and anti-stereotypical view of life in a Tanzanian school promoting the similarities of childhood in different cultural climates but not ignoring the differences to bring a sense of unity and friendship. I would like to do this by producing a power point for each class in the school every term (12-14 weeks) or half term (6 to 7 weeks) introducing, to begin with, and then updating the children about the school they are linked with and what the children have been doing/learning/playing etc. I would also like the children in my school to write to children in the school in Ilongero and send them pictures and information about their lives etc.”
Well the kids in Ilongero beat her to it. They have already sent letters and photos. They certainly look excited about the idea and all the letters are also invitations to visit. Well, Tanzanians are welcoming and who knows.

In the meantime, we hope that both schools will gain great benefits from the link. It won’t be easy with the language barrier but with dedicated volunteers and teachers on both sides, we know that this will be a great success and we look forward to updates. Now don’t forget to go and support Paul.

Girls’ hostel opens, 1st February 2012

kanga — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:24:58 +0000

“For me and Gloria, the head of Rural Women Development Association, there could not have been a more wonderful end to Wednesday 1st February, while we were actually conversing on Skype. A rather long email from one of our volunteers Nicole arrived packed with news and ideas. Near the end of it, Nicole announced, rather casually, that “the girls have moved into the hostel this evening”. This seemingly ordinary event for Nicole was to Gloria and me the final chapter of a nearly 3 year long drawn out battle with the authorities. Of course, we knew we had won the battle when last November we finally got the go ahead to get the hostel ready to welcome our first ever batch of girls. But to actually hear that the girls had moved in, 5 days ahead of schedule without another excuse or issue being thrown at us, just overwhelmed us. A few tears were shed that night I must confess. We are over the moon and, by the look of it, the 32 girls in the picture are just as happy and excited. No more long walks, no more danger, no more blocks. Instead, a real chance for them to create their choices. Great! We have encapsulated the story into this short presentation, I hope you enjoy it.” Annie

Yoga mat bags

kanga — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:51:40 +0000

Early in June 2011, a few women asked if we could help them learn to sew using pedal powered machines and may be start businesses. We asked around to see who else would be interested and soon had 15 women, mostly young ones keen to give it a go. We asked Sister Michaela and her staff Lidia and Anna from the local Catholic Mission if they would provide for an intensive 3 months course for them as they had sewing machines lying idle most of the time. In return the Mission would benefit from an additional income to help them with running their school for disabled girls.
Classes were attended 4 times a week for 3H. While some ladies were not able to attend the whole time due to changes in their circumstances and some just found it too difficult, on the whole the project was a great success. However, it was realized that 3 months was not quite enough to turn these newly skilled women into professionals, so we funded another 3 months. In the meantime, Suzanne one of our volunteer had the idea to get a prototype yoga mat bag designed and made by one of her designer friends. By the end of October, 9 of the women excitingly formed a group, called themselves the UPENDO group (meaning love; well we did say they were young ladies) and started to train to make the bags. When we received a sample in the UK made by their leader that was of top quality, the kanga project committed to an initial order of 50 bags. During November and December, The UPENDO group worked hard and with the help of Jess and Nicole the latest volunteers, got into a committed work schedule. The 50 bags were finished mid-January. 20 of them are being sent to Abu Dhabi thanks to Razan (past Kilimanjaro fundraiser) who will do her best to sell them on through some connections in the world of Yoga classes. The rest is on its way to the UK. If, like Razan, you know of possible outlets for the bags, please get in touch. So what’s next for these ladies? Check out their 1st newsletter for something even more exciting and sustainable.

Monday’s wonderful news

kanga — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:48:47 +0000

Tetra Laval International SA have chosen the kanga project to be their beneficiary charity this Christmas. Expensive Christmas cards have been replaced by a donation to us and an electronic card bearing a message of support for our sponsorship programme. We can’t thank them enough. So thank you, thank you, thank you. We are really chuffed to get this support (can you tell?) and are keeping our fingers crossed that some of the many people who will get to know about us will perhaps become interested in helping a girl get the education she needs to get herself and her community out of poverty.
We believe that the gift of education is the greatest gift of all and the most meaningful at this time of year. “The proper aim of giving is to put the recipients in a state where they no longer need our gifts”. C.S. Lewis (The Four Loves, 1960).
We wish everyone at Tetra Laval International a most wonderful festive season. Thank you again.

If this little girl gets the chance to go to school, herself and her own children will have a rosier future that what is facing her at this moment and the world will be a better place. Send a gift today. Thank you.

Sponsoring in time for the new academic year

kanga — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:47:59 +0000

January is the start of a new year for students of classes I to IV at Secondary Schools in Tanzania. This new year we want to help more girls start and complete a secondary education and so we are adopting a new sponsorship system. Sponsorship monies will now be pooled rather than individually granted, giving us more flexibility in matching a gift to a need.
You see, we have found that sometimes all a girl needs to carry on with her education is for her fees to be paid, while for another it is a uniform, or simply the comfort and energy of a meal during the day. Others, on the other hand may need even greater support than what a normal sponsorship can offer.

Volunteers’ blog make up and updates

kanga — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:55:45 +0000

Our volunteers have started updating the blog with their impressions and news of projects. We have plenty of both in the making so stay tuned in. But could not resist showing this picture today (not that one, although it’s great, click on read more. Narrative to follow in a few days.

Our volunteers are settling in nicely

kanga — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:07:13 +0000

It would seem that the guys in Tanzania have not been following our orders of not feeding the volunteers (see previous post). Here are their first impressions sent by email.
Nicole:”I will start with the house in Ilongero – it is lovely! We were all pleasantly surprised I think. We have been enjoying sitting out the back in the afternoons and taking in our view. Not to mention our lovely neighbours.
We had dinner in Dar es Salaam with Gloria and Bonne before heading off to Dodoma. Gloria was wonderful and very helpful in getting us on the right bus – the bus stations can be a bit overwhelming and I am sure we would have been ushered onto an Arusha bus if she hadn’t been there to help.
Bonne has been amazing. He arranged for us all to meet in Dodoma and travel to Singida together. A surprisingly short trip of 3 ½ hours and good roads! He has been giving us daily Swahili lessons and has been great in introducing us to people we will need to know in Ilongero.
And Maria…I can see what you mean now in that she will be like a mother figure. She never stops! Jess and I are a little worried our kangas won’t be fitting us soon as we are being so well fed. Maria is showing us to cook African food – I am a little scared of cooking Ugali though, that stuff is dangerous!
Yesterday was our first day really seeing the town. We were introduced to the executive committee, the head warden, the police and the headmaster and some teachers of the secondary school. We have also been to the sunflower factory and the sewing and the centre for the disabled.
Our heads are spinning and full of ideas and questions. I am very excited for the next 5 months!
Jess & Ben I just wanted to send you a quick note to say we have arrived safely in Ilongero! We’re currently in Singida using the internet at the post office before heading back to the village. I think Nicole has already sent you a proper email so I won’t repeat what she has already said, but I wanted to let you know that from our end, everything is going great and we’re having a fascinating time. Gloria, Bonne and Maria have all been wonderful, meeting us in Dar, getting us to Singida and looking after us now we’re here. Our Swahili lessons are going well (there’s a lot to learn) but the best thing has being meeting everyone and seeing the work that RWDA is doing. We visited the secondary school yesterday which left the three of us buzzing with thoughts and we’re looking forward to learning more. We’re going to the RWDA centre tomorrow to meet the women working there too and we can’t wait.

Don’t let our volunteers suffer

kanga — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:31:05 +0000

Jess and Ben’s 13 mile run around Oxford recently has raised just over £2000 for our projects (cheeeeers!). Projects that they are going to be helping with, when they arrive in Ilongero on 10th October along with Nicole, an intrepid traveller from Australia. We have set them goals that will stretch their skills, patience, stamina and health to the limit (not least due to the language barrier). So if they thought running 13 miles was hard…….. they’ll soon found out what they are really made of. Raising the money target to £3000 might make it a bit more comfortable for them; we’ll feed them every day instead of every other!. So if you care about their welfare, please contribute on their justgiving page or text 70070 KPKP11 to help Nicole meet her goal, KPKP12 to support Jess or KPKP13 if you fear for Ben’s life. The goals will be revealed over the next few days, so stay tuned in by registering your email address on the website.
Karibuni guys, we do hope you enjoy the experience.

Suzanne has left some of our village leaders, gobsmacked

kanga — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:01:24 +0000

A few months ago, Suzanne our latest volunteer told us about the spectacular nutritional claims of the Moringa tree and asked if she could introduce it to the community during her stay if they were not already aware of its immense properties. If, like us, you have never heard of it, its potentials will just amaze you. The Moringa tree or horseradish tree or Mlonge tree (in Swahili) is best known for its exceptional usefulness as a food and medicinal plant. Nearly every part of it can be used in one way or another to benefit humans and provide food and other valuable materials for farming and fuel needs. And best of all it grows best in arid and semi-arid areas, exactly where it is most needed.
We agreed of course, thinking that surely they will already know about this; indigenous knowledge is still strong in rural Africa. Well apparently not so in this case. Oh they know the tree, they use it for fuel. But they did wonder why some eight years ago a man from Arusha asked them to grow Moringa trees and sell him the leaves. Three years later, it all suddenly stopped and the trees were just left to be.
So the Moringa tree project got launched and 3000 seedlings are now doing well, waiting to be transplanted in November on RWDA’s land. Plans are being drawn to best exploit this rich resource which is also very fast growing. Suzanne then had the good sense to have informative leaflets done and to distribute them in Ilongero and surrounding villages. She said that a meeting with elders and leaders genuinely seem to leave them gobsmacked. On another occasion, a whole primary school got to hear about the miracle tree because their teacher was so impressed. I can’t think of a better way to ensure parents get to know. Moringa trees will now be part of our ongoing projects at the training centre; to educate about its various uses, to show villagers how to grow it and exploit it and perhaps to get a few businesses going. Thank you Suzanne, what a great contribution.

Thanks Rebecca & Will

kanga — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:17:17 +0000

Without breathing a word to us, Rebecca and Will set up a Just Giving page to raise money for us by climbing Mount Meru in Tanzania. They are keen to see more girls get an education. Well done guys for achieving your target of £200 and we’d love to know how you got on.

Great photos of new and ongoing projects

kanga — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 21:48:21 +0000

One of the great bonuses of having volunteers on the ground is getting some new photos. Renee Martin has kindly added a great deal of material to our gallery. We have created three new albums in the picture gallery – sewing classes, lifeskills project and girl sponsorship. We have added new photos to the mud stove project with photos of Maria putting her new acquired skills into practice by training women in the art of building themselves a fuel efficient stove. Our community projects for women’s gallery has been updated as has Ilongero training centre with the official site marking and Ilongero Secondary School gallery with the presentation of 322 books donated by CUSAFE (taken with a disposable camera). We hope you enjoy looking at them all and share our happiness of good things happening in Ilongero and of women and young people taking advantage of new possibilities. Please keep on supporting us, in particular we need to raise funds for sewing machines and material to give our newly trained ladies the tools to set up in business. We are working on a niche market for them with Suzanne, our next volunteer who has just landed. But more on that in a few weeks. Please text KPKP20 to donate to that specific project if you can or click on any of our donate button on the website. Thank you

Our little miracle by Renee Martin

kanga — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:19:43 +0000

I am very pleased to announce that despite school holidays and
closures as well as my limited time here, we were able to launch a
peer educator train-the-trainer programme on June 27th with
ten students. (check here for pictures)

We started with 5 O-level girls and 5 A-level boys nominated by peers
and the headmasters, but have ended the first week of training with 7
A level boys and only 3 O level girls. A few of the nominated girls
ended up being too shy to participate productively let alone consider
facilitating sessions of their own.

Although the groups are being trained in English in the first
instance, they have been working through exercises and have had
back-up for clarification of issues or assignments in Swahili from
Bonne. Materials are being provided to the peer educators in Swahili.

As some of the peer educators have been participating in tuition
(study and review of subjects during the vacation period), our
possible meeting times have been limited to 16:00- 18:00 each week
day. The peer education Train-the-Trainer sessions will provide up to
20 hours of contact with Life Skills, Peer Education and Session
Facilitation Training.

Life Skills Peer Education Topics include (but are not limited to): Goal Setting, Role Models, Developing Assertive Communication & Decision Making Skills, Strategies for Delaying Sex, Avoiding Early Pregnancy, Saying Not to Drugs & Alcohol. HIV and STD Awareness and Prevention, Relationship Skills Development, Building Self-Esteem, Managing Emotions and Navigating Gender Issues.

Peer Educators are also exposed to training on dealing with problems in groups, how to support healthy behaviour and practice facilitating life skills sessions.After certification, each Peer Educator will meet once a week with an assigned group of peers to facilitate a life skills session.