Wanawake (women) of AFRICA

Many Types of Independence...

Happy Independence Day to those of you back home in the States! Another gorgeous day in Mwanza...more time with the grandmothers, and a nice lunch next to the pool at Mary Martin's hotel. Now, I'm back at the Treehouse for a little "alone-time", something I really need when the world is too much with me. Maddie is swimming, MM is visiting a Hindu temple, and I'm posting this blog in the peace and quiet of our room here, as the breeze blows through the whole house, goats bleat on the hillside, and windchimes sound on the veranda.

So, let me tell you about Devote, one of the Tanzanian grandmothers, or "bibis". One of the first things I noticed about her is the weight she seems to be carrying, though she has only one grandchild in her care and the others have so many more. But in the past couple of days, as we've heard her story, that burden has been more clearly defined- and my heart has broken for her over and over again.

Devote was educated though the tenth grade (second form here), and longed to become a nurse so that she could help the sick and less fortunate, as her greatest joy comes in helping people. "And," she added, "I liked the uniforms." She had to drop out of school to help at home, so further education was not possible. She married and over the course of years, gave birth to 10 children... and here the story of her sorrow begins. Five of those children died in the first couple of days of life and, subsequently, three more died in childhood of high fevers of short duration (most likely malaria). So this lovely, intelligent woman had only 2 children grow to adulthood, a son and a daughter. It was only after she had been widowed that she began her small baking business to support herself and her children.

Then, a couple of years ago, her daughter died at age 18 of AIDS, leaving behind a new baby, Susanna. And now, Devote is caring for that lovely child, taking the business skills training offered by the Tanzania Home Economics Association in cooperation with the Nyanya Project, in the hope of growing her business and increasing her profits, in this way giving Susanna a better life. In fact, her fondest hope is that Susanna will become a nurse. We were graciously invited into her home where she shared the hospitality of her story and her donuts with us, as we all fell in love with Susanna. How can one possibly hear such a story of ongoing and prolonged suffering and not be touched to the very core? I have suffered the death of one child; I simply cannot imagine losing eight! No wonder Devote told us that at times, when all of this was happening, she felt like she was going crazy. And so, all of you dear ones back in the States, I give you just a small taste of why I am coming to love these courageous, determined women, with their incredible patience and endurance.

I also love the sound of the Swahili language! Some of the words and expressions fall so beautifully on my ears: "wanawake"- the word for women;

"umoja nguvu"- unity is strength; "lala salama"- good night; and "Jina wajuku tisa"- I have nine grandchildren. (remember to pronounce every syllable and virtually every letter; A is ah, E is aye, I is ee, O is aw, and U is ooh.) As I prepare to sit outdoors on the veranda for the next hour to read and think and process, I say to you KWAHERINI- good-bye to all of you...from Tanzania with love.

From Mwanza with Love

So...are you ready to hear about Thursday? The morning was spent at the Raila Odinga Nyanya Pre-school Center in the Kibera slum which has two million people living in two square miles. The children were wonderful and it was hard to stop taking photos as they were all so beautiful, This center has been open less than a year and already several chidren have moved onto regular school because they had learned so much, The teacher, Elizabeth, is quite amazing and the children respond to her so well. In this case, a picture is really worth more than a thousand words, so I've given you are some lovely "words"...

In the afternoon, we went to Kaputiei village outside Nairobi, a planned community begun by Jamii Bora, a microfinance orgaization. The first residents, moved out from Mathare and Kibara slums, have been there for about 9 months, with a projection of 2000 houses to be eventually built there. There is a factory on-site in which the women make the bricks and roof tiles; electricity and hot water are supplied by solar panels; and the comunity will eventually be self-sustaining. I met Beatrice, better known as Shosho, who is the founder of the Kosovo Grandtoto Women's Group and one of the strong guiding liights of this fledgling community experiment. She is a woman of great heart, with the most beautiful smile and totally hospitable manner. Her determination and drive comes because she wants to see her 12 grandchildren educated (9 of her grands are AIDS-orphaned).

And now it's day three..yes, only day three! It began with oversleeping, then rushing to get ready to go to the airport in all of 10 minutes! Fortunately I had packed last night. Our flight to Manza, Tanzania, was smooth and ueventful, but the day has been anything but. First, this is a beautiful city on the shores of Lake Victoria the largest fresh-water lake in Africa. Mwanza is also know as the Rock City, aptly named for the incredible rock formations which are everywhere around the city- breath-taking! (My granddaughter can tell you that I love rocks!) The air here is so fresh compared to Nairobi's pollution, and the day was sunny and absolutely gorgeous.

After our arrival, we met with Asia Kapande and Magdalena of the Tanzania Home Economics Association, which has begun working with grandmothers here in cooperation and concert with the Nyaya Project. Magdalena has been training 4 grandmothers in business skills since May and already they are seeing a considerable increase in their small-business profits. After a lovely lunch on a second-floor patio overlooking the lake, we drove out to the TAHEA headquarters and met these four women: Devota, Rosa, Martha, and Angelina, who told us about what the business training is meaning to them and their families. Between them, they have 12 AIDS-orphaned grandchildren, meaning each of these women has lost at least one of her children to AIDS.

All in all, a very full day...which finished with

supper at a Chinese restaurant on the lake

where we watched a gorgeous sunset from our patio table, and then headed back to our respective hotels (Maddie and I are staying at the Treehouse Bed & Breakfast while MM is staying at Ryans' Bay. And all of us are happy with where we are.) I'll tell you more about our hair-raising taxi ride tomorrow and share some sunset photos But right now, though it is mid-afternoon for most of you, it is nearly 10:30p.m. here and I am really ready for bed. Kwa heri from Mwanza, with much love.

Weather or Not?

Here in Carolina it is HOT!!! No other word for it. Today's temperature prediction is 95- which means it will actually be a bit hotter...at least that's the way it usually goes in this part of the country. Not my best time of the year, summer...usually I languish, doing as little physical activity as possible, preferring instead to hydrate myself with lots & lots of water and iced herbal tea while reading from my never-ending stack of books-to-be-read. So why, you might ask, (as numbers of friends actually have) am I heading to Africa, of all places? Well, let me tell you just a little bit about where I'm headed...and perhaps we'll learn something together.

Since all three countries I'll be visiting are in the Southern Hemisphere, the up-coming solstice will actually be the beginning of their winter. That's right- winter. Of course, we're talking about countries either on or near the equator, this is not cold winter...actually, it will be quite warm- but warm is distinctly better than hot, in my book. Today, for example, the weather in Nairobi, Kenya, has been cloudy with scattered thunderstorms, high of 73 degrees and low 54. A bit warmer in Mwanza, Tanzania: 86 and 65, sunny and humid. And in Kigali, Rwanda: 82 and 53, sunny and pleasant. I also find it interesting that there are almost exactly 12 hours between sunrise and sunset, due to the nearness to the equator. And I doubt if I'll be catching any fireflies.

So...I'll be thinking about those of you baking in the 90+ temperatures of the American east coast, while I enjoy the "winter" of East Africa.