January 14, 2014 – by District Governor (7070) Valerie Wafer

A Rotary trip always brings many pleasant surprises; a chance to meet new people, travel to a different country, learn a new culture and see the good work of Rotary.

Today was one of those days.   We took a hike to the top of a water furrow, part of a District grant last year in District 7070,  that was completed by local Rotarians and Tanzanians.  This furrow is fed by a spring water supply and is a new tributary of an existing series of  furrows.  The furrow has been operational one year ago and it is clear the influence it has had on the local economy.  It travels through three large communities and is operationally run by village cooperatives.  The water supply has increased farming yields and allowed farmers to explore new varieties of crops, including banana trees that will produce ten times the crop and coffee plant that will produce almost two times the crop.  Villages have begun planting cooperatives that include teachings in compost production and seedling plantings that are adding to the economy in the form of small business entrepreneurship.  None of this would be possible without the new supply of water flowing through the land.

The pictures tell the story the best.  While walking down a road it was obvious which side had access to the furrow. On one side the crops are green and healthy, the other side of the road… yellow and wilting.  The happy faces of the men, women and children collecting water locally instead of spending a day to walk miles to get their daily water.  Water is vital to the people and certainly makes me realize how easy it is to turn the tap in the garden to water our plants and wash our cars and not have to spend the better part of the day collecting this vital resource.    District 7070 in collaboration with the Rotary club of Kilema have made a true difference,  the economic benefits will be felt for years.

I did bring a luxury from home for myself and my fellow travellers – Tim Horton Coffee !

After our hike today we brewed a pot and the chef brought out our treat for the day – DOUGHNUTS !

We may have to start a new enterprise here – Coffee and Doughnuts, a novel concept…anyone think this is a good idea?

Monday, January 13, 2014

Hujambo! The team awoke this morning after our first night at Kilema Visitor Centre to roosters, church bells, and for DG Valarie Wafer, an up close and personal inspection of her mosquito net. She recovered quickly with a bold marketing maneuver: she had brought along a few pounds of Tim Horton’s coffee! Cleary she is going to need perseverance to live up to the Rotary Four Way Test with me as her roommate for the next 10 days…

The facilities here are magically situated 5000 feet up Kilimanjaro. As we were enjoying the tranquil scene of the mountain at sunrise, we were greeted by the smiling faces and joyous laughter of uniformed students on their way to class. [Un]fortunately for them, today was a holiday!

Team 1 visited Nganjoni Clinic this morning – Judy, Maria and Kate accompanied Sister Mathilda to inspect the recently arrived materials and equipment. Kilema Rotary Club gets the job done! Although the shipment arrived just three weeks ago, everything was already organized and the community celebrated the improvement of local healthcare services with tea, peanuts and fried bananas.

Although Team 1 has been on the ground for some days, it was Team 2’s first opportunity to put in some sweat equity and Rotary Kisaluni Hospital House will never be the same. The Kilema team of Rotarians, engineers and local skilled labourers have done a top notch job at renovating the housing facilities for vocational laboratory students and hospital/nursing staff over the last few months. Under Sharon’s forewomanship, she and Stephen enjoyed some casual painting inside the cool shelter of the guardhouse, while directing the gruelling tasks of the DG, Madeline, Theo (aka Beth) and Shannon. In total, their chain gang-like efforts in the 35C hot sun produced 28 holes for the planting of shrubs tomorrow.

Bill, Roger and John undertook an audit of the ongoing projects and exploring additional initiatives for 2015 and beyond. Needless to say, a nourishing lunch provided by onsite master chef Alex (a gem) was followed by a well-deserved siesta.

A number of us trekked up Ngangu Hill this afternoon, taking the weaving red sand roads and paths through the lush forest. It is amazing to think that over 250,000 people live in this maze of banana and avocado trees, hills and streams. The view from Ngangu Hill is spectacular – looking north east towards Kenya, this spiritual site was dedicated to the last Chief of Kilema by the church, and is a cherished place for pilgrim and tourist alike. We were guided on our journey by Camille, a local 17 year boy who we met after a fortuitous wrong turn at the fork, and were greeted on our way back down by numerous chuwas, young men on motorbikes, and a woman who gifted us with the largest avocados I have ever seen (for those who know me, this is definitely the highlight of my trip thus far). The generous nature of the people here combined with the constant song of children laughing, have me wondering about our western definition of “progress”.

As we have limited connectivity at Kilema this week, the team sends much love to family and friends back home. [Note to MRG: definitely 2015] XO