Friday 9 September 2016

Get this right, and everything else follows

 When women are healthy, educated and empowered, 
then, and only then, 
will the next generation grow up alive, happy, and free.




















Rural Tanzania pictures

Rural Tanzania: beautiful, inaccessible, resourceful, friendly ... and desperately poor:














We can help!!!!




Tushikamane projects begin

Tushikamane plans to have its effect by helping communities to put their own plans and projects into action.

Too often in the past, the help of charities and well-intentioned supporters has dissipated because of not being owned by the people: Equipment not maintained; finances siphoned off; resources not reaching the intended place; projects not being culturally appropriate; shoddy workmanship because of poor supervision; or simply not being what the people truly needed. 

If the community, and particularly the women of the villages and hamlets, have not had a say in what is going on, then too often projects have run out of steam.

By contrast, and wonderfully, Tushikamane is already having an important effect on encouraging the right kind of project: 

-  "We are setting up a garden and just need better seed"; 

-  "We have dug a well, but it needs protecting"; 

-  "We have set up a chicken and egg project, but do not have enough chicken wire";

- "We are learning to make and sell school uniforms, but need more raw materials, and money to pay the teachers"

- "We have set up a micro-financing project for covering the cost of obstetric emergencies, so that women do not need to waste precious time finding money in a crisis - but we need better transport";

etc.

Some of the projects are aimed at better health; some at earning money so as to pay for health, transport and education; some will simply provide food.

In addition, bigger projects will need long-term planning and long-term help: in particular: better water; better school facilities; and capacity for complex emergency obstetric care in Tunguli clinic. 

With the success of Tushikamane in promoting community involvement, we now have a fighting chance that pouring effort and resources into these ventures will bring long-term, sustainable development.

And by the way ... as these projects become more defined, we will be looking for help from those who earn quite alot more than $2/day!!!


























Children are the future

These children are the future - will Tushikamane help save their lives?
Will they grow up to better nutrition, better education, and better chances of survival then the generation before?

Will the girls raise families safe in the knowledge that neither they nor their children will die for want of simple expedients?

Their mothers are planning that this will not just be a dream ...

... and we can help ...



























Women find their voice!

Women find their voice!

Here are some heartening photos from the recent visit of Mission Morogoro to the 'Tushikamane' women's groups in up-country rural Tanzania.

Things you might want to note are:

-  There are so many women involved, in no fewer than eleven sites! Clearly the Tushikamane message has struck a chord with village women who, for so long, have just had to put up with their fate;

-  In Tanzania, Christian and Muslim work alongside each other, without tension;

-  Young women in particular are getting involved; and new young women are emerging with leadership qualities;

-  Although 90% of adults earn less than $2/day, people are not starving, as porridge is very cheap and very available. However, many are anaemic, and many children have low resistance to infection from poor micro-nutrition.

-   Tanzanian women love colour!