Thursday 5 November 2015

The 'Famous 5' of 2015 travel to Tanzania part one!

 

 


10 suitcases packed with items to take to Chitemo and Nyhinila villages

For Trevor, Cathy and Steve this is a first visit to Tanzania.
4 October 2015 day of departure for Tanzania.

Heathrow to Doha - Doha to Dar es Salaam arriving 5 October 2015. A long tiring journey ahead.







Very excited Trevor, Yolande, Cathy and Rebecca
Steve our official photographer is taking the photograph!!

        
We arrive at Dar es Salaam after a very long and tiring journey but we are still smiling
Our lovely friend and driver Rajabu from Takims Holidays was at the airport to meet us with his usual big warm smile and would be with us for the following 2 weeks.

 




 
We stayed over night at the Southern Sun Hotel and enjoyed a hearty breakfast before our 8 hour journey cross country in the land cruiser. Still smiling!
 
A long dusty road ahead to Mpwapwa once we left the tarmacadam road from Dar es Salaam.
 
 
We arrive after 8 hours travel at the 'Ark Hotel' which turns out to be more a building site in slow progress!  Well I did tell the group not to have too high expectations of our accommodation!
 
 
Views from our bedroom window!
 
 
Staircase to our bedrooms!
 
 
7 October visit Chitemo village and SEEDS pre-school.
 
 
 
Arrive at Chitemo and invited to have 'Chai and chapattis' in the home of Pastor Festo.
 
 
Time for the team to introduce themselves - Trevor tries out his Swahili!
 
 
The ladies seem amused with his efforts!
 
 
Pig pen outside Pastor Festo's home.
 
 
Our pre-school at Chitemo village. At the last count 168 children attend the school. Toilets are still in the process of being built
 
 
 
 
 
 
A meeting is held in the school with Pastor Festo, representatives from Chitemo and Nyhinila - village elders and members of the school and bore-hole committees to discuss the progress of
the projects and the way forward. 
 
 
Do you know how to swing a hoop around your hips?  Who is this strange man!
 
 
After long discussions we are invited to lunch at Pastor Festo's.
 
 
It makes us feel uncomfortable to be given food when the area has suffered a severe drought, the crops have failed and the people are struggling to survive.
 
 
 
8 October we return to Chitemo to organise activities with the pre-school children.  The children are sitting under the tree having their morning porridge made from maize, water and some honey.  
 
       
The porridge is cooked outside over charcoal. For some children it may be their only meal of the day. Another incentive to attend school.
 
Time to get the activities started.             
 
Chasing bubbles is so exciting!
 
                                          
 
Running under the parachute is great fun - we love to scream.  We also love to make a circle and sing action songs.  The wheels on the bus is one of our favourites and we so love the Oke Koke!
 
Before we leave Chitemo its lollipop time! 
                
Nyhinila pre-school and the children wait to greet us.  The village of Nyhinila is much smaller than Chitemo and at the last count 64 children attend the school.
 
 
We meet with the village elders, committee representatives, introduce ourselves and speak about the school and bore-hole projects.  Stephen Ngailo translates for us.  He is now our project co-ordinator.
 
             
 
 
 
We think these visitors are funny.   I'm not sure I like them!
 
 
Hagali,  Nyhinila's pre-school teacher              
 
 
                     
 
time to have some fun - great they have brought the parachute over from Chitemo!
 
 
 
I'm still not sure I like them.    Yeh! I think this is great.
 
            
Balloons to play with and then lollipops - great!
 
                                               
Hagali shows us the work she does with the children and the clay animals and letters she has made.
 
 The slate boards the children are using.
 
 Before we leave the mothers entertain us with singing and playing of drums.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  
 
 
                                                                                          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 

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