In my February update I mentioned that we were supplying outdoor play equipment for our schools in Chitemo and Nyhinila villages. Swings, slides, seesaws and roundabouts. These were ordered in October 2015 and our iron worker Joshua has worked so hard to produce the same items for each school. Working in rural Tanzania, East Africa, is very different from what we might know. Joshua's work shop is a wooden shack that does not have the up-to-date equipment we might find in an iron works in Europe. It has meant sheer hard physical work to produce this equipment. There is also the fact that during the rainy season November to April the people have to work on the land to produce the food that will sustain them through the year and Joshua also has to do this so this brought a halt to the project. The equipment was completed some time ago but he had to wait until the rains had finished and the roads were passable and bridges repaired to be able to transport everything in a very old lorry the 93 kilometres to Chitemo and then another 7 to Nyhinila. Well a couple of weeks ago the equipment was installed and I have just had a photograph that gives an idea of what has been done. I shall be able to take more comprehensive photographs when I return in June.
Also the school toilets are almost completed. The walls still need to be rendered and doors installed. We are getting there!!!
Our final project - the breeding of piglets - is starting to get off the ground. I have had the budget through to train five villagers in animal husbandry at the Animal Research Centre. These men will initially start off the pig breeding and also train other villagers. We are now in the process of organising when they will undertake the course. Once they have completed the course and built the appropriate pig sties we shall start supplying the pigs and feed. Sows are very productive producing twice a year up to 10 piglets per litter. The funds raised from the sale of piglets will be banked and then used to pay the teachers, maintain the schools and the pigs. The projects aim is to enable the villages to become independent of needing our support in the future.
Donations
I am thrilled that already a number of supporters have donated funds to buy piglets. It cost the equivalent of £15 for a sow or bore. The supporters have chosen names for their piglets and they are:
Percy, Brian, Dorothy, Dot, Jenny, Tom, Lizzie, Charlie, Rosie, Daisy, Paddy, Bertie, Del, & Rodney (someone has a sense of humour!)
The pigs will be supplied by the Animal Research Centre to ensure we have good quality animals.
If you would like to sponsor a piglet please visit our donation page.
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