Christmas Day in Bukoba

Valerie and Raheem hosted a splendid Christmas Day at their house for an assorted group of volunteers, four Canadians, Baraka, an adopted Tanzanian boy, a Phillipino and five Brits with some friends dropping in. It was just as well as it rained all morning and was clouded over, hot and humid all afternoon.

We had roast chicken, roast potatoes, roasted Meditteranean vegetables, two different stuffings and gravy. This was followed by an M and S Christmas pudding ( brought back by Chandrika), trifle and in recognition of where we are Tropical fruit salad.

Pressies under the Christmas tree was followed by Trivial Persuits.

Train journey from Dar to Mwanza

We chose to travel home by train across Tanzania, a 2 day journey, we were told.

We travelled 1st class as advised, which gave us a two bunk compartment and a sink in the corner. We arrived early at Dar station, which was heaving with humanity and all their bags heading for Christmas somewhere else. We finally set off late after much shunting at 7 pm.

The train was packed and we were pleased to have a space to ourselves. The guards and attendants were concerned for our safety (from theiving) and insisted we close our outside window at night for security as there were many stops at halts along the way. We were brought food to the cabin which consisted of chicken and rice/chips and spinach. This was the only thing on the menu for the whole trip apart from omlette and spiced tea for breakfast. The food was delicious and hot, if monotonous, and washed down by warm beer. A strip wash before bed was most welcome, best done in the dark so as not to terrify anyone outside.

Dawn brought us to a completely different landscape; dry, parched land, with many baobab trees standing sentinel and distant hills covered in scrub.

We arrived in Dodoma, the so called Capital at midday. Still very dry. Someone enterprising has planted olive trees which seemed curious but they looked healthy and were in fruit. All came clear when we saw a Lombardy style church with seperate campanile....the Italians were here!

Travelling by train was a wonderful way of witnessing rural life in Tanzania. The hardship was clearly visible; children in old ragged clothes, shoeless and thin.

Bicycles seemed the only common form of transport apart from train and feet. Even the cows were thin.

We arrived in Tabora, Annie's birthplace at 11 at night, so not much to see apart from another very busy station. Here the train split in two, 8 carriages being taken off to go to Kigoma. I (A) watched fascinated as a family of 12 including 5 kids squeezed themselves into an already full carriage, with all their bags, through the window amid much heated discussion....made First Great Western seem a doddle!

Coming further north and climbing all the time, it became cooler and the countryside greener. We passed small rice fields (Shinyanga is famous for it's rice) and generally people were more prosperous.

Coming into Mwanza we passed through a valley bordered by huge rock formations, remimdimg us of Dartmoor Tors. We eventually arrived in Mwanza at 3pm, 44hrs after setting off from the coast.

All along the way when stopping at halts and stations, there were people selling wares---anything from wooden spoons, woven mats, pottery stoves to rice and food. Our neighbour bought something every time for Christmas! We were also filmed by a Japanese film crew making a documentary on train journeys.....

We caught the (smart) night ferry from Mwanza, arriving at Kemondo Bay in the early hours and arrived home safely. It was good to sleep in a bed that night that was not moving!

Annual Volunteer Conference

Every year VSO brings in all 78 Volunteers for a conference. There is a lot of important discussion, updatimg, networking and sharing of ideas, problems and experiences. We were particularly pleased to meet other Health Workers who are in the field of HIV/AIDs. Francijn, a yound Dutch Dr working in the South has worked very hard in her placement and gave us a memory stick with more than 330 pieces of information about her project! Invaluable to us.

Volunteers gave presentatoins about their work and Rupert gave an excellent presentation (with powerpoint!) on "Sex and Development" which was well attended and very well received. Much to some peoples initial disappointment, it was more about the effects of rapid population growth and lack of adequate contraception on development than about sex per se. However he was asked by several people for a copy of the presentation, so we hope the message will spread....

There were other excellent presentations. We enjoyed one on water supply and sanitation and another from a friend in Dar in Media who is part of a national campaign to increase awareness of HIV to young people.

It was fun to meet up with our intake group again and to hear their stories. Such diverse experiences of work placements, housing, climate etc. We were kept working all day. Rupert and I had the surreal experience of going for our evening dip in the Ocean, accompanied by the sound of the bagpipes played on the beach by a Volunteer who happens to live in Saltash and plays for the Cornish Pipers at Tavistock Carnival!

Evening entertainment was predictably fun, including live music and Karioke. (Not on the same night!)

Mafia Island

Once a year VSO arrange a volunteers conference in Dar and so we took the opportunity to spend the preceding weekend on Mafia Island. It is about 30 minutes flight south of Dar and has a large National Marine Park.
The photos speak for themselves. It was lovely.

The Mafia Lodge had a superb open sitting and dining area with a field leading down to a lovely beach and a beach bar. We went snorkelling out on a reef twice and saw a truely amazing collection of coral and fish. It is difficult to describe the intensity but both time we returned overawed by the experience. It was one of the best sites we have been, the water was a little cloudy but we were so close to the coral and fish it did not matter.

We managed a sunset sail in a small dhow with just us, our host Ali and the skipper. Sparkling South African wine, the quiet rustling of the sea and an interesting chat with Ali about the seperation he feels having an Arab mother and how South Africa made him feel very uncomfortable with the racial tensions. The sunset as always was beautiful and the sail back in the gloaming just so perfect!

(Double click on the R picture and you may see a full moon rising between the palm trees)
It was all over too soon ( not helped by missing our flight the first day due to Precision Air changing their schedule at 24 hour notice).
This is Mafia Airport Fire Service, pressed into action (!) twice a day.
We did not see many Tanzanians (apart from the hotel staff) though one can take a ferry to the local village across the water and wander round the small island. certainly worth it for 3 or 4 days but not more if you are interested in what Tanzania has to offer.

Care and Treatment Centre (CTC)

Rupert works in the CTC looking after those people who are HIV positive. Kagera was the first place in Tanzania to recognise AIDS in 1982 but treatment with antiretrovirals has only been available since 2004. It has slowly been extended from Bukoba to outlying hospitals and Kagondo started in February this year.
We have an active counselling and testing centre mainly run by a superb nun Sister Renate. They have done about 2000 tests this year and the positive rate is about 12-15%. This is mainly among the worried or those with symptoms. The background rate is about 3% in antenatal mothers and posssibly 4 % in the adult population. It is higher in the towns and Bukoba runs at about 8%. What no one has adequately explained to me is why the prevalence rate has dropped from 15% in the 1990s. The rate in South Tanzania is rising from 7% to 14%.
The CTC has about 300 patients on their books with about half on antiretrovivals (ART). Adherence to drug taking is amazingly good and most people are very insistant on taking their tabs. The response is often dramatic, with appetite returning weight going up 6 or 7 kg in 3 months and going back to working in the garden. It is difficult to predict what the future will hold but if one views it like chemotherapy for cancer, it gives people a year or two or three or more to teach, be a mother, work in the garden or whatever.
Unfortunately many people are prsenting late and die within a few weeks of starting treatment. There is still stigma but the women are much better at coming, adhering to treatment and be willing to talk about things and show other people how life can continue on ART. Again it is similar to the attitude prevalent in the UK in the sixties about cancer before effective treatment became available when one just did not talk about cancer.
Rupert works with Sister Immaculata who is very determined and works without a break till all the patients are seen. Fortunately this is by 12 or 1 pm. Godi, our nurse works very hard and is good at councelling and encouraging the patients. After the clinic I wander round maternity and womans ward but that is not arduous with only 4 - 10 patients on womans ward. Later I am spending my time sorting out the registrer and planning where I can be most useful over the next 9 months.

Sunday walk to Bugasha

It was time to explore a bit so we set off to find the Lake. Heading due East we were greeted often and given much advice. The best one from a young teenager was 'there are many ways to the lake' and after a long pause 'but I think you should go......' and he drew a map in the earth with a stick.

We came over the escarpment and found it was the same village Annie had been to last month, Bugasha. A leisurely stroll down the path found us at the Lake shore, in all about 2 hours.

We had soda and sweet bananas and were surrounded by curious children. An interesting man with good english asked us about life in England and talked of life by the Lake. His brother turned up and he had extremely good knowledge, knowing about Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and othe far flung places. It turned out he had trained as an aeronautic engineer in Moscow. He asked searching questions about why the economic situation in the world had taken a down turn and who was responsible. Not the easiest question to answer but after blaming the irresponsible gambling by bankers we ranged far and wide- China, interest rates, price of tilapia, supermarkets etc...

Life is not easy, fish are more scarce but there is always time for coffee (Kahawa) under the mango tree. We then strolled back under the hot sun. Next day most of the staff were amazed we had walked there. 'Why didn't you take transport?