Visiting the Kasoba family

Our neighbours, the Kasobas, had often invited us to see their home they are building on their shamba near Izimbia, 20k away. So, one Saturday morning we set out in our best bibs and tuckers, lunch packed in the boot, umbrellas handy.

First stop to TaKasobas family home where we met his aunt (86) his brother and sister-in-law and lots of children....

Then on to his home in his shamba. Park the car, greet the priest at the church, view the church. Then a 20 min walk through the bananas, stopping and greeting neighbours on the way. (This was as much to keep us out of the house whilst lunch was prepared, I think)

At his home we met neighbours, brother and sister-in-law (another lot) children and a dog.

TaKasoba, MaJonesia,me.(L) Everyone and the dog. (R) R. with TaKasoba and his brother (bottom)

We had a delicious swahili lunch which included bananas, and were offered the local "wine" made from....yes...bananas. (Not very strong, tasted like rough scrumpy, but weaker.) Then talk turned to homemade Konyagi (spirit) and we were invited to see the local still, belonging to the neighbour with the dog.

Ta Kasobas brother and his wife.

Take a 44 gallon drum, banana wine, a fire, bamboo poles, banana twine, a few bottles in a stream and Kumbe! You have konyagi.

Gloria, who does everything so cheerfully!

Back through the banana plantations, sun shining now. Only two stops on the way home, and we returned tired but happy ...and full! We were given a gift as thanks. Guess what it was.

Per diems

Per diems

If a meeting is to be held one needs to consider whether a per diem has to be paid. If people are coming from outside one will almost certainly have to budget for this not just to cover travel costs but to recompense the participants for their time.
If village leaders are summoned to announce a new initiative then the minimum expected is a Soda (Coke, Fanta etc @Tsh500, 25pence).
World Vision ran some full day seminars for people living with HIV and paid Tsh 5000. Not surprisingly some of our patients sent their treatment supporter to our clinic to get their regular monthly supply of ART rather than miss out on the seminar.
Annie is running a day for teachers about HIV and has budgeted Tsh 10,000-£5 per per person (monthly salary of a primary school teacher is 150,000 to 200,000).
The problem comes with superfunded organisations like in the AIDS Industry. Perdiems of Tsh 30,000 are not unusual. I came away with TSh 300,000 after a 6 day conference in Bukoba, equivalent to my monthly allowance. After hotel costs I can afford to plough this back to the CTC.
Recently Sr Immaculata was offered Tsh75,000 (£37) per day to attend a 5 day meeting on Chest Xrays and TB. (What can people talk about for 5 days, a day would be sufficient or at the most 2 days). Who could possible refuse this inducement?

The practice has of course come from the West, from the UN, WHO and other unrestrained corporations who pay their operatives a good salary as well as a perdiem for working in Africa or elsewhere. (Is travel overseas not in their job description?).
Why should a mzungu get a per diem and not the Tanzanians attending?
In some ways it is a way of supporting salaries for the underpaid professionals.
The downside is there is a cadre of civil servants who attend every meeting that pays a perdiem, become representatives for gender, HIV, sustainable development, ecotourism, albinos, deaf and any other group that well meaning Westerners raise money for, go home and do nothing.
More seriously it takes good professionals away from their workplace on numerous occasions and leaves the service seriously understaffed with resentment from those left behind.
It is a fact of life, it is unlikely to change much and well… what inducements do we use in the West to get people to attend meetings like dinner in expensive restaurants to promote a new drug?