Blog 1

Arusha, Tanzania
October 6, 2013

 Jambo from Tanzania!

 

We have just completed our first week here in Arusha, and we want to tell you about what we have been doing, where we are living, work, etc.

 We left Seattle with 6 HEAVY suitcases and 2 wheel chairs.  After some 20 hours im the air, we arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport and were greeted by the Director of RISE Africa and one of the staff members.  Arusha is about 40 kilometers from the airport.

 
We checked in to our hotel where we have decided to live.  It is a very friendly place and all of the staff take good care of us.  This is a very clean place and so is Arusha, the cleanest place we have lived in all of Africa, and the most beautiful huge jacaranda trees.  Jacaranda trees have beautiful purple flowers. 

As we have decided to stay at this place, we got a very special rate: $12.50 per night including breakfast!!

 Since we have been getting over our jet lag this past week, we ate most of our dinners here at the hotel (Meru View Motel).  We ordered different things each night, but somehow they all tasted the same.  We also discovered that there is only one of each thing in the restaurant:  one sugar bowl, one margarine, one jam, etc., so there is a lot of sharing with other tables.

 Arusha is like all of the other places we have lived around the world:  sometimes water, sometimes power, sometimes neither, and sometimes all of it.

As you know, Peter is a diabetic, and uses insulin daily.  The room has no refrigerator, so we keep the insulin in the restaurant beer cooler.

 

RISE Africa is a small NGO.  Everyone who works there is a volunteer, from the Director on down.  This is nice, but also problematic, because people need to earn money and as they find employment, they leave which of course creates problems with continuity, learning curves, and so on.

 

There is an preschool for orphans and vulnerable children between 4 and 6 years old.  When the children reach 6 they go to a government school and RISE pays for the school fees, uniforms, and books.  There is also a women’s program where the women have developed some small income generating programs.  They meet a couple of times a week to discuss common issues and problems.  There is a computer lab for vulnerable youth (we brought 7 laptops which everyone is excited about and already using.  Thanks to those of you who have donated them.  Soon we will set up a photography program for similar youth with the cameras that we brought and that you were kind and generous enough to donate.  Hopefully in the near future we will be sending you some of their photos.  The intent is to teach them, and RISE will lend them the cameras and they will charge for their photo services.

The wheel chairs we brought will be loaned out for those in need.

 

The clinic that we thought they had was recently turned over to the government because of lack of money to operate it.

 

The real need of RISE Africa is to raise funds and we are going to try to help with that as best as we can.

 

RISE Africa is located in a Maasai village named Oldadoi just a short distance from where we live on a muddy dirt road.  It has a small office in a compound of 4 buildings that is secure and very nice.  We have a taxi that takes us back and forth every day.

 

Each country has it own unique customs.  One of them here is a bride give away.  Two days before the wedding, usually on a Thursday there is truck with a band playing music followed by a car with the bride and her parents.  They drive around town telling all that the parents are giving the bride to be married.  The bride stays alone for one day and then gets married on Saturday.  Fun!

 

We are planning several safaris, the first of which is to Arusha National Park.  Arusha is close to several of the nicest parks including Nngorogoro and Serengetti, so it will be easy for us to go.

We will tell you more next time.  Until then, love and hugs,

Peter and Hinda