Last Blog from Tanzania

November 26, 2013

Here we are in our final days in Tanzania.  We are writing this quickly since we have had on and off power for the last several days and think it will likely go off again today.  Taking cold showers, shaving in the dark, trying to anticipate when it will go off or on is getting a bit tiresome.  Hinda will be going home in a couple of days and can’t wait to take a shower without worrying if the water will stay warm for the entire shower, even if it is a quick one.

We know it sounds selfish of us since many people live like this all the time but we are used to so much that we take for granted that it is hard to get used to this.  This time of year you should all be “Thankful” for what you have and where you live, if you live where the electricity doesn’t go off all the time, you have water at the turn of the tap and can come and go as you wish, where you wish and when you wish you are lucky and should never take it for granted.

We are winding down our work here and are feeling like the trip has been a success.  We have done many things but consider our work with the women’s groups and students at the computer class two of the best works.  The computer/photography class has grown from 9 to 17 with most of the students paying tuition on a sliding fee scale.  The 7 computers we brought with us are really being used well and now a second class is being started.  We have arranged for 4 of the best students to start helping the beginner students and one of the advanced students has actually started doing some work which she is getting paid for on the computer.  It is so rewarding to see this class grow and learn.  All the students are fun to be with and as they learn you can see them gain more self-assurance.  Thank you again to all of you who donated laptops, you can be sure they are being used well.

Our work with the women’s groups has been great.  Yesterday, Monday, there was a celebration where the mosquito nets were handed out to 64 women.  They were so excited and happy that they keep cheering and singing.  They have come a long way, with new bank accounts, free of large fees, a system for selling food to a hotel and more to come, and now mosquito nets to help with malaria.  Wow!  The press was at the celebration and it will be broadcast this evening and in the papers tomorrow.

At the celebration the women gave Peter and Hinda some small gifts to show their appreciation.  These gifts mean a lot since the women are extremely poor and cannot afford much.  We were delighted to help and hope to continue to make sure the programs we have put in place will continue.

We spent part of our last weekend here at Mt. Kilimanjaro.  It is only a couple of hours from Arusha, where we live and although it is not as dramatic a Mt. Rainier, it is higher and the highest mountain in Africa.  There is snow but not very much and it is like Mt. Rainier as it hides in the fog or clouds and was not out when we were there.  We hiked a bit but starting to hike at 9500 ft. was hard for us and we did not go too far. At least we can say we were there and walked on the mountain.

So one of us will see some of you in  few days and one of us may be able to communicate from Kenya where he will dedicate the Schnurman Pharmacy at KMET in Kisumu.

With love,

H&P