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my form 2
finished cycle beads so weve hit june and im starting to wrap everything up. overall things are going really well.
i finally finished the cycle bead lesson with all the girls at the secondary school. and they were all able to make their own beads. which they were really excited about. i did not understand why afterwards i saw some boys wearing the bracelets. but such is life.
the market project has really taken off. all the supplies have been purchased. and building has started. actually they started doing the foundation yesterday which is pretty cool. and they should finish making the cement bricks later this week. so really in the next couple of weeks things should be finishing up with that (hopefully).
one of the woman in my village came to me recently. asking about tree seeds. she is really interested in starting a tree nursery and there is a good place where there is a lot of underground water where she could plant. so i got in contact with trees for the future. and i was able to procure some seeds for her. she has already gotten the tubes and other supplies needed by herself, with the help of
market
brick making/water bringing a nearby primary school. also she has the help of a retired tree farmer. so thats exciting. they will probably start planting before i leave and that would be cool to see how that turns out in the next couple of years.
also along with the seeds a book came along teaching about agroforestry and different techniques to be used in the fields. it also had a brief section on income generating projects and gave a recipe for making body lotion. so i decided to try that out myself because it seemed relatively easy. then i showed it to some mamas and they were really interested and so i taught them. they like it a lot. and they say it will save them a lot of money. and we are in the process of searching for cheap jars/containers so they can sell lotion as well.
ruka has offically recovered from his surgery. he was out for a couple of weeks but hes doing a lot better. lets just hope i am able to get my hands on a carrier for him while im in south africa.
on monday we had the womens health seminar. that was really
cooks
making fried doughnut like delights called maandazi fun. we had 50 women come in from three different villages (mgori, sughana, and munkhola). and they learned about HIV/AIDS, family planning, and cleanliness of the environment. planning a seminar is difficult. just getting help from different villagers. mama reagan was really helpful making a budget for all the food and everything. getting all the cooks together and firewood. the doctor was also helpful in planning the schedule and doling out duties to other health center employees. i was kind of disappointed because i had been talking with two nurses and they kept telling me they shouldnt teach because the women are used to them. so i should just get someone from town to teach the whole seminar. but then when we went to the head doctor (who is male) he told them they would each teach a section and they didnt say a thing. which isnt surprising but it is frustrating for me.
anyways we went into town to purchase supplies. i gave majority of the list to the doctor so we would get decent prices. and i took care of getting certificates. you cant hold a successful seminar without giving out certificates. i went to a stationary
some of my faves
amina, ismaily, and ismailys little bro store and picked out a really great paper and printed. then found out that they only had 14 other pieces of that paper. so i had to choose a different one. my doctor had been in charge of getting our guest of honor. i believe he genuinely tried but he was unable to get one. and i was talking with one of the nurses while we were waiting for the car to return to the village. and she said it was absolutely necessary we get an mgeni rasmi (guest of honor). and if we didnt the seminar wouldnt look good. so we should just postpone it. i wanted to punch her in the head. because we had just spent the better part of a morning shopping for the seminar. and i know she did nothing to find an mgeni rasmi. so i told her i was going to leave for a couple minutes then id be right back.
i ended up going to my favorite restaurant. the mama who works there catered for our girls seminar the year before and also spoke motivationally. she also brought a good friend to the seminar. a nurse. so i went to her
frying
by helping, im only allowed to eat. not a bad deal. and asked if her nurse could be my guest of honor. and although the nurse was unavailable she was able to find a retired optometrist. which saved the seminar. and even though the eye doctor taught about HIV/AIDS at the seminar it went really well. the women were all excited. there was good food. good speakers. things went smoothly for the most part. success! and out of the 50 women 25 of them tested for HIV. so that was good. one positive. but she got counselled and will start treatment shortly. thank you very much auntie marian and uncle jim for making this possible.
now i am planning a visit from the people of solar aid. they are having a product designer come in from london. and they will be coming out to singida then to my village. they will be testing three new products which is very cool. and will be interviewing families about the products. they will also be looking for an agent/entrepreneur to continue selling the products in the area. so there is a whole interview process/workshop that potential agents will be put through. and they will also be measuring peoples houses to see the average
seminar
writing feverishly size of houses and what kind of light is needed, etc. its all very exciting. and its cool they are coming out to my village. i think i will have to hook up whoever gets chosen to be the entrepreneur with SACCOS which is a micro lending company. that should be cool. and hopefully be taken care of before i leave. i am very excited. they will be getting here sometime next week.
after i finish up with the people from solar aid, i have been invited to accompany my headmaster and his wife to their home. they are originally from kilimanjaro so they would like me to come out. we made plans months ago to do it during the school break (now). so if i end up going out with them it will be for a few days. then after that i will be on my way to zambia/vic falls, then to the world cup! so things are moving very fast and its all very overwhelming/exciting.
i guess thats all for now...
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love you!!! so proud of you!! ps im still v v upset you havent been receiving my letters!!! You are almost done?! crazy! I can NOT wait to hear your voice and see you!!