Katie in Africa

Well, I have finally left Yamba, don’t think I have ever cried as much! The whole of the last week was lovely, people just turning up at the door to say goodbye and bringing me little presents of an egg or a mango, one boy Jeremiah even brought me a Guinea Fowl. The school held a huge party for us with choirs, a band (with homemade guitar and amplifier!) dancing and so many speeches. Francis, the head boy at the school read out a letter from all the kids thanking me and Linda, we were both crying in no time! We couldn’t believe how much effort had gone into the party, the children had decorated the school with garlands of flowers and they had written songs and even a rap for us. It was touching that ... read more

Another two weeks have gone by so quickly, I have been busy at school as the kids have been doing their exams. The rains have come in the village which is great for the villagers and their crops but it has made walking around really difficult its very, very slippery and the walk and drive down the mountain have been horrible! Is even more beautiful now though as everything has gone from dusty and brown to lush and green. Yamba looks completely different. It was andys birthday last week and there was a big celebration, the villagers had written three songs in honor of him, goodness knows what lies in store for us at our leaving party. Have been helping out at Simba club (the child sponsorship scheme) we have been writing letters to the sponsors, ... read more

It is a bit warm in Tanzania today! the weather has been getting hotter for the last couple of weeks now. Is nice coming on weekends to Tanga though as its by the sea and we can use a swimming pool. The big news in Yamba this week has been the saga of my missing trousers! It was announced in church and a letter sent to the chairman of the village, they even sent a search party out to look for them! As nothing ever gets stolen in yamba it is a big deal! Two new volunteers have arrived, Phil from Warrington who is here to do football training with the kids and a lad called Tom who has just climed Kilimanjaro to raise money for the charity. Teaching is going well, has been a big ... read more

hurray I have finally got to the internet! I have so much to tell you all. excuse my typing but am having to write super fast! Last few days on overland trip were good and it was sad when we all had to say goodbye but the volunteer group were already in dar es salam and we had a few days relaxing on the beach. There are 11 volunteers in total some teaching and some building a good mix of people and ages. From dar es salaam it was 5 hours by bus, 3 hours in the back of a pick up truck and then another 11/2 hour walk up a mountain. We had a wonderful welcome all the village came down and there was lots of singing and dancing. It is really hard to decribe ... read more