KARUCO AG TAG - 2013 - WINDING DOWN

---

Winding Down.This was our first morning without Daniel and Ashley. Eluid is our steady server who drops everything to meet our needs. His smile is contagious and his calm demeanor a joy. Our typical 'spanish eggs' or hard-boiled eggs and toast keeps us every day until mid-morning tea. Jay and Pedro spent the morning fleshing out the 3-year curriculum program for KARUCO. I sneaked in at one point and listened in. Fabulous to hear the debate, the reasoning, the ideas about what courses to offer and when. What is the focus? Who can teach such a thing? How will this meet the real needs of the students? All good stuff. Brighton came a tad later. He and I discussed what seemed like 'everything' for quite a while. He is a deep and kind man. His ideas about KARUCO are solid and inspiring. We had a good chat about enrollment numbers, optimal faculty numbers, importance of staff housing, funding plans, etc. Gosh - I wish we had 1.4 million USD to build the Academic Zone. But then again, there is a certain beauty to growing slowing and 'organically'.

We had a lovely farewell lunch at 1:30. I got to see Pastor Jackson and several other friends I had not seen yet this week. At 2:30 Brighton introduced the afternoon activities and showed the KARUCO PowerPoint presentation outlining the vision and mission. When Jay and Pedro presented the 3-year KARUCO program, it seemed like the whole week came together. They were energetic and engaged as they presented the course offerings, internships, field work and schedule. The leader team reviewed the plan and was surprisingly interactive during the session. Challenging questions such as 'why wait until the last trimester to offer Policy and Law?' were considered. Jay responded that he and Pedro had the same thought and asked what in the course sequence should be exchanged. He and Pedro documented each person's feedback and promised to consider the feedback as they move forward with the plan. At the end of two hours, the group concluded that the plan was original, exciting, and something they could all support. I was really proud of our team.

Thanks and Farewell

Dean Yorum prayed and then we sang together. I wish you could have heard the hymns. The voices were on pitch, blended perfectly and were rich in expression. It would have been wildly inappropriate, but I felt like taking a movie. The bishop said a few words, thanked Jay and Pedro profusely and gave each of them a traditional African shirt. Jay thanked everyone from his heart, told all how Karagwe reminded him of the beauty of Appalachia where he was raised, thanked everyone for their hospitality, and promised he would return. Spontaneous applause. Pedro stood and thanked everyone also. He was genuinely grateful that he was included in this project, that Karagwe and his experience here brought him back to his roots, and that he is committed for the long term. Applause. I thanked everyone also.

On behalf of Educate Tanzania, I thanked Dr. Bagonza for his vision and for the privilege of working together. I thanked Brighton for attending to every detail of our group, and for making KARUCO happen. I thanked the group for their hospitality (unmatched) and for their kindnesses during the week. I got specific and mentioned a few things like the hotel staff worker who washed my shoes after the rainstorm, the treasurer George who ran after our group one day just to greet us, those who made our meals, drove us to see farms, etc. I reminded the group that this is my fourth visit and that each time I bring a team focused on a different thing: 1) engineers and water; 2) community needs assessment and renewable energy; 3) the ambassador and groundbreaking; and now 4) curriculum and program planning. What has been a joy for me each time is to watch the invited guests- the different teams- be transformed themselves by the experience of Karagwe. And it is truly a privilege to be transformed myself upon each visit. From the bottom of my heart, I thanked everyone- asante sana.

Dean Yorum said a closing prayer and we said individual goodbyes. Sweet time. The guys were ready to relax a bit and went into Kayanga. We all had dinner together when Rachel stopped by with some small things for her husband Phares who is working on his doctorate in St. Paul. I promised to deliver the notes from family, the Bible, the tea and the coffee. I had to nix the package of grasshoppers however, Knowing that customs would not approve. Pedro and Jay insist they are good and I am happy to take their word for it. We hugged good-bye, said we were so happy about the progress for KARUCO.

It's another day in Kayanga.

(Scroll down to see more photos.)

Take me to the Educate Tanzania website:www.educatetanzania.org

---

Photos

Eluid - Faithful Server
Kayanga Hotel

Pedro Listens
Our colleagues offer comments on the plan

Year 1
Trimester 1

Year 1
Trimester 2

Year 1
Trimester 3

Year 2
Trimester 1

Year 2
Trimester 2

Year 2
Trimester 3

Year 3
Trimester 1

Year 3
Trimester 2

Year 3
Are you still with me? Trimester 3