Good day in Dar es Salaam. Breakfast at the Slipway with tuna, tomato, sweetbreads and beans. Coffee was fabulous as it is all over Tanzania. Everyone slept reasonably well. We discussed ideas about our meeting with the Deputy Minister. Daniel shared that our main purpose is to show that KARUCO is connected to well respected institutions in the U.S. and abroad. The connections to EARTH University and the University of Minnesota show that Karagwe University College has support with relevant resources and circles outside of Tanzania. We discussed the meeting and then shared some work and family stories and thought we were pretty funny. We took a short walk on the slipway. Congested. Dar is a city of 4.5 million, most of whom seem to be on the same road we're on. But our trusty driver ... read more

Thanks for tuning in. Pedro, Jay and I had an uneventful flight across the Atlantic and we are grateful for that. My powers of observation told me that Jay got a few zzzz's en route and Pedro did not. The flight was not full so I had two seats to myself. Luxury. Just before we left we learned that the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Christopher Chiza, would not be able to meet with us as planned on January 24th. He is accompanying President Kikwete and is out of the country. But realizing that we had planned the first segment of our trip around that visit, Mr. Chiza set us up with the Hon. Deputy Minister and other ministry staff instead. We still look forward to our visit with government officials to get a broader view ... read more

KARUCO AG TAG / Destination Karagwe, Tanzania - January 22 - February 3, 2013 We take off tomorrow - January 22nd! KARUCO AG TAG will follow Jan, Daniel, Pedro and Jay - 4 curriculum and program development specialists, as they make their way through Tanzania - getting to know farmers, Ag business owners, national and community leaders, youth, and families in Karagwe. You are invited to tag along. C'mon! We will work closely with our our colleague and partner, Dr. Bagonza who founded KARUCO, and our other partners who work tirelessly to develop KARUCO. This blog will help tell the story. (Note: connection is spotty so frequency of the blogs may vary.) Kayanga, Tanzania: Our destination. A small town in the remote Karagwe District in NW Tanzania. It is the center of our activity while in ... read more

The Groundbreaking Program moved forward. Directly following me was Kjell Bergh, introduced as the Honorable Kjell Bergh, Ambassador to Tanzania, USA. Kjell looked very ambassadorial and greeted the dignitaries and all others in the proper, official but not pretentious way. He then teased that he had climbed Kilimanjaro 3 times but that his most demanding time in Tanzania so far was his ride on the bumpy, unfinished road to KARUCO. He kiddingly said that if the road is not finished next time he comes, he will have to fly his plane to Karagwe. Kjell applauded the good work of those in various places coming together to help build KARUCO. He encouraged all to continue the solid work and remain in roles that ensure contributions to KARUCO. One spontaneous speech came from Mr. Gozibert Blandes, member of ... read more

The Groundbreaking Program was begun when Bishop Benson Bagonza welcomed and introduced the honored guests. After more welcomes and thanks, the speeches began. I had braced myself for this part so that I could sit patiently and listen to the four speeches before mine, and the two after, and perhaps a few more if conditions were ‘right’. The first four speeches seemed motivating and lively although I had to rely on Brighton's 'real time' translation for the actual content (I really must get better at Swahili)! The Vice Chancellor from Tumaini finished and then it was my turn. I went to the podium- with a small frontal cloth. I arranged my notes and saw that Brighton had joined me to translate. ETI board member, Gracious Msuya had translated my speech and helped me practice Swahili. But ... read more