Thanks for coming out to the fundraiser on Friday night and for your generosity!  The funds will support Mama Lucy’s education programs.

Notice that we haven’t had many witty entries lately?

We’ll try to remedy that.  But first, a couple of notes from Mama Lucy (edited by yours truly):

Many Greetings from Our Children.
Our farm programs have made very little income this year because of the weather.

I got a teacher who is helping teach kindergarten part-time.  I also have a teacher for sewing program and one for carpentry.  What I need is Materials for teaching in all classes. For now we are doing repairs.

So farming remains a challenge, but progress is being made on education.  More children continue to arrive, and more children continue to be placed in school. We’d love to see a full school running at KCJF, but that requires space.  We’ll keep you posted on developments.

If you happen to be in San Francisco Friday night September 21st, bring a donation to a new classical music concert downtown.  More information at http://www.musicforlifesf.com/.

Our friends at Barnsley College have arrived in Tanzania.  Two teachers and ten college students have traveled to Tanzania for the trip of a lifetime, which includes spending some time volunteering with Mama Lucy and the kids at KCJF!  Check out their website at www.interactiv-e.co.uk

Mama Lucy continues to receive more children, and several more children are now enrolled in school.  KCJF is planning to build a couple of additional rooms to accommodate the new children.  KCJF is also planning to build a couple of storage tanks for corn, rice and beans.  Land still remains an open item though.  More to come on that front.

Things continue to progress with KCJF thanks to Alison’s tireless work.  An update from her:

• The pickup truck got registered.  Alison reports that having wheels has been a real boost to getting things done.  Alison uses the truck to take the smallest kids to and from preschool, to shop for food and supplies, and to travel between the houses in Boma and Machame.
• True to his word, the district education minister enrolled the kids in primary school.  They started primary school last week and are very excited about it.
• The folks who work with Mama Lucy are now getting paid.
• KCJF now has an established weekly menu that includes fruits and meat several times a week.

All this despite being really sick for several days and getting a nasty skin infection!.  Please remember Alison - she will be there for another month.

I’m in San Francisco at the moment. This week I hopped from Tanzania to Amsterdam to Orlando to Phoenix to San Francisco. I hop back to Orlando on Saturday for the holidays.
The highways, smooth roads (I never thought I’d call 101 a smooth road), and bright lights were a bit overwhelming last night when I arrived here. Now I’m wide awake when I should be asleep, and thought it’d be a good time to recap a few things about the trip.

When we first arrived in Moshi, we asked Mama Lucy to list her top three priorities. They were: 1) making sure the kids could attend school, 2) getting land, and 3) restarting her livestock project.

Priority #1: Schooling

There were 4 older kids who were awaiting funding to attend school, plus there are about 20 kids who have been denied attendance in the government’s primary schools for one reason or another (see the entry about the Tanzanian Run Around). Additionally, there were 6 kids who had funding to attend pre-school, but did not have transportation to get back and forth from school so they weren’t attending.

We have the funding to send the 4 older kids to school. We secured a commitment (keep fingers crossed) from the district education officer that the 20-ish kids who need to attend primary school would not be denied admission again, and that they will be able to begin in January. Alison is following up while she is there. We bought a vehicle for Mama Lucy so that the 6 kids who need to attend pre-school have reliable transportation to and from school.

And the vehicle should help out in a whole host of ways. We cannot imagine how Mama Lucy managed to raise dozens of children without a car! When a child got sick and needed to get to the hospital, she called a taxi if there was enough money, and if not, she took the bus or walked. They managed to regularly buy food for all of those people without a vehicle! Big bags of corn, bundles of firewood. Once again, we simply don’t know how she managed all these years.

The latest word from Alison is that registering the vehicle we bought is a slow and painful process. She was told to return to the government office in a week to follow up.

Priority #2: Land

Mama Lucy applied to the government 5 years ago for a piece of land for her and the kids. She applied for 25 acres. They are offering her 8 acres for sale. If it was free, then of course she’d be happy for whatever she could get, even though she needs more than that. We asked the government to buy more land from them, but the government isn’t budging. That’s right, the government has additional land available for sale that they won’t sell to Mama Lucy. The land itself isn’t particularly fertile, not irrigated, just lots of pasture. And of course there are some hostile neighbors (see the Beware of Men with Spears on Bikes entry).

We found some folks who are selling larger plots of land privately. We feel really comfortable with this route, and especially with the family we met on Sunday. Mama Lucy later told us that the family told her that they’ve decided to sell the land to her - they will not entertain any other offers or interested parties. They also told her they were surprised at how smoothly all of their dealings with her and us have gone. They’ve had lots of trouble when entering into discussions with other interested parties. Finally, they told Mama Lucy that they want to partner with her. They believe in her vision.

What a contrast!

The price of this land is substantially more than the original $6,000 price tag the government gave us, so we’ll need to coordinate some fundraising on Mama Lucy’s behalf. But this land is very good land, fertile, irrigated, with trees and fruits and vegetables growing on it - a place where the kids can be healthy and happy. So we think we’ve found a solution to the land situation.

Priority #3: Livestock

Mama Lucy primarily uses the house in Machame for raising livestock. She already has the facilities to raise 120 chickens there, plus several cows and a few dozen pigs. She had some livestock that got sick and died. She also had to sell some of the livestock to pay for some kids’ school fees earlier this year, so only a few pigs and cows remain - no chickens.

We didn’t make any progress on the livestock situation, but some great volunteers from I 2 I ran some numbers and concluded that Mama Lucy should start with replenishing the chicken coop. Hopefully the funds come in for that soon.

And in Other News
We (Mama Lucy and us) decided to start paying some of the folks who work with Mama Lucy. She has about 6 people working for her, some have worked with her for a year without any pay. Mama Lucy receives no pay.

We decided to add fruit to the kids’ diet since we hadn’t seen them eat fruit in the month we spent with them. Fruit is very expensive when feeding so many mouths. We also decided to begin a dedicated monthly budget for food, to ensure (as Amanda said) that the kids don’t go hungry ever again.
These items will need consistent support each month - about $650 total for food, fruit and worker compensation.

That’s it for now. Next up (hopefully), a second recap, tentatively titled “A Recap: What We Learned”

I’m sitting at the airport in Amsterdam right now.  Amanda and I left Tanzania last night.  The day was amazing. 

We met with some members of a family that’s selling a piece of land in Boma.  Our meeting went really well and there was genuine comraderie.  The family despite their own troubles said they wanted to partner with Mama Lucy and her work.  One of them said he often spots Mama Lucy around town with kids.

Alison, Amanda and I left Mama Lucy to bond with the family Kiswahili style while we bussed the table, only to hear their laughter fill across the yard over and over again.

We took care of some planning then went to Boma for a goodbye with the kids.  You can’t stay still in Boma - you’re almost in constant motion, but not stressed or hurriedly.  At one point, I turned a corner to an unforgettable sight: Amanda in a sea of children who were all imititating her dancing. 

Seconds before, Mama Lucy delivered an especially powerful thought in her most casual of ways: “Some people only see activity.  They cannot see reality.”

The tears came when the kids started singing a song of goodbye.  And just like kids, the ones that seemed the most aloof while we were there were the ones that seemed most attached when we left.

We loaded up the car (and I mean loaded - there must have been 16 of us in it), and pulled out of Boma for the last time this trip.  Kibo poked through the clouds yesterday, which was fitting.  It greeted Chelsea and Amanda when they arrived, and it appeared on the days they left.

Amanda and I were pretty silent in the car, trying to memorize the sights and sounds and scents all around us. Amanda leaned over to comment: ”I feel like I’m in a bubble of love in this car.” 

Shortly after we started driving, the 14 year old boy sitting beside me slid his hand onto my knee.  He’d been diligently trying to teach me a drumming pattern since the day I arrived, and I finally got it yesterday afternoon.  He was mesmerized by the scenery passing by, but still managed to stroke my arm every so often.  I leaned over to Amanda to whisper: “what 14 year old boy would do this?”

Then we arrived at the airport.

[Queue suspenseful music]

Precision Air advertises that they won the award for the best airline in Tanzania.  I don’t quite see why.  Here’s what happened.

When Amanda first arrived in Tanzania, for some reason Precision Air tore off part of her return ticket, namely the ticket she was to fly from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi.  No problem with most airlines, they’d just reissue the ticket if you have identification and the ticket number or confirmation number.  Not so with Precision.

Problem #1: You must buy the same ticket again if the piece of paper gets lost.

By the time I caught up with  her, she’d been informed that she’d need to buy a new ticket for that leg.  I was flabbergasted.  “Don’t you reissue tickets when someone loses it?”  Apparently, Precision requires a police report and requires that the passenger purchase the ticket again.

OK.  So let’s buy the ticket. 

Problem #2: Precision Air doesn’t take credit cards at the airport.  You have to buy the ticket for cash.

OK, let’s find an ATM.

Problem #3: There are no ATMs in the Kilimanjaro airport.  The nearest ATM is in Moshi 45 minutes away.  Our friends have long since left, and we have given them the cellphone I bought to use while here.  Amanda’s flight leaves in an hour.

The on duty Precision Air manager is smug.  What can you do?  Nothing.  Surely you can do something.  No, I can do nothing.  He is lying.  He is completely callous.  I hear my mother’s voice telling someone who was looking to be bribed: “look into my eyes.  Yes, I can tell that your heart is very hard.” 

My anger is rising.  It is approaching Mom Level. 

The guy sitting next to the Presicion Air manager at the ticket counter seems sympathetic.  Amanda appeals to him.  Is there no one else she can talk to?  Sorry, that manager is the only person who can help you.

We try a few different angles, which includes me walking up to complete strangers and asking for their spare Tanzanian shillings.  It was the first time I’ve begged, so I didn’t do a particularly good job.  Strangely enough, people ask how much Amanda needs prior to deciding whether to help.  When they hear how much (149,000 Tsh), they think it’s impossible and decide to keep their money, except for one man.

OK, let’s find a merchant who takes credit cards, make a dummy transaction and ask for T shillings back.

Problem #4: The only merchant in the entire airport that takes credit cards is the duty free shop, which is in the gate area (i.e., behind security screening, i.e., you need a boarding pass to get to the shop). 

OK, let’s see if the manager will give us a boarding pass so we can go to the shop,try to convince them to dummy a transaction, run back to the counter and buy the ticket.

Problem #5: The Precision Air manager has mysteriously disappeared during the commotion.

Amanda returns to the guy at the ticket counter, who has called the Precision Air manager.  Remembering that the last time we waited for Precision Air representative,we waited over 30 minutes before realizing we would need to wait for another hour, things looked pretty dim.

The guy at the ticket counter decides to do something remarkable.  He logs into the system, issues Amanda a new ticket and checks her in.  All the while, he tells us he could lose his job and be personally responsible for the amount of Amanda’s airfare for taking the risk.  He is very nervous, but determined to help.  His coworkers come over to tell him that he cannot do what he’s doing.

Why did he decide to do it? 

He said that when we left the counter the first time, he felt an undeniable conviction that he must help us. 

Turns out he knows Mama Lucy.  He has visited the kids and even financially supported one of the young boys Mama raises.

He finds us in the gate area, just to see whether we could arrange to have someone come to reimburse him as soon as possible.  The enormity of the risk he’s taken has sunk in even more and he’s getting harrassed by other workers.  We borrow someone’s cell phone.  After several dropped phone calls, Amanda must board her flight, but I still have a two hour wait.  I finally manage to connect with Alison, who springs into motion to save the day.

It seems that everyone in the airport knows the situation.  Passengers (the ones I begged money from) are looking on while I speak with Alison.  Workers are making comments to our new friend as they pass by.

Just before my flight boards, our new friend finds me to tell me Alison has delivered the necessary funds to cover Amanda’s fare.  He tries to thank me for it.  We’re both insisting that it is the other person who should be thanked. 

He wants to thank us for showing his coworkers an example of good faith and the goodness of people.  After hearing stories of corruption and bad dealings, I think I understand why the example was significant to him.

On the other hand, I can’t thank him enough for helping Amanda when others wouldn’t.  His parting comment was: “it’s been some time since I visited Mama Lucy. I think I shall take some people to visit her soon.”

And that, dear friends, is what happened when we left Tanzania last night!

Today, we tried to withdraw funds from local banks.  This was not fun.

ATMs are guarded by men with automatic rifles.  Rifles that they constantly stroke with their hands rather than keeping them at their sides. 

We walked up to an ATM, with three armed men watching our every move.  We read the instructions, had a conversation about what we were about to do (we’re slowly becoming Tanzanians), punched in the magic numbers, and out came a large wad of cash.  This is not impressive, since ATMS dispense small bills.  

We folded the wad in half, stuck our ATM card back in and repeated the process three times.  Why?  Because the machines are not able to dispense so many bills at one time.

Meanwhile a small line formed, which also functioned as a small crowd.  They were all wondering how much money these crazy foreigners were trying to withdraw anyway.

Apparently Tanzanians are frustrated by this.  You could understand why.  If you needed to buy something expensive, like say land, you would need a very large thing to carry the money around.

All this because we bought a pickup truck for Mama Lucy today.  Yay!

The power was down all day yesterday.  All.  Day.  Long. 

The good thing is that yesterday’s activity can be summed up in one sentence: we looked for a new pickup truck for Mama Lucy.  Well, not new - used. They don’t even sell new cars here.  Mama Lucy has never owned a vehicle before. 

Imagine this:

Us: Godwin, do you think we could look for a car for Mama Lucy today? [Godwin is our most amazing driver and new friend]

Godwin: Yes, it is possible. [This is Godwin’s favorite response]

A few minutes later, Godwin pulls over and a stranger gets in the back of our car.  Greetings are exchanged.  Then this man starts giving directions to Godwin from the back of the car.  You stop along the side of the road.  Lo and behold, a truck just happens to be parked there.  The owner appears from out of nowhere instantly. 

You look at the truck.  You ask the selling price.  You get back in the car.  The process repeats itself over and over again, in the parking lot of hospitals, on university campuses, outside of auto repair shops, and so on. 

It takes hours upon hours.

We are completely dumbfounded about how this mysterious man magically knows which cars are for sale and exactly where the cars will be.  I mean, couldn’t the owner have taken the car out of town or something?  Isn’t there some some sort of classified section that people use?  No.  This is Tanzania.

And to top it all off, Godwin recognizes these cars from around town.  He tells us how the owner drives the car.  Keep in mind, these cars are all the same color (white) and all the same size (small). 

I’m back.

Thanks to everyone who sent good thoughts and prayers my way!!!

Well, now that I feel like myself again, I’m tempted to go full speed ahead, although some small part of my brain tells me “Pole Pole” which means “Slowly”  My relative, ever the fount of wisdom, told us “In Africa, you can’t ever get anything done that’s worth doing if you try to do it quickly.”

Today we meet Alison, who lives in California and whom we met a few times in San Francisco while prepping for this trip.  She randomly met Mama Lucy a couple of years ago when she climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and has made a trip each year to visit and help out as she can. 

Alison is going to do a lot of the prep work for the land over the next couple of months, and we’re happy to have some overlap with her.

PS - I told Amanda that I’d title this entry “Back in the Saddle” meaning “I’m back.”  She started laughing.  “You mean ‘Off the Saddle’?” Meaning, well, you know.