these past days

Well it is time to write an update. Currently I am in the last leg of my journey, internship, work, analyzing…whatever you prefer. I have had the wonderful blessing to meet with two very educated people in the area of data analyzing! Fancy that. They have given me some pointers on the database and encouraged me about how cool this project is. I have about 10 days to write up some form of a report about Buhumbi and all the things I have learned about the village while here…whew!!
I also would like to tell you about this past week and a half. I joined CRWRC on part of a small exchange between TAnzania, ZAmbia and MAlawi (called TAZAMA). The aim of this exhange is to increase awareness between partners in the listed countries about what type of work goes on in each country. Community development can take many forms, in different cultures, climates, communities at different stages, access to education etc. By taking some of the indigenous people from each country to look at different places, their eyes can be opened to new ways of doing things, and learn by seeing.
*For two days we went out to Magu District in Tanzania, where Buhumbi village is located. This was great because besides learning about types of programs going on, it helped clarify things for my upcoming report. We saw things that had been implemented over the years like certain types of crops, fuel efficient stoves, food storage practices, new latrines being built, education programs… It is important to see that seemingly small things have big impacts: not only on the physical aspect of communities, but emotional- each program and success, no matter how small, brings a sense of accomplishment and pride- a forgetting of fatalistic attitudes and a grasping of helping yourself attitudes.
*Then this past weekend I joined TAZAMA to Kenya. Outside of Nairobi in the countryside is beautiful country, with terracing on the surrounding hills, and mountains in the distance. The soil is red, the plants green and the air cool at this time of year (I enjoyed that!). We went to visit an organization called Dorcas Aid International, where they are working in a community about 2-3 hours by car outside of Nairobi. Dorcas Aid, along with the Redeemed Gospel Church and the Food Reserves Bank, has many programs running in this area. Even including BioSand Filters!! BioSand filters are cool, and using mostly local materials (the concrete has to be bought), 99% of bacteria and pathogens can be filtered out of water. The Main point of going to Kenya was to see the water dams that have been built with Dorcas Aid’s help. Sand dams placed on seasonal rivers, water pan dams in individual farmer’s fields, and earth dams made with tractors all work to serve the community with water during the dry season.

These experiences were great learning ones and I am glad I could join CRWRC on the excursions. I have seen from different viewpoints that involving communities in development (which, respectfully, is obviously the only sustainable way of reaching community development), requires an organization (and hey- I don’t mean to say that a community couldn’t develop without an organization!) that will let people do what they can to help themselves…making projects their own.