Passing the halfway mark was quite a milestone and seems to have re-energised the group. Monday saw completion of the hardcore and then it was rebar tying all the way! It's amazing how one forgets and then how quickly one picks up again so it was like I never left the site in Nicaragua!!
Thursday and Friday we poured concrete both on the court and in the areas around it to provide a run-off on to level ground.
I'm just back from the site now and Mr Mbeli's (our contractor)men are putting the smooth finish on it so that we can mark it on Monday. We are planning a game some day next week to give it its official opening! Its a bit smaller than we would have liked (budget constraints - surprisingly the prices are a lot higher than Nicaragua for a similar facility) and considering that the school participates in the national schools games ( the principal is just back from Dar es Salaam where she had 120 students for the last month) it would be a good idea to extend this next year and allow them a space to practice both basketball and netball. There are several schools in the immediate neighbourhood which could benefit from this court. This school has a very active scout group also and they are currently completing a garden project in front of their school representing the rivers of Africa. I was delighted to see the White and Blue Nile featuring as they have a particular association for us from our Sudan days!
Its very difficult to describe how easy it is to settle down here - it is so different to our Irish experiences but the people here are unbelievably friendly and the welcome in the schools has been overwhelming.
I love the fact that everywhere I look there are mountains. The dirt roads although a little hazardous due to loose stones are most enjoyable to cycle on. I think the students have enjoyed the mix of teaching IT skills and construction though that does not stem the good natured moaning!
So watch out for week 4 and hopefully a little on Zanzibar next weekend.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Morogoro 2010 continued - Safari to Ngumi
Saturday July 3rd - up at 4.30am and gone from CCT on their bus (driven by their driver Joshua who has been fantastic). The aim was to get to Ngumi National park by dawn so that we xcould view any animals about at that time. Ngumi is about 2 hours away and adjoins the larger Selous Park. We picked up a guide at the gate and for the next several hours he instructed us and pointed us in the direction of the game - lions, giraffe, impala, antelope, Rhino, hippo, baboon, wildebeest etc. It was a good day if at times somewhat stiflng in the bus which had no windows to open! It was good to see some more of the countryside and as we returned we were able to point out where we had walked the previous week! I don't think anyone was quite ready for a repeat hike!
Sunday July 4th -Mary and I headed to the children's Mass in Morogoro Church. As we arrived they were just coming out of the 2nd Mass of the morning and the singing from the adult choir has convinced us to get up in time for it next week! But the children were so enthusiastic it was a pleasure to be there. I recorded some sound and video clips on my phone and they are surprisingly good so watch this space when I get home and can load them to this blog site!
Sunday July 4th -Mary and I headed to the children's Mass in Morogoro Church. As we arrived they were just coming out of the 2nd Mass of the morning and the singing from the adult choir has convinced us to get up in time for it next week! But the children were so enthusiastic it was a pleasure to be there. I recorded some sound and video clips on my phone and they are surprisingly good so watch this space when I get home and can load them to this blog site!
Morogoro safari continued!
So it seems I didn't lose the blog after all - it was just the pc! So now I'm trying to move past the first week which was very much getting to grips with the teaching schedule and combining that with construction work in Kihonda.
Some of the teachers from Mlimani school offered to take us on a hike to Morningstone which is an old German hut in the Ulughuru mountains so that was our plan for Sunday morning July 27th. Because of some losses in translation we set off somewhat later than they planned. The Lonely Planet describes this point as being about 1000m high - I can tell you they left out a few 0s! It was an extremely tough climb and seemed never to level out! A couple of people turned back and as time went on I thought they were the wise ones. If I thought uphill was bad downhill never seemed to end and inevitably I lost yet another toenail as I don't think my steel capped boots were ideal but I reckoned I'd be safer in them than in the runners. It was actually very dry and surprisingly I didn't fall on the downhill which for me was a minor miracle without the benefit of my poles! I'm glad to say that "Big Mama" was no more pooped than the students who have the benefit of more agile limbs! I was not looking forward to the cycle home after this 6.5hr hike but it proved very pleasant cycling through the tree lined dirt roads with not too much traffic.
Did I mention bikes in my last blog? Well that has become our main mode of transport. We all bought second hand bikes on the first day - they have proven to be of questionable reliability but repairs are inexpensive and it does give us great freedom. Most people cycle to school in the morning and then the sisters in Bernhard Bendel school transport everyone to the site at Kihonda about 9km out of town in their lorry (bikes and people all loaded up together!). We then cycle back to CCT in the evenings. The biggest problem is ensuring that we get to the site without too much delay once class finishes so that we get a run at the building as we need to be leaving their by about 5.30pm to get back before dark. It doesn't give us a lot of time on site but we work very hard while we are there.
Monday 28th
Week 2 started the serious business of teaching as all computer labs are now up and running and although there are a few technical problems to sort there are sufficient PCs available for all the teachers to work on their skills. The UCD teachers are very diligent at preparing their classes and are already identifying the "high flyers" - teachers who have some computer skills already and so are finding it easier to absorb the syllabus. There is a computer skills syllabus in the schools but there is no emphasis on technical skills in this and so its wonderful for the schools to have an opportunity to combine theory with practice now that they have the computer lab.
This week also Mary and I went to SUA Primary school and Sumaye Secondary School, the other two schools along with Kihonda where UCDVO worked last year. Mary is going to work with one of the teachers in SUA to set up a library database which can be used as a template for other schools. We need to buy them some books both in English and Swahili to encourage reading. SUA has quite a few books but they are not categorised so students can't really identify suitable books for themselves.
I have also started going to the site each morning accompanied by one student - they take it in turns to come with "Big Mama" ! Its important to show that we are anxious to get this job done quickly so our presence there helps to reinforce that.
Surroundings
We wake up in the morning to an unbelievable scene of mist lifitng off the surrounding Ulughuri mountains. They are quite overwhelming as they are so close and have very strange peaks - quite rough looking. We breakfast each morning about 7.30am and then disperse to our various locations all meeting up on site later in the day. The school arrange to provide food for the students so that they have eaten before they start the construction work. We purchased enormus bottles of water on the first day and left them up to the site so we ensure that we are all well watered while we work - I have everyone converted to the benefits of Dioralyte when feeling a bit shaky and they are now convinced! I call it my First Aid and must be tried before anything else!
So it seems I didn't lose the blog after all - it was just the pc! So now I'm trying to move past the first week which was very much getting to grips with the teaching schedule and combining that with construction work in Kihonda.
Some of the teachers from Mlimani school offered to take us on a hike to Morningstone which is an old German hut in the Ulughuru mountains so that was our plan for Sunday morning July 27th. Because of some losses in translation we set off somewhat later than they planned. The Lonely Planet describes this point as being about 1000m high - I can tell you they left out a few 0s! It was an extremely tough climb and seemed never to level out! A couple of people turned back and as time went on I thought they were the wise ones. If I thought uphill was bad downhill never seemed to end and inevitably I lost yet another toenail as I don't think my steel capped boots were ideal but I reckoned I'd be safer in them than in the runners. It was actually very dry and surprisingly I didn't fall on the downhill which for me was a minor miracle without the benefit of my poles! I'm glad to say that "Big Mama" was no more pooped than the students who have the benefit of more agile limbs! I was not looking forward to the cycle home after this 6.5hr hike but it proved very pleasant cycling through the tree lined dirt roads with not too much traffic.
Did I mention bikes in my last blog? Well that has become our main mode of transport. We all bought second hand bikes on the first day - they have proven to be of questionable reliability but repairs are inexpensive and it does give us great freedom. Most people cycle to school in the morning and then the sisters in Bernhard Bendel school transport everyone to the site at Kihonda about 9km out of town in their lorry (bikes and people all loaded up together!). We then cycle back to CCT in the evenings. The biggest problem is ensuring that we get to the site without too much delay once class finishes so that we get a run at the building as we need to be leaving their by about 5.30pm to get back before dark. It doesn't give us a lot of time on site but we work very hard while we are there.
Monday 28th
Week 2 started the serious business of teaching as all computer labs are now up and running and although there are a few technical problems to sort there are sufficient PCs available for all the teachers to work on their skills. The UCD teachers are very diligent at preparing their classes and are already identifying the "high flyers" - teachers who have some computer skills already and so are finding it easier to absorb the syllabus. There is a computer skills syllabus in the schools but there is no emphasis on technical skills in this and so its wonderful for the schools to have an opportunity to combine theory with practice now that they have the computer lab.
This week also Mary and I went to SUA Primary school and Sumaye Secondary School, the other two schools along with Kihonda where UCDVO worked last year. Mary is going to work with one of the teachers in SUA to set up a library database which can be used as a template for other schools. We need to buy them some books both in English and Swahili to encourage reading. SUA has quite a few books but they are not categorised so students can't really identify suitable books for themselves.
I have also started going to the site each morning accompanied by one student - they take it in turns to come with "Big Mama" ! Its important to show that we are anxious to get this job done quickly so our presence there helps to reinforce that.
Surroundings
We wake up in the morning to an unbelievable scene of mist lifitng off the surrounding Ulughuri mountains. They are quite overwhelming as they are so close and have very strange peaks - quite rough looking. We breakfast each morning about 7.30am and then disperse to our various locations all meeting up on site later in the day. The school arrange to provide food for the students so that they have eaten before they start the construction work. We purchased enormus bottles of water on the first day and left them up to the site so we ensure that we are all well watered while we work - I have everyone converted to the benefits of Dioralyte when feeling a bit shaky and they are now convinced! I call it my First Aid and must be tried before anything else!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Morogoro2010
Well my first attempt at a blog has proved a dismal failure as I lost everything I wrote last week! So here we go again and hopefully I will do better this time.
So Morogoro 2010 started with 20 volunteers (18 students + Mary[co-project leader] and myself) on an early morning flight from Dublin on Sat July 19th. We flew to Amsterdam and onwards to Dar es Salaam with a very short stop at kilimanjaro International but no chance of spotting Kili as it was night. Robert from TanzED - UCDVO's Tanzanian partners - met us and before long we were enroute to Hotel Rombo in Dar where we stayed the night. We enjoyed a drink and some snacks even though it was close to midnight at that stage! We were on the road to Morogoro by 10am next morning, all of us anxious to see our home for the next month.
Morogoro is described as the University town of Tanzania as it has 4 universities located here, including a branch of Open University.
We are staying at CCT - a Christian Training Centre a few km outside the town. The rooms are located in little bungalows around the centre. Mary and I have single rooms which is pure luxury. They are very spartan but quite adequate and we even have hot water which we share with any of the others needing a hot shower. So we always have some takers!
We settled in quickly and that evening went to a restaurant around the corner which has become quite popular not least because they have a big screen showing the World Cup!
Monday morning Robert had arranged that the CCT bus would take us on a tour of all the schools. We started with Mlimani Primary school where the welcome was incredible. Although it is winter holiday time here until either July 5th/12th (depending on when they took exams), they had a big group of students in to welcome us in song. A student met Mary and I at the entrance and tied kerchiefs around our necks. We then proceeded to the formal cutting of the ribbon at the Computer room, Mary and I again sharing the scissors! Having admired the room we returned to listen to more singing and some speeches from the principal, the counsellor of the Ward in which this school is located (who happens to be the deputy mayor in Morogoro also) and a representative from the Parents Council. I added my few words and after the inevitable refreshments and some fun with the kids we headed for the other schools where the reception was somewhat more modest but welcoming to a degree that was almost embarrassing. By day's end we had imbibed a lot of tea along the way but were left with an extremely good feeling that IT skills are most definitely welcomed by the teaching staff in all the schools and the addition of a computer lab in each school a real advantage to both students and teachers.
Tuesday July 22nd was D-Day for collecting computers from TanzED where they have been stored since their arrival from Dar Es Salaam Port. Robert had booked a lorry and very quickly we set up a human chain to move the computers from office to truck. Then it was off to the first school to drop off our precious cargo and the group of students designated to that school. Each school has a UCDVO "techie" who took technical training with CAMARA in Dublin before departure and are quite skilled in getting the computers up and running. We have one particularly skilled techie who can solve most problems so he has been great at helping out the other schools if there is a serious problem. By the end of Tuesday all the computers had been delivered and most of the rooms actually looked like computer labs with everything unpacked and ready to go for teaching next day. In fact some of the teachers even tried their hand at assembly with us!
Wednesday saw the first real day of training for the teachers and provided our students with an idea of the skillset in the various groups they were working with. I went to Kihonda Secondary School (one of the schools UCDVO worked in last year) also on that day to meet the contractor who had been chosen by the school to help us build a basketball court there. The school had agreed with Robert earlier in the year that this would be great facility to have for their students. Kihonda is a few km off the main road so its about 9km from our home base.
This will have to be continued as I'm running out of time!
So Morogoro 2010 started with 20 volunteers (18 students + Mary[co-project leader] and myself) on an early morning flight from Dublin on Sat July 19th. We flew to Amsterdam and onwards to Dar es Salaam with a very short stop at kilimanjaro International but no chance of spotting Kili as it was night. Robert from TanzED - UCDVO's Tanzanian partners - met us and before long we were enroute to Hotel Rombo in Dar where we stayed the night. We enjoyed a drink and some snacks even though it was close to midnight at that stage! We were on the road to Morogoro by 10am next morning, all of us anxious to see our home for the next month.
Morogoro is described as the University town of Tanzania as it has 4 universities located here, including a branch of Open University.
We are staying at CCT - a Christian Training Centre a few km outside the town. The rooms are located in little bungalows around the centre. Mary and I have single rooms which is pure luxury. They are very spartan but quite adequate and we even have hot water which we share with any of the others needing a hot shower. So we always have some takers!
We settled in quickly and that evening went to a restaurant around the corner which has become quite popular not least because they have a big screen showing the World Cup!
Monday morning Robert had arranged that the CCT bus would take us on a tour of all the schools. We started with Mlimani Primary school where the welcome was incredible. Although it is winter holiday time here until either July 5th/12th (depending on when they took exams), they had a big group of students in to welcome us in song. A student met Mary and I at the entrance and tied kerchiefs around our necks. We then proceeded to the formal cutting of the ribbon at the Computer room, Mary and I again sharing the scissors! Having admired the room we returned to listen to more singing and some speeches from the principal, the counsellor of the Ward in which this school is located (who happens to be the deputy mayor in Morogoro also) and a representative from the Parents Council. I added my few words and after the inevitable refreshments and some fun with the kids we headed for the other schools where the reception was somewhat more modest but welcoming to a degree that was almost embarrassing. By day's end we had imbibed a lot of tea along the way but were left with an extremely good feeling that IT skills are most definitely welcomed by the teaching staff in all the schools and the addition of a computer lab in each school a real advantage to both students and teachers.
Tuesday July 22nd was D-Day for collecting computers from TanzED where they have been stored since their arrival from Dar Es Salaam Port. Robert had booked a lorry and very quickly we set up a human chain to move the computers from office to truck. Then it was off to the first school to drop off our precious cargo and the group of students designated to that school. Each school has a UCDVO "techie" who took technical training with CAMARA in Dublin before departure and are quite skilled in getting the computers up and running. We have one particularly skilled techie who can solve most problems so he has been great at helping out the other schools if there is a serious problem. By the end of Tuesday all the computers had been delivered and most of the rooms actually looked like computer labs with everything unpacked and ready to go for teaching next day. In fact some of the teachers even tried their hand at assembly with us!
Wednesday saw the first real day of training for the teachers and provided our students with an idea of the skillset in the various groups they were working with. I went to Kihonda Secondary School (one of the schools UCDVO worked in last year) also on that day to meet the contractor who had been chosen by the school to help us build a basketball court there. The school had agreed with Robert earlier in the year that this would be great facility to have for their students. Kihonda is a few km off the main road so its about 9km from our home base.
This will have to be continued as I'm running out of time!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
First days
Well Tanzania 2010 began on Sat 19th June with a 3am gathering at Dublin Airport. No last minute problems, check in went smoothly and we departed on time for Amsterdam enroute for Dar es Salaam. with a brief touchdown at Kilimanjaro International but unfortunately too dark at that stage to get a glimpse of Kili! UCDVO has a local partner Tanzed and Robert Lywakurwa is the person from that organisation who has been working on our behalf ensuring that the projects were all ready to go on our arrival. Robert met us at the airport and took us to our hotel (Rombo - yes there was water so we did better than last year's group!). We had a quick snack and then it was bedtime as we were all pretty exhausted after the early start.
Sunday morning we met for breakfast and immediately loaded up the bus and headed for Morogoro. CCT on the outskirts of the town is a Christian Training Centre and they have very decent accommodation where we have settled in very comfortably. There is a series of bungalows with two bedded rooms in most cases but Mary and I and a few of the lads have single rooms (with hot water no less!).
We are blessed with the weather - warm but not excessive except for a few hours in the afternoon which is unfrotunately when we are on site!
Sunday evening we checked out a local restaurant ( Dragonnaires) and the lads were delighted to discover a large screen where many of the World Cup matches are shown.
Monday morning Robert collected us and we set of in the CCT bus on a tour of the 5 schools we are in this year; First stop was Mlimani -a promary school. The welcome was incredible. The students are officially on school holidays but many come in during the break for extra classes so they were all assembled ready to entertain us. Two little girls approached Mary and I at the entrance and tied a little blue kerchief around our necks. We then had to sign the visitors book and then we were escorted to the computer room entrance where Mary and I cut the ribbon and officially declared it open. We were entertained to some singing (school song and national anthem) by the assembled children; the school principal the councillor for the Ward (Morogoro is divided into a number of wards) who also happens to be the Deputy Mayor, the Chair of the School Board and I said a few words and then of course we had to have the refreshments. We then had to rush off to the other schools who were also waiting to entertain us albeit not quite so formally. But everwhere we had to eat! The other schools are Bernard Bendel and Charlotte run by the Holy Spirit Sisters, Top Stars and Lupanga schools. Some are private and Lupanga is a state secondary. But the nuns give scholarships to students that they identify as having potential but who could not afford to pay even for uniforms. They have just started Charlotte secondary school, Phase 1 of which is almost complete. Its a boarding school and is really well designed - the sisters were saying they cut back even on their own food to ensure they get it built. I have never seen a school with a better vista - big windows from the computer room looking straight at the Ulughuru Mountains!
Tuesday we spent loading the computers which have been stored in the Tanzed offices since they arrived from the port. The schools were so excited when we arrived with 20 computers for each school. The students began the process of setting up immediately and by days end the computers were out of the boxes and the rooms actually looked like computer labs!
The following few days were spent ensuring that as many technical problems as possible were sorted and teachers began their IT training on Wednesday morning. They are so eager to acquire the skills that there is no danger of absenteeism - in fact the opposite - as the word is spreading we seem to be acquiring more and more enthusiastic pupils!
We all bought bikes and have been commuting to the schools. The sisters have agreed to transport us in their lorry every day after class so then we will only have to cycle home from the site each evening. Kihonda is the furthest away of our sites so this will still be a 9km cycle home after a hard afternoon's work on site!
This week we have also met our contractor and begun work on the basketball court in Kihonda Secondary School which is one of the schools UCDVO worked in last year. The initial work of clearing the site and excavating is extremely difficult especially with the tools we have at our disposal but everyone is mucking in.
Next week Mary will identify a school in which to do a library project as this is her area of expertise having only recently retired as Professor of Information and Library Studies in UCD.
I will make an attempt to keep this blog updated at reasonably frequent intervals. For the moment suffice to say that we all feel we have put in a hard week's work but it has been extremely rewarding.
Sunday morning we met for breakfast and immediately loaded up the bus and headed for Morogoro. CCT on the outskirts of the town is a Christian Training Centre and they have very decent accommodation where we have settled in very comfortably. There is a series of bungalows with two bedded rooms in most cases but Mary and I and a few of the lads have single rooms (with hot water no less!).
We are blessed with the weather - warm but not excessive except for a few hours in the afternoon which is unfrotunately when we are on site!
Sunday evening we checked out a local restaurant ( Dragonnaires) and the lads were delighted to discover a large screen where many of the World Cup matches are shown.
Monday morning Robert collected us and we set of in the CCT bus on a tour of the 5 schools we are in this year; First stop was Mlimani -a promary school. The welcome was incredible. The students are officially on school holidays but many come in during the break for extra classes so they were all assembled ready to entertain us. Two little girls approached Mary and I at the entrance and tied a little blue kerchief around our necks. We then had to sign the visitors book and then we were escorted to the computer room entrance where Mary and I cut the ribbon and officially declared it open. We were entertained to some singing (school song and national anthem) by the assembled children; the school principal the councillor for the Ward (Morogoro is divided into a number of wards) who also happens to be the Deputy Mayor, the Chair of the School Board and I said a few words and then of course we had to have the refreshments. We then had to rush off to the other schools who were also waiting to entertain us albeit not quite so formally. But everwhere we had to eat! The other schools are Bernard Bendel and Charlotte run by the Holy Spirit Sisters, Top Stars and Lupanga schools. Some are private and Lupanga is a state secondary. But the nuns give scholarships to students that they identify as having potential but who could not afford to pay even for uniforms. They have just started Charlotte secondary school, Phase 1 of which is almost complete. Its a boarding school and is really well designed - the sisters were saying they cut back even on their own food to ensure they get it built. I have never seen a school with a better vista - big windows from the computer room looking straight at the Ulughuru Mountains!
Tuesday we spent loading the computers which have been stored in the Tanzed offices since they arrived from the port. The schools were so excited when we arrived with 20 computers for each school. The students began the process of setting up immediately and by days end the computers were out of the boxes and the rooms actually looked like computer labs!
The following few days were spent ensuring that as many technical problems as possible were sorted and teachers began their IT training on Wednesday morning. They are so eager to acquire the skills that there is no danger of absenteeism - in fact the opposite - as the word is spreading we seem to be acquiring more and more enthusiastic pupils!
We all bought bikes and have been commuting to the schools. The sisters have agreed to transport us in their lorry every day after class so then we will only have to cycle home from the site each evening. Kihonda is the furthest away of our sites so this will still be a 9km cycle home after a hard afternoon's work on site!
This week we have also met our contractor and begun work on the basketball court in Kihonda Secondary School which is one of the schools UCDVO worked in last year. The initial work of clearing the site and excavating is extremely difficult especially with the tools we have at our disposal but everyone is mucking in.
Next week Mary will identify a school in which to do a library project as this is her area of expertise having only recently retired as Professor of Information and Library Studies in UCD.
I will make an attempt to keep this blog updated at reasonably frequent intervals. For the moment suffice to say that we all feel we have put in a hard week's work but it has been extremely rewarding.
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