Wiki Tano

I would have to say that week number five has been the single most productive week that I have had since my arrival in Mwanza. It began as usual as I put together English lessons for the week followed by a trip to NIMR to drop off yogurt and to scam some internet time. In the afternoon I met with Louiseanne from the Shaloom Health Center so that we could finalize plans for the Health Fair on February 6th. From the health center, I made my way to City Council in hopes of setting up a meeting with the TASAF coordinator in order to hand over the funds required for the purchase land. Unfortunately, he was in Dar es Salaam for the week but I was able to set up a date for February 11th. I went to the market to buy more containers then to Mabatini to conduct an English lesson and to remind the YM (Yogurt Mamas) that they needed to purchase an extra 90L of milk in order to fill the Wednesday order of 60L of yogurt for Shaloom. I was greeted by a group of children at the kitchen who come for an afternoon snack and who were very excited to see themselves on the back of my camera. We entertained each other for quite awhile, then I biked to Tunza to deliver yogurt and enjoy an invigorating yoga class to fill myself with positive energy and good karma for the busy week ahead.

Afternoon snack at Jiko la Juma.

I saw the sunrise over five of the six days that remained for the week- it’s just as beautiful as the sunset! It was also the only thing that brightened (literally!) my mood because I am NO morning person. I was awake early on Tuesday so that I could pick up 10L of yogurt and bike for an hour to Starehe to begin at the Nursery school for 8am. I left the school around 5:30pm and was stopped on my way home by a display of some very fashionable shoes- A Massai man had come into town to sell extremely environmentally conservative foot ware. I was so impressed by his creativity and ambition to recycle that I almost bought his entire inventory of shoes (he was selling ten pairs at 1000Tsh/pair… less than $1 Cdn) made entirely from bald car tires.

Gorgeous view- probably even better in the light of day!

Two styles of tire shoes- watch out for these on the runways of Milan!

I set off for the kitchen at 6:30am on Wednesday morning so that I could meet Paskwalina and Joyce to get organized before our ride arrived at 7am. We piled the yogurt into a 4x4 and made our way down the bumpy dirt roads of Mabatini. We arrived at Shaloom and met with the directors of the facility. There were over 350 PLWHA (People living with HIV/AIDS) at the health center for the fair. Paskwalina and Joyce both took the floor for about 15 minutes each, after which they held a question and answer period. They were so proud and knowledgeable about their product, I was blown away by both their confidence and charisma. Shaloom purchased the yogurt to give away samples for all of their clients that day. It was a big hit and the YM handed out several order forms for next week. The health center will be buying quantities in bulk on a weekly basis from now on to distribute within their facility. In the afternoon a gentleman travelling from Dar es Salaam came to film bits and pieces of the event. After speaking with him for the hour he dropped a hint about an incredible sponsorship opportunity for the YM and I to pursue. Apparently, there is some money in Dar that needs a home- the government of Tanzania is looking to sponsor proactive programs to reduce the burden and/or incidence of HIV/AIDS. We exchanged phone numbers and he promised to make a visit to the kitchen within the month of February. The YM were also excited to learn that they were going to make the evening news in both Mwanza and Dar this week! In the evening, I met with a local friend Tobius. He came over for dinner and to help me proof read my research questionnaire. I spent hours the week prior to our meeting translating it into Swahili onm my own and was sure that it would take a few minutes for him to look over… Three and a half hours we were finished and I realized just how useless the English-Swahilli dictionary could be!

Mama Paskwalina, in blue, taking a few minutes to work the crowd
after her presentation on the health benefits of probiotics for PLWHA

Paskwalina and Joyce presenting Fiti- and becoming celebrities in Mwanza

Taking a moment to commemorate an exciting day!
(L to R: Me, Joyce, Paskwalina, Louisanne)

Thursday was my earliest morning this week. I left the apartment at 5:30am so that I could be at Starehe for 6:20am to watch breakfast being prepared. Along the bike ride I could not wrap my mind around one small, insignificant, but none-the-less strange finding… Right now I am living a few hundred kilometers away from Mount Kilimanjaro, where some of the best coffee in the world is produced. I have yet to find whole coffee beans in Mwanza, let alone Kilimanjaro coffee. Who drinks instant coffee when they live so close to incredible beans?! Hmm, I was obvisouly awake too early for my brain to think noteworthy thoughts! Anyway, the day was very similar to that of last Thursday. I followed a group of nine children during all meals and snacks in order to record their consumption, and in between I observed and participated in food preparations in the kitchen of the orphanage. Unfortunately, I was not able to employ any of the skills that I observed while working at Garlics- but I did manage to shred 14 cabbage the size of my head with a steak knife. I also made a mental note-never do this again! I left after the children had finished their last meal of the day around 7pm. On my way home a made a trip to the bank and withdrew the last of the funds required for the purchase of land.

Re-defining the George Castanza wallet!

Friday morning was my day to “sleep in”. I had arranged a meeting at KWRO (the Kivulini Womens Rights Organization) at 8am and spent the first two hours of the day speaking with those who have been involved with the YM and WHE since the inception of the project. It was really interesting to hear the story unfold from their perspective. I was gathering this information after Meaghan (fall 2007 intern) initiated its collection and will be pass it on to her in Canada. From Kivulini, I was escorted to the bank so that I could hand over the pile cash in exchange for a check with someone else’s name on it-probably a good thing because I was beginning to think of just how many pineapples and tire shoes I could buy with all those shillings- haha! I went to Mabatini in the afternoon, gave an English review and test, then set off with yogurt to Forever Angels. I ended the week with a championship game of ultimate Frisbee and called it a night really early.

On Saturday and Sunday morning I arrived at the Forever Angels baby home at 6:15am, again, to watch breakfast and follow the children as they ate for the day. These cuties consume probiotic yogurt twice a week and have been consuming it now for about five months. I was able to measure their height, weight, head circumference and body fat mass, and gathered the information that the directors have logged over the years documenting their height and weight. I love getting to know these kids and learning more about their remarkable lives. I wish that I could bring them all to Canada with me. I was able to snap a few pictures during snack time, coincidentally, a yogurt day! On Saturday evening Ruben, three of his colleagues and I went out for dinner to celebrate the completion of recruitment for their study. I am very eager, as many others are in Canada, to learn the results of this study to validate the practical application of probiotics!

Pascal (top) and (Pili) bottom, saving some for later