Newsletter for MS-Tanzania

For MS partners and development workers in Tanzania .

April 2004

Editor: Information worker Michael Bech
Editor-in-chief: Director Finn Petersen

 

After the gold rush

What’s the rush for you? And how do you interpret the question? For some people daily life is all about creating money enough to survive – others try to get hold of more money, than they can ever spend. Some find the values of life in a good book, a nice meal or maybe in taking care of other people.

If there is one keyword to the next issue of Habari za Tanzania it is ‘love’. The theme for the magazine is ‘children – and their rights’ – but it is really a magazine about ‘love’ – or more precisely the lack of love and care.

Very soon you will have this new issue in your hands. Right now it is being printed but the articles are already available on the homepage for MS-Tanzania:

http://ms.inforce.dk/sw14126.asp

The articles are written by the development workers in MS-Tanzania and cover the obstacles many children are experiencing in their daily life and struggle to survive in Tanzania . Often without adult support. The DW’s have produced very fine articles describing the tough conditions for growing up for the future adults of the country. The mantra is: ‘Invest some love in your children – it will come back to you tenfold the investment!’

News from the director

Easter is very near. You can almost taste it with all its religious ceremonies and traditions - Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, eggnogs etc. In Tanzania most household will cook pilau, at least rice, and make it a family affair. Whatever tradition we are coming from, one thing is common, and that is that we spend the holiday with our families and friends. If you are having a heavy work schedule and have a bit of permanently bad conscience because you don't spend enough time with your families, this is the time you can make it all up. Spend some time with the kids, the spouse, family and friends, but do as well remember to spend a little time on your own, just relaxing and reflecting. So personally that's what I'm going to do (I can't wait). But before and after Easter there is of course..... work. After Easter this year’s first PAB meeting, which hopefully will equip the PAB Chair and undersigned with PAB’s opinions on topics to be debated in Denmark . In the end of the same week, we will go to Denmark for the Annual Policy Meeting and the Annual General Assembly. Some of the issues on the agenda will be the New MS Mission Statement, challenges after MS evaluation, the role of PAB in the future, future personnel assistance and the political dimension of poverty.

Fighting the stigma of HIV/ AIDS

Short term advisor Kirsten Madsen has finished her assignment in Tanzania – so far. She was here for a month inspiring and training people and organizations to make HIV/ AIDS an issue in everyday work.

Kirsten Madsen has made a HIV/ AIDS library at the country office where a lot of written materials and videos are now available to borrow and read at the library.

A report from the various AIDS-organizations, Kirsten Madsen visited especially in Arusha and Dar es Salaam , is already made available by her.

If you have any questions concerning HIV/ AIDS you are all welcome to contact Kirsten Madsen on her email kirsten@pvpm.dk

Paprika creates income

UVIMTA-Mdandu is an umbrella organisation, which deals with farmers who normally produce maize, beans, etc. These crops are good, because they are used for food consumption. But the problem is when the farmers want to sell these crops; there is no market for them.

Last year UVIMTA started cooperation with Tanzania Spices in Iringa, to start farming a new cash crop – paprika. This crop will give them more money than maize and beans. Now they also know who will buy the paprika, because they have a contract with Tanzania Spices. Paprika is growing well in Mdandu Division. For example, from one acre the farmers can get 800 kg. of paprika, and each kilo is sold for 1 Euro. UVIMTA cooperates with MS-Tanzania, which assisted in the first transport of paprika from the farms up to Iringa. This year UVIMTA will focus on financing pesticides to prevent the paprika from being attacked by insects.

Last year the farmers got seeds for 60 acres, while this year Tanzania Spices have provided seeds for 110 acres. This increase in the number of seeds and interested farmers is because Tanzania Spices has discovered that they get better quality and quantities of this crop in Mdandu Division than in other areas of Iringa Region. In other words, the farmers of Mdandu Division expect that after 10 years they will have increased their income with a high percentage.

By Lusungu Kitambule, paprika-farmer and member of UVIMTA (and also the student of an English class taught twice per week, two hours in average)

Bicycles being tested

Over the next few months, five of UVIMTA’s members (i.e. UVIM-villages) will be participating in the testing of a new type of bicycle within Mdandu Division. The bicycle is called something as Tanzanian as ‘Smarty Hardy’, and is developed by a Danish architect. He has received funds from Danida’s ‘Private Sector Program’ to develop a bicycle that can carry a larger number of kilos on the luggage carrier than a normal one. However, Smarty Hardy is in reality only half a bicycle. In other words, it is a single wheel with an extended and stronger carrier on top, which is supposed to substitute the rear wheel and carrier of normal bicycles, such as Phoenix and Avon .

The main idea of Smarty Hardy is to make transport easier for Tanzanians farmers, who often need to transport their crops to the local market. If the transport is made easier, there is a possibility that it will have a positive impact on the farmers’ income and thus the standard of living.

For the next 3-4 months, 50 Smarty Hardy are being distributed in Tanzania (five are going to Mdandu Division) with the purpose of testing how they will work under ‘real life conditions’, and before the final model, which is supposed to be introduced for the Saba-Saba fair in DSM this year, will be put into a large scale production. At the present moment the producer of Smarty Hardy estimates that the purchase price of one Smarty Hardy will be around TSH 60-70.000.

The five UVIM’s (Kanani, Chalowe, Itambo, Sakalenga and Ikwega) involved in the testing are all looking forward and they/ we will try to bring up-dates on how Smarty Hardy handles the environment of the Southern Highland .

By Andreas Salomonsen, DW

 DW’s in Danish media

The returning development workers are still in the process of settling in Denmark . They are sending their regards from a country, where springtime is finally taking over the place of the long, cold and dark winter.  

Some of the Tanzanian DW’s have been portrayed in Danish media upon their return to the homeland. Tove Kufaa from Losinoni and Claus Lyngby Petersen and Marianne Stark from Njombe made it to the Danish weekly magazine ‘Femina’ with long articles about their stay and work in Tanzania . And in mid-March Jens Aagesen from Kilolo and Iringa had his story told in the newspaper ‘Randers Amtsavis’.

Out and around the CO

April will be a month of many holidays and people going on leave and duty travel. Here are some of the dates:

Director Finn Petersen, 8^th April and 17^th April to 5^th May in Denmark for meetings.

Domestic officer Peter Msechu, 13^th to 16^th April (both days incl.).

Administrator Pia Norgaard, 22^nd April to 5^th May (both days incl.).

Secretary Neema Kijazi, 19^th to 23^rd April (both days incl.).

Accountant Resty Caesar, 1^st to 30^th April (both days incl.).

Programme officer Joan Lohay, 19^th to 23^rd April in Mugumu with CBRP and TRC.

Programme officer Simon Lugandu, 5^th to 8^th April in Bagamoyo with JEBA.

Programme officer Maselle Maziku, 5^th to 7^th April in Arusha with CORDS.

Programme officer Maselle Maziku, 19^th to 23^rd April in Mwanza with PCSP and TRC.

Programme officer Maselle Maziku, 26^th to 30^th April in Njombe with UVIMTA.

The country office will be closed for the Easter holiday 9^th and 12^th April.

DW news

One week ago, the Danish Orientation Course for MS development workers ended in Denmark . Three of the coming DW’s are going to Tanzania . Maj-brit Rasmussen will be the new information and capacity building DW for TAYEN in Dar es Salaam , Michael Lund Soerensen will be employed as a cooperative advisor with the new partner in Kibaha, MUWAKI and Mikkel Hauschildt is going to be the new roaming financial advisor based in Dar es Salaam .

The three new DW’s for MS-Tanzania and Mikkel Hauschildts wife Sophie Jagd Rosendal will be on the African Orientation Course at TCDC starting late April. And the four new Tanzanians are coming to Dar es Salaam for their country office introduction late May before joining their partners.

Contact for the Newsletter: michael_bech@net.dialog.dk – mobile 0744 - 87 40 80