At the Crossroads

 “At one village near Lake Victoria, where some community members have received training and support, a 14 year old female takes care of her four younger sisters and brothers plus her grandfather. The grandfather is so old and ill that he cannot engage in any productive economic activity. On occasion, this orphan and vulnerable child (OVC) does not attend school because she must go to the lake shore to beg for fish from fishermen (sometimes in exchange for sex) to feed the family and will try to sell the fish to meet the needs of her siblings.  All children living in this household, including the OVC, do not have enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs, nor access most of basic requirements for a descent livelihood.  She has little time to attend classes with little support from neighbors.  All of this has led to a persistent feeling of low well being as reported by this young girl.”  

-Excerpt from a recent report of a home monitoring visit in the field as part of the OVC Household Strengthening Project

Unfortunately, heart wrenching stories like these are too common out here in the rural zones of Tanzania.  After carefully researching/analyzing at least 30 maps as part of our organizational strategic planning process, I found that high rates of food insecurity, child labor, HIV, gender disparities, child mortality, and water-related shocks are some of the key development challenges affecting some of the most drought-affected and impoverished regions of the country.  If this burden isn’t high enough, the discrimination against albinos and women in addition to many corrupt government officials and poorly implemented health/education policies at all societal levels prevents many households such as this one from escaping the cycle of poverty.  Through my many project assignments and field visits, I’ve heard some of these stories and talked with local project partners/leaders about how to resolve these issues, and there is never an easy solution when structures are set against the poorest of the poor.  Nevertheless, there is still hope and good things being done by a host of NGOs.  I’ve been privileged enough to see some of these changes at the household level, where families can get a microloan to send their child to school, build a brick house, or start a new business, in addition to farmers with highly profitable produce to lift up the well being and income of the family.  Many well intentioned families are stuck in the crossroads of poor infrastructure/policies in addition to old practices/beliefs which hinder progress while also finding new and innovative ways to save money and invest it in the lives of their family members.

It’s cool to see how national NGO staff members work with partners and villagers to change lives through the support and training they provide.  Nevertheless, there are disappointing moments when you see partner staff misuse the money we give them and sleep on the job when they should be supporting and educating the needy.  One guy who works at a local community based group was sleeping during a recent microfinance meeting at a lake island community, chatting on facebook, then sleeping with his mistress each night!  There are strong partners though who have solved complex problems and it’s our job to facilitate that process of problem solving in the implementation and monitoring of good social programs that achieve results.  I hope to continue making a contribution in these sorts of projects keeping in mind stories like this 14 year old girl and the overall purpose of my time here in Tanzania (TZ).  

The work so far has been challenging but rewarding in the last few months.  In collaboration with staff, I drafted and submitted vulnerability mapping and annual reports for my organization’s country program, organized the logistics for a community health worker training on a new tuberculosis project, learned a lot about finance and procurement and donor rules/regs through a bunch of workshops, co-facilitated an OVC training, met with local government officials and went to the field at least 5 times for project visits.  Through my fellowship evaluation, I’ve learned more about how I work with others, learned about my strengths/skills and challenges, and set new goals for myself.  Overall, it’s been a positive experience with a few glitches along the way of course.

I’ve also gotten a chance to get to know my colleagues more as friends and deepen other friendships outside of work.  In April, I held my first house party for local NGO staff which I had originally planned to do 5 months ago, but I’m always in the field.  Everyone said they had a good time and we stayed up late listening to music, dancing, and telling stories.  I spent time with friends in Dar over Easter and had a chance to visit a nearby island which resembled the beaches of Zanzibar… amazing! I’ve also gotten to know other people through social events such as going to see live bongo shows (local youth music here), and volunteering a few times at an orphanage center.  At the center, I had a chance to kick around the football (soccer) a few times with the kids, in which they outran me and scored on me a few times… all in good fun!  The kids and especially villagers love to call me Masanja when I go to the field, which is my local Sukuma (tribe near Mwanza) name which I was told means “togetherness” but is often associated with the national comedian in TZ named Masanja.   In May, visited the museum dedicated to Julius Nyerere (first president of TZ) where I had a chance to get a tour by his daughter Rosemary and see his big library, place where he lived, and also his gravesite.  It was pretty amazing to feel the spirit of the great founding father of the nation and learn about his history.  I also visited the Sukuma museum near Mwanza to check out some dancing/drumming and cultural history with my gardener, so that was super fun.  Just this past week, some colleagues took me out to dinner for my birthday to eat local fish and also give me a couple gifts/ souvenirs to remember them.  Good times!

I’m definitely gonna miss this country and my friends here, but I knew this fellowship was only for a year and new opportunities lie ahead.  I’ve learned more about myself and gained new skills.  I am for sure at the crossroads of the next step in my career, trusting that God will provide for me exactly the right type of position and new experience as I seek these positions and remain open to new adventures.  I have my sights set on becoming a more experienced technical health program manager in international development, but who knows what will happen next.  Life is full of twists and turns and surprises, so I am looking forward and preparing for the next step.  I’m so thankful for all the prayers and support from friends and family during this time and eternally grateful for all the experiences I have had in Mwanza, Dar, and in the field.  Let’s see what happens.  It may take me a while to reach my goals, but I’ll get there eventually. 

There is a Swahili proverb which sums it up nicely: “Kawia ufike… ukiona vyaela vimeundwa”— “better to delay and get there… the important thing is to reach your goal b/c nothing comes out of nothing, and one must work for what one wishes to achieve”