May 19, 2009
What provides a great breeding ground for fish and crabs and helps protect land and people from the effects of large waves? The answer: Mangrove trees! I learned this and more through our visit today with a Mangrove Reforestation group in Majaoni, an area just outside Mombasa. The members of this group explained that in recent years many trees along the coast were harvested and used for firewood. The depleted supply of mangrove trees caused serious harm to the land and fish population in this area. To combat this, many local residents decided to replant the mangrove trees and care for the forests. CRWRC’s church partner, Pwani Christian Community Services (CCS) has come alongside this group to offer training and support for the project.
Working to build and sustain a forest of mangrove trees comes with multiple benefits. The environmental group was concerned with the land and through the help of Pwani CCS and CRWRC, they were also learning how to make a profit off the land. As we took a nature walk through the mangroves we noted one example of this: various fish ponds built up to breed and harvest fish. The group would bring in the eggs and wait for them to reach the right size before collecting them and taking them to the market.
They have also built and tend these fish ponds for added income. The water in the ponds is daily replenished by the tide, which pushes water through the pipes to refill the ponds.
A second income generating activity we saw was crab farming. The group had built cages for crabs. As baby crabs grew in size they became very profitable and the group estimated a significant return on the sale of these crabs. One third demonstration of good land use in this area was evident in the group’s use of bee hives. The forest land provided a terrific environment for bees to live and produce honey, honey that could be harvested for income. In all of these ways the group was capitalizing on their environmental concerns and learning new ways to be stewards of the land that also gave them valuable income.
This board walk works through the mangrove forest to the ocean. The group uses it for school groups to come and learn about mangrove ecosystems.
May 20, 2009
In and around Mombasa the rains had just begun. But as we headed north to Bamba, the land still had a parched shade of gray wherever we looked. Drought has been a concern in every place we’ve gone in Kenya, but it seemed most apparent here. In Bamba, Pwani Christian Community Services (CCS) is working with the community to mitigate the effects of erratic weather and low soil fertility by giving other options to farming and opportunities for rainwater harvesting.
The first community we met first took us to their water jar project, where women had come together to learn the skill of making water collection jars out of cement and bricks. These jars would harvest the little rain fall that came from their iron roofs, reducing the 5 mile round-trip they have to do about every other day to and from the nearest clean water source.
Secondly, the group showed us their bee hives, which have all been colonized and are doing well. One of the members had recently set up a traditional beehive (a hollowed-out log) next to the modern hives in an effort to study the production differences between the two (We later learned that modern beehives can produce 70 liters of honey a year compared to a tradition hive’s 8 liters) Another man said that he was able to earn enough money through the hives to get hives of his own, which have produced enough honey money to pay dowry and get married, something he never had the resources to do previously.
The group was also taking part in a farming field school, where agriculturalists in the community regularly came to give lessons on farming, including how to do contour farming, use manure, and space plants adequately.
After saying farewell to this group, we passed through to the other side of Bamba where a group had come together to build a water pan. The women in this community have to make an 8 mile round trip to the cleanest water source. Through a grant from CRWRC and Foods Resource Bank, this community worked together for 5 months to build a massive water pan. I believe this is the same thing as what we call “dugouts” at grandpa’s farm, but this is on a much bigger scale. The water pan catches all the runoff from nearby hills and creates a pond where the community can fetch water. This water pan served 200 families from the area and freed up 30 hours every week (that would otherwise have been used to fetch water) for the mothers of these families to spend time at home or working in the fields alongside their husbands.
May 21, 2009
Butterfly catching and bee stings! That’s how we spent our last morning in Mombasa with CRWRC’s partner, Pwani CCS. Paul and I met with a community group in Mida where they are working to meet the market demands. The group has undertaken a variety of projects including growing aloe vera plants and farming butterflies. While I could guess the purpose of the aloe vera plants I was confused about the butterflies. One man in the group explained that butterflies are caught and then contained in a net wrapped around a tree branch. The butterflies can feed on the tree and eventually build their cocoon on the branch. When this happens the man takes the branch and prepares to send it to his European and North American buyers. He explained that the butterflies are used in butterfly gardens and parks. Some of his buyers even sell butterflies for special ceremonies or celebrations where the butterflies are released in a beautiful display.
After catching and taking pictures with some of the butterflies, we piled back in the car and drove out to the group’s bee keeping project. Here, as we’d seen in so many groups before, the members were hoping to produce honey for sale. We visited a few of their hive sites and got a good look at the colonies. In fact, we later decided we got too close a look when a lone bee flew out and stung Paul. This meant trouble. As the group members shared, a certain smell is released when a bee stings someone/thing and it triggers the same reaction in the other bees. Soon the swarm was chasing us all down the path and away from their home. We were happy to make a hasty retreat.
That evening we reflected on the day’s events as we drove to the airport for our evening flight. Our time in Mombasa had come to an end and our adventures in Tanzania were about to begin.
May 22-24, 2009
Margaret, CRWRC’s country consultant in Tanzania, collected us at our guest house in Dar es Salaam this afternoon. Over a lunch of chicken, fish and coconut milk rice, she explained some of the history of CRWRC in Tanzania and helped orient us to the city. Our first lesson was that English wouldn’t get us very far in Dar es Salaam. In fact if you want to live and work in the country, you must learn Swahili. Paul and I were prepared to try out our language learning skills and after visiting the CRWRC office there, we made plans to explore the city over the weekend.
On Saturday we set out for a wood carving market. There were beautiful displays of ebony carvings in every kiosk along with all kinds of other African crafts. Three hours later, with souvenirs in hand, we made our way to the coastline of Dar es Salaam and found a nice spot to have ice cream. It was a warm afternoon and we decided to walk a little enjoying the sites. Spotting some blackberries and gooseberries for sale, we stopped and got some fruit. Dar es Salaam is a developing urban area with a tropical feel. The sea breezes and palm trees made me feel like I was on vacation.
Sunday we worshiped with Margaret in her church. We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed the fellowship. Then we went for a drive around Dar es Salaam, through the city, past the beaches, and home again to our Catholic guest house, to rest before the big week ahead of us.
May 25, 2009
Today we headed south out of Dar es Salaam to visit an organization called HOPE Projects for the Disabled. We first met Paul, the founder of HOPE, who has been working to empower the disabled through this organization for the last 5 years. CRWRC works with HOPE to provide training and capacity building to this organization and its beneficiaries, and also provides tricycles to people with disabilities to increase their mobility.
After meeting with Paul we went to meet with one of the groups that HOPE is working with. The group we met consisted of 50 members, all who were part of smaller groups doing a variety of activities. They had a cashew processing team that was doing very well. They were also milling cassava to earn an income for the group. In addition, they were doing sewing and tailoring, goat keeping, and were just starting up a chicken keeping project that would be able to handle 500 chickens at a time.
After our visit we traveled several kilometers to a farm that was full of passion fruit, bananas, peppers, and amaranth. It was run by man that was limp in one leg, but through hard work and putting the training he had received into action, had built up a farm that was even successful enough to employ hand help.
Lastly we visited a group called Chanika-kiwacha, a name whose translation escapes me. They are a group of 31 members with many activities. They were working doing savings and credit (community banking), had a community garden, had a wood carving project, as well as raised local chicken. They also had high hopes for starting a fish farm. The most impressive thing about this group, however, was that they had a female chairperson. Every group has a chairperson, and in our experience that chairperson is always a man. Even in women’s groups, men are often chair. But in this group, comprised of men and women, they had a woman chairperson. We took a picture with her to remember her and the group by.
May 26, 2009
Today was our last day in Tanzania and our last day of our 4 week tour. We spent it at another partner of CRWRC, Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCOS), about 40 kilometers west of Dar es Salaam.
The group had just become an officially registered group in October 2007, at that time having only 37 members. The first loan they gave was that January for 50,000 shillings, the equivalent of $38.00. Less than two years later, they now have 86 members, have a group capital savings of 16,000,000 shillings ($12,000), and just approved a loan for one of their members that was over 2,000,000 shillings ($1,500). When asked, the group said its main goal was to give their community access to finances where they were not able to have before. It is extremely difficult to get loans from commercial banks, and interest rates are currently around 20%. This group allows members of the group to take out various types of loans for professional and personal development at a competitive interest rate that also earns the group serious dividends.
We were amazed at the strengths of this group and the growth it has experienced. Yet the group also realized that its growth created some of the group’s biggest challenges. Every month, they said, they grow and need continuous business training to keep up; currently they are seeing a need for training in business leadership and administration that will help them at this level and future levels of growth. Through continued partnership with the church, they hope to gain the skills they need for future growth. It was wonderful to end our tour visiting with this well-organized, insightful, and forward-looking group that has flourished with the support of the church and CRWRC.
May 27, 2009
It’s time to go home. Today we fly back to Kampala. Margaret drove us to the airport this morning and after arriving early we decided to have lunch together. Enjoying soup, salads, rice and meat stews, we had a chance to share a few laughs and say goodbye. It has been a terrific month of learning opportunities, touring CRWRC’s sites and visiting staff and partners. Paul and I are glad that we could finish our trip with a stop in Tanzania.
