Mwakeny

Nursery team among the Rodohypoxis by the Mwakeny turnoff.

Loti, Upendo/Helen, Mama veronica and Amani look over the river.

Mwakeny village is the the West of the road into Olkung'wado, on greener slopes, and closer to the bush-line of Arusha National Park.
Later during our time there an expat, or foreign company [I never met any of them] grew a large area of peas on the hillside above the school. This indicated that there was enough precipitation to sustain the crop; even at the school this would not have been possible.

The first time we visited the school, we crossed the river at the ford [now behind the new village office] and took the road that ends up at Kisimiri. There is a left hand turn and the track skirts a flat, sometimes damp/wet area of grass and then climbs the short stoney toe of a low ride. Straight up and you arrive at the school, after passing the Lutheran church.
Not actually the school - a large old homestead but fallen into disrepair. It had been converted into classrooms and used as a school until recently when a new school was built on the next ridge.

The senior classes were taught in this building, and although it was dark - dingy inside, the kids thought it a cool place be. It was generally where we carried out our seminars.
As usual the first time we went there, there were no teachers, they were all up at the new school. The kids assured us we could drive there and there was a track to follow, but there was a small irrigation ditch and onion gardens making it fairly tight for the car to fit, then down in the small sharp gulley with a turn just reinforced to me to make my own mind up where a vehicle could or could not go. Well we made it ok.

It is with huge regret that I have only a few photos of Mwakeny, and for reasons that I cannot recall. More is the pity because this school ranks high among the success and therefore my fondness.
Here is a group of the teachers with Craig and Helen. The Head Teacher, Pallangeo ducks down at the back.




The teachers were keen for an environmental programme and we were ushered into the Head teacher's office. The school was built across a hill so the foundation went from almost ground level at one end to two metres at the other.
At Mwakeny we saw a good indication of how teachers are moved around for reasons that are not altogether clear. And of course some are not happy with the change. One guy who was Head Teacher at Olkung'wado had his home closeby, but he was moved to Mwakeny, causing him to travel some distance - and travelling is not all that easy.
I did enjoy it when a young woman, an new 'pressure cooker' teacher ant Mwakeny told me that I had taught her at Ngarash school, Monduli. Nice she remembered.

Daily, it was difficult to know what was going to happen because of little unpredicted issues having to be dealt with.
One day I had loaded the truck with trees for Mwakeny but Loti was not at his pickup point but had sent some to meet me and inform me. I decided to go on to the school by myself.
I drove up to the old part of the school as there were some large trees there [planted by those who had farmed there previously, I guess] that could provide shelter for the seedlings until they were planted.
The kids ran out to meet me, an indication that there were no teachers around. I was told all the teachers were away at a 'teacher training day'.
I spoke to the kids for a short while and the longer I talked, the more kids arrived! To settle them down a bit I asked them to sing the Tunapenda song, and they carried out my request with gusto.
I asked which of the kids was the most growly and liked to have authority; they all indicated [not pointing because that is rude] to a small, senior boy.
I told him that we were going to unload the trees and he was to ensure all the trees were lined up in the shade in straight rows and by species. Then the rest lined up each took two trees from me as I passed them out of the car.
All went well other than some discussion about species, which was sorted out without my involvement. I was thinking about the security of the trees when one of the teachers arrived who had remembered that I was due to make a delivery.

The planting programmes were a success and the kids performed well in both the seminars and the practical planting.
Of course the teachers used the excuse of the trees to suggest that we needed to carry out a village water project , so I decided to call a village meeting.

But they were not going to get away quite so easily! I wanted to carry out a village environmental programme before the water project was to be looked at.
The seminar was held outside in what seemed to be a dry creek bed. The village chairman, Loti, Mags and I sat at tables that had been brought over from the school.
Recently I had noted that the farmers had been burning their land in preparation for cultivation and I espoused the need to stop burning as it was not a good environmental tool. There was a need to protect local fauna!

Just then a large brown snake came slithering down the path towards us. I saw it first as I was standing and of course the audience had their backs to it. So as not to alarm anyone, I whispered to Loti that there was a snake.
'Nyota, nyota!' he shouted, 'kill it!' Not exactly what I had intended!
Some of the men carried their fimbo - stick - and they lashed out at the snake, wounding it and it scuttled into some nearby scrubby vegetation.
Meantime Mags was standing on the table!
After some discussion, it was decided that the wounded snake presented a danger to the school kids, so it must be found and killed. So they burnt the scrub! And they killed the snake - local fauna!
There was general hilarity that the snake was dead and the irony of it all - and Mags told them all how brave they were!

I was taken up a gulley to where there had been an old water project with a small dam to create a reservoir. There would be no difficulty in rehabilitating the project and providing water to the village, the school and to the church, which was most distant.

The small dam under repair. There was a good supply of water and the village already held the water right.
I insisted that we would not take all the water so that a flow could remain in the creek.





The village people were very willing to carry out the manual work. This was the condition that I set - I would provide the materials and expertise and they out carry out the work required.





This is the area below the new school and the track below is actually the main access - it crosses a water channel that is usually dry but quite steep.






I transported all the materials on the project vehicle, which was a saving and perhaps more secure. It was always a mission to tie the load securely because the rough roads made any load constantly shift.
The village chairman took possession of the materials and signed for them.



Local village people collected water from the standpipe erected near the old school building. A small branch was taken from here to the school grounds - very good for kids after they had used the toilets. And to irrigate trees.





The water point by the Mwakeny Church was an easy point for the lower end of the village to collect water. This whole project was the one with the least hassles therefore the easiest to implement.