Monduli is noted for the Military Barracks and the Secondary Teacher College there. We had some dealings with both institutions - mainly supplying trees. The Major General wanted us to do other business there, but we did not proceed with that. There are noted secondary schools there also (Upendo went to one of them for a year) and a primary school that provides practice for training teachers. Also there is a rehabilitation center there for people - children - who have suffered accidents.
Monduli is the administrative center of the Monduli District.
Monduli is situated some distance from the main Arusha /Dodoma road,and in those days the tar sealed road was pockmarked with potholes, some very large, and even at slow speeds you could not dodge them. Just past the Army HQ the seal peters out and the dust/mud track lead on to the village.
Today the new road is of tar seal making the trip from the main road smooth and fast.
One of our Vols was a lecturer at the Monduli Teachers College and so we had the privilege of being involved with the College and some of the folk within.
I remember picking Don from the airport - well not the first time as the plane did not arrive! But at the time the new road was being built and it was dusty! In the light of day the banana trees were dusty grey. Some of the householders built speed bumps to slow down the traffic - the first night there were a dozen or so, but the next night there were 64! This made a slow trip slower!
The Principal of the College came to meet Don accompanied by some of his students - two of the young women actually wept with joy that they had 'such an expert' to teach them.
Of course, as you do, he often stayed with us at Sanawari, and we stayed with him at Monduli where we had some adventures. His accommodation was within the a compound where the rest of the lecturers stayed. The whole complex was built with a reddish/yellow brick and was quite impressive.
His new friend Mama Faraja lived there too and and through their friendship we came to know her. Mama Faraja was a primary school teacher at the Demonstration School.
I had always found it strange that she used the name of her second child, rather than that of her first. It transpired that Mama Faraja was of the Meru tribe and her clan name was Nyeti - that became significant when we had our second spell at Makumira. It tied in a bit.
Of course our main area of involvement was with the primary school - Ngarash. There were enthusiastic teachers at Ngarash which made our work there somewhat easier and encouraging for us.
We also carried out small scale plantings around the villages, mainly the parents of school children.
Within the greater village area, there was a mixture of Tanzanian tribes and expats, but the outlying area was almost exclusively Maasai and Sunday saw the busy Maasai market.
Many of the Arusha region's 'walinzi' (night) guards came from the Monduli area - at least until security business became established.
In it's own way Monduli was a vibrant place, with extensive plantings of Jacaranda making a blue/purple show and the flowers making a carpet on the road. And of course there was the unruly hub of the bus terminal.
The Military Base - more correctly, Tanzania Military Academy - is situated on a small hill before the road dips and later turns very sharply to the left. Way back on the main road is another complex, mainly accommodation I think. We drove beside that area on the way to Meserani Chini as part of the Primary Schools Assistance Project - but that's a different tale.
I don't think there is anything secret or sinister/controversial about the Military Academy, but I was not unwise enough to take photos. The main gate is neat and well maintained and nicely trimmed bougainvillea growing on mowed grass stretches each side of the gateway.
The Major General (well that was the title Big E gave him) was an ndugu of Big E - that word can mean a relative, or from the communist time, comrade - sometimes it is hard to know which. But on our way back from Mswakini Big E wanted us to meet him 'as he is committed to tree planting'.
As you would expect, to see the O/C of any military organization can be no spur of the moment thing. So we sat at those gates and the soldier - a military policeman - spoke into a telephone not appreciating the proximity of Big E who wanted to take hold of it.
After a short wait, another military policeman hopped into the passenger seat and order that I drive forward and gave me directions. The guy was friendly and courteous but firm.
Once at the parking area, the policeman escorted us to the office of the Major General. He was affable and ordered a soda for us and some of those small packets of biscuits and we chatted about our various projects. Sure he was interested about tree planting and had already carried out some extensive plantings. He asked if we could sell him some trees later in the year.
Big E had obviously told him that we had this Primary Schools Assistance Project and were going to buy desks, tables, chairs and cupboards. The Major General had a brother who had carpentry workshop - he would be delighted to be awarded the contract.
Tanzanians try to look after their kin/ndugu and there is always posho for facilitating business deals. Posho is a consideration and can be anything from a cup of tea to a more spectacular handout. I could feel the strings being pulled.
I had also found that in Tanzanian society a direct refusal is unwise, rather give a little. For example if someone comes to the door and asks for a kilo of sugar - you don't tell them to bugger off - you give them perhaps half a cup.
So I told them that the desks were already being made, but their ndugu could build some of the cupboards. This was accepted and we left there happily with the promise to deliver some trees later.
Actually the cupboards were made to a poor standard and only six were made. There was no bad feeling over this - I think the Major General was trying to generate business for his ndugu but the ndugu didn't really want it.
Big E did not come with me on the day of the tree deliveries, but the military policeman recognised me and the route to the Major General was the same, as was the soda and biscuits. He personally took delivery of the trees and promised that they would be well planted and cared for. He arranged for us to eat at the canteen which was outside the gate and across the road. He was to take care of the bill. It was a good place and after that we ate there from time to time.
During that time transport to the main road was difficult of the soldiers and many tried to flag me down. I stopped once to tell them that the Agency did not allow us to give rides to people in uniform. Not really true, but we would not feel safe transporting those guys, but the word soon got around and mostly the flagging stopped as far as we were concerned.
It is natural for us to feel a little uneasy around the military (and police to some extent) in many countries because we never see them at home. And there are always those stats about the armed forces in third word countries being rife with HIV. You hear such thing, but you don't really know.
However, what is not generally know or understood (and this also is hearsay but from reliable sources), when Iddy Amin was doing his thing in Uganda, there was not much intervention from the UN or US or the Brits, it was largely left up to the Tanzanian army to clean him out; the cost was high and the country still remain in debt for that campain.
Monduli is the administrative center of the Monduli District.
Monduli is situated some distance from the main Arusha /Dodoma road,and in those days the tar sealed road was pockmarked with potholes, some very large, and even at slow speeds you could not dodge them. Just past the Army HQ the seal peters out and the dust/mud track lead on to the village.
Today the new road is of tar seal making the trip from the main road smooth and fast.
One of our Vols was a lecturer at the Monduli Teachers College and so we had the privilege of being involved with the College and some of the folk within.
I remember picking Don from the airport - well not the first time as the plane did not arrive! But at the time the new road was being built and it was dusty! In the light of day the banana trees were dusty grey. Some of the householders built speed bumps to slow down the traffic - the first night there were a dozen or so, but the next night there were 64! This made a slow trip slower!
The Principal of the College came to meet Don accompanied by some of his students - two of the young women actually wept with joy that they had 'such an expert' to teach them.
Of course, as you do, he often stayed with us at Sanawari, and we stayed with him at Monduli where we had some adventures. His accommodation was within the a compound where the rest of the lecturers stayed. The whole complex was built with a reddish/yellow brick and was quite impressive.
His new friend Mama Faraja lived there too and and through their friendship we came to know her. Mama Faraja was a primary school teacher at the Demonstration School.
I had always found it strange that she used the name of her second child, rather than that of her first. It transpired that Mama Faraja was of the Meru tribe and her clan name was Nyeti - that became significant when we had our second spell at Makumira. It tied in a bit.
Of course our main area of involvement was with the primary school - Ngarash. There were enthusiastic teachers at Ngarash which made our work there somewhat easier and encouraging for us.
We also carried out small scale plantings around the villages, mainly the parents of school children.
Within the greater village area, there was a mixture of Tanzanian tribes and expats, but the outlying area was almost exclusively Maasai and Sunday saw the busy Maasai market.
Many of the Arusha region's 'walinzi' (night) guards came from the Monduli area - at least until security business became established.
In it's own way Monduli was a vibrant place, with extensive plantings of Jacaranda making a blue/purple show and the flowers making a carpet on the road. And of course there was the unruly hub of the bus terminal.
The Military Base - more correctly, Tanzania Military Academy - is situated on a small hill before the road dips and later turns very sharply to the left. Way back on the main road is another complex, mainly accommodation I think. We drove beside that area on the way to Meserani Chini as part of the Primary Schools Assistance Project - but that's a different tale.
I don't think there is anything secret or sinister/controversial about the Military Academy, but I was not unwise enough to take photos. The main gate is neat and well maintained and nicely trimmed bougainvillea growing on mowed grass stretches each side of the gateway.
The Major General (well that was the title Big E gave him) was an ndugu of Big E - that word can mean a relative, or from the communist time, comrade - sometimes it is hard to know which. But on our way back from Mswakini Big E wanted us to meet him 'as he is committed to tree planting'.
As you would expect, to see the O/C of any military organization can be no spur of the moment thing. So we sat at those gates and the soldier - a military policeman - spoke into a telephone not appreciating the proximity of Big E who wanted to take hold of it.
After a short wait, another military policeman hopped into the passenger seat and order that I drive forward and gave me directions. The guy was friendly and courteous but firm.
Once at the parking area, the policeman escorted us to the office of the Major General. He was affable and ordered a soda for us and some of those small packets of biscuits and we chatted about our various projects. Sure he was interested about tree planting and had already carried out some extensive plantings. He asked if we could sell him some trees later in the year.
Big E had obviously told him that we had this Primary Schools Assistance Project and were going to buy desks, tables, chairs and cupboards. The Major General had a brother who had carpentry workshop - he would be delighted to be awarded the contract.
Tanzanians try to look after their kin/ndugu and there is always posho for facilitating business deals. Posho is a consideration and can be anything from a cup of tea to a more spectacular handout. I could feel the strings being pulled.
I had also found that in Tanzanian society a direct refusal is unwise, rather give a little. For example if someone comes to the door and asks for a kilo of sugar - you don't tell them to bugger off - you give them perhaps half a cup.
So I told them that the desks were already being made, but their ndugu could build some of the cupboards. This was accepted and we left there happily with the promise to deliver some trees later.
Actually the cupboards were made to a poor standard and only six were made. There was no bad feeling over this - I think the Major General was trying to generate business for his ndugu but the ndugu didn't really want it.
Big E did not come with me on the day of the tree deliveries, but the military policeman recognised me and the route to the Major General was the same, as was the soda and biscuits. He personally took delivery of the trees and promised that they would be well planted and cared for. He arranged for us to eat at the canteen which was outside the gate and across the road. He was to take care of the bill. It was a good place and after that we ate there from time to time.
During that time transport to the main road was difficult of the soldiers and many tried to flag me down. I stopped once to tell them that the Agency did not allow us to give rides to people in uniform. Not really true, but we would not feel safe transporting those guys, but the word soon got around and mostly the flagging stopped as far as we were concerned.
It is natural for us to feel a little uneasy around the military (and police to some extent) in many countries because we never see them at home. And there are always those stats about the armed forces in third word countries being rife with HIV. You hear such thing, but you don't really know.
However, what is not generally know or understood (and this also is hearsay but from reliable sources), when Iddy Amin was doing his thing in Uganda, there was not much intervention from the UN or US or the Brits, it was largely left up to the Tanzanian army to clean him out; the cost was high and the country still remain in debt for that campain.
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