The Pressure Goes On

When you are enjoying what you are doing, I'm sure you are able to achieve much more and perhaps take on a larger workload.
This is what happened to me and while I was very busy, and even tired, I was very happy.

Of course my main priority was the tree nursery and I found that I could trust my workers - well Mama Vero pinched a sheet of polythene, but that was a storm in a teacup - oh ok then: she was going through some problems with her husband and he walked off leaving her in a rented small house. But the roof leaked and she stole the polythene to patch it up. Mbise found it missing and reported it to to me fearing if he did not report it I might blame him. So I was forced to something and we had a meeting. Mama Vero owned up, so I her punishment was two day's stand-down from work and return the polythene. After her two days away, she brought the polythene back. After the day's work, I called them all together and told them that Mama Vero had a problem with her house and that we collectively were helping her by giving the sheet of polythene to her. All smiled and were happy and we were a team.
I would spend only a few hours a week with the workers (because of my workload) but each morning I would write a note with instructions for the day. This was in Kiswahili and my handwriting so they had to decipher what I meant. Always the work was done and tidily with the potting banda and storeroom left as it should be. I was able to keep a close eye on the nursery because each evening I carried out the watering using a watering can, so I looked at each plant each day. As well most weekends I would carry out some work in the nursery.Mama John made a snack and cup of tea for them at 10:00am and 2:00pm. Mbise had the key to our house and the storeroom.
But progress in the nursery was good and I had to find time to collect soil, dry cow manure, sawdust and marram in order to keep the workers busy.

There was a change of leadership in the field office and while 'a new broom sweeps clean' we 'older hands' did not particularly like the new changes. I have drafted something on this but it remains drafted at this time.
The new team did not like the Assistance to Primary Schools Project, and that was perhaps the nub.
Actually Rubani told me flatly that in the education process, text books were unnecessary. And he thought that aid money should simply be handed over as 'one bite of the cherry' with no monitoring or checks. Of course this was against my experience but he was more weightier than I.
Rubani (in actual fact Mama Rubani was the actual field rep) further embarrassed me when, at the function put on by Nkoaranga Primary School to express thanks for the Primary Schools Assistance Project, he refused a bottle of Coca Cola because it was not cold! They had no electricity let alone a fridge. The teaching staff were red-faced over the incident - perhaps an inappropriate word to describe Tanzanians.
So I had no backup from this crew when I began to find a few things going wrong.

Unfortunately Rubani was killed in an accident and this gave Mama Mbembe a chance to become field rep. The outcome of this proved unsatisfactory and that story may well eventuate later. The result for me and and the various projects was a huge distraction and a loss of focus.
I can introduce Mama Tabasamu here who became Administrator. She was Tanzanian and had a terrible time under Mama Mbembe - but she later became field rep in her own right and that was appropriate.

Our environmental project was fast gaining momentum and the Diocese was actively encouraging schools and church groups to take advantage of what we were able to provide. The involved village visits and our seminars.

As well we had undertaken to find finance and assist in the building of Valeska Primary School. This was one of our major successes and I will relate more about that later.

Somewhere in all this there was a desperate food shortage - see previous blog 6 June 08 : World Food Shortage? This also had a profound effect on me personally.

The Primary Schools Assistance Project worked differently this time:
The project funds were handed out to the Diocese and they chose the schools to be assisted. The work was to be carried out by the Technical School at Legeruke. The Bishop asked me to keep an eye on the project.
Well all did not go well and the Head of the school was carrying out substandard work using secondhand materials. So there was time lost in the sorting of this issue as well.

Of course becoming involved with the community meant that we were called upon for all manner of duties and attendances.
The secondary school had a pickup truck and we had the only other vehicle in the village.
If someone needed to go to hospital they could call on the school who would send for the driver, who lived some distance away. There was a time delay and of course there was a fee. The driver liked the arrangement because it was cash in the hand. But I provided a free instant trip, so guess who was called upon most often - and I did not want the attention.

Mama Max was one of them. Her husband came to the gate at about 9:00pm and talked Mbise into calling for me. The guy was all talk but wanted me to take his wife to hospital becuse she was about to give birth. I told him to bring her - this took an hour as they were from across the river and there was no road access. At the hospital, there was nobody around the maternity section so there was a long wait but after a time she went into the delivery room. Max was born.
Mama Max must have thought that because I helped bring Max into the world, somehow, I was responsible. So I had to bring them home, pay for medicines from time to time. One day I took them for a check and something was wrong with Mama Max, so I was left in the Landrover nursing Max. It was hot and Max began not to like being away from his mum. This took over an hour, and Mama Max came back, fed the baby and went back in for another hour. My patience wore thin that day!