To reach Samaria we passed through the Kikatiti flat area where there is now building development, then crossed the railway line [the same as going to Maroroni] but then followed beneath a high tension power line and across some stoney country. Loti knew the way because his wife came from there and her parents still live there. It tends to be fairly dry country.
There is a tar road [in bad repair] travelling from Kilimanjaro airport to the electronic guidance system that is near Maroroni - the Samaria church and Primary school are on that road.
The main reason we went there was to 'take an interest in the building work that was to be done there.' NZHC had provided funds for two new classrooms and some other minor repairs. DME had contracted Tom Mpilipili to carry out the work but we had already found that there was work left undone/partly done at Akeri and Olkung'wado and at Kwatulele there was old secondhand material used that we had removed and a certain amount of cheating going on.
Well it happened again over the making/purchasing of burnt bricks. The trouble [for Tom Mpilipili] was that I was fairly involved with building in various projects and I could 'smell a rat' a mile off! This guy was pocketing a lot of money - even ripping off the teachers at the school! I knew that he had inflated the cost of burnt bricks, and strongly suspected that he was to use second hand roofing iron from another project. Some of the fault I lay at the Agency's door because under the new Field Rep, Mama Mbembe, money was handed over without previous monies being accounted for. Anyway she did not like the project nor did she like DME, so she couldn't care less. I was built of different materials!
The only thing I could do was make a report, itemizing everthing and hand to the General Secretary, DME. They were none too happy that I did so, but in the end they did handle matters [for them] appropriately and the projects were completed. It has been pointed out to me that there is some danger in what I did.
We carried out our environmental seminar there and all went well except for the section where I performed the role play of the wind blowing the soil from the farm. I was careful to ask for a male student to come up to represent the farm [the head being the soil]. This was because the role play involved me pushing him around a little. Unfortunately this time I picked a girl [obviously I wasn't concentrating as I should] but when I noticed, decided to go ahead thinking I would be easier on her.
Well, the part when the wind becomes strong, is the same word as 'angry' - kali. As I was the wind, I said 'I am getting angry' meaning 'the wind is getting stronger'! Well the poor child ran off in a fright! The teacher told me later that she had some mental issues and was sorry he did not alert me. I did not mean to upset the child and I suspect/know she will never read this, but I apologize to her anyway.
The soil at Samaria is stoney, tending red and dry. Water is a problem which is why we limited the number of trees provided to the school - simply because they would be unable to look after them. However, they managed to achieve good outcomes and the finished classrooms turned out to be very good.
To illustrate some of the problems that arise for people, Loti left a number of goats for grazing with his extended family at Samaria, but when we arrived to load them in the truck to return to his farm, there were only three left! We were told they had died. Well that was not a lie at all, goats have to die before they can be cooked and eaten!
Prizewinners display their prizes. We were given some T-shirts and printed a small emblem on them. The guy that won this one was happy but I fear it was way too big for him! These kids participated well though.
The partly finished classrooms at Samaria. Sometimes you have to compromise - burnt clay bricks are not the best environmental option. To make them, the soil has to be dug out of the ground leaving a crater of no use at all. Then to burn them take wood - trees the very core of what we were trying to achieve. On the other hand, they are much cheaper and require no cartage costs because they are made on site. Tom Mpilipili was organizing this job and local people often cannot afford the principles that perhaps I would have imposed. Most often it is all down to a matter of cost.
In case I forget to write elsewhere, I was hunting for burnt bricks for building water tanks and visited several location around Usa River. I was shocked at the craters created by these guys far worse than any erosion in the area!
The other youth activity to make money is mining rock for foundations. This is as bad leaving huge craters and altering the landscape - but what is the alternative.
There is an area where Makumira Secondary have been taking rock for their building and it is destroying the farm next door - undermining it. There is nobody to act as advocate for them so the farm owner loses out to an outfit that should be able to do better but has no conscience.
There is a tar road [in bad repair] travelling from Kilimanjaro airport to the electronic guidance system that is near Maroroni - the Samaria church and Primary school are on that road.
The main reason we went there was to 'take an interest in the building work that was to be done there.' NZHC had provided funds for two new classrooms and some other minor repairs. DME had contracted Tom Mpilipili to carry out the work but we had already found that there was work left undone/partly done at Akeri and Olkung'wado and at Kwatulele there was old secondhand material used that we had removed and a certain amount of cheating going on.
Well it happened again over the making/purchasing of burnt bricks. The trouble [for Tom Mpilipili] was that I was fairly involved with building in various projects and I could 'smell a rat' a mile off! This guy was pocketing a lot of money - even ripping off the teachers at the school! I knew that he had inflated the cost of burnt bricks, and strongly suspected that he was to use second hand roofing iron from another project. Some of the fault I lay at the Agency's door because under the new Field Rep, Mama Mbembe, money was handed over without previous monies being accounted for. Anyway she did not like the project nor did she like DME, so she couldn't care less. I was built of different materials!
The only thing I could do was make a report, itemizing everthing and hand to the General Secretary, DME. They were none too happy that I did so, but in the end they did handle matters [for them] appropriately and the projects were completed. It has been pointed out to me that there is some danger in what I did.
We carried out our environmental seminar there and all went well except for the section where I performed the role play of the wind blowing the soil from the farm. I was careful to ask for a male student to come up to represent the farm [the head being the soil]. This was because the role play involved me pushing him around a little. Unfortunately this time I picked a girl [obviously I wasn't concentrating as I should] but when I noticed, decided to go ahead thinking I would be easier on her.
Well, the part when the wind becomes strong, is the same word as 'angry' - kali. As I was the wind, I said 'I am getting angry' meaning 'the wind is getting stronger'! Well the poor child ran off in a fright! The teacher told me later that she had some mental issues and was sorry he did not alert me. I did not mean to upset the child and I suspect/know she will never read this, but I apologize to her anyway.
The soil at Samaria is stoney, tending red and dry. Water is a problem which is why we limited the number of trees provided to the school - simply because they would be unable to look after them. However, they managed to achieve good outcomes and the finished classrooms turned out to be very good.
To illustrate some of the problems that arise for people, Loti left a number of goats for grazing with his extended family at Samaria, but when we arrived to load them in the truck to return to his farm, there were only three left! We were told they had died. Well that was not a lie at all, goats have to die before they can be cooked and eaten!
Prizewinners display their prizes. We were given some T-shirts and printed a small emblem on them. The guy that won this one was happy but I fear it was way too big for him! These kids participated well though.
The partly finished classrooms at Samaria. Sometimes you have to compromise - burnt clay bricks are not the best environmental option. To make them, the soil has to be dug out of the ground leaving a crater of no use at all. Then to burn them take wood - trees the very core of what we were trying to achieve. On the other hand, they are much cheaper and require no cartage costs because they are made on site. Tom Mpilipili was organizing this job and local people often cannot afford the principles that perhaps I would have imposed. Most often it is all down to a matter of cost.In case I forget to write elsewhere, I was hunting for burnt bricks for building water tanks and visited several location around Usa River. I was shocked at the craters created by these guys far worse than any erosion in the area!
The other youth activity to make money is mining rock for foundations. This is as bad leaving huge craters and altering the landscape - but what is the alternative.
There is an area where Makumira Secondary have been taking rock for their building and it is destroying the farm next door - undermining it. There is nobody to act as advocate for them so the farm owner loses out to an outfit that should be able to do better but has no conscience.
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