Lifting the smoke

While most of us might associate smoke-related health problems with cigarettes, everyday life creates harmful exposure for many Tanzanians. Most houses here, especially those in rural villages, have no windows or very poor ventilation. Those factors coupled with open fires, which most people use for cooking, creates an extremely unhealthy environment. One of our partner … Continue reading Lifting the smoke

Seeing our women in action

After passing Loan Chairperson Josephine’s house dozens of times without ever stopping, we finally went over yesterday. Josephine, along with a couple of female family members, gave us a glimpse into a beading business she’s been operating for quite some time. Though they do some jewelry, the women’s main craft is creating leather wall hangings … Continue reading Seeing our women in action

Out of lemons

It was a classic mugging setup—two guys on a motorbike—and a classic, amateur move on my part—keeping a purse full of valuables on me after dark in an international city. Now missing a passport, small camera, several hundred dollars, two credit cards, a license and a library card, we decided to go to the local … Continue reading Out of lemons

Babies, baptisms and Christmas

Though we technically had work off the past few days, our holiday weekend was nothing short of event-filled. We started Christmas morning with snickerdoodles, kahawa (coffee) and cinnamon buns home made by our friend and neighbor Adrienne. And a few paper snowflakes later, we headed to our loan program treasurer Levina’s house in nearby Tloma. … Continue reading Babies, baptisms and Christmas

Confirmations and cake

It’s normal for a volunteer to come full-throttle to a new place, ready and gung-ho to start making moves immediately. In Tanzania, though, patience is essential. My experience thus far has consisted mainly of observing and familiarizing myself with all the many day-to-day operations. It’s pretty essential here to know even a little Swahili, so … Continue reading Confirmations and cake

Paper snowflakes and alterations

As the western world scurries about preparing for Christmas, life is moving along here in Karatu. But despite the very slow nature of life in Tanzania, the past month has been a bit of a whirlwind. New staff arrivals, old staff departures, program rearranging, prolific social invitations and a little white kitten have all contributed … Continue reading Paper snowflakes and alterations