September 2013 - Britain Tanzania Society

BTS NEWSLETTER
September 2013
www.btsociety.org
Volume 11, Issue 3
www.tanzdevtrust.org
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BISHOP TREVOR HUDDLESTON CENTENARY CELEBRATION
There were also musical tributes.”
On 29 June, there was a celebration of the life
of Bishop Trevor Huddleston, one of our BTS
founders. The event at St Martin-in the-Fields
Church was attended by BTS Vice-President
Trevor Jaggar, BTS Chairman William Fulton,
Tim Watkins-Idle and several other members.
Trevor Huddleston is, no doubt, best known to
the general public for his work for South Africa
and his opposition to apartheid. But members of
the BTS know that he also did sterling work as
Bishop of Masasi and became a
great friend of Julius Nyerere. He
was one of the founders of the BTS
and was for over 20 years its first
President. He was also Chairman of
the UK end of the Society for about
a dozen years. I had the good
fortune to be the Executive
Secretary for some of those years
and had first-hand experience of his
efficiency, his kindness and his
influence with Government
Ministers of both our countries.
Willie Fulton remembers Trevor
Huddleston speaking at his school
in 1962, which proved to be a
considerable influence on his life.
Tim Watkins-Idle came to know
Trevor Huddleston, when he was a
member of a youth group during
Huddleston’s time as Bishop of
Stepney.
Trevor Jaggar writes:
“I had the great privilege on
29 June of attending a celebration of the life and
legacy of Archbishop Trevor Huddleston to mark
the centenary of his birth. Arranged by Action
for Southern Africa, it took place at St Martin-inthe-Fields, which was packed. Tributes were
given by Khotso Makhulu, Archbishop Emeritus
of Central Africa, Baroness Glenys Kinnock and
Father Nicholas Stebbing CR. Archbishop
Trevor's niece, Lady Parkinson, was also there
and gave a reading.
After the celebration in St. Martin's, many of
those present were invited to a Reception at
South Africa House. During many conversations
at that part of the event, I was able to make
clear the extent of Archbishop Trevor’s work for
Tanzania.
It was a most memorable day for those of us
from the BTS who were present.
WF
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WANTED – AN EDITOR for THE NEWSLETTER
BTS Chairman Willie Fulton writes: “After six years as editor of our newsletter, Richard Barton-Wood has
decided to put away his editorial scissors, as he has taken on new responsibilities closer to home. We are
most grateful to Richard for all he has achieved and in the many improvements he has made to the
newsletter during his time in the editor’s chair.
However, that leaves us with a problem! We need a NEW editor. Could that person be you? I have
contacted all those members, who indicated their willingness to contribute to the newsletter on more
than one occasion, in the recent survey of members, but so far no one has offered their services. This is
NOT an onerous job. It consists of receiving and editing the many contributions from members and
member organisations and ‘cutting ‘n pasting’ these into a logical order, three times a year. The printing
and distribution is looked after by someone else. Please, if you would like to serve your society by taking
on this role, do please contact me on [email protected].
If we do not find an editor, we may lose this very valuable communication tool of the Society.”
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Pages 2 - 3
BTS Events & News
Thursday 31 October 5.15-7.00 pm
at SOAS, Russell Square WC1H 0XG
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Saturday 16 November, 2.00pm.
Climate Change in NE Tanzania
ALDERSGATE ROOM, Central Hall, Westminster
Further information to follow separately
It is only in recent years that climate change has
been given serious attention in Tanzania. We
hope that this event will open up the topic for
wider discussion, among BTS members, wellwishers and especially among Tanzanians in this
country and in Tanzania.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
(BTS & TDT) will be held in London on Tuesdays:
17 September and 26 November 2013.
BTS SCOTTISH GROUP - Edinburgh
Our speaker, Ben Wisner, has been involved in
responses to disasters and how to plan to lessen
their impacts since the 1970s. He divides his
time between London (the Aon-Benfield Hazard
Research Centre at University College),
Northumbria and Durham Universities, Oberlin
College Ohio, and work around the world. He is
a leading member of the Global Network of Civil
Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction
http://www.globalnetwork-dr.org/, a coalition of
NGOs and other organisations in low and
medium income countries.
Sat 7 September, 12 - 2pm
Cutting Room at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36
Dalmeny Rd (off Leith Walk), Edinburgh EH6
8RG. Contact: Ann Burgess 07858 481038
Short talks by members: Tentative agenda:
+ Lunch together in Cutting Room. Please order
your food/coffee from the café beforehand and
bring it to the Cutting Room.
+ Introductions - including by new member, PhD
student, Aisling O'Loghlen
+ Exploring Forests in East Africa - Talk by Jim
McCarthy
+ Shirati hospital energy project - update by
Tom Grassie and Yvonne Babinski.
+ Open Forum for all those who want to give a
10-min talk of their experiences in Tanzania or
news of on-going projects.
Note: this event is open to anyone interested in
Tanzania and is arranged jointly with SOAS.
There is no need to book in advance– just come
if you can. If you have any questions please
contact Andrew Coulson, email:
[email protected] or tel: 0121 475 4615.
______________________________________
9 November
BTS SEMINARS
The Great War in East Africa
Tuesday 8 October
5.30
pm (provisionally)
in the Palace of Westminster
Anne Samson, Chair of BTS “Linked-in”
Education Group, plans a session at the
Conference on this topic to be held at the
National Archives, Kew.
Contact: [email protected]
The Future of Tourism in Tanzania
This event will give all who are involved in, or
are interested in, tourism in Tanzania a chance
to review the issues and think ahead. It has
taken on new significance following the attacks
on two women in Zanzibar.
It is jointly arranged by the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Tanzania and the
Britain-Tanzania Society.
If you would like further details or to come
please email Hetty Bailey at
[email protected]
ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY
GROUP
22 October 5.30pm
Tanzania's Regional and Foreign Policy and its
role in the East African Community.
Meetings are held in Westminster, usually in
Portcullis House. More details will be available
on the BTS website nearer the time.
BTS members are welcome to attend. RSVP
to [email protected] if you would like
to come.
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has changes their life/lives... I know this one may
be a little difficult, and I don't want to be seen
to be prying or over - personalising the problem!
REPORTS
African women in Business and Industry
On the evening of 10 July, Trevor Jaggar
attended a seminar at the House of Commons
arranged by the All Party Parliamentary Group
on Africa and UN Women. The topic was African
women in business and industry. Three highpowered women gave introductory remarks.
They were Alice Shackelford, UN Women
Representative for Malawi; Lindsey
Clavel, CEO of Scipion Capital; and Jan Grasty,
President of the UN Women's UK National
Committee. There were plenty of comments and
questions.
4. How do you think poverty influences leprosy the way it has been treated by government,
how people respond to it, and whether you
think there is a direct correlation between
poverty and the disease.
5. and finally, any interesting facts or figures, or
even descriptions of the hospital itself in
Kindwitwi that may help me paint a better
picture of the area and the work that you're
charity is doing!
Of particular interest to BTS was the virtually
unanimous view that what was needed was not
just educational provision for girls but the
provision of separate lavatory facilities for girls
and women in Secondary Schools, Markets and
Workplaces. It is a happy thought that the TDT
Committee has made a number of grants for
precisely these things.
If anyone is familiar with these matters, I am
sure that Alice would be delighted to hear from
you. Contact: [email protected]
WEB SITE AND DATABASE MANAGER NEEDED !
TDT is looking for a database and web site
manager. Since its inception, TDT's web site has
become an essential part of the trust's profile,
with between 800 and 1,000 unique visitors
every month. We are never short of stories for
the site - only of time to maintain it, since it has
been managed by the Chairman and the
Treasurer as an additional duty among many!
CORRECTIONS
Bishop Trevor Huddleston, of course, died in
1998, not 1988! Thanks to Jill Thompson, the
late Bishop Huddleston’s ever-faithful secretary,
for pointing this out.
The TDT committee is currently working on
setting up a new database. Its purpose will
be to manage project workflow, and to hold
information that will make project assessment
easier and more efficient. There is thus a
substantial volunteer role available for someone
with web and database skills, to make a major
contribution to the work and future direction of
the Trust. Perhaps you are someone with an IT
background, retired or retiring, but keen to put
your skills to good use? Or simply someone
wishing to make a contribution to the work of
the Trust? Or do you know someone else who
might be interested?
Apologies to Jane Firth, whose name should
have appeared under the item about VEPK.
LEPROSY INFORMATION REQUEST
Tim Watkins-Idle, our website editor, has had a
request for information from Alice Toms. Alice is
a student who was in Tanzania with the Rufiji
Leprosy Trust, and has some questions for a
report she is writing:1. How long has leprosy been a problem in
Tanzania, and to what extent has it improved in
Kindwitwi in particular?
2. What is the common perception of leprosy?
(by which I mean in the surrounding areas, of
those who have it and those who don't)
We also spread our word through an active
Facebook page. Involvement in helping
developing our Facebook presence would be
very welcome, though not essential.
3. CASE STUDY - Could you perhaps provide me
with a specific example of an individual or a
family that has been affected by leprosy? A brief
explanation of the situation they've found
themselves in, their own perception of why and
how they've been affected perhaps, and how it
Further information from Julian Marcus
([email protected]) or Robert Gibson
([email protected])
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Pages 4 - 5 TDT News 1 ~ Matonga, the hidden valley
PROJECT TO BUILD A DISPENSARY (i.e. Cottage Hospital) AT MATONGO VILLAGE,
BUTIAMA DISTRICT, MARA REGION, TANZANIA.
Matongo in Butiama District is described by its
local Councillor as ‘The Hidden Valley’. It is
around 40 kilometres from the nearest tarred
road, and accessed only by a track used mostly
by donkeys. If you look at this picture, you’ll
probably think it is devoid of habitation - but in
fact surrounding Matongo village and further up
the valley there are clusters of isolated hamlets.
In all over 10,000 people live here, including over
3,000 children. The nearest health-care facility is
over 15 kilometres away, and to get there,
pregnant mothers have to climb the high
footpaths that go over the hills - as a result many
get no maternity care.
Housing is traditional and much of it of low standard by
comparison with richer areas. There are no improved sources of
water supply and when Ann and I visited in January 2013, five
children had sadly died in the previous month from intestinal
infections. Other major problems are malaria, respiratory
infections and malnutrition.
It has been an ambition of the people of Matongo for many
years to have their own Dispensary. Older BTS members will
remember that the UK used to have ‘Cottage Hospitals’ – small
rural health centres - and that is really what a Dispensary is. It
has maybe six rooms, one of which is a maternal delivery room
A village of the Kuria people in the
and one a small operating theatre. There is always a room
eastern part of Mara region –
where the nurse can give routine immunisations to children and
there is usually a small lab where blood can be
analysed for HIV/AIDS and malaria.
The Matongo Villagers have shown extraordinary
commitment to the project and at a Sikuu Kuu to
which we were invited, we saw their piles of bricks
(they have made 30,000), gravel and stones and were
told they had acquired 100 bags of cement. They are
fortunate to have an elected Councillor, Boniface
Masero, who has dedicated himself to achieving the
building of the Dispensary with a local support group,
HAWAWAMU (Justice for women and children).
The project has been brought a great deal closer to
fulfilment in two ways. The first is the appointment of a determined and resourceful District
Commissioner to Butiama District - you can see the tall figure of DC Mrs Angeline Mabula next to your
diminutive TDT Chairman speaking at the laying of the Foundation Stone. (Councillor Masero is on the
left). Mrs Mabula has promised the backing of the District for the project and the District Medical
Officer has said that his department will build two houses, for a medical officer and a nurse.
4
The second step forward is that TDT has received a
grant from ‘The Anonymous Trust’ to provide a
bore hole. The hydraulics engineers have
completed a satisfactory survey and TDT has
transmitted the necessary funds. We are working
here in partnership with the Mara Anglican
Diocese, which is the major local development
agency, and one of whose officers, Mama Rhobi
Samwelly is our Local Representative in Mara. This
is a whole community project - not in any way a
faith led one - but the Anglicans have offered free
of charge their expertise with project
management, accounting, disbursement of funds
to the contractor and inspections of progress: a win-win situation.
This montage shows the services
which will greatly enhance the
health of the Matongo
community:
(1) Babies will be delivered in a
sterile room with proper
equipment - OK, not the Lindo
wing where the young Prince
arrived, but far better than a
mud hut! It is estimated that
over 400 babies a year will be
born at the Dispensary.
(2) Babies and children will be
cared for and immunised.
(3) Anti-malaria services and the
issue of insecticide treated bednets.
(4) Hygienic circumcision for boys and youths (gives a 60% protection against HIV). A trained nurse can
perform the routine painlessly in 6 minutes without sutures or need for anaesthetics. (5) Prevention of
and treatment for intestinal worms. (6) Clean water for community health and for use in the
dispensary. (7) Campaign against FGM, still practised by some in the local Kuria tribe.
(8) Lab services, including testing for HIV and malaria followed by counselling and treatment.
This is a major project which will certainly need further funding beyond the contributions of Butiama
District and the ‘Anonymous Trust’. TDT will certainly need to pay for solar lighting and power for the
Dispensary and medical staff’s accommodation. With solar power, the Dispensary will be able to run a
refrigerator to keep vaccines sterile.
If you would like to contribute, or if you know of a Trust that might help, please contact me. Butiama
was, as many members will know, the home of Mwalimu, Julius Nyerere, ‘Baba wa Taifa’, the father of
the nation. It would be good if we could help Councillor Masero and the people of Matongo complete
the Dispensary in his honour.
Julian Marcus
Chair, Tanzania Development Trust
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Page 6
TDT News 2 ~ Working with Local Reps
completed projects and potential locations, and
assist in providing photographic confirmation of
the identities of project applicants. Most
communications with local representatives is via
email. But more recently, after recent internet
cafe scamming of email addresses, we have
used SMS/text messages when it is necessary to
check bank account identities and other
financial transaction details. This has led to a
more secure and successful line of
communication with the representatives
and project implementation.
During the last two years, the work of TDT in
five regions has been valuably, and increasingly
more formally, assisted by our local
representatives. They are Elias Mashasi in
Kagera Region, Rhobi Samwelly in Mara
Region, Evelyn Leonard in Kigoma Region,
Adriano Kalisti in Tabora and Shinyanga
Regions and Danny Mwasandube, the BTS
Project Officer in Dar es Salaam.
In September three TDT Vice Chairs,
David Ackland, Dan Cook and Jonathan
Pace are visiting Tanzania to meet with
all five local representatives for a twoday mini-conference. This will be held in
Mwanza and following generous funding
by the David Anderson Trust towards
professional training, the expenses of
the representatives will be paid for by
TDT. We are looking forward to meeting
with our representatives to discuss the
many strengths of our joint working,
what improvements might be made to
their role and how TDT supports their
work. This will be the first opportunity for the
local representatives to meet each other and to
share their individual work in five differing
regions. It is a unique opportunity for the Vice
Chairs of TDT to join our local representatives in
discussion of all that we share and value about
our joint commitment to making a difference to
the lives of the people of Tanzania.
All the local representatives act as TDT's eyes
and ears on the ground. They offer advice to
local community and NGO project applicants,
assist TDT in assessing the viability, strengths
and weaknesses of project applications, and
then monitor them as work progresses and on
completion.
The generous additional funding from other
Trusts such as Hilden Charitable Fund and the
Anonymous Trust enables TDT to pay essential
expenses to the local representatives when
their assessment and monitoring requires them
to travel beyond the immediate locality of their
home area. This has maintained the policy of
TDT's direct funding that all donations made to
TDT are spent on projects. TDT is currently
considering how we balance the dedicated use
of funds for projects with the need for greater
local representation and monitoring and the
necessary expenses involved. We have also
been able to provide each representative with a
digital camera to take photographs of
Jonathan Pace
Vice-Chair, TDT
The Britain-Tanzania Society’s
Registered Charity no 270462
Every pound given to TDT goes
directly to projects in Tanzania
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Page 7
TDT News 3 ~ Legacy Gifts to TDT
How Legacy Gifts really make a
difference.
by projects which receive direct funding, but
indirectly by projects for years to come.
Each year, Tanzania Development Trust
manages to extend its project spending well
beyond the regular donations of the BritainTanzania Society membership.
On their safari earlier this year, Julian and Ann
Marcus distributed plaques to a number of
projects which had benefited from Christine
Lawrence’s generosity. These were received
with great joy - Kibanga Secondary School even
decided to hold an annual ‘Christine Lawrence
day’.
Over the past five years, regular BTS member
donations have contributed an average of
around £24,000, or nearer £30,000 including Gift
Aid. Project spending, on the other hand, has
averaged almost £100,000 per annum.
The 2011 Budget brought in some useful
Inheritance Tax incentives for charitable giving.
For estates leaving at least 10% to charity, the
IHT rate on the taxable portion of the estate is
reduced from 40% to 36%. And of course, all
gifts to charities in a Will are added to the
exempt portion of the estate. Did you know
also that gifts made to a charity in the seven
years before your death are also exempt from
Inheritance Tax?
Much of the additional
funding has been
contributed by the
generosity of like-minded
trusts, and other
organisations such as
Rotary clubs and churches.
However, our figures also
show very clearly the
extraordinary impact of
legacy income in the past
three years. Because of our size, donations
from a relatively limited number of wills can
make a very significant difference: since 2010,
legacy income and in memoriam gifts have
contributed nearly 40% of the Trust’s income.
Most of this has come from two legacies: the
‘Woods legacy’ in 2010/2011, and the wonderful
gift of Christine Lawrence (left) in 2012/13.
Everyone’s circumstances are different, and we
would advise strongly that changes in a Will
should be taken only after professional advice.
However, we would encourage BTS members, if
thinking of making charitable donations in their
Will, to consider TDT - we can promise that your
legacy really will make a difference!
Robert Gibson
Memorial Plaque to Christine Lawrence
The Tanzania Development Trust is glad to assist
the Ebeneza Group of Shinyanga. This aid has
been made possible by a legacy from Miss
Christine Lawrence who died in 2011. Christine
Lawrence loved Tanzania and its people. For
more than five years from 1965, she worked as
the Manager of the Mahiwa Young Farmer's
Training Centre in Mtwara Region. She had a
high regard for Mwalimu Nyerere whom she
met several times. One of Christine's most
remarkable achievements was to introduce
courses at the centre for girls: the college had
previously been exclusively for boys.
Christine believed in equal opportunities for
women and men. We are proud to honour her
memory.
In the current financial year, we have been
notified of a further legacy, likely to be in the
region of £60,000, from the late Ian Gibson.
Ian’s executors have asked that ‘up to £10,000’
might be designated for improvement of the
administration of the Trust. This is very timely,
as some strengthening of our systems would be
appropriate, given the growth of TDT’s income
and spending in recent years, and the sheer
amount of documentation this generates. This
will enable us to make some investment, most
probably in a database, while remaining good to
our promise that 100% of all other donations will
go directly to project spending. Meanwhile the
benefits of Ian's gift will be felt not only
Original plaque is in English & Kiswahili
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Page 8
Hygienic Toilets and an end to part-time
schooling for girls
Legacies ~ 2
A block of hygienic loos might not be the way
you would want a loved one commemorated.
But think for a moment about why they are so
important. It’s not just the prevention of
disease. We find that in many schools the
attendance of girls, post-puberty is only 75%.
Why? The school toilets are so awful and so
lacking in privacy that the girls can’t face using
them during their periods. Hygienic loos with
doors and hand washing facilities make all the
difference. With full attendance, the girls have
much more chance of passing exams and
gaining qualifications.
ANOTHER MOST
GENEROUS LEGACY
This issue of the
Newsletter has an article
(p. 7) which shows the
huge difference that
legacies make to the
TDT’s work with partners
in Tanzania’s poorest
regions. It refers to a
forthcoming legacy from
the late Ian Gibson. Many readers may not make
the connection between Ian and Robert Gibson,
our Treasurer. Ian was Robert’s dearly loved
brother, and both Ian and Robert were born in
Tanzania. Before Ian died last year, leaving
legacies to charity, he chose the Tanzania
Development Trust as one of the major
beneficiaries of his will. I know that all members
will want to join me in expressing sympathy to
Robert and to his mother and other members of
the family, but also our huge gratitude for what
the legacy will achieve. The Committee has yet
to decide on precise allocations but here are
some examples:
These are just three examples of ways in which a
legacy can saves lives, can create the conditions
for good medical care and can give equality of
opportunity to girls.
As his brother, Robert, has explained, a small
part of Ian’s legacy must be spent on updating
TDT’s database and systems to bring us securely
into the 21st century! So we say a very big thank
you to Ian Gibson’s family, and we shall be
naming a number of projects in Ian’s honour
with plaques which the beneficiaries will be glad
to display.
Julian Marcus
Clean Water
See the article about Matongo Dispensary.
When my wife and I visited in January, we were
told that five infants had died in the past month
from gastro-intestinal infections picked up from
contaminated water. A legacy from a relative
who sadly has died nevertheless gives the gift of
life to others.
Chair, TDT
Robert Gibson writes of his brother:
Ian was born in Mtwara 30 September 1957 and
died in London 6 September 2012. Our paternal
grandfather (Lawson Gibson) had moved out to
Kenya after WW1, and remained there until his
death in the mid-60s. Our father (Robin Gibson)
was brought up in East Africa, and returned
there after education in the UK. Ian was born in
Mtwara, I was born in Dar. We moved back to
the UK in 1962.
Lighting Dispensaries
Dispensaries - we would call them ‘Cottage
Hospitals’ - are the main centres of treatment
for most rural Tanzanians. The Heath Service
encourages all pregnant mothers to have their
babies delivered at a dispensary. But most have
no electricity. The midwife is often trying to
assist a birth while a colleague holds up a mobile
phone as a torch! With legacies, we can install
effective solar powered lighting with longlasting batteries so that babies can be delivered
safely in full light, and at much less risk.
Ian read History at Christ’s College, Cambridge.
From 1979 to 2000 he worked for Reuters News
Agency in London and Bonn, before moving into
the capital markets business, living in Poland for
6 years. In 2001 he embarked on a second
career, taking an MA in History of Art at SOAS.
For the last 9 years of his life he was a Blue
Badge Guide and a NADFAS-accredited lecturer.
He was widely travelled, and had wide interests
including in art, history, politics and sport.
8
Miscellany
Page 9
David Anderson Africa Trust
TANZANIAN ARTIST’S PICTURE
IN NATIONAL EXHIBITION
& a sponsored bike ride!
Members who attended the reception at the
Royal Commonwealth Society last September
may remember
this striking
picture of a
buffalo by the
talented artist,
James Haule.
Sadly, it did not
sell at the London
event, but it was seen by someone who
recommended it for the annual National
Exhibition of Wildlife Art. It was entered and
was selected in a very competitive selection
process. The exhibition was held in the Wirral
from 19th July to 4th August. At the time of going
to press, it is not known if the picture was sold.
Many congratulations to James.
Mary
Anderson
writes, “BTS
members will
be
interested to
know that a
Memorandum of Agreement has been drawn
up between DAAT and BTS to enable DAAT to
deploy funds through TDT for projects in
Tanzania, which conform to the aims and
principles of both DAAT and TDT. This
Agreement was implemented on 1 March 2013.
In short it means that DAAT funds will be used
through TDT in Tanzania.
Professor Yuti Chernajovsky and Iain Morton
have chosen again to support DAAT for
its extraordinary work in Africa helping
disadvantaged people and empowering them
through education. Importantly, as a charity,
DAAT has minimal administrative staff and the
money raised reaches the projects directly. Yuti
and Iain are proud to support our efforts and
hope that through raising sponsorship for DAAT
more people will benefit and improve their lives.
Yuti and Iain will be taking part in a sponsored
charity ride London to Paris in mid September
2013 - that's 4 days cycling and 295 miles!
THE TWO CHAIRMEN HAVE LUNCH
On 24th July, chairman of the BTS Tz chapter,
Ambassador Paul Rupia met BTS UK chairman,
Willie Fulton, at a lunch hosted by Strato Mosha
at The Great Wall Chinese restaurant in Oyster
Bay. Dr Andrew Coulson was another guest at
the lunch, as he just happened to be in Dar, as
well as BTS Tz secretary, Patricia Mlozi and her
husband, Edwin Kasanga.
MAPMAKERS’ NIGHTMARE
Several BTS members have asked whether it is
possible to buy a map of the new regions of
Tanzania, following last year’s division of the
following regions: Iringa, into Iringa and
Njombe, Rukwa into Rukwa and Katavi,
Shinyanga into Shinyanga and Simiyu and
Mwanza into Mwanza and Geita . If a bold
mapmaker has made these changes, he must be
prepared for more, as Mbeya Region is shortly
to be sub-divided. There was talk of splitting
Mbeya into three, but it is now likely to be
divided into Mbeya and Songwe, with
headquarters of the new Songwe Region being
based at Mbozi.
If you would like to find out more, or sponsor
Yuti and Iain, go to www.daat.org.uk or
www.justgiving.com/Iain-Yuti .
The money raised will be used through TDT in
Tanzania. We would like to help Yuti achieve his
target for his London to Paris 295 mile DAAT
sponsored ride in mid September. Yuti
Chernajovsky is a strong supporter of DAAT,
having bicycled for DAAT on a previous
occasion. Now it's the 295 mile London to Paris
cycle ride he and his friend Iain Morton
have taken on and it will be wonderful if he can
achieve his target of £10,000.
It is very easy JustGiving to back Yuti's valiant
efforts with a few ££ through JustGiving. ~ see
www.justgiving.com/Yuti-Iain
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Page 10
Feature Article
Most Tanzanians live with huge personal and
family challenges. People expect to get malaria
at least once a year. Being hungry is a common
experience and mothers make children drink
water at night so that they sleep with a full
stomach. Sometimes it seems as though nothing
works: the bus breaks down and we wait 12
hours for spare parts to arrive; we visit the
primary school to find only one teacher in a
classroom - the others are working on their
farms to supplement inadequate salaries; and
the village clinic is staffed
by a nurse and a medical
officer, but medicines run
out by the middle of every
month.
Hunger, malaria and rough justice
in Tanzania
Article by voluntary sector adviser Kevin Curley
Reproduced by kind permission of Third
Sector 30 July 2013
You will learn as much as you teach when
volunteering in a developing country, writes
our columnist
So whether you are
training fundraisers or
building the capacity of
voluntary organisations,
you will learn as much as
I have taken two breaks from the British
voluntary sector - in 1988, I went to
Tanzania in east Africa as a programme
director for Voluntary Service Overseas,
and I returned there for one year in 1997 with
Cuso, the Canadian equivalent of VSO. This
month, I'm going back to spend a week training
a group of voluntary sector leaders in business
planning and international bid-writing. For me,
living and working in Tanzania was a lifechanging experience that left me with an
abiding love of the country and its people.
you teach.
You will make small differences to people's
lives, probably at a much slower pace than you
are used to.
You will confront issues of life and death that
are often hidden from view in Britain. And you
will return home determined to tackle the
injustices that make life so tough for the people
you now know, respect and love.
Tanzania challenged my values from the very
beginning. Not long after I arrived, I visited a
volunteer who was developing fishing
cooperatives by Lake Nyasa on the Malawian
border. A boy called Moyo showed me his
bandaged hands. He had repeatedly stolen from
stalls in the village market and, as a punishment,
his father had burnt his hands with a hot poker. I
sought out the Dutch doctor in the local mission
hospital who had treated Moyo to find out what
had happened to the father. The doctor, like me
a newcomer to Tanzania, had done a tour of the
police, the Catholic priest, the village elders and
the district council, but nobody would act.
Everybody judged that the father had acted in
the boy's best interests. The priest explained to
me: "If this boy continues to steal he will be
punished by village people and that could mean
a severe beating - possibly to death." Every day,
as a foreign volunteer, you are forced to view
things through a very different lens.
These days, you can volunteer in a developing
country for a few weeks or a few years.
• You can go with a charity such as VSO or
use the web to make your own
connections.
• Age is no barrier - many volunteers are
over 55.
• Working in Tanzania added great
richness to my life - it could do the same
for you.
“Life begins at the edge
of your comfort zone”
10
details. Nor is there any reference to the CTA
permit on the Tanzanian Immigration Services
Department website.
Page 11 Volunteer Permits
As a result of concerns raised by various NGOs
in Tanzania about the confusion surrounding
volunteer permits, especially in the ArushaMoshi area, William Fulton arranged a meeting
with the High Commissioner in London. This
took place on March 28th, attended by the High
Commissioner (His Excellency Peter Kallaghe);
the Immigration Attache (Sylvester Ambokile);
another member of the HC staff; William Fulton
(representing the BTS) and Alan Cram (who is
one of the members who had brought the issue
of volunteer permits to the notice of the BTS).
This is disappointing, especially as the
information is available in English on the
Tanzanian Embassy website for Japan (!), and it
is also very clearly stated on the NGO “Forever
Angels” website:
www.foreverangels.org/volunteering/VisaAndP
ermitInfo.pdf There is also a reference to the
CTA permit on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
website, but this is only in relation to potential
investors in Tanzania. We will continue to press
the HC in London for clear, unambiguous
information to be available on the HC website.
The 90 minute meeting was very cordial and
enabled a frank exchange of views. The High
Commissioner and his staff explained that longterm volunteers (up to 3 years) need a
Residence Permit Class C at a cost of $500 and
will require much active assistance from the
host organisation in Tanzania. However, anyone
staying for less than 3 months only needs the
CTA (Carrying on Temporary Assignment pass),
costing $200, but without the need to buy the
$50 tourist visa. This is obtainable only at the
point of entry (eg Dar or Kilimanjaro airports),
and not from the HC in London. So short–term
volunteers are only paying an extra $150 (about
£100) for a stay of up to 3 months. These
different charges helped to explain the
apparently conflicting information provided by
the Immigration Authorities in Tanzania to
NGOs.
There is confusion over the duration of a CTA
permit. The High Commission and the Forever
Angels website state that it is valid for three
months. The Tanzanian Embassy in Japan and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs websites say it is
valid for two months.
Whilst expressions relating to backsides and
elbows may come to mind, this is of little help to
the inexperienced volunteer arriving at a border
post. If any BTS member has first-hand
experience of the application process and the
duration of these CTA permits, please contact
William Fulton ([email protected]), who will
pass this information on to the High Commission
in London.
It was also accepted in the meeting that there
are serious issues for Tanzanians trying to enter
the UK, a situation made worse by the recent
abolition of the UK Border Agency. Our
Government is making life very difficult for such
people: they have to provide a huge amount of
evidence that they are bona fide visitors, and
pay a large amount of money. This is an issue
that William, on behalf of the BTS, is also
concerned about, and is making representations
to the British Government.
It was also suggested that, to facilitate the
purchase of the correct visa at the point of
entry, volunteers should carry a letter of
invitation from the appropriate NGO, confirming
their volunteer status. We were also assured
that the CTA permit has been in existence for 2
years, and that immigration officers at all points
of entry would be fully aware of the CTA. In view
of the conflicting information received by NGOs
in Tanzania (mentioned above), we are not
confident that this is the case.
Alan Cram
SEE ALSO CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS, p. 14
Also, despite assurances that all this information
is available on the Tanzania High Commission
website, neither William nor Alan have been
able to locate any reference to the CTA! The
website simply states that volunteer permits can
only be obtained in Tanzania, but provides no
Sign of the TImes?
Seen in the back of a car in N London
“MTOTO KWA GARI”
[Thanks to Jill Bowden for spotting this]
11
lending (this needs to be taught too!) text books
written for the Tz Government by Oxford and
Pearson UK publishers, but never distributed as –
no money. It’s made quite a difference. They
learn to look after books and return them. Most
Tanzanians are not brought up with books. I
usually had a group at my Jangwani house on
Saturdays, for Spaghetti and TV. If I gave them a
book to look at often just the cover was turned
over! They also went on the beach to see the sea
for the first time. 7 out of 8 girls thought the world
was flat, though Geography is a main subject!
Page 12 Jill’s “Para Kids”
Veteran fundraiser, campaigner, BTS member
and long-term Dar es Salaam resident Jill Stanley
writes from her home in Regent Estate about
some of her past and present projects.
How I started. There are two Cheshire Homes in
Tanzania. I was first asked to try and raise money
for them in 1992. I installed lights, water, bars,
nets etc. at Sister Franca’s Miyuji Home outside
Dodoma, which then catered mainly for Cerebral
Palsy children. I looked around for more children
with “disabilities”, wanting to help with projects
where I knew money would be well spent. The
cards and calendars I had printed to sell became
more and more popular and helped raise money
for this and other small projects. Ten years on, I
heard from their old Project Manager, Simon
Hardwick, that the disabled clinic at Katumba
Primary Government School was running without
any NGO or funding. This appealed to me; there
were no wazungu to help them. I knew how to
cope with transport problems and was used to
organising from an African distance. A bit of
thought, lots of advice from Simon, and we were
off, bringing the children 12 hrs on a (free) bus
ride to the CCBRT hospital (Comprehensive
Community Based Rehabilitation Tanzania) in Dar
for orthopaedic work on their limbs. The majority
had club feet, which is prevalent in Rungwe, and
others were amputees or had osteoporosis, etc.
Flora, a local physiotherapist, was paid for a
sabbatical with us. She also went round the 16
Rungwe dispensaries and organised for all the
babes with Club feet to come to have their Club
Feet put right. They will never know, as in the
West, that they were ever deformed, and indeed,
7 years on, Katumba school has few club feet in
their form 1&2.
Government support? The National Government
does not support Jangwani with funds to look
after their disabled who come from Up Country,
where many have Subsistence Farmers for
parents. The first year their extended family may
send some fees, ($135 p.a.) as it is such an
achievement passing Std. VII. This is probably all
they have in the family for a year! So the HM
really had to manoeuvre all school expenses to
include looking after, providing beds, bedding,
food, health and hospital visits, wheel chairs, and
often the bus fare home in the holidays (up to
$50) etc for all these Para Girls, until I came along
to help with some of it.
This year… new to me, there are blind and albino
children at Mpwapwa School. Like Bw Mwero, exhead of Pugu Para Boys, I couldn’t resist a
challenge. It is taking time and contact is
difficult, but I have some text books, games, caps
with backflaps for the Albinos, lotion for their
poor skin. I have made two trial footballs with
noise inside as the balls sent by RNIB bust in the
first game. Most importantly, I am on the way to
persuading our TS Blind to visit and assess them.
He tells me the Government instruct him to visit
Primary Schools only. Our British Council is
helping find brailers. The 60 (out of 500
boarding) boys and sympathetic staff are so
grateful, just to know I am trying to help. Anyone
have an old laptop?
No More Here ? In 2007 I asked for more children.
The reply came – No more here (until next school
year). I went enquiringly to Jangwani Secondary
school, where I knew my Katumba patients would
have been sent, and immediately found 8, some
needing new prostheses and some from around Tz
needing CCBRT to start from scratch. At first I
kept well away from their school work, but
nothing I saw made much sense. Enquiries told me
they had no books to learn from in their Studying
period (half the day). Just their own notes and
they had little idea of English. So in the last 6 years
yes, I still see their health problems, but it is mainly
So many stories, but so very much worth while!
We are well funded and trusted to use honestly.
We have many laughs, and usually there is
learning for these Jangwani Para Girls too! Not
much of a name to have thrown at you, is it,
“Disabled”, in English or “Kiwete” in Kiswahili?
So after the Para Olympics, they are all excited
to be called OUR PARA BOYS AND GIRLS !
12
Page 13
course. We had funding for our air-fares from
MAITS (Multi-Agency International Training and
Support) and each spent a second week
working alongside some physios in their clinical
situation, and/or visiting the University at Moshi
and other healthcare units. Nearly all Tanzanian
physiotherapists train at the Kilimanjaro
Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), Moshi, as it is
the only training school in Tanzania. They study
for 3 years to gain a Diploma in physiotherapy
and need to study a further 3 years to convert
this into a BSc. Although the government allows
them paid leave from work to do this degree,
there is no replacement while they are away
from the workplace. While we were in Tanzania
we visited some other community based
rehabilitation units to find suitable venues for
volunteer placements. Due to funding
constraints, this has yet to be achieved.
Physios in Tz
Tina Everett ~ Teaching in Tanzania
In October 2009 my husband John and I visited
Tanzania to find out more about a healthcare
funding project at Teule hospital Muheza. We
also visited Muhimbili hospital in Dar es Salaam
where John (a clinical psychologist) had been
asked to speak to the psychiatric dept. On the
second day of talks I needed a diversion so I
went to the physio department on spec,
introduced myself as a physiotherapist from the
UK, and asked to spend a morning there.
I was given a very warm welcome and invited to
return the next year with colleagues to run a
week long course in cardio-respiratory, and
mental health physiotherapy. This I did with the
help of a respiratory physio and John . When we
arrived we were informed that physios had been
invited from all over Tanzania but they had no
idea how many would come. It transpired that
the course was being organised by the
Association of Physiotherapists in Tanzania
(APTA) and we were the first course tutors from
outside Tanzania in the ten year life of this
association. Most physiotherapists in Tanzania
work in Dar es Salaam (over 20) and the rest are
thinly scattered across the vast country.
Looking to the future of professional
development for Tanzanian physiotherapists we
are keen to support physios in their own further
development. One young physiotherapist
Abdallah Makalla has
had a provisional
place for a two year
MSc in
physiotherapy at the
University of
Western Cape (UWC)
in South Africa. For
the last three years
that I have known
him, he has been unable to take up this place
due to lack of funding. I am supporting him
personally but am now appealing for help for his
course fees and accommodation for his second
year, starting January 2014. I have set up a
Justgiving fund through BTS so donations can
be gift-aided and BTS kindly pays the money
directly to UWC. Abdallah is committed to
remain in Tanzania following his graduation and
is keen to teach physiotherapy in the future. His
particular interest is in paediatrics but all
Tanzanian physios are generalists at present.
Abdallah was chosen to support the Tanzanian
Olympic team in 2012 and worked alongside
physiotherapy students in Bradford.
40 physiotherapists from all over Tanzania and 5
students attended the course with about 35
being there every day. The course was an
important time for socialising and networking as
well as updating skills etc. We try to make the
course as interactive as possible and
participants join in with group discussion,
answer questions, and feedback to the whole
group. Our aim is to get more teaching
leadership within the group, as they have as
much to learn from each other as from the
tutors. Within the course there are
opportunities for evaluating and recording
learning - as well as encouragement for peer
review and continued mentoring. We had to
remember that English is not their first language
so speaking slowly and using jargon free English
is essential.
I returned in October 2011 and 2012 each time
with two colleagues, and the main topics were
Neurology, Paediatrics, Women's Health and
Dementia, as requested at the end of the last
If you would like to help support Abdallah
please go to http://www.justgiving.com/TinaEverett
13
July and was told that I could obtain a CTA pass
for $200 and that it would last for three months.
Page 14 From the Chair
I would welcome any other reports from
members of these problems, which I am happy
to raise with the High Commission in London.
VISITOR VISA and PERMIT PROBLEMS
The inconsistencies of the Tanzanian
Immigration Service seem to continue to cause
volunteers from overseas problems. On the
issue of visitor visas, there appears to have been
a change in the validity dates.
____________________________________________________________
MOLLY’s NETWORK RECEPTION
IN LONDON
Dar resident and founder of the Wonder
Workshops, Paul Joynson-Hicks, hosted a
reception at the Girdlers’ Hall on Wednesday 17th
July to raise funds for his latest venture, Molly’s
Network. Paul is concerned that too many
grant-givers play safe when thinking of donating
to poverty alleviation in Tanzania. Too often
these trusts will opt to give through one of the
big household names, which have heavy
overheads, rather than supporting a small NGO
which might be working in the field with a small
dedicated staff with few overheads. The
purpose of Molly’s Network is to assess these
small NGOs in Tanzania in order to give them a
‘kitemark’, which may encourage more trusts to
support their work. The Network looks at the
governance, management and costeffectiveness of these NGOs and awards them a
traffic light – GREEN for “recommended for
support” , ORANGE for “Alright, but needs
more work on their governance” and RED for “
don’t touch with a bargepole”.
A member writes: “I have discovered recently
that the immigration officers are now only
allowing the 3 month visitor visa to start at the
date of issue in London, not at the date of entry
into Tanzania as it did previously. Nothing has
changed with the stamp in the passport, which
still says “allowed to stay for three months”, but
because I had obtained the visa in UK prior to
booking my air ticket I was told on arrival in Dar
es Salaam that I was only allowed one week in
the country. I queried this in a letter to the High
Commission in London on my return, and they
phoned (not committing it to writing!) to say
that this was correct and the 90 days stay I was
allowed in Tanzania begins on the date of issue
of the visa, not the date of entry to Tanzania.
My daughter was also given the same
information when she arrived about a week
after me – so it is clearly a consistent message.
I am not sure how the airlines will view it – but it
seems that the best way of obtaining a visa with
these limitations is to wait until you enter
Tanzania. I would like to know what the legality
of this is – it doesn’t seem very fair to date a
‘stay’ in the country from when you obtain the
visa. In the past the visa was valid to enter the
country within three months from date of issue,
and then on arrival in the country a stay of up to
3 months from that date was granted.”
Molly’s Network ( named after Paul and his
wife’s late daughter) has been assessing NGOs
in and around Dar es Salaam. They are now
assessing small NGOs in the Arusha area. The
administrator is Liz Corbishley
[email protected] )
________________________________________
WHAT’S IN A NAME ?
Following the article included in the last mailing
about the new CTA passes (Carrying on
Temporary Assignment passes), another
member writes that their organisation has made
enquiries at the immigration office at
Kilimanjaro International Airport, who said that
the CTA pass is not available from that airport
and that it costs US$250, not $200, as reported
by the High Commission in London.
While looking for directions in Mbeya recently,
BTS Chairman, Willie Fulton was shocked to be
directed to “Uzunguni”, which is the area
around the NBC Bank and the Mbeya Hotel. He
asked more about this term, which he assumed
would have died out after independence.
However, he discovered that the commercial
area of Mbeya is still very much known as
“Uhindini”! Danny Mwasandube says that
Oyster Bay is still known locally as
“Uzunguni”….
However, I enquired at the visa desk in Arrivals
at Julius Nyerere International Airport in late
14
Page 15
School Twinning
Barbara Luckhurst describes a successful
twinning project between Roman Catholic
schools in Tanzania and England.
Four years ago representatives of the RC
Diocese of Sumbawanga invited a London
secondary school to twin with Laela School in
the Rukwa region of Tanzania. Headteacher of
Douay Martyrs School in Hillingdon, Martin
Rainsford, leapt at the chance to develop a
relationship with a school in Tanzania.
were relevant to our colleagues in Tanzania, but
the photo shows the enthusiasm with which
teachers in Sumbawanga investigated PiXL
techniques, using information about their own
students. At these workshops teachers also
presented ways in which they work on
improving exam results, such as student-run
subject clubs, and cooperation between schools
to write and mark mock exams, giving each
other feedback on their students' learning
needs. We plan to discuss these further when a
group of UK teachers visits Sumbawanga in July
for a programme of joint professional
development.
All of us connected with the Douay MartyrsLaela School partnership have benefited so
much from the relationship with our friends in
the Sumbawanga area that we have encouraged
other schools to form such partnerships. When I
visited Laela I took a letter from Chessington
Community College to the government school in
the village, Uchile Secondary School. It
contained information about Chessington
Community College and a request to start a
twinning relationship. The request was accepted
with enthusiasm by the Headteacher Neusta
Nyandwi, who invited me to spend a day at the
school, meeting teachers and students. The
stories and photos I brought back have, in turn,
excited the teachers from Chessington who will
be joining the July visit.
Since then, the relationship has grown and the
Douay Martyrs School community has been able
to contribute to the provision of school
buildings, solar power and the education of
orphans at Laela School. The partnership has
also developed into a friendship with other
schools in the Sumbawanga area, so that
teachers in both countries have been able to
share ideas on teaching and learning during
three visits to Tanzania and one return visit to
London.
During these discussions we have found that
teachers are very interested in strategies for
improving students' results in national exams. In
January 2013 I was able to visit Sumbawanga as
a project worker to meet groups of teachers
from Msakila School Sumbawanga, St Theresia
School Sumbawanga and Laela School to discuss
ideas used in both countries. Headteachers and
Academic Masters, in particular, were keen to
try techniques of predicting students' exam
results in order to work out what help students
would need to achieve higher grades. These
techniques originated in a group of UK schools,
the PiXL Club, and have proved very successful
in UK. Before the visit we were not sure if these
We look forward to many years of developing
the links between professional peers in the
London and Sumbawanga regions, for the
benefit of schools and students in both
communities.
Barbara Luckhurst
15
Page 16
Back Page
KARIBUNI
We welcome the following new members.
BTS Who’s Who & Contacts
Mr David O’Brien, Dent, Sedbergh, Cumbria
H M Overseas Civil Service, District Officer
Southern Province, 1955-9
Mrs Barbara Williams, Coal Aston, Derbyshire
Mr Paul & Mrs Sipho Gooday, Highgate, London
Mr Jan Lelijveld, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Director E African Institute at Amani for Malaria
and Vector-borne Diseases 1966-70
Oldest son born 1959 in Sumue Hospital.
Mr Evaristo & Mrs Glenys Mayemba,
Trowbridge, Wilts
Mr Tony & Mrs Edith Dodds, Ware, Herts
Mrs Carol Banks, Hereford
Mr P & Mrs Hilary Bacon
Mrs Susan Cunningham, Newton Abbot, Devon
Miss Nengarivo Mollel, Wakefield, W Yorkshire
I was born in Arusha region, worked in
Ngorogoro, and now live in the UK. I am
interested in helping other women, especially
Maasai women, in education/health. I’d like to
help with BTS projects, and with advice to anyone
planning to visit Arusha region.
President: HE Ali Hassan Mwinyi, former
President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Vice-Presidents:
Sir Andy Chande, Derek Ingram, Esther
Mwaikambo, Ron and Liz Fennell, Trevor
Jaggar
William Fulton (Chair) 01513 367393
[email protected]
David Brewin (Editor, Tanzanian Affairs)
020 7727 1755 [email protected]
Ann Brumfit (Membership Sec)
24 Oakfield Drive, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 9NR.
01737 210532
[email protected]
Jill Bowden (BTS Treasurer) 020 8886 8141
17 The Green, London N14 7EH
[email protected]
Dr Elizabeth Taylor (Executive Secretary)
01869 243479
[email protected]
Julian Marcus (Chair, TDT)
020 8668 5230
[email protected]
Robert Gibson (TDT Treasurer)
[email protected]
Tim Watkins-Idle (Web Editor)
[email protected]
(Newsletter Editor)
Post vacant pending appointment
BTS Tanzania Chapter contacts:
Enquiries & Membership
[email protected]
Hon. Paul Rupia (Chair) +255 713 605151
[email protected]
BTS (T) Hon Sec (post vacant) [email protected]
OR [email protected]
BTS Scottish Group contacts:
Ann Burgess
07858 481038
[email protected]
Next Newsletter deadline:
1 December, 2013.
In the interim, please send contributions
to Jill Bowden (contact details opposite)
HONGERA SANA Dr SUSAN !
We are delighted to spot in June’s Queen’s
Birthday Honours List that BTS member, Dr
Susan Wilson was awarded a much-deserved
MBE for her work with orphans. Susan founded
the Tumaini Fund, which supports over 25,000
orphans through church groups in many parts of
Kagera. We congratulate Susan on this award,
which we hope will bring much pleasure to her
and her family in the coming years.
STOP PRESS – E African Reunion Who’s Who
Pam Sparrow is updating the register of people in
the UK have formerly had links with E Africa.
If you wish to be added to the list (and receive
invitations to reunions, etc.) please contact her on
01453 759540 or email:
[email protected]
16