Usangi life.

So....

I made it up to the Pari mountains which is a five to seven hour journey from Arusha to a very rural area of Tanzania. Life in Usangi is very basic and very difficult for many of the residents.

The main reason for my trip was to take a look at the projects that have been set up already and to gain some experience of this type of grant programme which I hope to emulate here in Arusha. The recipients of these grants are trained to start small businesses like breeding chickens, selling clothes, shoes, fruit & veg. fish etc. etc....

Much of the time was pent sorting out the accounts in the office (a shed like building with a computer dating back to the stone age). The businesses look good and I have plans to start a bus service to the nearest town which will be both safer and more reliable than anything they have and should be a guaranteed income generator for the village on an ongoing basis.

I am heading back to the mountains again tomorrow to have a look at the local businesses and try to identify any way we can introduce more sustainable revenue generating ideas for the people of Usangi.

What I really need to get my hands on are some lap tops so if anybody has an old laptop they can donate please, please, let me know. The hundreds of children that are fortunate enough to be in school in this remote area have one computer to use between them and Internet access is something they can really benefit from and this is a problem which can be fixed immediately with your help!

I am dreaming of a hot shower as waking up to a cold bucket of water or, if I am very lucky, a cold dribble from an overhead tap is the best I have been able to get so far. All the hardships aside Tanzania is a beautiful country and the people despite all the problems are extremely welcoming and happy.

Thanks for reading and think laptops for Africa!