Mwanza /Bwiru
Back to my old home. Staying with Jeffers who were our neighbours in Bwiru 1987-91. Accommodating as ever; they even get my washing done.
Bob and Esther are just back from an evangelistic trip with the church, visiting the Datooga near the Ngorogoro Crater. Sounds really interesting. There was a TIMO team there a few years ago and there are now a few Christians; one ex-TIMO member stayed and married a local man. They were with a youth group from the church doing door to door evangelism to people with no doors... and also bigger meetings for 4 days.
On Tuesday visited our friends in Bwiru; not much has changed there. The Inland Press still uses computers with 5" disks. There just doesn't seem to be the administrative ability in the church to make things work; senior managers are paid a pittance and nothing happens. But they're building a new, bigger, church which is good to see; Mama Roberti is tapping me for my contribution. Our house is empty just now, but Yudeh, our ex-gardener, is paid to keep the place tidy. It's really good to see people again; quite humbling to be greeted so warmly after 14 years. In Tanzania you can visit people for 10 minutes and move on, so I'm in quite a few houses over the morning. One or two people unemployed or ill, some in bigger (though still very basic) houses, some looking quite different, some almost as they did. Samuel, always a bit if a daft lad, appears with a catapault in his hand... he must be in his late 20s by now! He farms these days and had been hunting birds.
Today Bob takes me to visit the children's home at Bujora just outside Mwanza; I built the first buildings shortly before we left so it was really good to see them in use.
Tomorrow it's the 9am Happy Land bus for Musoma so better get some sleep. Pray we don't get to the Happy Land before we reach Musoma!
Trip to Mwanza.
Monday morning up sharp and across the border. Brasius accompanies me as I'm emphatic that I need to reach Mwanza today. He negotiates a taxi and we only pay for 4 seats instead of 7... It's a small Nissan car but this is now Tanzania. We breakfast in the small town of Benaco then sit in a cramped mini bus waiting for more people to come. Brasius is telling the other passengers how it's not like this in Rwanda... I'm expecting him to get lynched, but there is general agreement the operators' only language is money. Eventually we hit Runzewe and I get a big coach heading to Mwanza and Brasius returns home. Coach (of course) is crowded but I get a seat on the engine cover behind the driver... great view and I am in awe of his skill as he floats the monster along un-mettled roads, misses cyclists, keeps up momentum and manages to change gear despite having to pump the clutch 9 times every time he needs it. We cross the Gulf of Mwanza by ferry and sail into the port. Much better than arriving by road!
Rwanda border
Rwanda is separated from Tanzania by a river that snakes through a valley between the hills. On one side Rwanda with groups of homes scattered over the hillside, on the other the vast forest of a Tanzanian game reserve. At the border crossing the muddy water makes a huge cloud and rainbow as it crashes over the falls.
We arrived in the dark and stayed in the best hotel (3pounds/night and clean; can't complain). My hosts were Emmanuel Rutayisire and Brasius Munyangeri, a couple of young Rwandan opportunists working to support 1000 orphans in a very poor part of Rwanda. A contradiction? Yes, but this is Africa! I was greeted in Kayonza and taken to a school where around 200 children were lined up to sing "welcome, visitor". Obviously I'm the main entertainment for these poor children with no television. They explain their vision to have schools for orphans as the orphans can't afford school fees. They've talked 8 teachers into working with the children for the past 18 months without being paid... these guys have drive! I do my best to remind them that my commitment to finding some money for some roof sheets has already been fulfilled... eventually it's off to the bus for the border. After half an hour we stop and I'm ushered onto the pillion of a (thankfully) very small motorbide taxi. Emmy and Brasius get on another (yes, 3 people on a 50cc bike) and we head off into the bush for a few miles to another school to greet the children there. Eventually it's back on the bus and off to the border.
Sunday morning we worship at their small church, Brasius' parting shot to me on Saturday night being, "oh, by the way, we decided you'd do the sermon". Last time this happened, years ago, I refused and next day the pastor explained to the congregation it would be a short service as the mzungu didn't want to speak to them (maybe not quite that blunt, but still embarrassing). So I agree and Emmy agrees to do some fill to make up the time... his fill is solid prosperity gospel... one minute you're poor, but with Jesus you can be rich the next minute. Am not comfortable!
In the afternoon we go to their other base a kilometre away and the local councillor attends. He praises their efforts to do things themselves without asking the government to help and encourages them to keep going. I like this guy! I end up promising to see what I can do to publicise their need for support. It boils down to some very poor communities having to care for a lot of children who are not their own; Emmy and Brasius, for whatever their motives (Emmy and his wife look after 4 orphans in their home; Brasius and his Mum another 2), are making a difference to their lives.
Back to my old home. Staying with Jeffers who were our neighbours in Bwiru 1987-91. Accommodating as ever; they even get my washing done.
Bob and Esther are just back from an evangelistic trip with the church, visiting the Datooga near the Ngorogoro Crater. Sounds really interesting. There was a TIMO team there a few years ago and there are now a few Christians; one ex-TIMO member stayed and married a local man. They were with a youth group from the church doing door to door evangelism to people with no doors... and also bigger meetings for 4 days.
On Tuesday visited our friends in Bwiru; not much has changed there. The Inland Press still uses computers with 5" disks. There just doesn't seem to be the administrative ability in the church to make things work; senior managers are paid a pittance and nothing happens. But they're building a new, bigger, church which is good to see; Mama Roberti is tapping me for my contribution. Our house is empty just now, but Yudeh, our ex-gardener, is paid to keep the place tidy. It's really good to see people again; quite humbling to be greeted so warmly after 14 years. In Tanzania you can visit people for 10 minutes and move on, so I'm in quite a few houses over the morning. One or two people unemployed or ill, some in bigger (though still very basic) houses, some looking quite different, some almost as they did. Samuel, always a bit if a daft lad, appears with a catapault in his hand... he must be in his late 20s by now! He farms these days and had been hunting birds.
Today Bob takes me to visit the children's home at Bujora just outside Mwanza; I built the first buildings shortly before we left so it was really good to see them in use.
Tomorrow it's the 9am Happy Land bus for Musoma so better get some sleep. Pray we don't get to the Happy Land before we reach Musoma!
Trip to Mwanza.
Monday morning up sharp and across the border. Brasius accompanies me as I'm emphatic that I need to reach Mwanza today. He negotiates a taxi and we only pay for 4 seats instead of 7... It's a small Nissan car but this is now Tanzania. We breakfast in the small town of Benaco then sit in a cramped mini bus waiting for more people to come. Brasius is telling the other passengers how it's not like this in Rwanda... I'm expecting him to get lynched, but there is general agreement the operators' only language is money. Eventually we hit Runzewe and I get a big coach heading to Mwanza and Brasius returns home. Coach (of course) is crowded but I get a seat on the engine cover behind the driver... great view and I am in awe of his skill as he floats the monster along un-mettled roads, misses cyclists, keeps up momentum and manages to change gear despite having to pump the clutch 9 times every time he needs it. We cross the Gulf of Mwanza by ferry and sail into the port. Much better than arriving by road!
Rwanda border
Rwanda is separated from Tanzania by a river that snakes through a valley between the hills. On one side Rwanda with groups of homes scattered over the hillside, on the other the vast forest of a Tanzanian game reserve. At the border crossing the muddy water makes a huge cloud and rainbow as it crashes over the falls.
We arrived in the dark and stayed in the best hotel (3pounds/night and clean; can't complain). My hosts were Emmanuel Rutayisire and Brasius Munyangeri, a couple of young Rwandan opportunists working to support 1000 orphans in a very poor part of Rwanda. A contradiction? Yes, but this is Africa! I was greeted in Kayonza and taken to a school where around 200 children were lined up to sing "welcome, visitor". Obviously I'm the main entertainment for these poor children with no television. They explain their vision to have schools for orphans as the orphans can't afford school fees. They've talked 8 teachers into working with the children for the past 18 months without being paid... these guys have drive! I do my best to remind them that my commitment to finding some money for some roof sheets has already been fulfilled... eventually it's off to the bus for the border. After half an hour we stop and I'm ushered onto the pillion of a (thankfully) very small motorbide taxi. Emmy and Brasius get on another (yes, 3 people on a 50cc bike) and we head off into the bush for a few miles to another school to greet the children there. Eventually it's back on the bus and off to the border.
Sunday morning we worship at their small church, Brasius' parting shot to me on Saturday night being, "oh, by the way, we decided you'd do the sermon". Last time this happened, years ago, I refused and next day the pastor explained to the congregation it would be a short service as the mzungu didn't want to speak to them (maybe not quite that blunt, but still embarrassing). So I agree and Emmy agrees to do some fill to make up the time... his fill is solid prosperity gospel... one minute you're poor, but with Jesus you can be rich the next minute. Am not comfortable!
In the afternoon we go to their other base a kilometre away and the local councillor attends. He praises their efforts to do things themselves without asking the government to help and encourages them to keep going. I like this guy! I end up promising to see what I can do to publicise their need for support. It boils down to some very poor communities having to care for a lot of children who are not their own; Emmy and Brasius, for whatever their motives (Emmy and his wife look after 4 orphans in their home; Brasius and his Mum another 2), are making a difference to their lives.
posted by Ian at 11:15 PM
1 Comments:
You could definitely take advantage of the used Nissan since you enjoy a quality car at a price you can surely afford.
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