7th Annual Filipino Community Medical Mission in Tanzania: Gesture of Gratitude and Brotherhood

 Pinoy Big Brother : Pao  Fernando pacifying a young Tanzanian boy

More than a hundred patients, 30% of which are children received free medical checkup, medicines, HIV test and Malaria test from the Filipino Community in Tanzania (FCT) during    their   7^th Annual Medical Mission at the Missionaries of Charity’s Mother Theresa Orphanage and Hospice last Feb16, 2014.During the event,   to show support, unity and harmony,   medical practitioners from the other nations also lend a hand, including a doctor from the host nation. Most of the medical practitioners work from one of Tanzania health care provider, the AMI Hospital of Dar Es Salaam.

LeGrande Casino   through Ms. Opalyn  Canicon and Mr. Luca and Ruby Mamacos of the Buffalo Grill Restaurant (the first Greek – Filipino Resto in Tanzania) and the FCT provided the medicines and medical supplies for the event.

To cap the event, the FCT officials hosted a special treat of Filipino sumptuous delicacies to the participants in Mr. Hector Alcatara’s ( The Founder and Coordinator of the the Medical Mission) residence in Mlimani City. Ms. Rachel Buenaventura who leads the medical mission, in behalf of the leadership of   the FCT expresses thanks to everyone for their participation in the day’s event.FCT annual medical mission started in   2008   as gestures of goodwill and friendship was to express the innate kindred spirits of the Filipinos wherever they maybe in the world. Now,  the annual  event is one of the  gestures of  universal brotherhood and  gratitude of the Filipinos  to the Tanzanian society for their kindness and generosity  in welcoming Filipino  expats and volunteers to be part of  the national development  of Tanzania’s  in becoming  a leader in the global stage of development and capacity building.
Hopefully, the FCT is looking forward for the next annual medical mission where everybody is excited to participate, contribute, and be a part in spreading the Filipino bayanihan spirit to the world.

Ms. Rachel Buenaventura (2nd from the Right)  lead Filipino participants and the international medical  practitioners during the medical mission.

It is innate in every Filipino to respect and help the elderly

Pinoys lending  a hand to their Tanzanian brethren.

Every participants in the medical mission have  tasked to do, showing the spirit of bayanihan.

Young happy  Pinoys who  exhibits the pakikikapwa  attitude.

Pemban Queens

“It makes my work easier and  my teachers to develop a sense of accountability and responsibility”  quips the demure Bi Ramla of Jadida Primary School while Bi Kamaria of  Miti Ulaya School  states that “ working with a mentor, improve more  my school leadership skills” . These two ladies are dubbed the Pemban Queens – for their efficiency and good leaderships that made them well respected  on how they stir the oar of their respective schools to what they are now, model schools of good leadership.

Bi Kamaria discussing school and leadership matters with Les Fry.

These two female head teachers are just one of the few head teachers that Les Fry, a VSO School and Leadership Advisor mentored in Miti Ulaya Teachers Resource Center. However, the two ladies were exceptional since they shine above their male dominated counterparts and they head the biggest schools in Wete District.

Bi Kamaria said that she learned that school leadership is not only planning but to execute the plan with efficiency and resourcefulness but by a  good example to her teachers. She volunteered to be one of the teachers trainees to motivate her teachers to improve their skills in teaching methodology by attending without failure in all the PIE sessions in her school. She provides her teachers with motivation on to improve their skills by setting herself as an example.

Bi Ramla and her school assistant in one of the  consultative meetings

On the other hand, Bi Ramla always makes it a point to delegate work without insecurities to her subordinates. According to her that she want  teachers to feel  accountable and they are together in managing their  school. Also,  in case of her absence the delivery of services will not be interrupted because her teachers know already what to do.

But both of these head teachers emphasize that the presence of VSO school leadership advisor gave them a greater understanding on how they will lead their school to attain their goals. Their vision and mission becomes clearer, planning their school activities and planning together with the teachers and parents create an environment of accountability and responsibility, b But best of all according to them there will be continuity in service delivery if they are not around. Kudos to these Pemban Queens for they are not only a good example to their subordinates but an inspiration to the other head teachers as well. As what Bi Kamaria said, to be a leader who must have a heart, passion, and the desire to always learn.

One of the  teachers making a visual aid.

It remains a fact that these headteachers can do more for the advancement of education service delivery if they have more  resources and knowledge to train others to be effective school leaders. As good leaders both of them agree, that leaders must  a role model, planner, implementor, but also a good listeners. I agree but I will add one more, resourceful. No wonder why they are called the Pemban Queens!

A pupil using one of the learning materials.

PIE Projects Revolutionize Educators in the Masai Steppe

In the heart of the Masai Steppe, a revolution is going on. A revolution that will change the landscape of educational advancement in very remote, sleepy but picturesque locality of Kibaya in Central Tanzania. CUSO – VSO volunteers Martin and Debra Martyn and Tessa Moss together with the local counterparts from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Trainings and CEDRC, headed by Mr. Ndee joins hands together to empower teachers to provide quality education by providing with trainings to enhance their English skills, provide low cost educational materials and to improve their teaching strategies using the participatory education methods.

The CUSO – VSO volunteers spearheaded the PIE Projects which were supported by the British Council and VSO Tanzania for both primary and secondary teachers in Kibaya.  Eight primary schools benefitted from the PIE Primary projects and five champion’s teachers   are now mentoring their colleagues in their respective schools for the PIE Secondary Schools Project. These primary teachers and CHAMPIONB teachers   now have the confidence and empowered to mentor more  teachers in teaching  the students  using an  English as a medium of instructions, produce low cost teaching materials and using varied strategies to make learning more fun and interactive to students  using the participatory educational learning.

To support the PIE projects, Library in Boxes was launch by Peter and Debra to eight schools, one secondary girl’s school hostel and in the model classroom   to continue and develop the culture of reading from the students and the teachers alike where the culture of reading was almost non-existent this schools in Kibaya. Also to further motivate the teachers in providing a good idea on how to have a classroom that is conducive to learning and interactive, a classroom model was introduce.Today, teachers in Kibaya are more motivated and empowered to teach with their acquired and developed skills in teaching English using participatory methods that makes the pupils and students learn better.

However, the challenge remain that sustainability in providing support to the teachers is not yet enough. More support needed for the teachers to empower them and to be self innovative and resourceful that they will continue to strive for excellence to deliver quality education. Kudos to  the CUSO – VSO volunteers Peter and Debra Martyn and Tessa Moss for   sharing their expertise, time and resources  and VSO Tanzania   and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training for their joint efforts to realize the dream, the dream of delivering quality education to support development  in  improving the teacher s delivery of instruction in English as well as  in utilizing the local  and  low cost but quality educational   materials to make the participatory learning more effective. Let the revolution of change continues!

AFRICA: Joy of My Grieving Heart

Before Kuki Gallman wrote her story and played on screen by Kim Basinger, I dreamed of Africa already after hearing my Nanay’s desire of going to the black continent as a missionary.  My mother passed away during the last holidays never seeing the place of her dream but very happy that her eldest son was there making her dreams come true.

Africa is the Land of the Extremes, the land that others believe it is curse forever.  Images of hunger and poverty co-exist with deadly diseases especially HIV-AIDs and the constant outbreaks of lethal pathogens. Peace is almost not existent too in some places due to outburst of violence brought upon by centuries of greed, hatred, betrayal, and dominance both internally and externally.  The concept of Africa is black, negative, ignorant  and backward for most individuals.

However, Africa is the place of great beauty and opportunities, a  Promise Land. A place where black is beautiful and the paradise is your backyard.  And in every depths of the continent where we think there is no future, hope is always manifested.

My dream of Africa was fuelled by my desire to see what I heard and to do what I want, to be a man of service and to be a great student. Africa is a great teacher where you will understand the irony of life as you observed it in its paradise that a life is a circle. The greatest   thing that I learned is to know how to hope and be patient and how to understand the beauty and the gift of life.

Every day as I meet people from all walks of life, everyone has a story to tell. A dying man in the hospital with AIDS, the crying orphaned kid , a battered woman with infections due to female genital mutilation, a distraught conservationist because of the massive desertification and the building of roads for development as they say that disrupt the migration of animals. All of them, to me they are always a color to my canvass of life. A life where hakuna matata philosophy exist.
Sometimes, I ask myself if I miss my home country and the answer is always yes. But anywhere is always a home for me.  A lesson that always imprinted in my mind, that everything can co – exist  but you always have a place where you belong and that is home where your heritage exist.
Today, while contemplating in my place overlooking the azure blue Indian Ocean here in the East Coast of Africa, I can see the pods of dolphins swirling only less than a hundred feet away, as the eagle soars in the blue sky, while the vervet blue balls monkey runs fast as the crows chase them for stealing the eggs in their nest. As the morning sun rose, the humming of the sunbirds and birds of paradise filled the air. The voice of the vultures echoes dominate for a moment – this is Africa, the land of the extremes, the joy of my grieving heart. The place where my I poured out my sorrowful heart when my brother was murdered few days before I set foot here in the Black Continent. He was the one who encourage me to come here and my Nanay who planted in my heart on how to serve with compassion and understanding. Both of them are my inspiration to work as volunteer in this side of the earth. This  is the   land of compassion, beauty, hope and opportunity where nature co exist with men and the place where  the grieving hearts will be healed.

No Pens, Papers and Classrooms: Not A Hindrance for Learning

In the modern world where students cannot learn or study when laptops are not working or when the air conditioners or heaters are not working it is the extreme opposite for schools in the developing world. When children do not have papers and pens, they have the ground to use as their papers and their hands as their pens just for them to learn. They too do not have classrooms but they have the trees for shades as their teacher teach them how to write by using the ground as her board but it does not bother the children not to learn. Instead they are inspire to learn more and hope someday they can have pens, papers and a good classrooms when they go to school.Teachers resourcefulness and innovative minds will not hinder them to deliver quality education, how much more when they have the resources that the developed world classrooms have, then it will much better for them. In 2009, when I started training teachers to improve their teaching strategies, I almost gave up due to lack of resources as well the enthusiasm of the trainees. However,after years of staying here in Africa, I am happy to see how everything started to change. Let us continue to support change, a change for a better world. Be a catalyst of change, be a Vso Bahaginan volunteer!

The Work Place

 

Mr. Abdallah and Les Fry during  the Farewell Party in Miti Ulaya Primary School Computer Room 

Paying Anneke and Walter a visit in Micheweni Hospital 

Talking to a village lad.

Joan Vasquez, distributing school materials to the  pupils of the island.

A souvenir photo at base of a Baobab tree with Mr. Ali Kombo Ali  .

My neighborhood bakery where they sell buflo,, a local bread that I nicknamed " Gold Bar ".

Who will come to the training center if the trainees  will not come, the kuku ( chickens).

A young lad and  his ox cart.

Common scenario in the workplace.

Said Daudi   help carrying the supplies to the school in the  village.

Dala dala, the island mode of transport.

Using  and re-cycling local resources as educational materials.

Andrew Coulson of the Tanzania  Development Trust during his  visit in  Pemba , hanging out with Les and Carol Fry discussing work projects and having a short singing session.

The beautiful Carol Fry making balloons for the special pupils during our visit to Pandani Primary School.

The First Quarter in Pictures

Meeting the Taarab Queen, the legendary Bi Kidude @ the Police Mess in Chake chake.

Eivind Fjeldstad of the Norwegian - African Business Association based in Oslo, Norway with  his beautiful wife Sigrun Marie Moss who is conducting her doctoral thesis from Norwegian University of Science and Technology during there visit. With them is Dr. Irma Baltes , a VSO doctor base in Wete Hospital.

Joan  Vasquez, and the Kojani School primary  pupils accompanying during the consultative meeting where she  distributes school supplies, clothes and other school materials

Free rides offered by Rodrik  of Holland to  Miti Ulaya pre-schoolers during my  regular school visit.

Inspecting the mangroves in Mtabwe with Johnny Moorhouse.

Johnny Moorhouse, checking the mangroves in Mtabwe mud flats.

Reint and Deni Baltes, on our way back to Wete after that suspense trip crossing the treacherous Pemba Channel from the mystic Misali Island

Wete summer skies.

Fredrik Knoeff cycling on our way home in the shamba

Eastern Sunday in Misali Island with Les Fry, Perfecto Tubal, David Jones, Liesbeth Kanis, Rodelio Pilapil and Fredrik Knoeff

Malengo and Joan in my courtyard chatting.

Joan Vasquez , on the jetty ramp of Changuu Island

My  Zazu in the shores of Micheweni

Relaxing afternoon with Kaka Fredrik and Dada Liesbeth

Jadidah pupils performing during the Parent's Day