Journeys in dust

We have recently returned from four days traveling around three language areas – Unyiha, Undali and Umalila (‘U’ is for the area, if you were speaking about the language you would start the word with ‘Ki’ ie. Kinyiha, Kindali and Kimalila.) As we expected it was an experience - exhausting but ultimately enjoyable, enlightening and encouraging.

We started on Monday (6th Oct) by packing the car full of boxes, which were stuffed with next year’s calendars. The aim of the calendars is to provide an opportunity for people to practice reading their mother tongue, to receive some Scripture verses in their language (we only have the books of Ruth and Jonah translated so far in full), to hear about the work the project is doing and also Tanzanians love to have something colourful and with pictures to stick on their walls!

Our first stop was Unyiha. We arrived in the main town of Vwawa and while Gitti (our supervisor) chatted with a literacy coworker, Matt, Katherine, Thomas and I were able to use the time to sell calendars. Katherine had the brainwave of going to the centre of town to get the word out and we certainly created quite a stir! We ‘set up shop’ on a street corner and fairly soon we had a small group of people gathered. There were even a couple of young men who didn’t have the money to buy calendars but were very interested. They stayed with us reading the Bible verses in Kinyiha, laughing, obviously amazed and excited to see their language written down! They also greatly enjoyed acting as our ‘agents’, calling to people as they came by, showing them the calendars, telling them the price and passing the money on to us. We hardly had to do a thing (apart from talk to people)! In 1 ½ hours we had sold 30 calendars and were able to give these guys a free calendar each. After a hearty meal of fish, rice, beans, spinach, avocado and bananas we set off.

We arrived in Undali after a couple of hours driving. We were met by the team leader and taken to our guesthouse. We spent the next day visiting people (relationships are so important here) and chatting about the progress of the work while Katherine and Thomas led a Scripture Use seminar with a group of local pastors. In the evening we had arranged a meeting with trained teachers from our transition literacy program (for people who can already read and write in Kiswahili to transfer their skills to their mother tongue). Around 6 teachers came and we were encouraged to hear that some classes had been started. When they requested more literacy materials Gitti suggested we could provide them with a book on drying mangoes. Undali is a big mango producing area and they were excited to hear about this new process, which could be a way to preserve mangoes for later in the year and also make some money!

Our final destination was Umalila and the dustiest of the lot! This is also a very undeveloped area where electricity and running water haven’t yet reached. Needless to say our guesthouse was very basic! We were shown to the office, which is behind a team member, Willy’s, shop – he makes electric guitars and sells Christian music tapes. We were encouraged to see the organization and ingenuity of the team despite the fact that they struggle with computer skills and mathematics. Once again a meeting with transition literacy teachers was arranged and 15 teachers piled into the tiny office! It was amazing to hear about the classes that were going on and that the teachers had already started to meet to encourage each other as we were about to suggest they do! We were able to visit one lady’s class and were gratefully received (with the gift of a live chicken!). It was amazing to see all that has been prepared for, with materials and training, actually happening. The distribution of the calendars was enthusiastically undertaken with the use of a loudspeaker and radio system cleverly devised by Willy! It was a sight to see – we would pull up in a village, get out and play music through the radio system, when people had gathered we would show the calendars and announce who we were and what we were doing through the speaker. In one place around 200 people gathered!

Sometimes it is hard working in a cluster project and being so far removed from the people (though I love the city and all the home comforts we have!) but this sort of trip is what our work is all about. It was exciting to see what the areas looked like (the landscape is so different), meet the people in their home environments and see the challenges of their daily life yet experience their generosity and also to hear the languages being spoken and valued. Certainly an enjoyable, enlightening and encouraging experience…and did I mention dusty?! On Thursday we returned to Mbeya and to a long shower!