10. Where has time disappeared to? An update...

Yes, it is 3 years... THREE years since I have last blogged about our trip to Tanzania. And no, I cannot account for the time. I don't know how the time could have slipped between my fingers so quickly...

I guess when we returned from Tanzania, I was very tired and very stressed, and a lot has happened personally as well, which means that I just did not have the energy to do much more than think of and pray for the people of Ibumu. We did not hear a lot of news from Ibumu either, so I guess it slipped off the radar a bit.

God's timing
Earlier this year I really felt that perhaps it is time that I do a bit more to support the people of Ibumu. To be truthful, I had no idea how I would get permission from work (it is not an official EI project) and church (with its own funding needs) to try and raise funds to help the people of Ibumu to complete the laboratory. I started making enquiries at work and got the go ahead from EI. Then I approached the church, and found out that the PCC had been thinking along the same lines... They also felt that it was time to renew our relationship with the people of Ibumu! In Ibumu things had not gone as well as we/EI would have hoped, for a number of different reasons. But when Andre visited Ibumu last week, he found that they are keen to reignite their relationship with EI as well!

Isn't is a great coincidence that everything fell so nicely into place 3 years later?!

Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous - Albert Einstein

What has happened in the three years?

Who went where?

Angela and Andy Sharpe

Andy and Angela returned to the UK in December 2015, after 5 years in Tanzania. Andy is still working with EIUK as Fundraising Support.

The Wingfield family being welcomed into their new role

Andrew, Miriam, with their children Ben, Sam and Bethany, have returned to the UK at the end of January 2018. Andrew is now the Associate Pastor at High Wycombe Baptist Church, which was their sending church. They had been in Tanzania for 12 years and this decision did not come lightly for them, but after hearing their faith journey regarding this, we agree with them that this is where God has called them to be.

Tim and Rachel Monger with daughters Amisadai and Louisa

In Tanzania, the leadership of the work of Emmanuel International has gone to Tim Monger, who is based in Mwanza with his family. He is now the EI Country Representative in Tanzania.

Andre and Alex VanWoerden with their daughters Talia, Aniya, Ezera and Lara

Andre and Alex VanWoerden with their daughters Talia, Aniya, Ezera and Lara
The work in Iringa is being led by Andre VanWoerden. Andre and Alex, with their daughters Lara, Talia, Ezera and Aniya, arrived in Iringa a week or so before our team arrived in 2015.

Dave and Tricia Rollett with their sons Titus and Cassian

Dave and Tricia Rollett and their son Titus joined the team in Iringa in 2017. They have since had another son, Cassian.

Jesca and Ajery are still working with EI TZ. Jesca is working on the IMARIKA project which is a new project that also includes the fuel efficient stoves and tree planting. Ajery is still working with the water projects - at the moment particularly in Lupembelwasenga. Benny is no longer with EI.

Big news!

Developments in Ibumu
Andre gave a detailed report on the progress in Ibumu, and most of what is contained in this update is his words, with a few amendments or comments of my own.

The secondary school in Ibumu is open!

Yes, this is wonderful news! We don't know why the government decided to open the school even though the laboratory is not yet finished... but they have provided 10 teachers (4 female and 6 male) and the school opened on 2 July 2018! They currently have 32 students (13 female, 19 male) in Form 1 and are expecting a big influx of students in the next school year.

Some of the school teachers, including the head mistress (center) and Jesca (right)

The headmistress, Naja Msokwa, is a very friendly Christian woman who is committed to the school. The facilities at the school are extremely limited at this point but she has not let that affect her. The school has four completed classrooms, one of which is being used as a school office and another is furnished as a classroom.

The completed classroom block with the first classroom serving as administrative office
 and the second one as classroom, with the others being used a storage for building materials

The other side of the classroom block

The first classroom is being used as administrative office

The writing on the blackboard is the agenda for a staff meeting and includes the need for a science teacher, utensils for cooking and dishes for lunches, school holidays, forming a school board, school uniform colour, school motto, mission and vision, work plan for third semester, opening a post office box, and a community social fund.

The last classroom being used for storage of construction materials

Just a quick look back where we left the laboratory building in 2015...

This is where it is now!

The laboratory is now at the ringbeam stage, with most of the ring beam completed, and some of the trusses already on site! The laboratory roof will need 200 iron sheets, nails, and additional timber, to be completed.

Part of the ringbeam on the laboratory

The ringbeam is not quite completed

The laboratory block showing the ring beam complete on both ends but absent in center of the block

Some of the reinforcement bars ready to be placed in the ringbeam

Some trusses ready for the laboratory roof

The laboratory being used as the school kitchen

Toilet facilities have been constructed, including teacher toilets and male and female toilet blocks for
the students.

The teacher toilets

One of the student toilet blocks

One of the latrine slabs in the student toilets

The school grounds have been developed with brush clearing and pathways to the toilet blocks, etc.

School grounds as seen from the teacher toilets with laboratory on left and classroom block further down,
administrative block is started just in front of car

Construction of an administrative building has also been started.

The foundation of the administrative building

The school needs furniture! There are not enough desks for the few students this year and they are expecting a large influx of students next year! The student desks were made in Ilula for TZS35,000 for desk and chair. There are no teacher desks other than two tables and some chairs in the current office.

Not enough desks! Some students are sitting on buckets and using a chair as desk

In addition to the development at the secondary school, the community has built two classrooms at the primary school and a laboratory at the community health centre. At the primary school, one classroom been completed and another still needs ring beam and roof. The laboratory at the health centre also needs to be roofed and finished. The primary school has 11 teachers and 514 students. The health centre has one doctor and one nurse.

This development was done by contributions from the community. Each household was expected to contribute TZS 40,000 (half for the secondary school and half for the primary school and health centre). That is £13.50 per household per year. Not all households could afford to pay. It is quite a tall order for a community of whom the majority do not have a regular income.

The village chairman (Mwenyekiti) is very active and has played a big part in the development in Ibumu. He has been the village chairman since 2014, so it's the same one the team will remember.

Ibumu received electricity in 2016 and supplies the village office, primary school, health centre, and the Anglican church, but has not yet reached the secondary school. The additional poles to reach the school have not yet been supplied by the electrical company and the fees to connect electricity have not been raised yet.

The Anglican church with electricity supply (see cables and fuse box)

The Anglican church has a new pastor since 2015. Pastor Hepelwa Bartazarli got married to Esther in September 2017 and they have a newborn baby boy, Prosper, born in July.

Pastor Batazarli with his wife Esther and baby Prosper

There are about 120 that worship at the Anglican church, including children. The church has electricity and a sound system but they are planning to upgrade their sound system (music seems to be the key to church growth).

The foundation for the Sunday School/nursery school is still just a foundation, but it sounds like the church has agreed to use that foundation to build a new parsonage as the current house is quite small and substandard.

The foundation for the nursery school with the pastor’s house in the background (center)

IMARIKA project

EI has started a new project in Tanzania, called IMARIKA. This project aims to mobilise churches to address key factors of poverty through community development, including conservation agriculture, afforestation, poultry, beekeeping, and fuel efficient stoves. The Eden stove group in Ibumu was very active in 2015 when we visited, but due a number of factors, not so much in the last 3 years.

The village leaders have invited EI to work with them to develop the IMARIKA project in Ibumu.

What can I/you do to support Ibumu?

Pray!

I am a firm believer in prayer first! Without prayer and God's blessing, nothing we attempt will ever be successful. I have put together a few prayer points:

• Pastor Hepelwa Batazarli, his wife, Esther and baby Prosper and the church in Ibumu
• Village leadership, in particular the Village Chairman (Mwenyekiti) - that they will work together well
• The school and all the students attending
• Headmistress Naja Msokwa and the staff
• The completion of the school buildings and the furniture and equipment that is needed
• The renewal of relationships between Ibumu and EI and my churches
• Emmanuel International staff in Tanzania

Give?

The need is great in Ibumu. The villagers themselves have given sacrificially in order to develop where they live, but there is a lot that still needs purchasing - including what they need to finish the roof of the laboratory that we started with them 3 years ago!

I have started raising funds to Raise the Roof in Ibumu. I have been overwhelmed with the response from people at church. We have a large chunk of the money that is needed to purchase the corrugated iron sheets for the roof, but need more funds to purchase cement, nails, timber, etc.

If you feel called to give, please contact me at work or privately (you'll have my details) to find out how. You can give through Emmanuel International. I/we have also created a dedicated Charity Checkout link for the Ibumu Roof (please note that Charity Checkout charges a fee for this service).