Christmas News Round-Up

... not so much a round-up of Christmas news, but a round-up of old news posted at Christmas.

First things first: I've done a quick edit on some more of the video footage I shot in Tanzania this summer, and put it on the front page of our website.  In the meantime we're working hard to make a special documentary out of the rest of the footage.

Julia and her mum Virginia Brownlow raised a whopping £1345.60 in July with their annual Beach Party Fundraiser in Ballyquinn beach in Ireland.  Julia said, "Much singing, guitar and accordian-playing and eating of cream cakes was had by all until 3.30am. There were even Tanzanian acrobats who came along and performed with their fire-spinning friends.  Congratulations to my mum, Virginia and local people in Ardmore and Ballyquinn for making it all happen."

The money is going towards Hoja's Income Generation Project (IGP) programme, providing loans to people from Tanga Ward so that they can start small business such growing crops, keeping animals, or managing small stalls or shops.  The money is enough to give new loans to 54 people.

Here are some people already benefitting from the IGP programme.  These pictures were taken by COCO's Lucy Philipson when she came to visit in July:

Hoja have also started working with the local Government and Albino organisations to help prevent many of the problems experienced in other parts of the country.  Sadly it's not uncommon for Albinos to be killed in Tanzania and body parts to be used in witch doctor "remedies".

Oswin said after the meeting in October, "It is a fact that Albino are still killed in Tanzania.  Most of us are very unhappy with what is done to our fellow Albino.  Hoja Project,Mainly funded by COCO, through its perfomance groups is educating the community and government leaders through perfomances, that Albino are not killed any more.

"Till now no one has been killed in Ruvuma but many have been killed in other regions.  We plan to campain that we remain in this state of peace in Ruvuma.  I have attached some Photos of the members of the Meeting organised by Hoja-COCO which was about how to protect Albino from being killed in Ruvuma Region.  The meeting was attended by government leaders and many Albino.  This meeting was conducted at Muungano Vocational training centre."

VTC Principal Mr Nguruwe, Hoja Manager Oswin Mahundi
and IGP Manager Merrakione

Some of our sponsored pupils at Lupunga Secondary School have now finished Form Four exams and the national O Level exams.  Here are some pictures of their graduation ceremony.

Hoja Education Manager Agaton with sponsored students Fideluck Liviga,
Hildelta Mngoni and Samwel Mhagama, and Hoja Accountant Limi.

I'm also pleased to report that thanks to the hard work of Hoja Tanzania, a female Lupunga student who became pregnant and kicked out of school, will be able to continue her education when she is ready, at a different Government school.  Normally once a pupil has become pregnant, they would not be allowed to continue to receive state education.  In the meantime she has given birth to a healthy baby boy.

Merry Christmas everyone.  Hope your year has been as kind as 2009 has been to Hoja.  We've seen the start of our Vocational Training Centre and Informal Secondary School, and our first cohort of sponsored students have completed their national exams.  This has given us the opportunity to take a really good look at how our students are performing and consider how we can help improve teaching quality to help them do even better.

For two and a half weeks in November/December, Oswin Mahundi came to the UK, visiting COCO in Newcastle and Hoja volunteers in London.  He attended COCO's AGM and Red Ribbon Ball, and spoke at numerous schools and universities.  It was a great opportunities to give a little back to the many people who've supported but never visited Oswin and the Hoja Project over the years, and introduce a few new people to their work.  He was unfortunate enough to just miss the snow by a matter of days, however.

Personally, I've been lucky enough to be involved in some of this first hand.

We received the following email at our Hoja UK address not long ago from Thomas Mkanula, a resident of Sanangula, the sub-village where the Vocational Training Centre is located:

I would like to give my thanks to you hojaproject stakeholders for your efforts in our ward particulary to our street (Sanangula) by establishing an education institution and vocation training college. Through what you are doing, most of of poor people who were unable to send their children benefit your services. Not only that but also employment opportunities is among of benefits obtained by my village mates.  I've been playing to almighty God, he can bless you and if possible you do more than those you have do.  I wish all the best in your activities.

Best wishes for 2010.

Hoja Founder Oswin Mahundi in the UK

Oswin with Steve Cram and COCO staff Laura, Gemma and Lucy at the Red Ribbon Ball

Oswin has made his first trip outside of Tanzania, spending last week up in Newcastle with COCO staff, and this week with Hoja volunteers Julia Brownlow and myself in London.

He has been talking in schools and universities, as well as taking the opportunity to take in some sightseeing.  He visited St James' Park stadium on Friday morning, for which COCO Director and Sunderland fan Steve Cram made amends in the afternoon by taking Oswin to a graduation ceremony at the Stadium of Light in the afternoon.

On Saturday we attended COCO's annual Red Ribbon Ball.  Steve invited Oswin to speak at the event, and he explained how difficult it is for children to attend secondary school.  He told all there how average family income in Songea is around £150 for the whole year, and fees are around £70 in Form One of secondary school - students have to pay for their own food, uniform, and even their own desk. 

The event raised £15,000 for COCO projects (of which Hoja is one of many) and 36 people pledged to sponsor a student for one or two years.  Many thanks from Hoja to all who put so much work into making the Ball such a success!

We hope we'll also be acquiring a few more Hoja supporters as a result of Oswin's visit, and look forward to more fundraising efforts that come from it.  (Hint, hint...)

Us and Our Schools - Hoja-COCO Students Part 2 [video]

The next video after this morning's post.



Us and Our School - Hoja-COCO Students Part 2 from Phil Hatchard on Vimeo.

Again, all related videos to this are posted in the Hoja Project album on Vimeo.

Let Our Sponsored Students Introduce Themselves [video]

I did some filming when I was working on the Project in Tanzania from May 'til August this year. These are some of the students I filmed, introducing themselves.



Let Us Introduce Ourselves - Hoja-COCO Students Part 1 (7 Minute Version) from Phil Hatchard on Vimeo.

What we'd like to do with this is to start up some dialogue between some UK students (or students from elsewhere) and our sponsored students. I have quite a lot more footage, and will be editing together some of the questions that Hoja-COCO students would like to ask of students from developed countries, in the next couple of days.

If you'd like to be a part of this, please get in touch with me and let me know - my email is philhatchuk@yahoo.co.uk.  All videos will be uploaded to this album.

In other news, we're quite excited that Oswin, Hoja's founder and my good friend, is coming all the way over from Tanzania to visit us.  He's arriving in Newcastle today, and then will be coming down to London from the 6th December until the 14th.  He'll be leading various talks at schools and colleges, taking part in workshops, and attending COCO's annual ball and AGM.

Hoja Holds Meeting With Local Albinos Over Persecution

I was pleased to receive this email from Oswin a couple of days ago:

It is the fact that Albino are still killed in Tanzania.  Most of us are very unhappy with what is done to our fellow Albino.
Hoja Project, mainly funded by COCO, through its perfomance groups is educating the community and government leaders through perfomances, that Albino are not killed any more.
Till now no one has been killed in Ruvuma but many have been killed in other regions.
We plan to campaign that we remain in this state of peace in Ruvuma.
I have attached some photos of the members of the meeting organised by Hoja-COCO which was about how to protect Albino from being killed in Ruvuma Region.  The meeting was attended by government leaders and many Albino.  This meeting was conducted at Muungano Vocational training centre.
Asante sana

Although there has been less persecution of Albinos in Ruvuma compared to other parts of the country, I know this is an important issue to many involved in Hoja, not least because our IGP Coordinator in Tanzania is an Albino himself. The relative lack of violence does not mean that discrimination is not a problem.

Support the Hoja Project when you sell items on eBay

The Hoja Project have registered with Missionfish, eBay's charity arm, so that you can choose to donate between 10-100% of your selling price to the charity.  Your account will also be re-credited with the selling fee paid on that part of the sale price.

Sell items through eBay for Charity and donate some or all of the selling fee to the Hoja Project

Painting the VTC - Hoja and COCO Logos finished

Aside from some of the inside pictures I have already shown you, there have for the last week and a bit been some outside goings-on also.

This is the nearly complete first wall of the yellow and red (the ring beam is yet to be painted white), and the pink end wall with the COCO and Hoja logos painted on them. It's a veritable feast of colours, I'm sure you'll agree.

Hoja Volunteers to Leave Songea Tomorrow

The last month has been a very busy one for everyone here in Songea. We have been lucky enough to have acquired three extra volunteers in that time - Krista and Liz, from the UK, and Giza, a Malawian artist whom the girls met whilst traveling.



Very quickly we were stuck into starting to paint the VTC, progress on which slowed down once Krista, Liz and I started teaching. For the last two and a half weeks, and the two weeks to come, Hoja are providing extra tutoring for all our sponsored secondary school students, at the VTC. Painting has now started on the outside of the building, and I've been reproducing the Hoja and COCO logos as well.

Giza left a week ago after doing some fantastic artwork inside some of the rooms, and Krista and Liz are leaving Songea tomorrow. We'll be sad to see them go, they've been a great help and haven't been shy to cast a critical eye over the project.



Last week we also held a workshop for Hoja's two performance groups, on the issues of HIV and Malaria, which culminated in us holding a two hour event at the VTC for the sponsored students. Then on Sunday, the Kimamba group took part in a village health event in Litisha, using many of the things we covered in the workshop.



Krista, Liz and I also took part in two fun days for a special needs class at Mitawa Primary School the last two Wednesdays.

Unfortunately I'm running out of Internet time now, so I'll end with THANK YOU KRISTA LIZ AND GIZA!

Hello From A UK Volunteer in Tanzania

Hello from Tanzania.

For the last week I have been staying with the village chairman in Mpandangindo village, and I will be for another ten weeks.

I've come back to Tanzania to visit the Hoja Project and help out as much as I can for the maximum time a tourist visa will allow.

I will be helping (and teaching) in the Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Sanangula mostly, but I will also be working in the office in Songea Town, and filming for making a Hoja documentary.

So far I have been welcomed by the Hoja Performance Group, and the secondary and vocational training pupils of the VTC, and we have been starting to organise the sports competitions, which this year will include women's football, and include teams from three wards, rather than only the villages that make up Tanga ward.

I have been in meetings with the VTC about their success and how I will help there, and also one very long but fruitful meeting in the Hoja Office, about IGPs, sponsored students, training seminars for Hoja Tanzania staff, and what to do about the growing number of people from outside Tanga ward who are taking note of Hoja's work and asking for help in their communities too.

I'm very impressed with the joined up thinking that underpins the VTC at Sanangula - building and carpentry students are helping construct the much needed new kitchen, both learning in the process and making the cost of the building much cheaper. The building will also include a shop whose profits will be fed back into the VTC.

The students on the secondary school course there are benefitting from a good student to teacher ratio and are performing much better in tests than many of the local government secondary schools.

Yesterday we watched students at Sanangula VTC play local sports matches against Lukala Secondary School, and while the girls battled to a 5-7 defeat in the netball, the boys took a 2-0 lead to half time in the football. Lukala pulled one back midway through the second half, and Sanangula missed three good late chances to finish off their opponents, before a controversial red card in the last few minutes gave Lukala the opportunity to pull of a 3-2 win.

Earlier in the day we had been filming with some members of IGP (Income Generation Project) groups, who were kind enough to talk to us about how Hoja has helped them. We captured some good footage, I think, though we were a little short on women who have been helped, so we shall have to visit some of those projects.

I shall try to keep you up to date with my adventures, and about the sharp end of Hoja's work.

More VTC Pictures & Mosquito Nets

I've acquired some more photos from Oswin relating to the Vocational Training Centre, and I thought it would be nice to put them up on here.

This is the Principal of the VTC, in his office.


A lady named Susan Vernon generously donated money for VTC equipment and mosquito nets for 36 VTC students, and we had enough nets left over to give to some of the students we sponsor in secondary school.


Above is a photo of some of the VTC students receiving their nets. This could be really important to them, because if they get sick it would stop them attending school (and even worse, of course, could be life-threatening).

New Hoja Website Now Online

A new updated Hoja Project website was uploaded yesterday morning, and can be found at the usual address:

www.hojaproject.org

Also, our UK online donation page is also back online at:

justgiving.com/hoja

In other news, last weekend's Good Good Friday looks to have raised slightly less than £400 for Hoja, which is cracking news and will go a long way.

Tailoring Students benefitting from Hoja's Vocational Training Centre

I just received an email from Oswin containing only this picture. At the recent UK volunteers' meeting on Sunday 1st March, we all learnt that the VTC was already open for booklearning, and that practical classes would begin in two weeks.

The VTC is an opportunity for local students who don't have a place at secondary school, to learn a trade or skills from which they can earn a living.

I'm happy to see that in the last week or so the VTC has indeed got up and running properly, as shown in this picture of students studying tailoring.

Great news.

Good Good Friday to raise money for Hoja

I'm pleased to report that "Team Nottingham" have named the Hoja Project as one of their two charities they are supporting this year for Good Good Friday 6.

Good Good Friday is an annual event for Join Me, a collective started by Danny Wallace. When they join, Joinees promise to "make every Friday a Good Friday", by performing a Random Act of Kindness on a complete stranger.

This means that the actual Good Friday (this year on 10th April) is Good Good Friday, and every year nearly a hundred joinees meet up to perform RAoKs on the good folk of Nottingham and hold competitions to raise money for charity.

For many the highlight of the event is now the following day, on Bad Bad Saturday, when Teams North and South do battle on the football pitch, with pride and 12 months' bragging rights at stake.

Last year GGF raised nearly £800, and are hoping to raise over £400 for each charity this year, so this is a great boost for Hoja.

If you'd be interested in joining in the fun, you'd be more than welcome (particularly if you'd like to help Team North retain their title), and more details about the event and activities can be found here.