Hoja Ireland Picnic Money Goes To Sustainable Agriculture Projects

Greetings all - time for an occasional update!

Long-time supporter and all round good bod Virginia has a history of organising events to raise lots of money for Hoja - not least through her annual beach picnic in Ireland.

She recently asked COCO where last year's money went and other general questions about COCO/Hoja's relationship, and this was COCO Overseas Operations Coordinator Brad's reply:

1.Where did last year's money go?

Last year's money all went directly to The Hoja Project. The vast majority (over £1,400 of the £1,620.17 raised) went towards sustainable agriculture, with the rest making its way to Hoja for other uses.

2. How do COCO and Hoja link together?

COCO are passionate about community-led development. Therefore, COCO seek to work alongside community-based organisations (CBOs). The Hoja Project are the main CBO which COCO work alongside in Tanzania. The relationship works by The Hoja Project being responsible for identifying needs in the local community, COCO and The Hoja Project then work together to satisfy such needs in a sustainable and responsible way.

3. What COCO is and does.

COCO is a children's education NGO operating in East Africa. As an organisation, COCO places huge emphasis on the sustainability of projects, ensuring that every penny spent is done so with the intention of helping beneficiaries to stand on their own two feet, rather than making them dependent on donations from overseas. As a small organisation, COCO is able to account for all money spent to ensure that it all has a tangible benefit to vulnerable people.

Brad also included this brilliant case study to give an example of where the money goes:

Case Study: Permaculture in Action.  Damas & Condrada Fussi, Litisha, Tanzania.

Damas and Condrada are subsistence farmers, living in Litisha Village, close to Songea in rural Tanzania.

They have both been trained in permaculture techniques by The Hoja Project, funded by COCO.

Since being trained in permaculture techniques, Damas has been able to increase his annual income from under 600,000TSH (£214) each year, to around 3,750,000TSH (£1340).   An increase of more than six times!

When asked how he managed to increase his income by such a huge amount, Damas explains that when he started to use permaculture techniques, he could produce far greater yields and thus earn much more income.

Rather than spending all of his income, Damas reinvested in his business by cultivating more land to further enhance his future income.

His additional income has been able to enroll his children into education.  Damas has four children; two of whom are in primary school, one is in nursery and the other will be enrolled once she is old enough.

In addition to their education, Damas is able to provide his children with healthy, nutritious food and healthcare.  “Before I was not able to afford things and now I can.  For example, when any of my children are ill I can now definitely afford treatment for them.”

As well as both receiving permaculture training, Damas and Condrada also received access to a cow. Condrada explained the benefits of having access to a cow as ‘the three M’s… milk, money and manure!’

Selling milk and using manure to fertilise her crops has contributed to Condrada increasing her income from 100,000TSH (£36) to 750,000TSH (£268) each year. 

Her additional income has helped Condrada to educate and provide healthcare to her four children, and she even saves some of her milk to benefit the family!

Through COCO, The Hoja Project have helped Damas and Condrada to help themselves!

***

These kind of income increases are a massive deal, because it means that Damas and Condrada now have the means to continue to improve their lives and their children's lives without (hopefully) further input from COCO/Hoja!

Our Income Generation Projects, funded by small loans, has been particularly effective at these kinds of changes in the past, and now our Permaculture programme is giving the local community another similar boost.

Oswin in the UK, and mullet book raising money for the Hoja Project

Oswin with Steve Cram and the COCO team
last time he was in the UK in 2009

It's quite an exciting couple of weeks for Hoja, so I think it's worth an occasional update.

Oswin is in the UK, and has been spending the last week or so in Newcastle, visiting schools and supporting organisations, and attending COCO events.

At the weekend he'll be coming down to London, where a number of us Hoja UK volunteers are based, and we can't wait to see him!

He'll visit more schools and supporters down here, and attending a Christmas Hoja get-together.

In other news, a friend of mine Simon Varwell has released his second book, The Return Of The Mullet Hunter, into the wild.  It's nothing to do with the haircut or the fish (well, it's slightly to do with both), but about his attempts to visit every place in the world with the word 'mullet' in its name.

His project started off as a little silly challenge that got way out of hand.  So much so that it's required (at least) two books to tell the story.  This is his second book, and it's a fun and engaging read, as you follow him around the world, facing both success and disappointment at different stages of his journey.

A few months ago Simon asked me to design the cover for the book (I talked about that on my own blog), and as part of that deal he has promised to give 10% of the book's proceeds to Hoja.

So you could do worse than pick this book as your Christmas read when the family get a bit too much.  It's available on Kindle from Amazon.

All Change!

You may have noticed that this site has become quieter and quieter in terms of providing news about what Hoja are up to in Songea.  However, this doesn't mean that Hoja has been winding down in any way.  Just that I've been ridiculously busy with other commitments, and haven't been involved in Hoja so much lately.

Hoja continue to produce excellent exam results for their students, give out microfinance loans so local people can start small businesses to create their own income, and help farmers get the most out of their land.

In fact an important change has been made to Hoja recently.  In the UK it's no longer operating as its own charity, but is operating as part of COCO.  Don't worry though, Hoja have in practice been operating as part of COCO for years, so this doesn't represent any change in operations.  Rather, a bit of housekeeping.  It just seemed a bit silly to keep them as separate organisations.

As such, I've done a bit of an edit of some of the content on this site (contact and donation details, mostly).  I'm also going to stop pretending that I have time to keep typing out updates on here, when COCO have their own News Page anyway.

You can find out Hoja's news there, as well as all of the other wonderful projects that COCO run.  If you ask them nicely, I'm sure they'll even add you to their mailing list.

Next time I make it out to Tanzania, however, I may well post some updates on here of what I've learned.  Sadly that won't be all that soon.

Hoja Secondary Students Top The Regional Exam Results!

Our Form Two and Four students produced
outstanding results in the recent mock exams

Update from Oswin:

In Tanzania, Form Four and Two students enter the Regional Mock Exams before attempting the National Examinations.

In July 2012 Hoja secondary school students attended this examination.  The results of this exam came in August, and Hoja Secondary School (at the VTC) has performed the best in the region.

I did not expect something like this.  There are very big, experienced and famous schools in Ruvuma, and Hoja Secondary School has only entered this examination for the first time, yet is the first school for results.

Teachers, students and the community of that area are very happy with what has happened.

The Form Four students are siting their National Examinations in October this year.  Everyone in the region is looking forward to hearing the results.

From these Mock Exams results, if these were the National Exam results, then all students would have passed .

Volunteers Andree, Kat, and COCO Director
Lucy Philipson a few days before the exams started

I asked some of the students, why they think their results are such better, they said:

• They are used to the examinations because they are doing similar examinations every month;
• They have enough books;
• The presence of light (Electricity) enables them to have more time to study unlike other schools in the region;
• Also teachers are working very hard.

When I asked them, which thing do you think might affect these results in the future, they said water.

They have to go far to find water every morning, sometimes some of the students are missing the lessons because of this.

Permaculture Builds A Primary School At Litisha Village

Update from Oswin:

Litisha is very big village with 9 sub villages (known as Vitongoji in Swahili).  This village has no nursery school, the children have to travel about 2 to 4 km to get to school in a nearest village.

It became very difficult for children less than 5 years to travel this distance and is unsafe for them.   After a very successful permaculture programe in litisha village, the women of Magima sub village decided to start their own nursery school in their area.

The permaculture participants decided to contribute some maize so that they can have the nursery school.  They requested that Hoja project organise a market for their maize, organise with the government, organise with teachers and help with the management.

The village owned the disused building, and we suggested to renovate the building by putting windows, doors, cement and painting. We also bought some books, table and chairs for a teacher.

The money from the maize was enough to do all these and everything was in place, and in June 2012 the class started.  Now children of that area are walking 10 to 20 minutes to the school.

And they are getting very good education because is being overseen by the Hoja project.   Currently there are 59 children at this centre.

Passing It On

Sorry to everyone about the lack of updates lately.  I've found myself very busy this year so haven't had much time to update the website, but all of Hoja's programmes still continue to make a difference in Tanga ward.

Recently Julia received this rather marvellous message about one of our Income Generation Project groups:

"Do you know that IGP is soon going to make Posh people?  There is one group of Form Four graduates who call themselves EDUCATED YOUTHS.

Took a loan for the first time and did very well, we were convinced to give them loan for the second time to expand their business, now they have open a business in Dar after geting very good profit from the two loans.  They are now training other youths to use computers in Dar and doing beans business Songea to Dar.

They are going up very quickly.   I love this group very very much.   When I come to Dar, I am using their office to do my works.  It looks like it is a branch of Hoja project at Dar, but EDUCATED YOUTHS have originated this.I am proud of what is happening with Hoja project."

Excellent Exam Results at the Hoja School Once Again!

A message from Oswin:

"Dear all

I am glad to inform you that our school Hoja secondary school has done very great again in academic performance.

Last year it was 6th out of 156 schools in Ruvuma Region.  All students passed their exams with the average of C.

This year again the results are out, Hoja secondary school is 5th out of 166 schools in Ruvuma region.  All students have passed their exams with very good grade of C.

This makes our school to be most wanted.  Till now we have received more than 230 applications of students who want to join at our school, but I hope only 40 to 50 will be accepted.

Asante Sana, I just wanted to share with you this great news!!"

WANTED! Swahili to English Translators

Hello all.

This is a video of someone who received a loan from us to start an Income Generation Project (IGP).


For Translation - Hoja IGP Tailor from Phil Hatchard on Vimeo.

There's just one problem with it. It's in Swahili. In fact, I have an awful lot of video footage from Tanzania that's yet to be translated. It turns out hunting down people to translate videos from Swahili into English is harder than I thought.

Update - Permaculture & Graduations

Hello all.  Welcome to another Hoja update.

Permaculture

Hoja has been looking into ways to help local farmers in Tanga ward work sustainably and Oswin has been telling us about some of the impact in his monthly reports:

NEGESO Rice Farm, Songea

Permaculture being the new thing to Songea community, but many people have proved that it is very important.  An IGP group NEGESO attended the course and have applied the knowledge in the rice growing.  They were doing this even before but they were using fertilizers.  But this year they have done it without using fertilizers, instead they have used composite manures, the results have been very positive.

Hoja Update!

It's been a little while since I updated you all on Hoja goings-on, but sifting through my emails there has been a raft of activity.

Our Sponsored Secondary School Students took their Mock National Exams in May 2010, in which all schools participate. The students who attend the Non-Formal Education at our VTC all passed with an average of C grade, the only school out of 176 in Ruvuma region to achieve this.

12 of our students at the local Lupunga Secondary School, where we send many of our students, failed their practice exams, and we'll be working closely with Lupunga to help improve the standard of education they provide.

They'll be taking their real National Exams in November.

Hoja Update! Events, Climate Change, and Regular Donations

A few snippets from Julia about recent goings on. First, our event at SOAS in February:

"Our Karamu Afrika fundraiser was a great success. It raised over £700 for The Hoja Project and hugely increased awareness of our work in rural Tanzania. We've had lots of positive feedback from guests at the event who ate a wonderful spread of Ethiopian food, heard Nigerian storytelling from Igbo culture by the remound Chinyere, saw a beautiful Ethiopian fashion show and a mesmerising dance by Meti.

There was some wild dancing to the African drum circle with Rhythm Synergy. There was a raffle and stalls selling African fabrics, jewellery, handmade spoons, and an impressive photography exhibition with photographs by Hoja's own Phil Hatchard of people and scenes from Tanga Ward where Hoja works. Thank you everyone!"

And a rather more recent event:

"We had fundraising concert at King Alfred School, London on 20th May. It was great to hold the event at King Alfred School which has been so supportive to Hoja over the years and who initially raised money to enable Oswin to receive teacher training.

The concert was largely organised by Alice Biddulph who played the piano with her friend, Ellie Jane Moran, a soprano. Both are extremely talented and gave excellent performances. We had a small but enthusiastic and supportive audience who all in all donated £136 and one person has pledged to give £10 per month as a regular giver. It was a highly enjoyable summer's evening.

Well done to all involved!"

On that last note, it's now rather easier to make regular donations to the Hoja Project. Just print and fill out the form on this page on our website and give it to your bank, or submit the details on the form via Internet Banking.

We're also starting to think more about environmental issues and sustainability in Tanga Ward, and Hoja's future work:

"The Climate Change Education Programme and Permaculture Initiative is getting underway. We are currently starting the funding application process and making links with nearby projects involved in similar activities. The aim is to sustainably grow a variety of edible tree and plant species. This aims to tackle the drying effects of climate change and deforestation which are leading to difficulties in crop growing and increased hunger in the region.

These practical steps will be undertaken by community members, one of two of whom will hopefully get the chance to take part in a Permaculture Design Course. Alongside the practical steps, will be an education initiative which will aim to increase the community's understanding of climate change, deforestation and related issues through film and educational performance (song and drama).

Watch this space.

In slightly less sensible news, I'm currently not shaving off a moustache that I grew for a play, in an effort to get the Hoja Donation Page up to £5,000. There's a blog post and a Facebook group and everything.

New Hoja Students Video, and Impending "Other News"

I've put together a new video from the footage I got in May til August last year. It's not really much that's new, but I've changed the emphasis on bits I've already used, because I'm using it for assembly at the school where I teach this week.


Obstacles To Education from Phil Hatchard on Vimeo.

The Karamu Africa event on 22nd February went very well, and raised over £700 for the Hoja Project. I've been a bit slow getting things on here, but I'll try to get a proper post about it up on Wednesday. If anybody has any good photos they'd like to share please do email them to uk@hojaproject.org or philhatchuk@yahoo.co.uk.

Karamu Afrika! 22nd February, School of Oriental and African Studies

[Click on the picture to make it bigger...]

It would be great to see you at this event.  You can find SOAS here on this map.  It's close the Russell Square on the Piccadilly Line, or Goodge Street on the Northern Line (Charing Cross branch).

Contact 07584 065211 or email for more information.

You can also RSVP to the Facebook event page, and invite all of your friends. All of them.

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.