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."

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.

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.

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.

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.