Hand to Mouth

I meant to choose this title recently when I was describing how I was eating ugali with my hands. I remember hearing a Joan Baez song many, many years ago of the same title. I have no clue about the lyrics, but I guess it's a safe bet they weren't about ugali. Instead they likely better describe the disturbing scene I encountered about a week ago. I was describing the trash container where dogs, goats and vultures are hanging out sometimes. Some seven days ago I actually saw a kid inside, looking for anything to eat. I gave him some shortbread I had. Even in this food rich region some are better off than others. This was the first time I had seen someone starving in this area.

And some are even better off, as the long lines in the NBC bank prove. Spent 90 minutes to find out that even to change a simple euro bill you need a passport. Now I happen to have like three or four (long story), but never handy when I need it. So I sighed and walked off with my remaining 3,000 shillings (less than three bucks). No disco for me this weekend. I hope I last until Monday and I hope I don't forget to bring my passport...

The banks are fascinating, btw. People walk in with plastic bags of cash. The better-off have like chic brief-cases. Women with purses. And they don't put down just a few bucks. I have seen a guy with a stack of 10,000 (10 bucks) that was probably a foot high, maybe more.
It feels like being in the movies.

So as in other countries it seems that the rich are getting richer (there are some SUV's being driven around) and the poor are getting poor.

"Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king
and a king ain't satisfied til' he rules everything."

(Badlands - B. Springsteen)

While I was running today I had one of those encounters with a girl that just went nuts when she saw a Mzungu. Maybe eight, nine years old. She started running with me (in freaking FLIP-FLOPS!!!). It was downhill and I am not fond of screaming down a paved downhill slope. I have still some other work cut out for my knees. Should I have told her to stop just because I was concerned about her knees? She had a big grin on her face and kept telling me stuff. Oh well, my language skills after 4 weeks are rather embarrassing. I had been too busy the last couple of weeks to look in my study book again, so I am still stuck at my two week level.

As the street tilted upward the flip-flopper could not keep up and she ran straight into someone else's property, still smiling brightly. Ok, that must have been fun for her and she'll probably tell all her friends at school on Monday.

Where the streets have no names

-- Friday, Dec 7

I finally got to do my first batch of interviews. I am not sure if I can get all of them done by the end of next week, which was my initial plan. What I do know it is easier to interview a bunch of spandexed bicyclists than farmers who for the most part only speak Swahili. I think some things DID get lost in translation. But overall it went well and people were mostly eager to talk about their experiences. Good or bad. The answers were definitely revealing about the shortcomings of the current system.

Going to all the sites meant a lot of driving. I know, I know....But Mfinanga doesn't know how to ride a bike. And I wouldn't have been able to keep up with the car. The sites are rather far, between 5 and 15km from KIDT, but in at least three different directions. And even though I had been to most of the sites, I wouldn't have been able to find them. Damn, even our trusted driver (who also drives the KIDT bus to and from work everyday), missed a turn. That was good luck for half a dozen girls who were walking to church. They would have had another couple of km to go, but waved us down. All jumped into the back of the pickup and off we went. As they got off they thanked me (huh???) and also answered driver Manuel's question about the directions.

Darn, turned out we missed a little path a few bushes back. The streets here have mostly no names, except for the major ones. But even the so-called double road in Moshi has a different name than indicated in the map, so my guess is nobody really cares.
At that stretch of road we were driving along a canal for a few kilometres, with lots of kids dipping in for some refreshment. When they saw me they yelled "Mzungu" and waved. I waved back. It made them very happy. To me it feels a bit strange, though. Who am I? Must be like being a rock star or something, but usually people who are crazy about these people have at least heard of them. I am a complete stranger. A couple have been open about why they are friendly so far. "Give me money," is a rather clear statement.

After visit number three, I finally experienced some real rain. Only 20 minutes maybe, but it really came pouring down. So much, it messed up our fourth visit. "Maybe we cannot go," Mfinanga said. I protested "we are almost there." His objections, which I thought were around not wanting to walk from the car to the house in the rain, I didn't agree with. And then the next thing I knew is that we were stuck with the car. The road had gone slightly uphill and now there was no way forward. "Maybe we cannot go." Ah, THAT is what you meant. OK...

We then went to a place where I could do my final interview for the day. I had been there before, when the place was still under construction. Now it was ready. The people there were very happy with everything. And what hosts they were. Last time Pineapple juice (which I generally don't like). This time a (homemade) fruit juice mix served out of a what seemed like a 20 gallon container. And "half cake." Apparently a local speciality. So I tried to figure out the Swahili name. "Robo cake?" They looked bemused, but didn't know what I was talking about. Found out later that robo means quarter and nusu means half. Arrgh. Anyway, I inquired directly for the Swahili name. "Half cake" was the stunning answer. I noticed that some people use English words sometimes in-between sentences. For some things there was no Swahili name, so they had to come up with something. Environment is such an example. And not surprisingly all terms that have to with time...

At the end of the day I was pooped. Picked up my bike, which was of course only half fixed. But saw another one. No pedals and the handlebar loose, but if they fix it anytime soon I may use that one instead. It may be in better shape. And it says something like LAB approved. I take it the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) have given it their thumbs up. Although unlikely in its current condition, as the lights are missing....

photos

Finally got around to upload some pix. Unfortunately no time for captions right now.

Kili pictures

We'll be heading off for some itv's in a moment (whatever that means around here...)
Will have to buy a pot with a lid later. I am contemplating buying a pressure cooker as well, but they seem to be pricey ($50?)

Have a good weekend everybody!

Details from my thesis

I am finally attaching the description of my thesis. I was still waiting for feedback from my Prof, which didn't come. Maybe it's good enough or maybe it's worthless. I advise you read it only if you are bored...

Sorry for the font. I copied it straight from Word.

Challenges of using Sustainable Practises in energy consumption and land management in northern Tanzania.

Objective of the thesis

The main objective of this thesis is to understand the reasons why sustainable practices in agriculture and household energy needs are not more widespread in the Kilimanjaro region. Especially, the challenges of a wide spread implementation of biogas systems and land management practices shall be examined.

The term “sustainable” shall be defined in the regional context of Kilimanjaro. Several examples of sustainable practices will be given (contour dams, solar cookers, biogas) and hindrances of widespread implementation will be examined by conducting interviews with local farmers.

The main focus of the work will be detailing the current biogas project of COMPACT (description at the end) in the Moshi area and the farms around the project sites. The biogas project was started in June of 2007. Of special interest is the question what the main obstacles for a wide-spread implementation are and how they can be overcome.

A comparison will be made between the current household systems offered by COMPACT and bigger projects for schools or a community.

What is sustainability in the Kilimanjaro area?

The term sustainability shall be defined in the local context of Kilimanjaro. Sustainable practices in agriculture and household energy usage will be examined.

Agricultural practices contain land assignments and management, choice of crops and fertilization/pesticide usage methods.

A farm is sustainable when it can roughly receive the same amount of income from the harvest each year, without the nutrients being depleted from its soil each year. For this to be possible soil erosion has to be kept at a minimum and nutrients absorbed by the crops have to be replaced.

In terms of households energy usage, sustainability means the continued availability of energy sources for the typical household needs, such as lighting and cooking. Currently, firewood is by far the most prevalent energy source for cooking in the Kilimanjaro area. The firewood is harvested from the local forests. This is sometimes done illegally. The practice adds to the problems of deforestation and poor soil, vulnerable to erosion. The tropical rain forest has the ability to capture some of the moisture, which then evaporates, building new clouds. By reducing forests, more water penetrates into the soil. This means a reduction in cloud building and less rain falls. Less rain fall has a heavy impact on the local irrigation systems. 96 percent of the water coming from the Kilimanjaro mountain originates in the forest belt between 1800 and 2800 metres of altitude.

It is also important to mention that due to the influx of people (currently around four percent/year) the area is getting very crowded. Currently around 1,000,000 live at the foot of Kilimanjaro.

Discussion of Sustainable Practices

Household Energy Usage

Household energy needs centre around cooking and lighting. Traditionally cooking is done using fire wood collected in nearby forests. The stoves are inside the houses. They expose the person nearby to exhaust. These will be mostly the women cooking and children nearby. Bronchial diseases have been documented. There are several alternatives available to limit the problem. A discussion of the distinct methods and why they aren’t more widely used will follow.

Solar cookers

Solar cookers have been provided through organizations like Solar Cookers International (www.solarcookers.org) to many parts in Africa. The reasons why they have been slow to be adapted in the Moshi area will be discussed. Interviews with the local population will help in determining the resistance.

One of the obstacles is that Africans tend to cook at night, when solar cookers cannot be used. Another problem is that people do not like to cook outside and show their neighbours what they have for food.

In addition, the advantage of not needing to collect firewood, which by some estimates adds five hours a day to the work chores is sometimes negated by the social effects. Some people like to hang out and gather wood in the forests, making it a social event. For other people it is a simple form of income, as they collect the wood and sell it in the cities.

Also, solar cookers are expensive and poorer people cannot afford them.

There are still some local organizations trying to increase the usage. With a so-called slow-cooker, food can be cooked in the afternoon and kept warm until dinner time.

Biogas

The main focus of the work will be detailing the current biogas project of COMPACT in the Moshi area. Of special interest is the question what the main obstacles for a wide-spread implementation are and how they can be overcome.

A comparison will be made between the current household systems offered by COMPACT and bigger projects for schools or a community.

COMPACT has currently funding for 50 bio digesters. Two are in the process of being built. Six are constructed, but are not used by the farmers yet. Training is yet to be provided. A main problem is its difficulty to use it, which overwhelms some farmers. The system should be made easier to use for the average household.

Also, the feasibility of bigger systems should be examined. This has the advantage that one person could be running the system, without the need of a specialist per household. This would work well for tightly laid out communities or institutions like schools. The problems would be on the side of supplying the manure and the space requirements needed for a bigger system. Also, the slurry needs to be disposed.

Agricultural

Sustainable practices

Sustainable practices include contour dams, terraces, mulching and intercropping. These practices can be found in upper Kilimanjaro, .here the traditional Chiagga farms use exactly the above mentioned methods for a very sustainable way of living. Agroforestry, intercropping and sometimes terracing minimize the danger of erosion. This gives them the ability to use the same land for many years. This is necessary, as land is scarce.

In the low and midlands there is still more land available and farmers do have the ability to move on, should the need arise. a main problem is soil erosion (findings from work of Jonas Lutz). Farmers in the upper regions are forced to practice sustainable agriculture, as they cannot simply find new fields or go higher, as is the practice for the valley farmers.

Soil erosion

The area on the foot of Kilimanjaro is marked by the lowland, midland and highland farmers. The higher the altitude, the smaller the parcels that the farmers have to take care of. However, the household size is greater than in the lowlands and midlands (source: thesis from Patrik Marx).

Currently, a common practice for low- and midland farmer is to keep fields as long as possible. But if erosion settles in and the harvest rates go down, farmers tend to look for new fields elsewhere. This may include the cutting of rain forest in order to find new agricultural land. Farmers may spread sideways, but also upward, where eventually the borders of the National Park may be reached. The farmers rarely use soil conservation measures.

The two main factors of soil erosion are loss of top soil on the mainly flat fields as well as the many cattle grazing on the little vegetation there is.

There is a tendency to keep the traditional methods of agriculture that can be a cause for the increasing erosion. The problems are in the low- and midland areas. Fields are often relatively large and flat. There are many monocultures. Beans and corn can especially cause erosion problems.

Conclusion

At the end the work shall conclude with a summary of why sustainable practices are not more widespread in the area. Especially the biogas project and land management practices and its challenges shall be evaluated. Also, a comparison between the single household systems and a potential bigger biogas system shall be made.

COMPACT

The work will be done together with the group COMPACT (Community Management of Protected Areas for Conservation). Compact was founded in 1999 as a merge between the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (SGP) and the United Nations Foundation (UNF).

COMPACT's objective was to demonstrate how community-based initiative, paired with local groups and indigenous people, can be very effective. A pilot program ran unil 2004. Since it proved to be successful, the program now officially continues. Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, was one of six World Heritage sites chosen for the projects.

The local COMPACT coordinator in the Kilimanjaro area is Victoria Nderumaki. She is based in Moshi, at the foot of Kilimanjaro.

More Biogas stuff

Just a quick note - I meant to be on another field trip today, but gloriously missed the departure time. I was told when people say 7:30 they mean 8, so I figured 9:05 was safe for a scheduled 9am departure. Oh well. I have to do some admin stuff with registering my thesis now anyway. And update my questionnaire, following some feedback from the prof.

And get more dung for the bio digester, to continue testing. I had a hard time convincing the person I work with to show me Monday where the dung is that we can use. I offered to get a bucket on my bicycle. He tried to discourage me ("How you gonna carry it on a bicycle???"), but when I put something in my mind it is hard to get me off. We got the dung. I ended up walking back to keep him company and only used the bike as carrying tool (a bucket of dung is HEAVY).

I also suggested to sit down and have a drink. He was OK, but asked me if I didn't feel weird as a Mzungu running around town with a bucket of dung? Errh. No. Why?


Anyway, back to the subject - yesterday I spent a day in Arusha, to look at some fixed dome biogas plants and also at a construction process. But I have to go off-topic again as the funniest things never happen around biogas. They happen around life here.

We tried to board the bus to Arusha. I know they only leave when they are full Neither the small nor the big bus looked promising. Then came another bus and my mentor (Mr. Mfnanga - oops, I am certain it is spelled differently) headed straight to it. But it was empty, too? Yes, but it came from the mountain and will leave even if it is not full. Apparently others knew as the bus quickly filled. The "driver" was playing with the gas pedal, to entice more people on a quick jump on board. I call him the "driver" b/c in reality he was the "gas-pedaller". As we were really ready to leave the "gas-pedaller" left and the driver took his seat...

The price is also weird. In the small buses you always pay 2500 shilling. In the one we took you can optionally pay 2000. Huh? On the return trip we had a small bus and one guy tried to pay only 2000. He only paid the remaining balance after the bus had stopped and the passenger was threatened to be thrown out. There was quite a bit of shouting involved. Life's little thrills.

Speaking of little thrills, in Arusha we took a small bus ("Dala-Dala"). At some point we got stopped by a police lady. She started yelling at the driver, walked around the bus and looked inside. Then she went inside the bus. Only found out later that the argument was b/c the a passenger had bananas and a sack of some other food on board. Apparently that is a no-no. The police woman didn't board the bus b/c her shift was over. Instead, after all the passengers were off he and the driver were heading to the police station.

"So he has to pay a fine?" I innocently asked Mfnanga. "Maybe. Or he gives the police a little bribe." Aha, that's how it works.

Speaking of bribe, the first place we went to in Arusha did not want to show me around. I later found out the guy likes to get bribed as well for visits.

Here comes the bride

Saturday night I went to a wedding with Dora. She was invited and could bring a guest. It was highly interesting. The ceremony took place at the YMCA, where people can rent the main room. There were many tables already filled with people and three or four rows of just chairs in the back, where we sat down. I guess maybe 300 people. Music was playing as we were waiting for things to happen. Dora explained a bit about the wedding. Church had taken place in the afternoon.

Then in walked the best man and bridesmaid. Later the groom and bride. At the door they stopped and drank something out of a wooden cup with a large handle on it. Dora told me it was some local brew and a tradition. As they made their way to the front some speeches from the priest and a prayer started. The MC (master of ceremony) was next to speak.

I knew when to get up and sit down. After all, there were 300 people in front of me that showed me how to do it. In fact I was quicker than Dora most of the time... An Amen indicated the end of the prayer. Then it was time to cut the wedding cake.

I hope I am remembering the order right. I do wish I would have bought my camera. The room was beautifully decorated (apparently in one of the speeches later one woman said not even Europeans could decorate like this!) There was a thin cloth draped all over, with lighting strings inside. Flowers attached at the intersection points. I may see if I can get some of Dora's cell phone pix. They are low quality, but maybe describe better what I can't really express in words. The stage had throne-like chairs for groom, bride and flower girls.

The picture is NOT from the YMCA building, btw...

Then the relatives were introduced. They stood up and waved. A lot of times any speech was interrupted by the MC saying "Mafoki, Mafoki, Mafoki!" Clap your hands. But few people did as a tape has taken over the tedious job of clapping hands... Introducing the relatives took a while, as you can imagine with the typical large families....

Next came the bizarrest thing I have ever seen. A goat was rolled in. Its head was pretty much intact, but slightly roasted. The body was well done. Some piece of green was stuck through the mouth to make it look it was still eating... The groom and bride then started feeding family members.

After that it was time for presents. People walked up to the front... Oh wait. I have to define walk. When anybody "walked" up to the front they were of course dancing. Everything was done with music. It was sometimes hard fro me to hear what Dora was saying. Anyway, I also got in line to "walk" up to the front (actually, mine really did more like walking...) and with a few last second instructions by Dora I placed a 1,000 bill (less than a dollar) in the box. Most people put in envelopes (and I assume they contained money). Only a few had presents. Then I shook hands with groom, bride, bridesmaid and best man. Of course I had forgotten to ask Dora what "Congratulations" is in Swahili. So I just said "Ahsante" (thank you). Afterwards I got a drink as a reward (not for "dancing", I take it...). I took another bottle of water.

After that it was dinner time and we got in line to get good food. I had rice, veggies, fried fish, a cucumber and a piece of the cake. Yumm. We didn't stay much longer after that. The official program had completed, some people had already left. After some more talking apparently all that was left was dancing. So it was fine for me to leave...

PFFFFFFT

Not a pretty sound when it is made by a bicycle's back tyre. I had just gotten home and the bike was resting when all the air vanished at once. Hmm. I had to go meet the German lady that runs Chagga Tours, so I was in a bit of a hurry. I knew there was this "repair place" (just a guy sitting with some tools) near my house. I didn't have tools or patch kits yet.

I started chatting with the guy. To fix a flat was 200 shilling – the equivalent of around 18 US cents! He didn't even take the wheel off. Out went the tube, with the gaping hole quickly spotted. Becuase it was a big hole he asked twice the price. 36 cents. Fine. I then asked him where I could buy a repair kit and how much it cost. He didn't know what I was talking about. But he did tell me a tube was jubo in Swahili. The he fixed the flat. Equipped with a large tube of Pattex (glue – I am not sure what the US equivalent is?) he put on an old tube. Very interesting. The only [patches I knew are apparently not available here...

After paying I went on to meet Christina. There was also a dude from East Germany. Quite a character. His plans to climb Mont Blanc together with a team from ZDF (one of the public TV stations in Germany) to make a documentary of global warming affecting the climbing had essentially been cancelled...by warm weather! Since he had already asked for the vacation he decided to climb Kili, something that was in his mind for 4-5 years. He did the climb superfast and ended up at the rim in the dark (usually you try to time it to be there to see the sun rise, so he had to walk around in the dark and wait for the sun in the cold...)

Anyway, he agreed to do a City Tour on Sunday, which Chagga Tours offers for five dollars. Problem was that he didn't speak much English. So I quickly offered my translation services, as Christina was flying back to Germany (same flight as the other dude, KLM at 8pm). Cool, my first money earned in Tanzania in form of a five-dollar value :)

We walked around. They threw us out at the Hindu temple. The guide said that he has taken many people there, but one of the guards wasn't happy. We then walked to the German railway station. That's what it was called as the German started it in the late 1800's. But then the British ended up winning the war and took over. That's why all the signs are in English. The train service to Tanga and Dar es Salaam stopped around 10 years ago. The schedule is still posted (three trains a week) and also the note explaining the salary situation at the time of the closure in 1997. There is still freight traffic, but since I have never seen a train here had to ask about its schedule. The guide replied "Once a week. Or once a month." Aha, whenever they need to get something shipped. Or trained, as I should say.

I am not sure if the guy in the picture was waiting for the next freight train or what?

We then went to the mosque, which was a better visit than the Hindu temple as we were allowed on the premises. The only problem ensued when we were leaving as Helge, the East German, put on his shoes two centimetres inside the temple. He was quickly told that shoes are not allowed inside. But we were leaving anyway...

Afterwards I was riding around some to find a baseball cap, as my sun hat is not the greatest when riding faster than 10mph. I was scouting it out first. The asking price was at 5,000 to 6,000 shilling. I didn't want to pay more than 1500, but that didn't interest them at all...

Then my chain broke. Arrgh. Maybe the bike wasn't so good? But a guy fixed it for 500 shilling and afterwards it ran smoothly and w/o noises, so maybe it's good now (I thought the noises came from the bottom bracket). But I will stop by at the dealer's place sometime this week to ask what is going on with the bike....