Say What You Will About Walmart

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About 2 months ago, I was asked by Proctor and Gamble, our safe drinking water partner, if we would be willing to participate in a Walmart marketing effort that would generate funds to support safe drinking water programs. With financial support from Walmart, we would film a couple of our program families to learn about their water sources, water- borne disease they had suffered, and introduction to the P&G Safe Drinking Water product we distribute. The photos and videos would be used in a campaign throughout Europe.

When I arrived back in Tanzania to do the shoot, I thought the biggest challenge I faced would be finding videographers who were professional enough to produce the high quality film Walmart required. But there was a resource right under my nose that fit the bill perfectly.

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The Kilimanjaro Film Institute is a training center for future media folks that came out of the lack of employment options for Tanzanian young people. If you ask a 14 year old boy about his career plans here, he will most likely tell you he wants to be a tour guide. The brainchild of a French photographer, the Institute offers a 21st century option that has been fantastically successful. 86% of graduates are employed after training and internship- some of them on TV stations in Dar es Salaam, some with production companies, and some as trainers and professionals right here at the Institute. 

I visited students in the editing lab, observed others in a camera technique class, and came away so impressed and happy that Pamoja Project had a new partner.

You see, the money made by the team we employ for this work goes back to support the Film Institute. And since Walmart has asked us to return for follow up filming in 6 months and then 1 year, we (and Walmart $$) will be directly supporting the Kilimanjaro Film Institute as well as our folks in the safe drinking water program. Just the kind of synchronicity we love!

Plus, guess what I am going to be suggesting as a career move to kids I meet now..... Welcome to our newest vocational training option for sponsored kids- the Kilimanjaro Film Institute.

Do You Remember Me?

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                                 Auntie, Carol and Debra

                         
2004 was the first year I ever met a child with AIDS.

Her name was Debra, and she was living at a hospice with her terminally ill mother. A solitary, wide-eyed little girl, she remained at the hospice after her mother's death, and soon was joined by other infected children as the hospice was transformed into an orphanage for HIV+ orphans. Pamoja Project partnered with the orphanage for some years, but peacefully parted ways in 2010.
  
This afternoon, Olais told me that a 16 year old we had been supporting in secondary school was at the office to speak with me. She had been referred to us several years ago because she was ill with recurrent ear infections, needed surgery, and the aunt with whom she lived had been told we helped kids with HIV/AIDS. Her name was Debra.
  
Yes, it was the same Debra. I wasn't in Tanzania
when she first was referred to us so I never put 2 and 2 together. Today she walked in and, with a huge grin said, "Mama Caro, it's ME!!"
  
The best part of this job is seeing kids facing unbelievable odds beat health challenges, continue education, and envision their future. 
Pamoja Project came full circle today- thanks to Debra.
Happy Weekend!

Speaking of Elections

It's Sunday in Arusha, and I am missing my morning talk shows. ...but not election politics, because the Tanzanian presidential/parliamentary election is in 6 weeks and things are a little wild and wooly- even without Donald Trump.
 
For the last 50 years, the CCM party nominees (green on their flags and shirts) have won the presidential and the majority of local parliamentary elections, and have relaxed into the assumption that their power was firmly in place. Enter the CHADEMA party (blue on their flags and shirts) a grassroots, younger, anti-corruption party that became a real threat to CCM about 8 years ago.
 
CHADEMA currently holds some seats in parliament but has been unable to successfully launch a presidential contender- until now.
 
When CCM decided upon their candidate, they completely dissed one guy- Edward Lowassa- who had held nearly every cabinet post in the past, but was not as controllable by party bosses as the man they ultimately chose- John Magufuli. In a completely stunning move, Lowassa chose to align himself with CHADEMA and is their nominee- with widespread support even from former CCM voters.
 
I have heard CCM local party bosses saying they will split their ticket for the first time in history, because change is necessary. And the younger people (who can vote at 18) are saying it doesn't even matter who is president as long as a do-nothing government is unseated.
 
In the meantime, roads are filled with trucks honking horns and flying flags, TV is filled with speechmaking, and in a country where voting is nearly universal and has no literacy or other exclusion, this is going to be interesting. And certainly more fun than Meet the Press.

Of Cars, Color, and Culture

A few months ago we were able to do something  wonderful to help the Tanzanian staff who interact with the families we support- we bought a car.
When I arrived in Tanzania early this week we talked about how the car had changed their workload. Being able to take a sick child immediately to the hospital, or travel a long distance to deliver safe drinking water materials has become much easier, and staff were really grateful.
 
There was only one problem. The car was RED. Most cars in Tanzania are grey, white, or black. Not red. And the car buying process suddenly began to make sense. The car was much cheaper than the amount we had expected to spend. At home I had bragged about how cost- effective our Tanzanian team had been, but I finally understood that it was at a certain cost to them.
 
Mary's husband shook his head when he saw it for the first time. A neighbor asked if it was a butcher's car- because it was the color of blood. I worried that we had inadvertently put staff in a compromising position, and asked if they wanted to have the car painted . 
 
And you know what? They laughed.
Because now the organization has free advertising, and micro-finance borrowers who are slow-pay are afraid of being chased by the "red car people"!  And at the end of the day, the red car does exactly what it was meant to do- make work easier, and more rewarding, for our extraordinary WAMATA partners.