Hello there,
Before our recent visit to Ukerewe, many people had donated goods and money specifically to help support members of the Tanzania Albino Society who live on Ukerewe. During our stay we visited the office and land which is owned by the Society. The office is a place where the members can meet to discuss their problems and seek advice.
Mr. Ramahdan is the Chairman of the local Albino Society who explained about the condition and what the Society were doing for those people on the island with Albinism. Where necessary, he visits them in their homes and any albino child which is born on the island is automatically registered and becomes a member. Due to the fact that he only has limited English, Alex Magaga, who is a volunteer for the organization, did the translation for us.
Amongst the items donated in the U.K were suncreams, sun glasses, long sleeved shirts and sun hats. All of which offer protection against the sun, as the lack of pigment in the Albino skin causes sun burn and in some cases, dreadful skin cancer.
We were also able to provide Mr. Ramahdan with various tools which would help him in his work as a Motor Mechanic.
On the property there was an unlined well from which water was obtained by dropping a plastic container into the water on the end of a rope.
Through Alex Magaga we contacted a local contractor and arranged for him and his team to line the well to a depth of twelve metres, fit a cap to the top and mount a hand pump.
The rings were cast on site and the concrete kept damp to prevent it curing too quickly.
After the rings had been lowered down the shaft, the 'cap' was fitted.
Finally, the pump was fitted. The whole project had taken ten days from starting, to water flowing from the pump. We were privileged to be there to see Mr. Ramahdan operate the pump for the first time, and this was such an emotional experience for all of us.
The ground is approximately 2.5 acres in size and contains many different fruit trees which are looked after by a watchman who tends the trees and in exchange he receives a share of the fruit. Hopefully, now that there is an easier water supply, the cultivation of the ground can be extended and if possible, other food stuffs can be grown. Included in the goods shipped out in the container were lots of gardening tools and some of these were given to the Society to help them clear more ground.
It was necessary to improve the security for the site so we arranged for the manufacture and fitting of a large double gate at the entrance to the site.
We believe that this was a very deserving group of people and we hope that what has been achieved will help the Society to support their members. Our sincere thanks go to everyone who contributed to this project.
Until the next time,
Best Wishes
Diane and Derek
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