An African Evening in Filey, England.

Hello again,

What a wonderful night we had when Filey Rotary Club raised money for the project in Ukerewe, Tanzania!

Decorations were made to turn the Hall into a fun African setting ...

lights turned low and African music was played.

The jungle drums were pounding thanks to a rousing effort by pupils from our local Junior School who started the evening off with a tremendous performance.  They were brilliant, thanks to the tuition of their headteacher.

During the evening, we had an African themed quiz and also a raffle.

The food served was a Babotie dish, which is typical South African food of spicy mince, along with rice, potatoes and salad.  All this was followed by a variety of delicious puddings.

Our 'guest' appearances were a witch doctor and his friend the gorilla ...

who, during their performance, surprised our incoming President and his Lady by putting them in the cooking pot, until a suitable ransom was given for their release.

Many of the guests were suitably dressed in a variety of different African costumes....

from various areas of the continent ...

like this ......

and this .....     .....     .....     .....      .....

and even us ...     .....     .....     .....       .....      .....       .....      .....       .....       ......

The last hour was for dancing.   We would like to thank everyone (including our family) who helped to make this evening such a fun time, and also for their financial contributions to help the people of Ukerewe.

Until the next time,

Best wishes to you all,

Diane and Derek



Proposed Projects for July 2012.

Hello again,

We would like to share with you some of the projects that the team hope to achieve in the next visit to Ukerewe in July 2012.

WATER.   It is hoped that we can improve the water supply to Nansio town and also to supply water to six Primary Schools by organizing the installation of new pipes and outlets.  This will benefit about 5600 pupils aged 7 - 11 who at the moment have no access to running water.  We hope to also provide water filters in each school so that the children will have the benefit of drinking water.  The headmasters have arranged to dig the trenches and to take responsibility for maintenance.

SANITATION.  Two blocks of toilets will be built, and each one will have a unique facility - a stainless steel urinal trough, generously donated by a company in Hull, England - see blog number 25.

COMMUNITY AMENITY AND PLAYGROUND.  It is planned to transform a two acre waste land into a community amenity with a volley ball court, play equipment and seats.  The area will also be landscaped and a public toilet constructed, the first of its kind in Nansio.

HEALTH.  A steam autoclave has been manufactured in India and is on its way to Tanzania, where it will be installed at the hospital in Nansio together with water filters, so that the autoclave will use clean water.  This will greatly improve the sterilization of surgical eqiupment at the hospital.  Further improvements will also be made to the Maternity Waiting Hostel.

LAKE VICTORIA CHILDRENS SOCIETY.  We will support the work of local volunteers who provide Primary Education and Food to orphans and vulnerable children.  In addition, in the container there are large quantities of childrens clothes, toys and books.  These will be distributed to disadvantaged children on the island.  It is also planned to improve the facilities at this organization.

THE ALBINO SOCIETY.  Also in the container are supplies of sun cream, hats, sunglasses, long sleeved shirts and other clothes.  All of these items will offer some protection from the heat of the sun.  There are also tools for this group, that will be used to help them to become more self sufficient.   It is also hoped that improvements can be made to the well on their premises.

SCHOOLS.  We will work with six Secondary Schools, supplying books and science equipment.  We also plan to improve vocational training and where necessary, arrange for electricity to be supplied at the schools.

MICRO CREDIT PROJECTS.  There are already successful micro credit programmes running on the island.  It is hoped to expand these by providing a Clay Oven to bake bread, a fruit juice bar and an incubator to hatch chickens.   Each one of these has the potential of triggering new businesses, hopefully reducing dependance on imported food and adding value to local produce.

THE BRIQUETTE MAKER.  Update to our blog number 27, two Tanzanian trainers will be coming from Northern Tanzania, to the island to instruct a group from the local community, how to use the equipment and to convert waste material into a product that will be come a viable commercial enterprise.

There are certainly exciting times ahead and we are sure the whole team are looking forward to this visit.

Until next time,

Best wishes,
Derek and Diane.

Hooray! The Container has arrived safely.

Hello to you all,

As we told you back in April, a willing band of helpers packed the forty foot container on 7th April 2012 for it to go on its long journey to Tanzania.

Having sailed around the Horn of Africa and down the East Coast, past Somalia and Ethiopia, it eventually arrived in Mombassa in Kenya.  It was then sent in bond to the Tanzanian border where it cleared customs, and again embarked on its long overland journey to Ukerewe.  Fortunately on this occasion, it did not have to be unpacked in Mwanza, but went straight onto a ferry and over to the island.

When it arrived in Nansio, Ukerewe on 7th June, a group of 32 students helped to unload the hundreds of individual boxes and items and put them into a warehouse.   All of the goods will remain there until the arrival of our group early in July.

Our thanks go to the Rotary Clubs of Mwanza and Ukerewe for their help in ensuring that the container and its contents arrived safely at its final destination.  Thank you also to the Students - we are sure it was exhausting work in the hot African sun.  Bless you all.

As you know, this container is full of Smiles for the people of Ukerewe, and we look forward to distributing the goods and working on various projects there.   What a happy time it will be!

Until the next time,

Best Wishes,
Diane and Derek.

Briquette Making Project.

Hello again,

Thanks to Steve and Patricia for the following blog.

On the island of Ukerewe we saw for ourselves that the traditional method of cooking is a pot balanced on three rocks over a fire and this is still the case in much of rural Africa.  Those that can afford to, buy charcoal or sticks for fuel, but the majority have to go out searching and gathering firewood every day.

In the UK alternative fuels are being developed using waste materials such as sawdust, wood shavings, straw etc.  On Ukerewe we saw large piles of sawdust and shavings where joinery businesses were operating and Lake Victoria itself is infested with water hyacinth.

Research led us to the Legacy Foundation who have developed a lo-tech briquette making press and have produced a set of manuals on how to build, operate the press, and train a team to make and market the briquettes.

A talented friend constructed a press for us and we have spent many hours making trial mixes and monitoring their burning properties.  Any waste material can be used, sawdust, shavings, corn husk, rice straw, leaves, banana skins, anything in fact provided it will burn.  The press is now on its way to Ukerewe in the container with all the accessories needed to get the project underway.

Following advice we have made contact with two Tanzanian women trainers who will come to Ukerewe when we are there in July and train a group of Swahili speaking locals; as well as showing them how to produce the briquettes, they will advise on costing and marketing etc.  The intention is that the group will produce an inexpensive form of fuel from waste materials to use themselves and sell the excess to produce an income.

We look forward to seeing the Briquette Maker in use on Ukerewe and are sure this will be a sustainable project to help the local people.

Thanks once again to Steve and Patricia for this very informative contribution.


Until next time.

Best Wishes,
Derek and Diane.

A Volunteer's Experience in Ukerewe.

Hello,

Nansio Hospital, Solar Lighting.

My name is Sandy Tod and I have been privileged to take part in both the first (October 2009) and second (February 2011) Rotary volunteer trips to Ukerewe.   During the first visit when we refurbished Nansio Hospital's operating theatre, it was apparent that while the hospital is connected to mains electric power, it is notoriously unreliable and the hospital suffered frequent and sometimes extensive power cuts.   It is not difficult to imagine the havoc this can cause in the operating theatre and the delivery room in the maternity ward.  This part of Tanzania, being two degrees south of the equator enjoys year round sunshine about two hundred and fifty hours a month, every month of the year, so it seemed crazy not to take advantage of the sun's energy to provide reliable electric power for these vital hospital areas.   A back-up solar lighting system was therefore proposed to be implemented on the second visit.

Being the proposer, I was given charge of the project, not an easy assignment as I am no electrician, but a civil engineer!  Attendance at a three day course at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) at Machynlleth in Wales gave me a good grounding in the basics of design and installation of an off-grid solar system.   A Mwanza Rotarian, Rajan, who owned a solar systems company in Mwanza provided the equipment at cost and his own services as installer, free of charge.

On site local assistance was provided by Rashidally, the electrical instructor at the local vocational college and two of his students, who installed new wiring to supply the back-up lights.  A godsend was Dennis, a retired electrician from Harlow Tighe, Essex who came out as a volunteer and kept us from electrocuting ourselves!

Back-up lighting was provided by low energy LED tube-lights duplicating the existing fluorescent system.  The inclusion of the Maternity Ward involved a 15m long overhead line to connect it to the operating theatre.  The length of the circuit meant that to avoid excessive energy loss, the 24v DC system had to be transformed up to 230v AC.

Work started with Rashidally and his team installing the new trunking and wiring.

The small overcrowded and constantly busy maternity ward presented a particular challenge.  Some of the wiring had to be taken above the ceiling involving a precarious crawl through the loft space on old lightweight timber rafters in stifling heat, with nesting bats as company!

Specialist equipment arrived on programme via the daily vehicle ferry from Mwanza.  The picture shows one of two 12v 150 Ampere-hour batteries being unloaded at Nansio.

Here Dennis is instructing one of our students how to fill the batteries with electrolyte.  These are the only part of the system requiring regular maintenance.  It is essential that the electrolyte level is checked regularly and kept topped up.

Rajan sets up the inverter in the battery room, a small disused room in a corner of the theatre building.  The inverter converts the 24v DC electric current from the batteries into 230v AC current to power the system.

Finally, with the battery room equipment installed, the wiring complete and LED tube-lights fitted, the first of two solar panels is fixed to the roof of the operating theatre.

Rajan in the battery room checking that everything is working as it should.  The back-up system is automatically triggered by a mains power failure, so it can be tested by simply cutting off the mains supply.

Happily everything works satisfactorily.  The picture shows emergency lights on in the Maternity Ward, - a happy Ward Sister!  We finished one day ahead of schedule and during the first night with the system working,  an emergency operation was completed thanks to the back-up lighting system.

Our thanks go to Sandy for this very interesting article.


Until next time,
Best Wishes,

Derek and Diane.

Urinals for Ukerewe.

Hello again,

One of Hull's long established family business's Snowden & Co Ltd founded in 1898 have generously come to the help of Rotary and their ongoing humanitarian project on Ukerewe Island, situated in Lake Victoria, Tanzania.

Although specializing in welding and fabrication including large pressure vessels for industry, after hearing and seeing the almost complete lack of toilet facilities in the Senior Schools on the island, they have manufactured two stainless steel urinals which are already on their way in the forty foot container, which will arrive on the island by the time the working group of volunteers get there in July.

The photo shows Patricia Rowe from the Rotary Club of Helmsley and District, who used to live and work in the Hull area, James Brown, age 20, who was given the task of designing and making the urinals, and Glyn Barrick, Managing Director of Edwin Snowden at the back.

James is coming to the end of his apprenticeship with the company and this work will be submitted as part of his qualification.

Sincere thanks go to the company, including the former M.D. and now Chairman Liz Young for this wonderful donation.

One of the projects in July is to build a new toilet block at one of the schools, and these urinals will make a big improvement to the facilities for the children. 

Until the next time,

Best wishes,

Derek and Diane

The Forty Foot container is on its way!

Hello again,

Great news.  On Saturday 7th April, a willing band of helpers volunteered to pack the forty foot container and it is now on its way to Ukerewe!

The container is packed full to the brim with humanitarian goods which were donated or bought by  many generous people who are interested in making the lives of some of the community in Ukerewe more comfortable.

Amongst the items in the container are lots of hospital equipment; educational apparatus; books;  clothes; toys for under privileged children;  sunglasses, long sleeve shirts, hats and suncreams for people with Albinism; a briquette making machine and urinals for a toilet project.  In fact, a container simply full of SMILES from people in the U.K. to the people in Ukerewe, who will be the recipients. 

The container has arrived at the loading point .........

The goods are waiting to be loaded ..............

There were more than thirty volunteers who gave their time and effort to manually load the container ...............

After four hours of hard work and team effort, the container is finally full................

Not only is the container full of all these items which will change lives, but also full of love and care for a community which has so little. 

Thank you to all those people who have donated goods for the container from all over the U.K.  All we wish for now is a safe journey to Ukerewe where the goods will be stored until the arrival of the team in July.

Until next time,

Best Wishes,

Diane and Derek