At Itungi

Yesterday morning we went to Itungi.  When we went downstairs at 9:00, expecting to get in and go, Tom turned the key we heard “grrrrr-grrrrrr” - oh-oh a low battery. 

We had no jumper cables in the vehicle, so we called Denis Ngede, who co-owns the vehicle with us.  He called to send someone “ right over”, and  this being Tanzania we settled in for a 30-50 minute wait.  An hour and a half later we were getting anxious when the mechanic finally arrived.  He tried to give us a jump start – but to no avail. 

On further inspection the mechanic decided that it had an electrical problem that would take a while to fix, so Denis sent us a different vehicle and driver for the day while it was repaired.  Itiweni called ahead to the SACCOS officers at Itungi to inform them of our 2-hour late start.

 Arriving at Itungi we were greeted by the chairman of the SACCOS and some of the members.  He told us that everyone had decided to wait until we got there.  This SACCOS is small.  It has only 20 members and has not grown in the last two years.  It is also still registered as a group (a lower level registration) since they have not yet completed their paperwork.  Perhaps the biggest issue is that the leadership here is relatively weak.  Still, we expected more progress than this.

We started the meeting as usual with Itiweni, Sandy, and then Tom making introductions.  Itiweni was tired from her “little case” of malaria so she decided to give her talk while sitting down.  We were concerned that she might get over tired but she told us, “This is just like when you are a mama.  When the papa gets sick he gets to lie down.  When mama gets sick she still cooks dinner.  I guess I am cooking dinner.” 

She gave them the class she has been delivering on the importance of buying shares and building community.  Then she lectured them for a while questioning why they had not completed their paperwork nor built up their members.  The chairperson agreed that she had not done her job and promised to do better – we will see.  Then the pastor talked about one problem in particular they had had last year.  It seems another group had come into their area offering to supply seed and fertilizer, then collect and sell the crops and give the farmers the difference between the cost of the inputs and the price of the crops.

Many people who were going to join the SACCOS decided that this was an easier thing to do so they signed up.  As it turned out when the group collected the crop they took all of the money and gave the farmers nothing.  They claimed that the crop barely covered expenses.  Everyone felt cheated since other farmers around them had made a profit, but they got nothing.  This year no one has signed up.

Near the end of our visit the pastor and chairperson got up to thank us for being so faithful to them and promising to be faithful to the SACCOS, working hard to improve and grow.  Then everyone broke out in song.

After the meeting Sandy sat down to talk with Wilson Kulange.   Wilson is 69, married, and the father of 4 grown children.  It was apparent that Wilson has a serious problem walking.  In the US he might be a candidate for a hip replacement, but here he tolerates the pain, which is tolerable at times and at other times incapacitating. Because of this he needs to hire laborers for field work.  He has been a member of the Itungi SACCOS since it began and has taken out 3 loans.  Last year he borrowed $120 to plant maize.  Despite his physical limitations, requiring hired help, he managed to earn a $200 profit, which he used to pay for a trip to the hospital for his hip, medicine for his treatment, and school fees for his grandchildren.  This year he has taken out another loan to plant green peppers.

Next we talked with Neema Kabuli, 30 years old, married with 2 children.  She too has been a member here since the beginning.  Last year she borrowed $180 to plant tomatoes and buy two pigs.  The tomatoes did well and her sow had piglets, which she sold.  Overall she earned $240 from her loan.  She has used some of this to increase her savings.  The rest she is using to buy fertilizer for this year’s crop.

All of the members we spoke with said that they did much better than their neighbors who had signed up with the group offering inputs.  They felt that they made better decisions for themselves and were happy with their choices.  Their neighbors were left feeling cheated and distrustful.  They think that some of them will want to join the SACCOS now while others will take a while before they trust anyone again.

Since we were planning on being here by 10 they had made us chai!  So we went over and had chai for lunch then took our leave.  When we got home the car was back and working again.  It turned out that when we drove through the muddy stream that was yesterday’s road, a mixture of water and mud had filled the fuse box.  Since the fuse box sits about 2.5 to 3 feet above the roadway this was a bit of a shock!  Sitting in the mud and gravel overnight the fuses shorted out and drained the battery so the car wouldn’t start.  After they had cleaned out the box and put in new fuses everything worked fine!

Well, today is Sunday and we have spent the day with Itiweni and her daughter Mercy going to church at Cathedral and then having lunch.  Pastor Mbozo spotted us there and had us go up front to give a greeting. 

Tomorrow we will be spending the day in the office working on plans and reports and meeting with various officials – so no report tomorrow!

The way to Itungi lies mainly along the main highway.  It is not raining as we leave (2 hours later than planned) so it is an easy drive.

When you get to Ilula you turn off the main road and climb the hill on a dirt road. 

Itiweni was tired today from her "little bit of malaria" so she sat down for her talk.

The children found Tom sitting and listening.   Pretty soon they were looking at pictures and laughing.

 

Sandy sat down to talk with Wilson Kulange.   Wilson is 69, married, and the father of 4 grown children.  It was apparent that Wilson has a serious problem walking.  In the US he might be a candidate for a hip replacement, but here he tolerates the pain, which is tolerable at times and at other times incapacitating.

Next we talked with Neema Kabuli, 30 years old, married with 2 children.  She too has been a member here since the beginning. 

As we headed home it began raining again.  It would rain all night but stop by the morning.