The roswells are in majengo

Bob Roswell and his wife, Barbara, visited Majengo Village with Thadei and sent me the following email about their experience. Thanks, Bob and Barbara, for the kind words, great photos, and comments! We hope you can visit again and bring your friends!!

“Laurel Werner (an American who volunteered at MIT before us — her website ishttp://www.kilitech.org/ ) sponsor activities in a rural village about 35 kilometers from Moshi. According to Laurel’s site, the average income is about 46 cents / day. That seems about right when you walk around the village.

The paved road ends about mile from the village. When you get off the way -way overcrowded bus from Moshi, men on motor bikes will drive you to the village, but we have heard too many stories of accidents, so we walk. Those with very sharp eyes will see a church in the background near the very new electric pole.

When we arrive, we are invited into Patrick’s house. It, like most of the other houses is made with sticks and mud. The house is basically one room. He has a wife, and two little kids. There is a baby goat inside!

This picture was taken on Wednesday (the only power was from a tiny solar cell – the size of laptop) Today, the power company ran wires to house for the first time! They had not yet installed the meter when we left, but it is very exciting! We had a long conversation about what you could use electricity for. The villagers were highly amused when Barbara told them they I had an electric toothbrush. Patrick is looking forward to a radio and a TV.

Laurel’s foundation built a community center – All sorts of activities. Below, Barbara is teaching “Are You My Mother” to adult villagers with very limited English. We read about 10 meant for little kids to adults — and the adults paid unbelievably close attention!

Everyone participated as we did “the hokey pokey” and other little games a dances.

They are teaching vocations and setting up catering, sewing, a beauty salon, and bee keeping.

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Laurel also set them up with sewing machines. I was watching some of the young women trying to learn to use them.