And now... the end is near

Sadly our time in Musoma is quickly coming to an end. It is going to be hard to leave this place that has become home to us for the past two and a half weeks (seems like so much longer).

With our first goat shed finished we needed to buy goats to put in it! So we visited Winifreda, an amazing lady and one of the best goat breeders in the area. Her home is only accessible by Land Rover or on foot and after a precarious journey we arrived to the warmest greeting we have received yet. Winifreda showed us her stock including a very impressive male goat whose genetics are sought far and wide in the area. We immediately knew this was the lady we wanted to supply the goats for us.

 

On Friday morning we attended a schools malaria awareness day run by Go MAD where hundreds of children from surrounding schools gathered for an incredibly event of music, games, dancing and education. Our role was to "manage" 2 parachute games. It was entertaining to watch Susan and Lisa running these games by shouting instructions in Swahili at hordes of African children in the searing heat. After some traditional dancing (which was a mixture of traditional African style with what seemed like Morris dancing and a bit Irish folk dancing thrown in!) the children heard about malaria prevention and we provided them with mosquito nets - almost 500 were given out.

 

We paid our last visit (for now anyway) to Nyanza School where we were invited to have lunch with the teachers, governors, parents and local community leaders. The school had gone to so much effort and we all ate a traditional African meal together - and yes you've guessed it, the meat was of course goat meat!

We presented the school with a banner linking Nyanza PS with Ballyholme and Bangor Central schools and there were a few speeches. Jonathan spoke on behalf of Team Tanzania, explaining how our motivation to help is to share the love of Jesus. We explained our future plans to provided an additional water tank and fix up another classroom by putting in a concrete floor and plastering and painting the walls. This ongoing support (including starting the Porridge Project) is only possible because of the support we have received by many of you back home. We, and the people of Nyanza, will be forever grateful.

 

So are starting to say our goodbyes and plan for a couple of days at the coast. The summer of 2016 is one that will live long in the memory.

PS arrived at Eagle Lodge first thing this morning to find a gift from the people from the Nyanza School waiting for us. A goat - yes indeed - a live goat! Not sure if it goes in hand luggage or the hold!