Jambo everyone-

Sandy and I are back here in Iringa for two months to work on micro finance with the Micro Finance Institute.  We hope to visit 30 locations this time, develop our banking relationship, and help with the spring training session.  We hope that during our stay we can provide reports on our network that you will find interesting and informative!

Having said this I have to admit that our visit has not had a very auspicious start!  To begin with, we had made arrangements to be met at the airport by a car from the hotel where we were planning on staying the first night.  We also had talked with the University about providing a ride to Iringa from Dar Es Salaam where we land (a 9 hour drive).  They had assured us that they would have their driver meet us at the plans as well.  Imagine our surprise when instead of being met by two cars when we got off the plane we were met by – no one! 

Since our plane had arrived 1 hour late from Kenya (we had been in Rwanda before coming to Tanzania) we at first thought that it must just be due to the late plane – but after waiting a bit no one materialized.  I talked to a man who was waiting for his wife to deplane.  He offered to call and check for us.  To make a long story short, the hotel had forgotten to send a car and the University had forgotten our flight time and had suggested to the driver that he show up for the 10:00 PM flight that we usually come in on (we got in at 8).  TIA (this is Africa).

It worked out well since the man who called for us turned out to be a stock broker who was meeting his banker wife.  They gave us a ride to our hotel (a 30 minute drive for him) and we had a great visit along the way – TIA!

In Iringa we had another surprise.  Itiweni (our SACCOS coordinator) had burned herself rather badly and was in the hospital.  We had talked with her just before we left, on the 22^nd of January.  Everything was getting set up and she was excited about spending time working with us again.  The next day a friend of hers came over and was cooking at her house.  She turned quickly and spilled hot grease on Itiweni’s hand, foot, and leg.  The result was a nasty set of second and third degree burns which has kept her in the hospital every since.  It looks like she will be able to leave tomorrow or Wednesday, but we don’t expect her to do much for another week or so – so we will be off to a slow start!

Since we have had a little time we have been catching up visiting at the diocese (they will be sending someone with us), radio Furaha (we will again be broadcasting our program, and the Agricultural Institute (who we often work with).  It was good to see everyone and make sure our program with them was working well.

Later on in the afternoon I got a surprise call.  It was Alfayo – a young man from the Huruma Orphan center whom we have known for many years now.  Alfayo had heard we were here and had come over to where we were staying.  We hurried home from the hospital (where we had been visiting Itiweni) to see him.  Alfayo is no longer the young orphan we knew.  He is now 26 years old and announced that he is getting married this fall!  Alfayo is an amazing young man.  He wound up an orphan at the age of 7 after his father had been assassinated (he was a political science professor who said the wrong things) and his mother died.  He was orphaned in Zambia where his parents had moved, but talked a bus driver into bringing him to Tanzania where he hoped to find his mother’s family.  He never did find any family, but he did find a wonderful place called the Huruma Center where he grew up.  Since he left the Huruma Center he has started a successful business here in Iringa (an Internet café), volunteered as a tutor for mathematics for several years (this is how he met his fiancée), and now volunteers 2 days a week to help street children.  We were very happy to see him!

Seeing a young man like Alfayo makes all of one’s troubles seem small indeed.  A good way to start!  TIA!

Tom & Sandy

Our first surprise when we got to Iringa was the discovery that Itiweni Luhwago, our SACCOS coordinator was in the hospital with severe burns.

The second surprise was learning the she and Ambu were planning on getting married this year!  (Ambu is an American Professor working at Tumaini.  We had met him last year when we gave him a ride to Iringa from Dar Es Salaam.)

We went over to the Iringa Diocese offices to check on how they felt things were going and to make arrangements for someone from there to visit our locations with us.

Later on we were surprised when Alfayo called us and came to visit.  He was 17 when we first met him.  He is now 26 and planning on getting married this year.