Our First Visit To Magulilwa

Today we paid our first visit to Magulilwa.  Magulilwa is a 75 minute dive.  To get there you go down the hill from Iringa, through Ipogoro and down the Kilolo road.  After about 40 minutes you turn slightly towards the west and continue on to Magulilwa.

The area around Magulilwa is relatively flat.  The soil seems darker than most places we have been and there is maize planted everywhere.  This area is clearly the “maize capital” of the Iringa district.  In fact, we were told that about 50% of all the maize for flour in Iringa comes from this area.  As we drove down the road it started to rain.  It rained off and on for the rest of the day.

Shortly before we arrived at Magulilwa, a pastor approached us from the side of the road.  Pastor Moses Kyamba preaches at one of the preaching points for this congregation.  He had come to help us find the main church.  We picked him up and drove through the mud, turned down a small pathway, around a corner of a building and parked by the maize (it was a good thing we had a guide).  These stalks are almost as tall as the ones we saw in Ipalamwa. 

Pastor Tulahaha Lukosi is not here.  She has a problem with her thumb and is at the hospital in Ilula.  Her husband, James, greeted us all and brought out the chapatti and chai.  Pastor Kyamba and "Baba Mchungagi James" told us a little about the community.   Magulilwa parish is in the Ihemi District.  It has about 800 congregants and 11 preaching points.  They have heard about the Ihemi SACCOS and are impressed.  They also are listeners of our Radio Furaha program and like what they hear.  The driving force for a SACCOS here is the same as that at most of the parishes – the members have learned how to increase their yields through the use of fertilizer and improved seed, but there is no source of capital for them to do this.  The Pastor tells us that there was a government SACCOS here, but it went broke.  Even before it went broke he said the rules and interest rate made it impossible for the farmers to use (They charged 10%/month for 4 month loans.  The loans required weekly payments and if you missed a payment they took your house, etc.) – it lasted 2 years and left many without their savings.

James Lukosi told us that there are about 130 people interested in forming a SACCOS.  He said that the area has a smattering of high earners (about 1,500,000 to 6,500,000 Tsh) who farm 5 acres or more, and a lot of smaller farmers earning 500,000 – 1,000,000 Tsh (about $310-625) who farm 1-4 acres.  It is this later group that is interested in forming a SACCOS.

Itiweni asked about the two members she met with last October in her office.  They had come to town to ask about a SACCOS and she had given them a short course at the university.  However, after returning home, they went back to their preaching points (they are evangelists), and they did very little organizing.  James Lukosi told us that they have not had time to work on SACCOS because they had just had a visit from their partner parish, they have been busy planting, had some illnesses and funerals, and were just now getting back to looking at this.

We finished chai and went to the church for the meeting.  We were a bit surprised to see that there were only 11 people there, since we had been told that there were 130 interested in forming a SACCOS.  The pastor explained that the congregation is spread out so they thought that we might meet with just the evangelists and they could tell everyone what we said.  We did not think that this was the best approach, but it was what they wanted.  They asked if they could send three people to our upcoming training session and we said they would be welcome. 

We headed back to Iringa, returning early for a change.  Tomorrow will be a very busy day, as we will attempt to visit three villages.  Stay tuned..........

Driving down the Kilolo road it started to look like rain.

We turned off the road and headed slightly to the west.  By now it was starting to rain.

It rained harder and harder was we drove along.

It was a good thing we had a guide - we never would have seen the house hidden behind the corn.

Pastor Moses Kyamba and Baba Mchungagi James (the Magulilwa pasotr's husband) brought out chapatti and chai.

The trees by the church are in full bloom.

There were only 11 people in the church.  They had thought that we could talk to the evangelists and they would spread the word.

They evangelists had many questions.  It seems that the government SACCOS that was here caused many problems leaving people suspicious and uncertain.

The maize looks good.  It is going to be a good harvest here.

It was clearing a bit as we headed back to Iringa.  Tomorrow is going to be a long day - we are going to visit three villages.