2015 November Newsletter – Community Health Education
NEWSLETTER November 2015
Dear Loyal Supporters
Health education
We have been receiving enthusiastic reports this month about how much the community are enjoying the Health Education Classes that we have been running. Our local staff Laangakwa and Embapa initially did a baseline study of women and men of all ages and positions in the community. They asked what their health concerns were and if they would like classes covering their concerns and issues such as health and hygiene, care in childbirth, HIV/AIDs and FGC (Female genital Cutting).
The baseline study showed that the community were really keen for health education. Classes were then planned using the results of this study and started at the beginning of October. There are 6 classes per month and 27 in each class, so 162 people are receiving the education. They have been run in each of the 3 villages we work in, given by local health workers and teachers in their mother tongue. The classes are interactive with all participants encouraged to join in the discussions. Here are some of the first pictures:
Women and men enjoying their class
Discussions
Health care worker from the Medical Centre teaching the benefits of antenatal care
At the end of the month our staff and teachers gathered together to review how the classes had gone and to plan the next ones. The participants will be passing on what they have learned to their friends and families. We will be monitoring and evaluating the effects of the classes and will keep you informed.
In other African villages where similar classes have been run by ‘Tostan’ (www.tostan.org) the communities have become empowered by the new information and able to plan their own routes from poverty to healthier lives. FGM has been abandoned through a whole community decision, men and women become equal in village life, child marriage has stopped and violence is no longer tolerated. We anticipate similar improvements in our area and will work with the community, giving support to their plans.
Microfinance loans
Our microfinance loans continue, with more women taking on loans last month and business training given to them. We are very grateful for the support of individual donors and of WMI (Women’s Microfinance Initiative) enabling us to give another 90 loans this year, taking the total up 238. All previous loans have been repaid and the women have found their businesses have helped them to feed their children and get them to school. We are inundated with more requests!
Education
We have just heard the great news that the newly elected government of Tanzania has decided to make secondary education free up to GCSE level. This will enable many more children to attend. It will also mean that the money WTWT have been using to sponsor secondary school students can now be used to build more preschools in the villages. In the preschools the children learn Swahili, the language they need for primary education. This will lead to more children succeeding at primary, well enough to pass the exams allowing them to progress to secondary education.
Fundraising
On 17th October we held a Quiz Night here in Weston Turville to raise money for this project.
Many thanks to our amazing Quiz Masters Ian and Christine MacMillan and to the wonderful support of Anna Broadley and Daisy Statham, who raised a fantastic £103 selling cakes they had made. Overall we raised £2028. We started in romantic candlelight due to the electricity cutting out, but had it working again thanks to one of our Quiz participants:
We are grateful to the continuing support of St. Mary’s church in Ivinghoe who donated their harvest collection to our work.
Also to St. Marys here in Weston Turville raising funds through the mission collection in September.
Thank you!
We are hugely grateful for all your financial support and your encouragement of our work. Without you we could not do any of this.
With much love and thanks
WTWT trustees here in the UK and staff in Tanzania:
Rachel, David and Daniel Blackmore, Michael Hasler, Ruth Cornish, Suchita Raja, Viv Pangalos, Ponja Tayai, Embapa Oloishiro, Laangakwa Twati, Esupat Oloulu, Peesoi Runguna
As always, our flights, expenses and administration are paid by ourselves, so all of your donations go directly to the community projects.
If any more of you would like to set up a standing order, we would be extremely grateful, as would the people in Ngorongoro.
Our bank account is: ‘Weston Turville Wells for Tanzania’ at Lloyds TSB, account number: 00087400, sort code 30-90-38. Cheques can be made payable to ‘WTWT’ and posted to our address below.
Rachel Blackmore
Weston Turville Wells for Tanzania (WTWT)
Registered UK charity No: 1125141
Registered office: Old Crown, West End, Weston Turville, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP22 5TT
Email: racheljblackmore@gmail.com
