Empowering Voices in Shirati

Dr. Beth Osnes (left) and PhD candidate Chelsea Hackett (right) walking home from the Maji Safi Group office.

When Dr. Beth Osnes and I began to think about taking our Vocal Empowerment program outside of Starfish: Her Infinite Impact (the organization in Guatemala where we co-developed it over the past three years), we realized that it would not be the best fit for just any organization. Consequently, we began to construct a list of “Key Requirements” that an organization must have in order for the program to flourish. We came up with four traits:

1. The organization has a mission of long-term engagement in a community.

2. The organization is run with the guidance of local community members.

3. The organization shows an ongoing dedication to the concerns of girls and women.

4. The organization is operated with a sense of joy and play.

Community Health Workers supporting a local community clean-up group in Shirati.

From reading many of Maji Safi Group’s blog posts and speaking with the leadership team, it became readily apparent that their organization meets the first two requirements immediately. While Maji Safi Group continues to be responsive to pressing health needs, such as two cholera outbreaks within the last year, it has a longer mission of improving health – something that is not done overnight. Maji Safi Group’s Community Health Worker (CHW) model ensures that the knowledge gained comes from within the community, and the majority of the employees will remain in the area to spread that knowledge throughout the region – unlike many aid organizations that primarily employ foreign workers.

Linda Arot (left) and Judith Mcbache (right) demonstrating how to use a sanitary pad at a Dining for Female Hygiene event put on by Maji Safi Group.

The third requirement is more nuanced and not always easy to find in organizations. However, after speaking with Maji Safi Group’s Female Hygiene Coordinator, Linda Arot, we realized immediately that it was present. The Female Hygiene Program, headed by Linda and CHW Judith Mbache, is a living example of Maji Safi Group’s dedication to the girls and women of the Shirati community. Their knowledge of the unique challenges facing girls in their community and their larger goal of improving public health guide their weekly meetings. Linda and Judith are two women who are clearly concerned with the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the girls they work with, and their program is a wonderful match for the Vocal Empowerment program.

Linda (left), Freddy (back) and Lilian (front) at Rorya FM doing a skit for listeners.

This was demonstrated when we were in Shirati with a radio show that Linda, Judith, Freddy and Lilian presented to the community, telling the story of a young girl struggling with menstrual hygiene. They were able to engage various call-in listeners in a conversation around menstrual health – all to ensure that girls are informed and able to reach their goals without menstruation as a barrier.

 

It was the fourth element that Beth and I were not sure of until we arrived in Shirati. Joy and play are intangible things in many ways. It is hard to quantify the amount of happiness, laughter, and energy employees bring to their work. Organizations do not often give data reports on the playfulness of their staff. This last element was something we would need to chance by trusting that Bruce’s assurances that the CHWs were true.

To our relief, surprise, and glee, Maji Safi Group not only runs with a sense of joy and play, but in my opinion, they could not succeed without it. From our first meeting with the Community Health Workers where they sang the songs they have created about various public health issues, it was clear that this intangible element was abundant in their incredible group of vibrant, excited, and eager individuals. We spent the next five days, from 8:30-4:30, learning just how much fun it was to work with Maji Safi Group.

Each day, we trained the Community Health Workers in the various theatre games and exercises that make up the Vocal Empowerment program. From the outside, these games may appear childish or silly, but each of them is selected and intended to open new spaces inside of individuals and groups in a way that being “well-behaved adults” never could. Luckily, the Community Health Workers saw the intention behind the games and understood their importance immediately. They gave 100% of their energy to anything that we threw at them, from keeping three balls thrown in a pattern around a group to running a slow speed race. Throughout the course of the week, the games and exercises became more public and gained higher exposure. This mimicked the same model we use in the Vocal Empowerment program. I like to think of it as slowly practiced embarrassment. The more comfortable you are with being silly or doing something surprising (to yourself and others), the better able you are to do serious things that surprise, that alter, that change the normal patterns of behavior. Maji Safi Group’s work is about changing the status quo, about altering the standard actions of a community to collectively improve health. And while they may not seem connected, the more comfortable you are getting outside of your comfort zone through a game, the more prepared you are to introduce a new concept to those around you.

The Community Health Workers’ expertise in “mastering embarrassment” was demonstrated when we journeyed to the main road in Shirati to do our daily vocal exercises. These are, by any measure, outside of normal street behavior. They involve various vocal and physical warm-ups that performers and those in vocal therapy use to better prepare their voices for speaking. In the Vocal Empowerment program, they serve the ongoing purpose of helping young women prepare their physical voices to advocate for themselves and their communities. When done in a public setting, as we did by the road, they also involve that element of exposure that ensures stepping out of your comfort zone. The group of Community Health Workers, while nervous, gave the exercises their all. They were able to handle the perplexed looks of community members and the gawking of small children. In the end, they even had fun!

By the end of the week when we were ready for a public sharing of short “dilemma scenes” they had created, it was clear that the CHWs were masters of public engagement, conquering embarrassment, and keeping the energy high. They performed four scenes as well as several public statements and songs we had rehearsed. No one showed any nerves or anxiety. They were eager, calm, and focused as they shared their work with the community. Beth and I were now 100% certain that we had found a perfect partner for the Vocal Empowerment program. In fact, the final moment of the show demonstrated that we had more to learn about joy from Maji Safi Group than we could ever have imagined.

Community Health Worker Jared Ongati teaching students hand washing at a public school

After ending the rehearsed show, Jared Ongati gathered the entire audience into a circle. He asked everyone in attendance, from the children who had been lying in the grass to the older community members who had been resting in the shade, to join the Community Health Workers in one of the vocal exercises: the wave. In this exercise, one by one individuals go from touching their toes to bringing their arms into the air while traveling from the bottom to the top of their vocal range. Once the first person has hit the top, the next person can begin. Altogether, the result is a wave of sound and motion that moves around the circle. As Beth and I waited for our turn, we knew that Maji Safi Group thrives on infusing even the most somber of topics with joy, life, and energy. Their work will continue to touch the hearts of the community and make a widespread impact on the health and well-being of Shirati. I believe it is so because they are able to approach every challenge with wide smiles, laughter, and love.

A member of the Maji Safi Group Singing and Dance Group who will receive vocal empowerment training during MSG’s programs.

 

 

Another Successful Maji Safi Read-a-thon

“Parents approach me to tell me the Maji Safi Read-a-thon is a deeply meaningful way to talk with their child about giving back. I can feel the excitement of our students as they read to make a difference in our world.”

-Sarah Oswick, Principal

Some people hate Mondays; I loved Monday, May 23. Some people would consider visiting
17 classrooms in one day a chore; for me, the hours between 8:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. flew right by. The applause from their classmates and the smiles, the pride, and the sense of accomplishment that exuded from this year’s Maji Safi Read-a-thon participants gave those hours wings.

For the fourth year in a row, elementary students at Whittier International School in Boulder, CO, participated in this win-win project where children improve their reading skills, gain a sense of social responsibility, help others through personal effort, and raise money for Maji Safi Group’s work in the remote and impoverished area of Shirati, Tanzania.

The legendary John LeClair

 

Backed by the Wildcat Student Council, the 2016 Maji Safi Read-a-thon got under way in January. In cooperation with Maji Safi Group and led by former Whittier teacher John LeClair, council members worked hard to promote the project with posters, classroom visits, and school-wide announcements. Their dedication payed off. Children turned page after page, families found personal sponsors, and Maji Safi Group once again relied on our much appreciated group sponsors to honor every book read, so students without personal sponsors could contribute as well.

 

Three months later, the children had accomplished these amazing results:

Participants: 65
Books read: 850
Most books read by individual students: 68
Most pages read by individual students: 9,664
Number of personal sponsors: 77
Number of group sponsors: 18
Money donated by personal sponsors: $3,600
Money donated by group sponsors: $1,075
Money donated by matching sponsor: $3,600
Grand total: $8,275

In every classroom, John LeClair and I (Erna Maj) spoke about the Wildcat Student Council’s commitment to service projects and honored each Read-a-thon participant with a certificate and a coupon for a free ice cream cone from Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop or Lindsay’s Boulder Deli, our loyal community partners in Boulder. This year, the certificates held a special surprise – through coloring, they connected children across cultures and the Atlantic Ocean. A child in Shirati had colored the left side of a picture drawn by Maji Safi Group’s artist, Jackie Lucas, leaving the right side for his or her Whittier friend to color.

It is this connection that over the past four years has become a treasured part of the school year at Whittier. Our ‘Young Global Citizens’ know that due to their efforts, children in Maji Safi Group’s After School Program can learn about personal hygiene and disease prevention through coloring, singing, dancing, doing puzzles, and playing games. The Whittier students know that even kids their age can save lives on the other side of the globe!

“We’ve really enjoyed participating in this program which has turned our reluctant reader into a motivated, independent reader.”

Deb C.
Whittier parent

Thank You for Making a Difference!

A huge thank you to everybody who participated in and supported the 2016 Maji Safi Read-a-thon: students, parents, sponsors, teachers, volunteers, etc. Thanks to your support, the children in the rural community of Shirati can continue to improve their public health situation and learn about disease prevention, so they can stay healthy and reach their full academic potential!

After School Program

Community Health Worker Consolata Ladis giving out awards to the top WASH performers.

In the After School Program, Maji Safi Group’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) teach students how to prevent waterborne diseases, so they can stay healthy and succeed in school.

 

Since July 2012, 6000+ students from 10 schools have attended, and in 2015, the District Education Office approved Maji Safi Group to teach water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) education in all 125 primary schools in the Rorya District. Now, more kids than ever will receive the benefits of this education.

Lessons

CHWs teach in a fun and nurturing environment. Art, games, puzzles, and other activities encourage students to develop their creative and cognitive skills. This way, the things the children need to learn become things they want to learn.

Over the academic year, students learn about

• sanitation,
• personal hygiene practices,
• waterborne and water-related diseases,
• water treatment,
• the fecal-oral disease cycle,
• bilharzia, and
• the benefits of preventing diseases.

 

To enable proper WASH techniques, Maji Safi Group provides schools with demonstration ceramic drinking water filters and handwashing stations. At the end of the program, our staff artist paints a WASH-related mural to serve as a reminder of lessons learned and as an inspiration to future students.

 

 

 

My Maji Safi Story Part II

Hey everyone, it is me, Sam, again! Sorry for ending my last post with such a cliffhanger! I am back now and ready to finish telling you how my experience with Maji Safi Group ended, and how my journey with Buffs for Maji Safi began!

For a quick refresher: I had just finished my Independent Study Project (ISP) prep week and celebrated Global Handwashing Day in Shirati where I laid the groundwork for my final project with SIT Tanzania. I then returned to Arusha where I developed my study design and finalized my survey.

 

After going back and forth with Max, Emily, and my SIT professors, we decided I would survey female students from seven schools (six primary, one secondary) as well as girls in the Female Hygiene Program (FHP) at their tri-weekly meetings and young women in the village who had presumably not been exposed to MSG’s FHP. I would also attend FHP events to gather what I called ‘metadata’. I would use these observations to help contextualize my study and better understand what it means to be a maturing girl or young woman in rural areas in northern Tanzania.

Upon my much anticipated return to Shirati, I could hardly wait to get the study going; however, formalities and logistics took precedence. I had to obtain permission from the headmasters of the schools I would be working in and visit the Shirati immigration office to get permission to work in Shirati.

Then, on a glorious, not-so-sunny Wednesday morning, the study commenced. Speaking in a colloquial manner, Bena floated through the survey questions with our first participant, a village girl who worked at a little duka (store) in the town center – with me waiting nervously in the corner. Admittedly, the first interview was not perfect, but with each new interview, things went a little more smoothly, and I started to understand more and more. That first day, we managed to complete eight interviews. It turned out that finding girls in the village who had the time to talk to us and fit our criteria (either over 18 or having had a baby) was hard. However, on days when we ventured out to one, two or all seven schools, we managed to talk to as many as 20 girls in two hours.

Female Hygiene Program participants perform a skit about menstrual hygiene management and preventing early pregnancy during an event for the Day of the African Child.

When probed to respond, some girls were clearly more comfortable than others. Some young, and often pre-menstrual, girls gave little more than a nod and uttered a couple of sentences under their breath, but many others, notably village women and MSG’s Female Hygiene Program participants, radiated confidence and were elated by the opportunity to share how much they knew.

By the end of the three weeks, 202 girls from 23 different schools and 21 different villages had completed the survey! Little did I know that the easier part was now behind me. The 25-question survey was awesome in that it provided us with tons of data, but the data now needed to be entered and analyzed. This task was easier for the “ndiyo” (yes) or “hapana” (no) questions. For the open-ended questions, assessing the responses proved to be much more difficult than anticipated. Perhaps the best example was the question, “Je, unajua maana ya ‘hedhi’?” (Do you know what ‘menstruation’ is?) If they answered yes, the girls were asked to explain what it was as well as why they thought women menstruate. Needless to say, these questions yielded a wide array of answers, which also warranted additional consideration to determine their most accurate translation.

Consequently, I am still working on expanding and refining my analysis of the data; however, I will provide you with some general demographics as well as some key findings and their interpretations from my preliminary analysis. The average participant age was 14.5 years, and the average education level they had achieved or were currently enrolled in was C6. In the US, this is roughly equivalent to 6^th grade. The average age at which participants began menstruating was 14.3 years, and 78.8% of them reported they did not know about menstruation until their first period. For those that did know about menstruation, the most common place they learned about it was at school. However, interviews with public school health teachers provided little to no explanation as to why a considerable number of participants lacked knowledge about menstruation as one teacher reported that female students begin learning about the topic when they enter C4.

Furthermore, although it may not be initially concerning, nor surprising, that girls reported ‘school’ as their primary source of information about menstruation, it should garner some alarm. Females face many unique challenges when it comes to attending, excelling in, and completing school. Obstacles include safety concerns while traveling to and from school and while at school; social stigmas that favor educating males; and the need for private and sanitary restrooms, so girls can maintain their menstrual hygiene while getting an education. Sadly, these obstacles have manifested themselves as barriers for girls living in Shirati where more than two thirds of female students fail their primary school exams and are therefore unable to continue pursuing an education. Additionally, this somber finding conceals the countless number of girls who drop out of school before they are even eligible to take the exam.

More private and sanitary toilets need to be built to enable girls to stay in secondary school after starting menstruation and reach their full potential.

The reality is that adolescent girls and young women’s needs are not being met. Too easily, girls are allowed, and even encouraged, to slip through the cracks in an antiquated (public) school system and a patriarchal society. However, during my time in Shirati, I was able to see how Maji Safi Group combats these tribulations. The organization acts as a much-needed safety net for the community’s females. MSG is able to provide them with educational opportunities and subsequently help restore their lost or negated potential.

Female Hygiene Program facilitator Judith Mbache (front) speaking at a female hygiene event with fellow facilitator Linda Arot (back).

While there, I observed a sense of purpose and a strong desire to teach and learn, exuded by MSG employees and program participants alike. One of my favorite examples occurred during my final interview with Mama Judith – truly a one of a kind FHP facilitator. When I asked if there was anything else she wanted me to know, she simply responded, “No!” and instead asked me (the student) for new information or articles that she could use to teach her FHP girls. Another fantastic instance was on a Saturday afternoon when the FHP girls came together to host a “Dining for Female Hygiene” event. The purpose of this affair was to allow the girls the opportunity to speak as topical experts and teach the guests of honor, i.e. their own mothers, about puberty, menstrual hygiene, and even teen pregnancy.

 

Female Hygiene Program participants and their female guardians at the “Dining for Female Hygiene” event that I attended.

During my brief stay in Shirati, it became clear that not only has MSG developed a way to improve the lives of its female community members, it has also created an environment in which teachers are not afraid to be students, and students gain the confidence to become teachers and community leaders.

Although I feel the time for me to say goodbye to my new friends and Maji Safi family came all too quickly, I am so grateful for the experiences they facilitated and the opportunity I was given to become a member of their community. All I can say is asante sana (thank you very much) to all of my friends and family back in Tanzania. I could not have done it without you, so thank you for making it possible!

Since returning home, I have been fortunate enough to keep in contact and work with my Maji Safi Group family, as they have helped me and two other CU students, Alex Posen and Ryan Messinger, start a campus group called “Buffs for Maji Safi”. The three of us are working with Bruce Pelz to organize events on campus and work with the Boulder community to increase awareness and support for Maji Safi Group’s work in Shirati. We are also excited to help host Dr. Chirangi, MSG’s Senior Mentor and Medical Superintendent at the Shirati KMT District Hospital, at this week’s Conference on World Affairs (April 4-8) at the University of Colorado.

Dr. Bwire Chirangi at the Shirati KMT Hospital.

If you live in the Boulder area and find yourself free on Wednesday evening and want to learn more about MSG, please email info@majisafigroup.org for info about opportunities to meet Dr. Chirangi.  We hope to see you around, and for now, tutaonana baadaye (see you later)!

My Maji Safi Story Part I

 

Mambo from Merikani! My name is Samantha Nelson, and I studied abroad in East Africa during the fall of 2015. Coincidentally, I spent most of my time in northern Tanzania with World Learning SIT, the same program Maji Safi Group co-founders Bruce Pelz and Max Perel-Slater studied with in 2009. Believe it or not, I have also returned to Bruce’s hometown of Boulder, CO, where I plan to graduate in the spring from his alma mater, University of Colorado. Oh, and did I mention we have the same major? Let us rewind a little bit, so I can tell you how and why I started working with Maji Safi Group (MSG) in the first place.

SIT student Samantha Nelson with a Female Hygiene Program participant.

As a double major in the natural sciences, I thought studying abroad in Tanzania would provide me with the quintessential experience and subsequent skill set I needed to develop my very own natural science study. This opportunity would manifest itself through the Independent Study Project (ISP) that serves as the pinnacle field study section of SIT’s programs. The ISP gives students an entire month to conduct independent research in an international setting. During this time, I envisioned myself romping around the rainforest, posted up on the coast of the Indian Ocean researching coral reef ecology, species conservation, or something of the like. But here comes the plot twist – I didn’t want my ISP to be yet another nicely bound packet of paper that sits on the shelves of the SIT office in Arusha with no real application other than as a reference point for other SIT students. Upon further contemplation and a little self-reflection, I realized that I wanted to use my ISP as a chance to provide a service that would directly benefit Tanzanians based on their needs and wants.

So, almost surely, you now all understand the logical sequence of events that followed and culminated with me studying the menstrual health and personal hygiene practices of girls ages 12-25, right?

Oh, not quite yet? Labda (maybe) I am still missing some important details. I told my program director, Baba Jack, how I felt, and he asked what I would be interested in studying. I responded with ‘water-related issues’, and he said, “I have the perfect guy for you.”

 

Once in contact with Max Perel-Slater, MSG’s co-founder and Tanzania Executive Director, we went back and forth for a couple weeks, contemplating ISP topic ideas that would amalgamate the needs of the organization with my own interests and niche experience. While doing so, Max briefly mentioned MSG’s Female Hygiene Program (FHP), and the ‘budding feminist’ within me instantly perked up. Intrigued, I asked what work I could do to help this program, and he explained how the group had been meaning to collect some data that would help the organization update and expand the FHP. “Hey, I could totally do that!” I thought, and we decided to get the ball rolling.

Maji Safi Group’s Female Hygiene Program participants before a performance.

To do so, Max put me in contact with MSG’s dynamic and upbeat Tanzania Director of Operations, Emily Bull – who, funny story, is yet another SIT Study abroad alumnae. With the help of Ms. Bull, I developed a survey for adolescent girls and young women in the District of Shirati, a rapidly growing area on the shores of Lake Victoria. The survey targeted girls in both primary and secondary schools, in the FHP, and around the village. The purpose was to learn more about these females’ knowledge of and practices concerning personal and menstrual hygiene and to explore related social implications, such as school attendance and access to family planning resources.

Pictured left to right: Emily Bull, Bena Migenda and Samantha.

The groundwork for this project was laid during a weeklong period in October where I took Max’s advice to make the 12-hour trek to Shirati to check out the site and familiarize myself with MSG employees and members of the community. During this time, I finally met Max and Emily as well as MSG’s charismatic and devoted team of Community Health Workers (CHWs), whom I would be working closely with in the coming month. I also met Bena, my extremely overqualified and wonderfully charming translator, who became my study collaborator, travel buddy, and best friend in Shirati. Bena accompanied me on all of my outings, and we worked closely with FHP teachers Linda, Mama Judith, and Lillian. The five of us went to the FHP’s triweekly meetings at local primary schools and the MSG office in Shirati.

This ‘jump-right-in approach’, as opposed to slowly reintroducing myself to the world of pre-pubescent and adolescent girls, was one of the main motivators for the incorporation of many of my survey questions. During these meetings, I was able to hear first-hand what kind of questions the girls typically asked the FHP teachers and subsequently gauge what they wanted to know. These inquires included questions such as, “What if you don’t get your period?” and “Can you really not get pregnant a week after your period ends?” Other survey questions were developed by collaborating with the FHP teachers to see what kind of queries they felt would provide them with helpful data that could be used in the future – for example, “Do you feel comfortable at home and/or at school when you menstruate?”

 

The highlight of my first enthusing week in Shirati was helping out with MSG’s Global Handwashing Day festival on Oct. 15^th – a day relished across the globe for its ability to spread awareness about proper, yet often overlooked, basic hygienic practices. To celebrate this joyous day, MSG made appearances at village schools across Shirati. I accompanied one of the many teams of CHWs in the field that day to Obwere Primary School. Once we arrived, two hand washing stations were assembled; subsequently, a captivated audience of some 400 pupils and teachers watched Shalua, a delightful CHW, model the eight steps of hand washing. Students then had the opportunity to try the steps out for themselves, and they were encouraged to teach them to their family members at home. Following this informative morning, an after-party took place at the MSG office, complete with singing, face painting, and a dancing session that led to the infamous vumbi (dust) disco.

Samantha painting faces at MSG’s Global Handwashing Day party. MSG reached over 1,850 participants on Global Handwashing Day 2015!

Needless to say, the entire experience left me stoked to be returning to Shirati a couple of weeks later.

Right now, I need to get back to working on Buffs for Maji Safi, a campus group that two other CU students and I started last month. Please tune in next week to see how my return to Shirati went.

CASEY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS RAISE MONEY FOR ARBORLOO TOILETS

“I thought that the Maji Safi project was hard in some places, but it was extremely fun and rewarding to know that we are helping kids in Africa.” – Finn Leland – Casey Student

In Boulder, Colorado, we love our bluebird days, but they are not all we care about. In Lester Lurie’s leadership class at Casey Middle School, the students’ attention is on improvement projects – PIPs (Personal Improvement Projects), CIPS (Casey Improvement Projects, BIPS (Boulder Improvement Projects) and GIPS (Global Improvement Projects). In this semester-long class, that meets five days a week, the students learn about leadership and making the world a better place. If they choose to do a GIP, they have the opportunity to work with Maji Safi Group as part of our ‘Young Global Citizen’ program. Under our tutelage, the students learn about social responsibility, spreading awareness of global issues, and Maji Safi Group’s work in rural Tanzania.

During the fall semester, we had the pleasure of working with six enthusiastic sixth graders. Following a presentation about Maji Safi Group’s work model and the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues we address in the remote and impoverished area of Shirati, the students chose to focus on sanitation. In Shirati, many people still practice open defecation, as they do not have adequate latrines. Having to resort to this practice takes away people’s dignity and severely jeopardizes public health.

“Maji Safi was so much fun! It gave us a chance to work with new people and our community. It felt very good raising money and helping out people in Tanzania. It was so much fun!” – Zoey Zimmerman – Casey Student

As our enthusiastic sixth graders researched sanitation issues, they learned about arborloo toilets and decided to raise money for Maji Safi Group to carry out an arborloo pilot project in Shirati.

Arborloo Video Link

An Arborloo Toilet is a simple and ecological type of composting toilet, consisting of a ring beam to protect the pit, a pit, a small concrete slab (i.e. 4’x4’) and a structure for providing privacy. The owner digs a pit 3-5 feet deep and covers it with the concrete slab and the privacy structure. When the pit is full, the privacy structure and slab are moved to a new pit, and a fruit tree is planted in the now very fertile soil of the old one. By using the nutrient-rich soil of a retired pit, the arborloo toilet in effect treats feces as a resource rather than a waste product, addresses sanitation needs, and provides increased crop output. It is a win-win situation!

Our sixth graders approached their fundraising efforts in two ways:

1. They made beautifully colored and scented soap and sold it to friends, families, and neighbors.
2. They ran a crowdfunding campaign on the popular site GoFundMe.

 

 Casey leadership students wrapping soap to sell to friends and family in the Boulder area.

At the end of the semester, our Casey GIP students had raised an impressive $800 – enough to help two schools in Shirati gain dignity and safe sanitation! With participatory input from our Community Health Workers, Maji Safi Group’s in-country staff is excited to develop and pilot an arborloo project in 2016.

Thumbs up for our young global citizens in Boulder!

“I loved how we were able to help a place and a cause so far away, but we got to do it in our own community.” – Grace Vega –  Casey Student

#GivingTuesday 2015- the #UNSelfie Movement

Happy #GivingTuesday! Today is the fourth annual global giving event to counteract Black Friday and Cyber Monday. #GivingTuesday challenges individuals and communities to make the world a better place through generosity. Last year, over 45 million dollars were donated on #GivingTuesday! The simple act of giving not only helps others, but also nourishes a generous community spirit.

Community Health Worker Judith Mbache taking a female student to collect urine and stool samples for the laboratory.

This year, Maji Safi Group is raising money for our 2016 Health Screening Program that will test participants for four common waterborne and water-related diseases. For only $3.30 per person, you can give Maji Safi Group’s participants the #GiftofHealth this holiday season! Health is our greatest wealth, and by preventing disease, people are better able to reach their full potential and improve their communities.

Join the #UNselfie global community and donate to Maji Safi Group today for #GivingTuesday! Click the donate button to contribute via PayPal from our website!

 

Celebrating Global Handwashing Day Maji Safi Group Style

Global Handwashing Day comes around every year on October 15 to raise awareness of hand washing as a key approach to disease prevention; I have had the pleasure of celebrating it with Maji Safi Group (MSG) since 2013.

Emily being welcomed to Maji Safi Group by the Community Health Workers in 2013.

I joined Maji Safi Group as a practicum student in January of 2013 during my final semester of graduate school at Washington University. At that time, MSG had only been an organization for six months, but it was already filled with a sense of excitement, potential for growth, and the desire to facilitate community change. While I was a newcomer to Shirati and Tanzania, I had experience studying and working in Madagascar and Kenya. These experiences got me interested in sustainable and participatory community development in East Africa. During my semester with MSG, I worked alongside an amazing team of intelligent and creative go-getters who have an incredible passion for public health, WASH, sustainable community development, and women’s empowerment. Creating a healthy community is always at the center of everything MSG does – from program planning to program development, from implementation to evaluation.

A sign made for Global Handwashing Day 2013 in Shirati

When I returned to St. Louis, I worked on developing MSG’s US operations, and one of my first tasks was to celebrate Global Handwashing Day (GHD) 2013. We successfully collaborated with 10 international partners in spreading awareness of the importance of hand washing to prevent waterborne and water-related diseases. We partnered with amazing organizations like the Nepal Children’s Art Museum in Kathmandu who painted large hand washing murals.

A child getting a lesson on how to properly wash his hands.

Community Health Worker Lilian Kayuni teaching the Bilharzia cycle to children at the office.

This year, Global Handwashing Day was even more exciting for me as I, for the first time in my new role as the Tanzania Director of Operations, was able to help plan, carry out, and see the Shirati celebration in person. The celebration made it evident that over the past three years, MSG has grown into an organization that the Shirati community trusts and respects. Every day, the MSG Community Health Workers work tirelessly to teach their community about disease prevention through proper WASH methods, and it has been absolutely amazing to see the impact MSG has had in the Shirati community since my time as a practicum student. Children are singing songs about washing hands and stopping open defecation; adults are buying and using ceramic water filters and building toilets; the local government requested MSG’s assistance during a cholera outbreak; community members have received health screenings with treatment and prevention lessons; and the children eagerly await Maji Safi Group’s annual Global Handwashing Day event.

MSG Community Health Workers teaching at a Primary School in Shirati.

The day started off with our Community Health Workers splitting up and going to three different primary schools. By using songs, demonstrations, and coloring sheets, they taught approximately 1,400 students ages 6-16 how to properly wash their hands. Each student was then able to practice hand washing, ask questions, and sing MSG songs. I joined the Community Health Workers at Tina’s Educational Center. The children were enthusiastically awaiting the Maji Safi Group car. Once we arrived, they gathered around the CHWs and listened to the hand washing lesson. Several of the students have participated in MSG’s After School Program for a couple of years and proudly answered the questions about hand washing. The most memorable part of the school visit was the children singing our Maji Safi Group songs. When the CHWs started singing about the importance of hand washing, the children instantly recognized the songs and dances and joined in while laughing and smiling.

Children coloring their hands at the MSG’s party at the office.

Meanwhile, our Community Art Coordinator (CAC) had decorated the MSG office for the afternoon celebration. Children from all over the Shirati community came to the office to learn about and practice hand washing, get their faces painted, play cards, and color disease prevention handouts. Students from our Female Hygiene Program and Singing and Dance Group performed original songs and dances about the eight steps of hand washing and how using soap and hot water prevents diseases. The Community Health Workers suggested that I work at the face painting station with the CAC. The line was long, but the interest level for learning and playing never dwindled. I enjoyed painting kids’ faces and seeing how happy they were when they were finished. They would proudly show their friends and then run out to the next fun and educational activity.

Community Health Worker Lilian Kayuni handing out banannas to the children after they washed their hands.

The day was a huge success and ended with a dance party as well as all the children washing their hands and enjoying a banana. I decided to join the mob of children and dance alongside them. They taught me how to do the kiduku (a local dance). Although, I must say that they danced much better than I, fun was had by all. By the end of the day, Maji Safi Group had reached over 1,850 Shirati community members.

Emily learning how to dance the “kiduku” with Shirati children during Global Handwashing Day 2015.

For me, this year’s Global Handwashing Day in Shirati, Tanzania, was a great illustration of the important work Maji Safi Group does every day: fighting waterborne and water-related diseases with proper WASH methods and encouraging community members to be public health change makers. It is inspiring to watch Maji Safi Group gain momentum and Shirati get one step closer to being a healthy community every day.

One Year with Maji Safi Group

Tanzanian Experiences

Susan carrying water on her head

It is hard to believe that I have already lived in Shirati and worked for Maji Safi Group as their Administrative Advisor for one year. It feels like I have been here for a long, long time, but also as if I just arrived – a strange feeling. The other day, I was watching a video that development worker Christoph Stulz from INTERTEAM recorded when I first arrived at the office. Someone had written on the whiteboard “Welcome home”.  Now, Maji Safi Group in Shirati, Tanzania, really is home.

Busy days working in rural Tanzania

Sometimes, I still struggle with the language; however, I am able to handle daily business and support my co-workers in Swahili. After a few special projects, like our cholera intervention campaign and Maji Safi Group’s first health screenings, we are currently running our programs as planned.

During these special projects, I had the chance to support our Community Health Workers in their daily business, and I learned a lot about disease prevention and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) from them. I am deeply impressed with Maji Safi Group’s Community Health Workers, who are not only experts in WASH knowledge, but also know a variety of teaching methods and continue to improve. All of them are able to teach the lessons to many different audiences – families, large groups of students, or government officials. They are patient and able to motivate their audiences to take part in the lessons. At the office in Shirati, we work together in a friendly, cooperative atmosphere with great motivation.

Susan registering Health Screening participants

Since Hellen Mitwa started as our Program Manager in July, I have been able to focus more on organizational tasks, which has all along been the intended purpose of my stay with MSG. However, even though there were many different, unplanned tasks on my list during this first year, we have made improvements to the organization: Program Coordinators are now able to make budgets for their programs and write proper requests for money, and the Community Health Workers have a basic knowledge of planning and budgeting events and know our accounting system.

Susan working with the Community Health Workers on planning events

We, the management team, established and implemented a new accounting system with new accounting software that is set up, so it will pass Tanzanian auditing. I have had to learn a lot about accounting myself, as the “Tanzanian way” of bookkeeping is completely different from everything I knew back in Switzerland. The system is completely paper-based, and every single transaction needs several forms with two to three signatures on it.

 

Currently, I am supporting Helen Mitwa in her new role as Program Manager while she learns her daily business. Additionally, I am helping the MSG management with its recent transition to having Emily Bull instead of Bruce Pelz as the Director of Operations. In a very short time, Emily has found her place in the team and taken over the tasks of the Director of Operations, and it is astounding how quickly she is learning Swahili. For sure, we really miss Bruce here in Shirati, but we are very happy to have Emily in Tanzania while Bruce is able to do great work for the organization in the US.

During this transition period, I have started to focus on two important work tasks, which I started last year: an HR (Human Resources) handbook for all employees of MSG and an organizational manual for the company. These documents will make it easier to organize our daily work. Additionally, we will continue to teach our staff about various items like how to write grant proposals, how to use the monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems, and how to make budget requests.

Susan working with Health Screening participants

One of my favorite tasks is taking pictures of MSG’s activities: events, daily business, team events, etc. Because Christoph Stulz, INTERTEAM photographer and videographer, is not always available, we use these photos for social media and documentation purposes. That is also the reason why you usually do not see me in MSG photos.

Challenges

Working, as well as living, in rural Tanzania requires a special talent I quickly had to bring to my professional work: improvisation. Unforeseen circumstances are simply part of life here. There were times when stakeholders did not show up to meetings or events, because the car or bus they had planned to travel with was not available. Sometimes, there was no electricity for a long time, so we could not charge the phones we needed for the hotline at the office. There were other times where there was no water delivered to the office because of illness, or I needed to fix something, but the parts were not available. Being patient can be a big challenge for me. However, now I am much more creative in finding solutions than I was in Switzerland, and I usually have a plan B in mind before I even start with plan A.

Susan working during World Water Week

Another challenge is creating weekly work schedules despite absences. Not only the citizens of Shirati, but also our Community Health Workers suffer from several diseases due to the environment, and there are absences because of sick children at home or funerals of close relatives. In other words, as we are working for and with vulnerable groups, we have to deal with a lot of their personal challenges in our daily work. It is most impressive how the Maji Safi Group team transcends these challenges and creates such a welcoming, friendly, and motivated atmosphere at work.

Being a member of the community

Susan cooking for a funeral

Besides the good spirit we have within Maji Safi Group while we do our work, I have already had many chances to spend time with my co-workers at parties or team events. We always have a great time, and I am glad that the women taught me how to dance, because sometimes I am invited to weddings or family parties with friends in my spare time. During the first year of my stay, I attended three funerals in my landlady’s family. I worked with the other women to prepare and serve food for 400-500 guests. The funerals took place on farms, so we were preparing and cooking food outside on open fires. Did you know that the meat of a cow is extremely tender if you eat it about one hour after slaughtering the animal?

My social life is also filled with work, as I also sit together with the women from the neighborhood if there are huge piles of manioc to peel. These are the times for chitchatting, laughing, and learning. I get deeply into the village life. As you can see, even if I spend a lot of time working for Maji Safi Group, there is still time to make friends and meet people from Shirati. In general, the people I meet are very friendly and interested in getting to know me and have a lot of questions about living in Europe. In return, they seem never to get tired of all my questions about the Luo culture of the region. We laugh together when our points of view are extremely different, and many are open to learning from each other.

Susan with her Shirati family

I guess Shirati has already changed me. You learn so quickly how to deal with all the problems and sad things that happen from time to time. Many people die young and from diseases that no longer exist in Europe or America. Friends and co-workers get really sick and suffer while recovering. People are really struggling to have a good life, but we sit together, share what we have, tell stories, and enjoy each other’s company. I am happy and thankful to have the chance to be here, and I am looking forward to having all the experiences awaiting me become memories for a lifetime. What do I miss? Sometimes my friends I have left behind, for sure. And some food I cannot get here. That’s it – kweli!

Susan Waltisberg

Shirati’s Got Talent

Maji Safi Group’s first ever Shirati’s Got Talent!

The Maji Safi Group (MSG) team came up with the idea of “Shirati Wanavipaji” (“Shirati’s Got Talent”) as a community empowerment tool to draw attention to public health and disease prevention issues, while simultaneously bringing out pride in the immense talents the Shirati community has! After discussing the feasibility of the idea for over a year, MSG started the competition with a bang on February 7. Auditions drew more than 35 individuals and groups, including some of the more prominent singers and dance groups in Shirati. Hundreds of children were at the office that day trying to get a sneak peak of who would be the lucky 10 chosen to advance. To try out, all you had to do was receive four different Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) lessons from the MSG Community Health Workers (CHWs). This method gave us participants as young as seven and as old as 35.

Community member auditioning for Shirati’s Got Talent

Judges choosing semi-finalists

Community member auditioning for Shirati’s Got Talent

After the judges had selected the 10 semifinalists, it was time for MSG to start preparing for our Valentine’s Day semifinal event – buy decorations, organize the songs each competitor was going to use, borrow a generator from a hospital guard, send someone to cut wooden poles for the stage area, check the sound system, etc. Additionally, our CHWs were busy finishing preparations with participants from our Female Hygiene Program and our Singing and Dance Group for their performances. When Valentine’s Day came around, we were excited to invite the community to check out this new and one-of-a-kind event in the Rorya District.

The Semi-Finals

Maji Safi Group’s Singing and Dance group preforming at the Semi-Finals

Maji Safi Group’s Female Hygiene Group at the Shirati’s Got Talent event

All competitors were on time and charged for the semifinals, and they did not disappoint in front of a crowd of more than seven hundred people. The show had an electric vibe with more and more community members continually trickling in throughout the show. In addition to their artistic performances, all participants had to give answers to questions about WASH, which the judges also factored in. The highlight of the show was an original song written by 12-year-old MSG Female Hygiene Program participant Joyce Thomas about the importance of staying in school. The song brought support and cheers from numerous women in the community! The judges, Susan Waltisberg and Consolata Ladis from MSG, Paulo Masweta from the local radio station, and community favorite Fred Chacha, had some very difficult decisions to make, but they were able to select the five finalists who would be performing at the Shirati Market on Monday, February 16, 2015 – competing for 215,000 Tanzanian shillings ($135). After a Valentine’s Day community dance party with the competitors, the semifinals had everyone leaving the MSG office with smiles on their faces and collective community pride in their hearts.

Joyce Thomas performing during the final competition

The judges’ final decision

With the quick turn-around of only one day, the MSG team quickly shifted its focus to organizing the finals, which we anticipated would be our biggest event ever. The CHWs used the morning of the finals to promote the event by driving around Shirati with a public announcement system and by visiting market goers and teaching them about WASH and disease prevention. Meanwhile, the stage was being set, and the judges were arriving from the local radio and partner organizations for the inaugural finals starting at 4 p.m.

Community Health Worker, Diana Nguka, performing a Maji Safi Group original song

Once the finals started, over 1,200 community members came together to watch each finalist perform an individual and a Maji Safi Group-themed piece and answer two questions about WASH in front of a very enthusiastic crowd. The message of preventing disease and improving Shirati’s public health situation went hand in hand with celebrating local talents. With his stand out Maji Safi Group-themed performance, Double A brought the crowd to the point where community members were running onto the stage to give him tips. After much deliberation, the judges chose Double A as the proud winner of the first ever “Shirati Wanavipaji”!

This year’s Shirati’s Got Talent winner! Double- A!

Chocalate Classics performing during the final competition

Celebrating after the final show

The final show reached over 1,200 community members

Winner, Double A being interviewed by Rorya FM about the competition

MSG’s staff, Shirati’s talents and supporters from PSI

“Shirati Wanavipaji” was a huge success for MSG. We were thrilled to have such great support from the community and to see that the MSG team’s innovative idea worked. Maji Safi Group is proud to be the only organization in the Rorya District that puts on events that provide a stage for local talent to bring awareness to public health issues! We look forward to making “Shirati Wanavipaji” an annual celebration of community talent that helps build momentum around MSG’s mission of preventing disease and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

A Practical Health Screening Experience

Hello! Dorothy and Michelle here!

MSG’s two summer practicum students from Washington University in St. Louis, Michelle Dunajcik (left) and Dorothy Ochieng (right).

Dorothy recently updated you on the health screenings that MSG has been working to implement over these past couple of months. Since the last update, we have hit the ground running and have tested and treated over 2,800 participants so far from MSG’s Home Visit, Singing and Dance, Female Hygiene, and After School Programs and new community members! This week we will wrap up the health screenings with our last school where we hope to see approximately 350 more people.

CHW Jacob explaining the Health Screening process to participants.

Health Screening participants walking to be screened.

On our first day of health screenings we decided to trial run the program with our own Community Health Workers and their families. On that day, we saw 96 people in just over seven hours. Last Thursday, we screened 330 people in the same amount of time…you could say we’ve gotten pretty good at this!

CHW Winner registering a participant to be screened.

 

A typical day for our health screenings starts before the break of dawn when we start moving equipment and medicine needed for the screenings, as well as transporting over 30 staff members who conduct the screenings. After all 9 stations are set up and ready, participants start the process at the registration table where one of our Community Health Workers registers the participant and any of their dependents. It is at this station ID numbers are assigned and urine and stool specimen containers are distributed. These containers are a centrifuge tube and matchbox, respectively. After registration, each participant is weighed and measured and may receive a Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test. At this time, Maji Safi Group is not screening everyone for malaria due to a lack of funding, but instead is gathering baseline data on infection rates in the surrounding communities using a random sample from our participants. In the coming years, MSG hopes to work with the government and find partners to support the screening and treatment of all our participants for malaria.

Some children just don’t like being weighed!

Participant gets blood drawn for a Malaria Rapid Test.

CHW Mereciana explains how to give urine and stool samples for the lab.

Next, the participants go to the bathroom to produce their urine and stool samples, which are examined by the lab technicians. All lab technicians, nurses, and clinicians that work with MSG are government employed and have come from the surrounding hospitals and clinics.

People waiting to give their samples outside the MSG toilet.

Lab technician Ernest evaluates a specimen for intestinal worms, Bilharzia, amoebas and Urinary Track Infections.

While the program participants wait outside, the lab technicians are hard at work analyzing every sample that comes in using a centrifuge and microscope. Lab attendants ensure that samples are not mixed up and that results are recorded properly. The participants are then called up to the clinician station, told their test results, and if sick, receive a prescription to be filled at the nursing station nearby. The nurses meet with each participant, pack the medication, and hand out medicine and a disease information sheet for the participant to take home. These sheets are full of helpful information that teach the participant about their treatment, as well as how to prevent getting each disease again.

Nurses from the KMT District Hospital hand out medicines to participants.

A participant enjoying his uji (porridge) in solitude.

Any participant diagnosed with Schistosomiasis (or Bilharzia) receives treatment on site after drinking a cup of uji (porridge), which is given to help reduce the side effects of the medication. Similarly, all children under five receive intestinal worm medication on site in syrup form.

CHW Jacob gives a participant worm medication.

When planning for this program, we talked with several doctors on MSG’s Board of Directors that recommended we treat everyone for intestinal worms regardless of whether they test negative or positive, since it is a widely accepted as being an effective intervention. Therefore, anyone under five takes the aforementioned syrup, while those who are six years and older get tablets to take at home. Finally, after receiving their medication and drinking uji (porridge), the participants are free to return home and begin their treatment.

Michelle and Dorothy taking GPS points at one of the schools.

Each health screening day is very full and exhausting, but is also so fun and a very rewarding educational experience for both of us. From planning all the way to implementation, we have been able to get firsthand experience of what it takes to create a successful participatory program that intersects both the public health and social work fields. While neither of us will be in Shirati for the completion of the program, we hope to be able to continue our work with MSG back in America by helping with the evaluation process. We have already collected GPS coordinates of the surrounding villages where MSG’s program participants live. These coordinates will be used in conjunction with the health screening data to help MSG understand disease prevalence rates by location and will impact how MSG tailors their WASH education in the future.

Community Art Coordinator Jacky shares a laugh with a participant.

With only a few days left in Shirati, we have been able to reflect on our time here these past 10 weeks. We are so thankful for all of the experiences we have had and memories that we have made while here. Leaving will be very bittersweet for us. We are sad to leave our new friends here, but are looking forward to the next chapter in our school careers. Shirati, you will see us again very soon (hopefully)!