Tanzania: The TATU Project

 

As I write this, our trip to Tanzania is sadly nearing a close. Since finishing our visits to the communities being served by Globalbike, we enjoyed a magical couple days of camping and safari among the animals in Tarangire National Park, followed by some time with friends in Dar Es Salaam and a week on the gorgeous island of Zanzibar. I'll try to share more about those later, but first I wanted to revisit a few more observations and themes from our Globalbike Connect trip.

The first was to say more about the TATU Project, with whom Globalbike partnered in Msitu wa Tembo, and whose work was quite impressive.

During introductions with the women of Kazi na Sala, we met Godwin, TATU's village officer in Msitu wa Tembo. He was immediately striking as both warm and affable, as well as confident and proud as he explained how TATU has partnered with the village over the last decade to identify and address its greatest needs.

Godwin (standing), introducing himself as we met with Kazi na Sala.

Tatu is the Swahili word for "three", and stands for the three principles that they implement in any project:

• Empowerment: A belief that people have the power to grow and can help themselves when they have access to the tools and skills they need.
• Education: Knowledge shared with others is power - and can flow in any direction.
• Environment: The surroundings a person lives in (physical and social) greatly affects their opportunities and way of life. Creating a positive and healthy environment enables people to thrive.

Hearing this was a bit like catnip to me. (Well, proverbially speaking, since I'm not a cat and haven't ever gone gaga for the stuff - that I can recall anyway.) :-p Most any organization is going to have some lofty principles, and development/human service ones would likely all say they agree with these. But I have to say, talking with Godwin and the women in the village, one got the sense that these were not just platitudes or ideals, but actual practice.

I am unabashedly a person of purpose and principle. It's what drives and guides me and I try to be deliberate in both what I subscribe to and practice each day. As part of my morning routine, I read back over (and occasionally refine) what I have identified as my personal purpose and principles in life. I won't recite it all here, but it starts:

"My purpose is to promote healthier living for myself, my family, my community and my world."

My mission to promote health spans a variety of domains, including: physical, mental, relational, environmental, and financial. Why? Because deep down, I want things to work better. It's that basic. When you have a healthy body, you're able to do and enjoy more of what life can offer. When you have a healthy mind and relationships, you build up yourself and others, and resolve so many of the issues that plague society. When your physical and social environment is healthy and supportive, greater abundance can follow. And when you steward your resources effectively and are able to increase them, it enables you to do that which is of most value and worth to you in life - whatever that may be.

Drawing from "The Focusing Question" in The ONE Thing ("What is the one thing I can do, such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?"), I've concluded that when you experience a higher level of health, everything else in life becomes easier or unnecessary. Of course, "promoting healthier living" is still rather broad, but it's my one thing in life. After all, I've got one life to live on this earth - and so does everyone else - so why not try to work together and live it the best way we can?

Residents of Msitu wa Tembo, along with TATU's Godwin and Globalbike's Tuja Wily, at the table where they displayed traditional Maasai beaded jewelry that they make and sell.

A similar ethos is what seems to drive TATU as well. Their focus is hyper-local: the community of Msitu wa Tembo (which was administratively split into two villages several years ago by Tanzanian officials, so also includes Londoto), but it's an approach and framework that could be applicable anywhere. As kids, many of us dream of "changing the world", but as we grow we discover that change happens in specific places and specific ways. "The world" is always experienced locally. Sometimes change comes on a societal level through laws and policy (part of why I believe in the value and necessity of good government), but change is also fundamentally in the personal experiences that each of us has and the decisions that we make each day. I have the greatest influence on myself and on my family. I have some influence - albeit much less - on my community. And in some small way, or in specific areas, I can have positive impacts in parts of the greater world.

The retail shop run by Kazi na Sala to provide access to more goods locally and provide income to women.

So how does this play out in Msitu wa Tembo?

Following a baseline survey TATU conducted via conversations with the community from 2014-16, the following five primary areas of need were identified:

• Water
• Health
• Empowerment
• Marginalization
• Environment

Projects were then developed to help address the particular needs in each of these areas (which could also be cross-cutting).

Godwin shaking hands, and Niels Marcel climbing up the van, as he was wont to do.

Tatu provides training for life skills, such as numeracy and literacy, which enabled Kazi na Sala to set up and run a retail shop in town.

As I discussed at greater length previously, they partnered with Globalbike to build and operate the bike rental shop, which has help alleviate transportation challenges as bikes have become a major form of transportation in the village.

They have worked to increase access to water that is both clean and safe. At the start, 13% of residents had access to water that was considered both clean and safe. Now, nearly all residents have access to clean water and 63% can access water that is considered "safe" as well. What's the difference between "clean" and "safe" you may ask? Again, this is a hyperlocal issue. The local water has naturally high levels of fluoride. Of course, in the US, we often add fluoride to water to support dental health. But as my high school biology teacher, Ms. Johnson, taught us, "Just because a little of something is good, it doesn't mean that more is better." Exposure to high levels of fluoride can cause not just tooth discoloration (which we observed), but also a range of other musculoskeletal problems as well. It's not just particles, bacteria or pollution that can make water unsafe to drink - at least in the long term - and it's this type of partnership that can do more than just drilling a well.

 

"Can I ride on the outside of the van?" Sorry, buddy. Also pictured: our driver, Dennis!

Other TATU initiatives include:

• building hand-washing stations at schools and training students on hand hygiene.
• providing sports facilities and healthy games for kids at schools.
• running environmental clubs for kids to learn more about protecting their local environment. This included establishing a tree nursery to cultivate seedlings which are planted around the community to increase tree cover.
• arranging for a medical caravan with doctors and medicine to visit town four times per year to increase access to free care 

A giant baobab tree. These things are truly massive!

Another TATU project that has grown a life of its own is Kilipads. Similar to Afripads, they manufacture affordable, reusable sanitary pads which are sold locally as well as donated to young women in schools who can't afford them. We toured their workshop to learn more about how the process works. 

Inside the multi-purpose room, we met Mariam, the chairwoman of Kilipad, who told us more about their mission and work. In addition to manufacturing pads, they conduct workshops and presentations in the community to increase knowledge about menstrual health as well as familiarity with the product. This can be a stigmatized area of health, so talking about it and providing more sanitary alternatives to traditional methods of period management is empowering for women and girls.

Godwin, welcoming us to Kilipad. 

It can also have a significant impact on girls' ability to stay in school, as without sanitary pads, they may not attend classes on days when they have periods and be more likely to fall behind and drop out. To date, they have donated 80,000 pads to 66 schools in the larger region. 

Mariam, showing us the room where it happens.

Despite that, it is still a fairly small operation, conducted primarily by five women who manage the entire business and have a weekly schedule for production and other activities. The workshop was housed within just one room in the building, where there were five sewing machines - some electric, some pedal-powered - as well as supplies for making the pads. Each set they produce includes a pair of panties, three pads, and a waterproof shell that wraps around the panties to hold the pad in place. Each pad can last for 3-6 hours, depending on flow, and is washable, allowing it to be re-used many times. After fabrication is completed, the pad set is sealed inside a plastic bag for distribution.

Demonstrating how the pad system works.

While the TATU Project provided support to stand up the project and build the workshop, like other initiatives, the goal is for Kilipads to become self-sustaining through their sales. (Though donations would likely still be needed to cover the cost of pads given away to schools.) The women running things have responsibility for planning and building the business - again, an intentional decision to empower them. Of course, they have been provided the education to be able to do that, through TATU and partners such as Femme International, who provided "Train the trainer" sessions on menstrual health and effective techniques for teaching it to others.

Empowerment. Education. Environment. The three principles in action.

Niels Marcel, trying his hand - er, foot - at pedaling a sewing machine.

Speaking with Mariam, you could sense the pride she took in her work and the knowledge that she had both ownership and impact on the community via Kilipads. For me, that was a testament to the wisdom and effectiveness of TATU's approach. It's charity that builds up both the individual and the community, and create a system to produce sustainable change over the long term. It makes the work of charity easier - and perhaps one day - unnecessary.

Until then, though, they gladly accept financial contributions. I know we already solicited many donations for Globalbike, but if you (like me) are feeling generous and are impressed with TATU's work, consider including them in your giving plan as well. It's the type of gift that helps change the world.

Xavier had to get in on the action as well.

Materials, including fabric & thread.

Tool for attaching the snap to shells, and sealed packages. 

Sun-faded photos of Kilipad events.

Outside view of the Kilipad building.

Hanging out outside after the tour. [Caption by Xavier: "And here we see the exquisite and elusive wildlife of Tanzania, taking shelter in an open grave." To be clear, It's not a grave, but was a big dug out box behind the building that the boys climbed into afterwards, as they are wont to do. Clementine and Cherry worked on making snake keychains with gimp.