Tanzania 2008 - Success!

Since our last update, we have done much and arrived home safely! Here are some highlights:

We got the first lathe in good working order after making a design change that the locals helped a lot with. We gave the idea and they ran with it; it was very gratifying, and a good learning experience all around. Lew even began turning a bowl on it. Unfortunately as of last week it remained 95% complete, but locals plan to finish it soon. We also started a second lathe, with a bit more refined design.

We then spent several days in Karatu, a town about 3 hours away from our base town of Arusha. There, we trained about 10 local craftsmen in making lathes by using the manual, and one expertly made an important component out of scrap wood. The resources in Karatu are much different than in Arusha. Karatu has abundant wood, but few car parts, while the opposite is true in Arusha. Some of Karatu is on the electric grid, but it would cost about 5 days wages per month for a typical household. It was a great opportunity to learn and gather information as well. The Karatu Development Association will be continuing our project to some degree. We also got to teach 60 students at a vocational training center (VTC), and met a successful NGO in the area, and were very well received at both. On the last day there, Alex, Josh, and David were treated to a safari in the NgoroNgoro Crater. Wildlife congregates there especially in the dry season, so we saw wildebeest, zebras, warthogs, elephants, hippos, baboons, lions, and more!

On the way to Babati, another 2 hours from Karatu, the fan and radiator broke in our Land Rover. Dorobo sent replacement parts right away and Zenan (our fantastic guide), Lew, and Josh did the repair and returned to Arusha to continue building the lathes. Alex and David continued on to Babati for what quickly became a diplomatic visit. The Manyara Holistic Center (MHC) received them, and Alex and David got to learn about their program, meet some of the students they support, and teach a class at another VTC. They also met with the District Commissioner who is the acting Regional Commissioner, the equivalent of a State Governor! Both the MHC and the Commissioner were very interested in the Lathes project, and look forward to future partnership.

After reuniting in Arusha, we traveled to Loborsoit, the Maasai village where Lew lived for two years doing research. We taught at a VTC there; these were some of the brightest students and teachers we met the entire trip. Lew even showed them how to use their large metal-turning lathe circa 1917, which hadn't been used for over 15 years. The focus there was not so much on lathes, but on building machines out of scrap. At each VTC, the answer to "Could you build a machine out of scrap parts?" changed from 'No' to an enthusiastic 'Yes.' We were then treated to an evening at a Maasai Boma (home complex) including a fresh goat! We felt so welcomed, due no doubt to the legendary status of Lew and his wife there, and David's willingness to try anything and everything. Walking at night there was surreal; the full moon was so bright that we didn't need flashlights, and the landscape was beautiful. We did see lion tracks...but everyone still has all their fingers. On the way back to Arusha, we visited other bomas, and the site of a new rural school.

Back in Arusha, we completed the second lathe, and at one point had no less than 15 local men helping and watching the process. Lew turned a beautiful platter, and the local carpenter who led the building process, named 'God Listens', will use the lathe as part of his business.

We returned to Nairobi and spent a day touring there, treated yet again to fantastic "Colonial" meals. We met some amazing people, including a professor from UC Davis who oversees many programs in Africa, and the head of a successful holistic orphanage in Kitale, kenya.

The long trip home was mostly smooth and uneventful. Now back in the states, we are starting to brainstorm the next phase of Lathes For Africa, with great excitement. One clear message from the trip is that the people of Tanzania are ready and asking for appropriate and sustainable technology to hep themselves and their families rise above their circumstances. We look forward to serving them, and those in similar situations, in even bigger ways!

And here are some photos!

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