Goodbyes are Hard!

Two weeks ago we made our last visit to Kayenze. The road to get there is so beautiful, right beside the lake. It is even more right beside right now, so much so that the road is almost in the lake with all the recent rains! Amisadai took so many photos as we drove ... it's like we are trying to fix all these precious memories and appreciate everything here we love all the more.

Kayenze was the first village we visited when we arrived in Mwanza. Our first visit was for the village seminar where there girls were doing the SODIS shake!

Amisadai (10) and Louisa (7) teaching on clean water on our first visit!

It was the first village we started an official Emmanuel International project ... Tim and I with Peter and Esther working with farmers on Conservation Agriculture. Since then so much more has happened. The church, which back then was just a handful of people, is now overflowing outside the building walls. And it was such a privilege to worship one final time with them all. Tim preached and we and group members all shared a bit ... I literally got one sentence out before I choked up! It was special to have all the beekeepers there too and although hard, so good to be able to say goodbye.

Louisa shares her farewell ... rather more grown up now! 

The Kayenze road

Last week, the four of us went overnight with Bhatendi to Malya and Ngudu. Our first visit to Malya was on a Sunday back in 2014. And it was there the vision for a beekeeping project began! Little did we know then as we walked through the cotton fields, how popular Malya cotton honey would be!

We were warmly welcomed once again this time by all the beekeepers and mamas together. Back in 2014 none of knew anything about beekeeping. And now we all have so many crazy beekeeping memories together ... and a bumper crop of honey! It was a good time together! We were able to update them on the progress on The Hive and the processing room ready for them. And also about the high demand for honey in the shop there. They were happy to know that as we leave, in no way does the project stop here! It is exciting to look ahead to all that God will do in these groups and this community. After a time of sharing and praying together and Tim sharing a word we had years ago about God's goodness in a promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, it was time for a farewell feast! The mamas group had prepared a lovely lunch for us of rice and beans and meat and fruits which we all enjoyed together with cold sodas!

Talking about testing honey with the refractometer 

Time for lunch!

Photo shoot and selfies with everyone took ages afterwards!

With Bageshi, the beekeeping chairman and his children

Our next farewell was with the beekeepers at the church in Ngudu. We arrived in time for the mid-week service and Tim was promptly asked to preach. After the service, we had a meeting with the beekeepers. They had done a great job harvesting their first honey on their own and had some buckets for us to buy and take back to Mwanza! It was great for them to test it with the refractometer and see some quality honey proven (it's already all sold out!)

And after the meeting all the beekeepers were invited to Pastor Emmanuel's house for another farewell feast. A special evening together with all of them, again so sad to be leaving, but with hope and expectation for all that is still to come as they expand their beekeeping project. At the close of the evening, we sang together and prayed ... and it was hard to keep the tears from spilling as my throat was too choked up to sing! We have been so incredibly blessed to walk a journey with this group of people!

Tim preaching in Ngudu

More farewell speeches

At Pastor Emmanuel's house

With Mama Deborah (Pastor's wife)

I am so thankful we were able to say a good goodbye to these three beekeeping groups! This beekeeping project has been one of the hardest things ever. But the time spent with these people has been such a blessing! We have all struggled and learned together ... and then rejoiced together and leaving them now is terribly hard! But there is also joy in the sadness ... particularly all the honey that Malya harvested after our time together. But that is a blog for next time! 

Back with the Beekeepers!

I had packed our trusted landcruiser full with loads of empty buckets ready for honey (yes, ever go in hope), new beesuits along with all the beekeeping paraphernalia (including jeans under my khanga and a long-sleeved top in hand for extra protection). I had water and a bag of chapattis and samosas for Peter and me to eat on the journey. We were off to Malya on Thursday.

Just outside of Malya

If I am completely honest, I was not feeling terribly confident about going to Malya for two days. I would have liked to have had Tim at my side for one thing, and the very real possibility of thousands of bees turning against me was not far from my mind! There were many things to be sorted out, both with the Mamas Group and the Beekeepers Group and I felt rather out of my depth with that familiar feeling that things just might not go as planned.

Well, lots of things didn't go as planned! Right from the start! But one thing we are all learning in this bee project is perseverance! And despite the obstacles, changes and delays (and very hot temperature!) we really had an amazing few days! It started with the Mamas Group meeting on Thursday. It was so wonderful to be back with these lovely ladies - a great reunion! They were delighted with the profits from their sales in the UK and Canada and had a good chat about how to make their money work for them, tied in with a small Bible study. They had lots of ideas. They really like the fuel-efficient stove and have asked to learn how to make cakes for weddings and parties. After sharing out half of their profits between them, they have decided to buy a female goat with the other half. And so next time I go, I have said I will take our male goat to mate her ... could be interesting! (But it is very exciting to be doing more with the goats!) The mamas are also happy to be sharing a shamba (field to grow crops). With some Conservation Agriculture tips, they are planting choroko beans which they will harvest in February. They were so keen and enthusiastic, it was great! We made honey soaps and prayed together to end a wonderful afternoon!

Peter and I were hoping to check a few hives in the late afternoon before dark, but our beekeeping secretary didn't arrive in time. I was then starting to feel increasingly ill, so ended up going straight to bed. It was small airless room with the ensuite hole and bucket of dirty water. A few boards clonked off the old bed when I lay down under my holey mosquito net and prayed, feeling just a little concerned about how I was going to get through the next day and the long drive home!

Prayers answered! The next morning I was up early feeling better, and Peter and I went to find a cup of chai from a local lady frying chapattis. Then we waited at the church building for the beekeepers to arrive. And waited ... and waited! Finally they all arrived and we began. Peter did a fantastic job leading the meeting and teaching. Again a time of good discussions with the good news that the beekeeping secretary has two acres of land that he is giving for the use of the group for reforestation. We will start a tree seedling nursery next month at the group chairman's land (with good access to water) and then trees will be planted out on this plot.

We were then able to present a gift of new bee suits to the group from the Basingstoke Beekeepers Association! They were all so thrilled with the gift and the greetings from Basingstoke and they send back their love and thanks to the group there!

Mama Maria delighted with the suits!

The group happy to receive such a wonderful gift!

(Secretary Mathias on the left, Peter on the right)

Peter teaching the Malya Beekeepers

Finally, together we all went to the home of the family of "Chief" Edward, one of our beekeepers who sadly died last month. His father used to be the local chief back in the days of the tribal system before the modern local government was established after Tanzanian Independence. Out of respect, people in the village still referred to the son as "chief." We went as a group with some gifts of fruit and money to give our love and pay our respects to Edward's wife and family.

By this time it was midday and absolutely unbearably hot! Peter and I had so wanted to get out and check the hives, but the whole group was adamant that we shouldn't. It was far too hot in the sun for us and the bees ...and things would not go well! We had to agree. But we were encouraged with the good news that three more hives had been colonised! We were also pleased they had checked the hives two weeks earlier and although with the terribly hot and dry conditions there is little honey, the colonies are surviving!

So Peter and I said our farewells and headed back to Mwanza on the hot, dry road. The stretch of dirt road was not too bad, but there were sections that were terrible with unavoidable potholes. Then it was a challenge to find to the best bits of road, and in one place the pothole in the middle was enormous! I went straight to bed when I got home, but very encouraged with how things are moving so positively forward with these wonderful friends in Malya!

Reason here to pray for rain!

Wild Swarm Catching

Last week I did something I have wanted to do for a long time! During our three days of beekeeping training with Julian Willford and David Colley in Malya, we did some swarm catching!

We had walked out through the very hot, dry bush to see Credo's beehives and came across this large swarm of bees in a tree. It was very close to one of the un-colonised topbar hives and we debated whether to let the bees naturally move in (there were already scout bees at the hive and they had every reason to go and waggle dance to the swarm to point them in the right direction) or whether to move them in ourselves. With nervous anticipation we decided to take the swarm in!


The swarm

I was actually amazed at how easy it was. The books all said it was easy. I had told myself it was easy, but never really believed it! We rehearsed the whole procedure with each person's role from knocking the swarm to catching it, to moving it and getting all into the hive and hanging the hive back up. All with Queen Bee intact. It was rather exciting, and incredibly to me, went smoothly according to plan!

Knocking the swarm into the bucket

David was hanging upside down yanking the tree which knocked the swarm cleanly into Julian's bucket. The bucket was placed upside down on the ground and all the stray bees marched calmly and orderly inside it. It was incredible. Some bees were directing traffic, fanning their wings. While we waited for them to march into the bucket (which was good evidence we had the Queen inside), we rehearsed the procedure at the hive. 

And the swarm is in the bucket! Bees everywhere!

Bees marching into the bucket

Then we were ready. The bucket was secured on the lid, we carried it to the hive. The bucket was tapped and the swarm knocked cleanly into the hive, the few remaining top bars rapidly replaced, roof placed on and it was lifted to hang back in the tree. Mere seconds! Bingo!

We watched as the bees who didn't make it in, were directed by the fanning bees to find the entrance and get inside! (Credo checked the next morning and the bees were happily residing in there!)

After catching the swarm, as darkness was rather quickly approaching, we went on with Credo to his colonised hives. It was wonderful to be able to harvest some of the honey ... just in time (to Tim's huge relief) to get back to the land cruiser before the sun set!

Ready to harvest from Credo's box hive

Carrying the honey home before nightfall

We took the honey back to our guesthouse. And in the rather tight confines of David's small room, sitting on his bed, trying not to make a sticky mess, we strained the honey through our filter into a bucket. As you do! And the following day, with the perfect visual aid, the group learned how to filter and jar honey. Delicious!


Squash and a squeeze to filter the honey





Next day's teaching

Credo gets his honey!

Also great to be back with the Malya Mamas Group!
They had made more honey soaps and beeswax balms since the last time we met!

There is really just so much more I could say about all the bee (and other!) activity we've had, but I'd better stop soon! It has been great to see the beekeeper groups moving forward as well as other people being trained and plans discussed for future groups. We had a great time with Mama Minja (who runs the Console Nursery School for orphaned and vulnerable children) who has now learned to harvest honey and process wax. On Friday we were able to harvest her first honey! So wonderful for her and her work with these precious children!

Mama Minja

At Mama Minja's hives

Cutting off the honeycomb

It has been a real confidence-building, learning time with Julian and David... as well as a sticky mess in the living room. It's been full of much dirt road bumping about as well as a lot of fun! They have given so much of their time, money and energy and it is hugely appreciated by us and many others!

 

Dinner out

 

 

More about the beekeeping project on our Beekeeping Page



A Place to Be

There seems so much to blog at the moment, I feel I am falling far behind! But knocking chronology out of the way, I will just write the exciting news! ...

 

The Upendo wa Mama group has a place to meet! I feel I should type this in large bold font or capital letters or something! It is something we have waited and prayed a long time for! The mamas are thrilled they are going to be able to use rooms on the Mwanza premises of Standing Voice, an organization working to help people with albinism. Standing Voice does a fantastic work here in Mwanza for people with albinism - particularly with advocacy, and health (skin cancer prevention and vision). And they are surely helping these women and their children with albinism! We are so thankful!

Having a safe and permanent place to meet and work (and store things!) will be a huge step forward for the group. As well as having the opportunity to work much more, we are looking forward to purchasing an oven and sewing machine to increase work opportunities. Also with a space to meet, I am hoping there will be the possibility for more teaching and training, particularly in literacy. Today, I was so moved when one of the Mamas, who had previously not wanted a Bible, asked for one now. She said she wanted to learn how to read.

Busy sewing cards and making soap

The women have been really busy making all kinds of products to sell! The soaps made a couple of months ago are finally ready to use! So we have sampled some to test, and pleased with the results have packaged the rest to sell! It is so encouraging to see the fruit of all their labours!

Handmade soaps

Candles setting in their PVC pipe moulds

We have also just started a new little sewing project together. We are working on making washable, re-useable menstrual pads! At the moment we are just trialing some designs to see what works best, but hoping that we can produce more to sell. The women are really excited about these pads, and when I asked what they are called in Swahili, the answer with a giggle was "Always!" Also later, hopefully we can use these pads to help and educate young girls who are missing weeks of school due to their periods. It is a far bigger problem than you may imagine, and the solution is not straight-forward ... but more on this in another blog post!

Always!

Meanwhile the Mamas in Malya...

Tim and I went this week to Malya and while there, I met again with the women's group. Elizabeti, Rachel, Tabitha and Agnus were there (would you believe, there was another funeral that day and so two of these women were very late and the other three didn't make it at all.) They are lovely ladies and it feels like relationship is growing as we work together and pray for one another. I came home this time laden with bags of rice from each of them! How kind and generous they are! It is just difficult being so far away from them, and only getting there once a month, but slowly things are moving forward.

They are working towards getting their own bank account, but you would not believe how long and drawn out and complicated this is ... sucking their valuable earnings in transport alone as the bank is about 25km away. Patience and perseverance. And that they have. We have had our share of failures; they showed me rock hard lip balms that used about 100x too much wax when they just forgot to measure! And this week, in our attempt at milk and honey soap in the hot, unrefrigerated conditions of the village, we were taken aback at a bubbly explosion of hot honey which resulted in a rather volcanic looking caramelized ("burnt") honey soap!

But the person who never made a mistake, never made anything, and so we persevere!

"Caramalized Honey Soap"

Neem Cream

Malya mamas making balms and soaps
(See the beekeepers working on the hive in the background? They were pretty interested!

 

Warm Bread Dripping with Honey

Prior to our wandering through the Malya wilderness with bubbly Baba Tanda, the girls and I spent Saturday afternoon with Elizabeti, Tabitha and Agnus (from the Mamas Group). I love these ladies! 

Sharing chai together

These three (and four others who were at a funeral on Saturday) are serious about the group. Others less committed have now left and these remaining women are keen to work and keen to learn! It is a slow process which does involve dedication and effort, but the rewards will be all the sweeter for it!

So on Saturday, we embarked on lessons in honey soap-making and bread-making. All the while making sure that we kept the two most separate, we coordinated the time to keep sodium hydroxide cooling and yeasty dough warmly rising. All this intermingled with Bible study as we waited for soap setting and bread baking. In the short space of an afternoon while Credo was waiting to take us to his hives, it all required rather Western-style logistical and consequential planning! And needed a good fire consistently kept the "right" temperature in the fuel-efficient stove! This still makes me rather nervous...

We are READY for Some Serious Soap-making

It was lovely to present the ladies with their very own WONDER-POT! This gift from our friends in Canada, makes it easy ("easy") to cook bread or cakes using firewood or charcoal on a single burner or as we used, the fuel-efficient clay stove! They learned to make basic bread rolls, and delighted with the results, they are now keen to make and sell "sconsi" from their own homes. I was also able to give one of these wonder-pots to the women in the Upendo wa Mama group in Mwanza, who will take turns to do the same. Huge thanks to Clifford and Kathy!



Tabitha vigourously kneads the bread dough

Agnus takes the risen dough to cook on the fuel efficient stove

The Wonderpot

It was also wonderful to present the women with their own Bibles, thanks to the generosity of Tadley Community Church! With Bibles in hand, we were able to read together.



Thrilled with their new Bibles

As these women wander from their own wildernesses, they are holding on to the promises. Tabitha read aloud from Deuteronomy 8:6-10.

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land – a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;  a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig-trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

It was a wonderful passage to reflect on while the bread baked outside and as we sat together with wheat flour, olive oil and honey on the table in front of us. Truly God is bringing blessing. When we walk in obedience, out of the wilderness comes promise. The promise is good, and we are tasting it now! And so we fed from the sweet honey which is God's Word. And after a few dashes outside to pull out a stick or blow on the fire, the bread was baked. We broke it up, remembering, and ate it fresh and warm and dripping with honey. Satisfied. Thankful.


Fresh bread and honey

Tabitha with her honey roll and chai