The rains have come

The rains have arrived early, much needed because the dust is everywhere, the ground is rock solid and the crops were fading. Now I see the kids in tights, long trousers, hats-just like autumn in the UK except that it isn't cold just very wet. It doesn't rain all day but when it does it's like a waterfall. We have deep rain gullies by the side of the roads but the side roads are not tarmacked leading to mud everywhere. Not nice being on the dalla dallas with mud on the floor and everyone steaming, fortunately my complex has gravel so no mud in the house.
Rehema came to my house to learn mzungu cooking, 5 hours later we had made pancakes 2 ways, biscuits, banana bread, burgers, meat balls, spaghetti sauce, bean burgers and fish cakes. the pic shows her proudly showing off her endeavours
Met a lovely lady at the centre. Marie is divorced, her 2 kids live with their grandmother because she cannot afford to have them with her. She has nothing, knocked on some doors, found a nice lady who offered her a place to sleep for a few days and told about the walk in love centre. She came to see if we could help her. Initially discussed a loan to pay the 3 months rent up front to rent her own place then discussed a business. She thinks that she could sell second hand clothes but doesn't have the capital to buy any, she has no furniture but said that she could put cardboard on the floor to sleep on. Lucy and Aubree made some calls, Rehema knows the lady who was kind enough to offer her a place to stay for a few days, end result is that she can stay with this lady for longer at a rent of 10,000 shillings per month-£4, Walk in Love will pay this for the first month, clothes have been scrounged for her to start a business. She didn't come looking for a hand out just a hand to help her get up from where she is. What a lady, we could learn a lot from her. There may be more news in the next blog about her. Watch this space.
Bravon and the 2 Joshuas started school this week. It's an early start for them, 2 dalla dallas and a 20 minute walk to get them there but it's worth it. I went to pick them up and they were chatting the whole way back to the centre. They only go in the mornings as they are in the lower classes. The school is great and may well be the school of choice for all sponsored children at the centre. It's a great way for them to start their education
Mo is back to his pre illness weight, still small for his age so he's being given extras, this is obviously working as he has gained, I'd like to see him gain a couple of kilos but, as they say here, pole pole-slowly slowly.
Biscuit day to day courtesy of my kitchen tried to persuade the twins to give me bite of theirs but they were having none of it, laughed and hid them. One put it under her arm, the other laughed and turned away. Oh well, helps me keep to my diet.
Retirement is anything but boring, should have done it years ago but I was too young.
Wonder what the next week will bring? What ever it is you will read about it here
Thanks for taking the time to read dolly's drival, I do appreciate it.

hey ho it's NOT off to work I go

Hey Ho it’s NOT off to work I go

My visa has still not come through which means I can not, officially, work. If immigration check and discover that I do not have the right visa then it’s a fine for me and another for Walk in Love-$600 each, just not worth it. I still go to the centre daily but am extra vigilant when the gates open BUT, on the upside I am now a pensioner WITH a pension. It was paid almost a month late but at last I’m getting and spending it.

Weighed the kids again this week, no problems I just wish that Joeli would grow, now that the rains have come maybe I should plant him next to my tomato plants, they are thriving. Despite good, nutritious food, the little man is still in single figures-in kilos that is, he’s an active, cheeky chap, just doesn’t grow!

New walk in lover, Mary’s mum does laundry for local people, she was leaving Mary home alone so that she could work. Mary’s not too happy about it, I met them at the chapatti stand and, whilst she was happy to hold my hand all the way to the centre, when it came to going in, she was having none of it and ran past. She settles down after a few minutes of protest crying and loves playing with the other kids. The old hands-Ramson, Adriana and Amina are really good to her bringing her toys, jabbering away in swahili and holding her hand

Word seems to be getting around and we are having women, almost daily, asking for help. Some seem to see the centre as a place where they can get their kids into a good school-most of the kids are sponsored, when they are ready for school this money then transfers to school fees. This is not what we are about. The centre provides day care to enable to the women to work and thus provide for their children. We have made 2 small loans to women to start up businesses, 1 to sell cooked maize, the other to sell vegetables. They are given 2 months grace then have to start repaying the loan, which is interest free. Micro finance has proven to be extremely successful world wide, the amounts loaned are, initially, quite small-£5-£25, this is enough to start up a small business. Once the woman has proved that the business is successful, that she can repay the loan, then she could ask for more to pay, for example, school fees.

 Marie is a divorced mum who walked away from the marriage with nothing. the kids live with her mum, she was renting a room from a local lady who expected her to clean, care for her children and sell her vegetables all day leaving little time for Marie to try to sell her clothing, despite having received 1 months rent from Walk in Love. After some discussion Marie has moved into my spare room in exchange for keeping the house clean and teaching me how to cook Tanzanian food-good exchange of work as I hate cleaning!. When she starts to earn money from her clothing business she will contribute towards food. The arrangement is until the end of March, in that time she should be able to save the money needed for the deposit on her own place. It will be an interesting experience as she has never used an electric cooker before, although she can speak some English, a fact she kept well hidden when interviewed by Lucy and Neema the new social worker. Lucy, will make an appeal for house hold items for her as she, literally, has nothing. Marie, you are welcome to share my house and I am glad that I can do this small thing to help you re-establish your life.

Marie receives her key, Juma is one happy baby and is starting to crawl, balloon fun on a rainy day

 More on Marie next time, until then, thanks for reading dollys drival