Back again

Everything is pretty much exactly as I remembered it. I had forgotten how Tanzania smells, and as soon as I stepped off the plane, the slightly spicy, earthy aroma came back to me. Melea, Adam, and I have all met up and are staying in the same place as last time. The weather is a lot colder than last time, it rains everyday or night, and I am wearing pants and longsleeves almost everyday.

We have met with Ibrah a few times, visiting him at his work at CCS (Cross Cultural Solutions). He's been helping us with contacts around Moshi, and has been great for just meeting up and chatting over dinner. We've also met with Kimario yesterday. We can't go to Uru yet because the roads are too wet, but we will next week. From talking to Kimario though, it sounds like 5 of the digesters are working great, and it saves the women a lot of time. Kimario said they have been able to put more time into working on their gardens, growing more produce, and therefore able to have more to sell. It was really rewarding to hear this, as I admit, I have had my doubts about the suitability and need for the stoves in Uru. This doubt and concern was one of the main reasons for the trip this summer, and I'm relieved and happy to have this outcome! I'm also excited to actually go and visit the families we worked with last time- they were so much fun to be with. Jerome Komm, the son of one of the families we worked with is a student at the University of Dar es Salaam. He volunteered for Kimario to conduct a survey of the digesters and stoves a while ago, and we will be hearing back from him next week. (so keep reading!!)

Kwaheri,
Natalie