The Tanzania distribution part 3

Today (Wednesday 9th) was a travel day for us. Just under 12 hours going bumpity bump bump in the jeep. We arrived in Mambo just before sunset and settled in for a good rest ready for two distributions tomorrow. What I loved seeing was the simple things in life being enjoyed by the children. They were not distracted by "stuff" and were very resourceful in making their own toys and fun.

Distribution #3 Tema village, Tanzania. On Friday morning we visited Tema and met with the TBA (Traditional Birthing Attendants) Women, the nurse and the doctor at the dispensary. They were very keen to learn more with women's health and LOVED the kits. It touched us all how much they appreciated them. And the kids ... oh the sweet kids.

Distribution #4 Mambo Village. After a quick lunch we were back in the Jeep and down the road to Mambo Village football field for a community gathering and distribution to the Women's Group of the village. They welcomed us with singing and dancing that went on for hours, yes hours, we were exhausted yet filled with so much love at the same time. The kids truly melt your heart and ladies were so sweet. These women, when we finally dragged them away from the dancing for a sit down, were enthusiastic and grateful. These kits meant so much to them. We also handed over some school supplies to the community leader for the school kindly donated by Jane, Lise and Helen and our Oman Chapter. To see these ladies holding up the kits and singing with joy ... I couldn't hold back the tears. I saw all the hard work that everyone has put into this project in the smiles on their faces. Thank you to everyone, you are amazing ladies !

The Tanzania distribution part 2

On Tuesday we set off from Muscat 4.30am and after a quick transit in Addis Ababa we reached Kilimanjaro airport around 1pm. Well let's just say things didn't move in a hurry and we also discovered that one of the bags containing kits decided to go on to Zanzibar without us! Customs officers decided we needed to pay tax on our kits which was a little unexpected but our motto on this trip is to roll with the punches. Needless to say we were completely shattered by the time we got to Arusha and an early night was appreciated by all. Oh and I am attaching the picture of the bus with the fish hanging off the side because ... why not!

MAMBO folks! Distribution #1 was at Moshoto Secondary school today. 800 pupils were awaiting us, we were shell shocked. We got a wonderful warm welcome from the students. After brief introductions we let the boys go back to class and we had 430 girls keen and eager to listen and know all about the kits. It was a great distribution and we will be providing 200 kits in total to the school. They all had a good laugh at Jane in her undies and the girls great self defence demo! To all our volunteers I really can't express to you how amazing it felt to deliver your hard work and efforts to these gorgeous girls. Tonight we are heading off into Arusha for another distribution.

How do we feel after a few hours with a women's group in Arusha .... AMAZING!!! These women are so totally amazing, they endure so much, and they were so welcoming. Our hearts were truly filled tonight.

Watch the video: https://www.facebook.com/DaysforGirlsMuscatOman/videos/793523890989535/ 

Distribution #2 at a small village in Arusha. We went late in the afternoon and met the ladies (and her animals) and then settled in for a long women's meeting. These women meet monthly to support each other , establish micro businesses, etc. So different from this morning's distribution and we felt so connected with these women. When we left it was pitch black, no power and it was such a sobering experience to understanding how they manage with daily challenges. A truly inspiring few hours. Our hearts are filled.

Our beautiful farewell from the women's group.  WATCH IT HERE: https://www.facebook.com/DaysforGirlsMuscatOman/videos/306170070247682/

And we are off up the mountains to Mtae village ... a full day in the car to get there …  We thought by hiring a car it would take 6 -8 hours ... more like 16 hours... we are strong women with "she-wees" in our bag so BRING IT ON!

More to follow…

The Tanzania distribution

The time has finally arrived, and we are off to Tanzania! 

A huge thank you to everyone who worked so hard and contributed so kindly to get us to this point.  Lise, Jane, Helen and myself are proud to represent the amazing Muscat team.  500+ kits changing lives one kit at a time. Arusha and Mambo we are coming!!!

We will resume volunteer days in February with a huge push to sew ALL our remaining cuts and fabric for kits for our final distribution in India. I will try to keep you posted on our trip while in Tanzania .

The trip was originally planned for November but had to be postponed.  In the week leading up to the 24th, when I went to book my ticket, I suddenly realised my passport was short 3 days for the six month validity rule - imagine my horror. 

A quick dash to Dubai to try and get an expedited passport still wasn't enough to meet our deadline. I felt horrible like I had let the team down but as we all know "life happens" and there was no point dwelling and my travel partners were very understanding - thank you ladies.

We soldiered on and rebooked. Myself, Jane, Helen and Lise are leaving early 7th January for Arusha where we will meet up with Maggie and distribute the Days for Girls kits. We are taking 500 kits made by you all (cannot thank you enough for all that you do) and we have purchased a further 100 kits from a DFG Enterprise in Arusha. 

Another lady in the US heard we were going there and sent a further 40 kits, with a friend travelling to Arusha. Yikes! Can you believe we will reaching out to 540 women and girls - AMAZING! We will have two distributions in Arusha and then we are heading up the mountains to two remote villages and distributing there.

Two beautiful ladies knocked me over by offering to pay for the freight to send 200 kits in advance as the excess baggage fees were too much. These kits left in December and will be waiting for us when we arrive.

We are very excited. Thank you for your support, your patience, your understanding and your desire to make life a little better for these women.

VOLUNTEER MORNING - We will hold our next volunteer morning (January 20th TBC) after we return from the distribution. 

LEADERSHIP - To those of you who attended the last volunteer morning I am grateful for your feedback and comments regarding my stepping down as the chapter leader after the India distribution in March.  We are actively seeking someone to take over the leadership of the team. Preferably this amazing woman will be Omani to help further the cause of DFG within Oman and take it through the correct ministry channels etc. So please spread the word. The team is well set up and it won't take too much co-ordination to keep the team running now.

GOALS - Our goals for the next few months are to:

  - complete the Tanzanian distribution 

  - plan and execute the India distribution. We hope to go to India in March. All the sewing now will be gearing up to this distribution.

COURIERS - If you are traveling to USA or have someone visiting please let us know if they could bring some Gallon Freezer style ziplocs for us. We can pay and deliver.

Sorry for the silence on this end ladies, and thank you for your continued support and patience.  Pictures and updates from Tanzania will be sent asap!

Pack day Nov 2018

Pack Day

What do we do on Pack Day? Have a look...but first a huge thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who came to help us pack for the upcoming Tanzania distribution! Watch out for updates!

SEE YOU TODAY FOR TANZANIA PACK DAY!

We will be packing Heavy Flow kits first. Here are some videos on how to pack...

Preparing for Tanzania

Preparing for Tanzania...

If you would like to help Maggie in Tanzania with the Dare pads they would appreciate any donations of these microfiber cloth packs of 10 from Carrefour. If you would like to donate please bring them to the next volunteer morning on the 4th November or contact Nalini for a drop off. We will bring them with us next month when we go for the distributions. 

We are also looking for any used bags no longer needed that we can use for our upcoming distribution. What we learned last distribution is that it is better to bring bags that we CAN LEAVE as they truly appreciate the luggage too. 

We are in NEED OF the IKEA Blue bags that zip all the way, as seen in the picture below. 

ALSO we are asking if anyone has any LARGE duffle type bags that they no longer need (see below). We would appreciate any donations of such. The ones on wheels but no extension handle are the best in terms of weight and portability but we will consider all ;-)