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The Taxman Cometh

What can I say?  Like father, like daughter....  As I was flipping through my news alerts this week, this one from The Citizen caught my eye and caused me a chuckle.



The title reads "Call for Tax Education to Be Incorporated in Education Curricula," and suggests that one reason people might not like paying their taxes is because they don't know what taxpayer dollars (or shillings, in this case) are spent on.

This, then, means that if they knew their hard-earned pennies (again, shillings) would go to roads, schools, and other infrastructure in their communities, they would be all the more willing to pay.

Which would mean tax education could actually lead Tanzania back to its socialist roots.  Crazy stuff, kids.
 
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Some residents in the Kilwa district of Lindi region want the government to incorporate tax education in school curricula.

The move, according to them, will enable students to become good citizens who know the obligation of paying taxes.

The students were speaking during a seminar on capacity-building for leaders of civil societies and representatives of Teachers Trade Unions (TTU).

The training, which purposely aims at protecting the rights of the girl child, is run by Tanzania Education Network (TENMET) in cooperation with Action Aid and Kilwa Non-Governmental Organization Network (KINGONET).

Speaking at the training, residents Pili Kuliwa and Tumaini Said were of the opinion that tax education should be mainstreamed into school curricula to make students become good taxpayers in future.

Kuliwa explained that lack of education makes society view tax-paying as punishment, suggesting that there was a need for the issue of education to be continuously provided to residents so as to get rid of the misconception and instead create a new culture that would enable the society to pay tax voluntarily.

Due to the challenges, she said it was proper for the government to organize short- and long-term programs including setting up a curriculum about tax issues in primary and secondary schools with the aim of grooming students to become good taxpayers in future.

Education My Foot, Use Your Brain!

Please, please, please, PLEASE read this amazing column by Anthony Tambwe from the Daily News.

Love, love, love, LOVE that this newsman is using his media platform not only to disseminate the news, but also to mobilize the troops.

Since I will be leaving NYC at the end of this week - putting an end to my habit of watching countless hours of CNN per day - it warms my heart to think that, back in my other home, media folk are starting to utilize their positions to spread their own ideologies and attempt to engage the masses in lively debate.

Fake News Media comes to Tanzania!  (Just kidding....)

 
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Shikamooni wakubwa?  Wadogo zangu, hamjambo?

I know the greetings have found you wherever you are, and I also know there are those who have answered, and then there are those who have decided to ignore.  Haina taabu, I did not come here to make friends anyway.

You see, they say that Tanzanians are a very lovable lot, people who get along well with anyone, a nation that is said to be full of love (ha ha ha!), full of understanding and care....  Mi, sitaki kuongeza, ila maoni yangu ni tofauti.

If you have noticed, these same people are the ones who like to complain about everything.  From the weather to the kind of food they eat, Tanzanians can complain, na hii kazi wanaiweza kweli kweli, sio utani.

When Mjomba Mkapa was the president, these fellows could be heard in corridors and on street corners complaining about the kind of lives they are living, and of course they blamed Mjomba for their calamities, kama kawaida yao.

Entered JK, or Baba Ridhiwani, and the noise intensified, with the wailing and gnashing of teeth as Tanzanians blamed the ever-smiling husband of Mama Salma, calling him names and claiming that he is taking the country to the dogs, kelele kibao....  And most of them said it was better when Mjomba occupied the top seat, wabongo hao hao!

The good thing with Baba Ridhiwani is that he told the mourning Tanzanians that if they believed that he was too soft, then they should not hold their breaths for long, because there was a bulldozer coming to take over from him.  And he introduced Baba Jesca, or JPM to all and sundry, and the Tanzanians danced, vifijo na nderemo, from all corners.

I believe I don't have to tell you the amount of noise the Tanzanians are making right now, because it can be heard in near empty bars and rarely occupied guest houses, tunakukumbuka Baba JK!  That is what they are now saying, wabongo hawa hawa!

You see, with all this noise being made by the wabongo, I came to the conclusion that these are people who will always look for a scapegoat to throw the blame at in case they fail in life.  The easiest target in this scenario is none other than.... you guessed right, the government!  Kuna kamsemo ka wabongo kananikera sana, and it is unfortunate but it has become a very famous statement with the unsatisfied Tanzanians, especially the lazy ones, kupewa elimu.

Juzi, the government offered Tanzanians an opportunity to visit national parks, for free, for about three or four days, and the feedback from the parks is that the call was ignored, almost nobody bothered to take the offer, walikaa kimya.

A few days later , several Tanzanians were interviewed in one radio station and they were asked about the poor response, and the usual "kupewa elimu" issue surfaced, kama kawaida.  One of the fellows went ahead and blamed the government, for what, he did not have an idea himself.  "I believe that Tanzanians would have jumped at the opportunity kama wangeelimishwa...." said one of the not-so-bright fellows, hivi jamani, kuelimishwa kivipi kwa mfano?

Visiting the national parks, to say the least, is for one's own benefit, hivi mtu unataka kuelimishwa ili iweje?  Do you honestly need the government to come to your doorstep to tell you that you should make a plan to visit the park?  Kwa kweli mnashangaza sana, na inatia huruma.

You find a fellow after eating enough ugali and dagaa, he makes it his life target to fill his neighborhood with his offspring, and when things become tough for him, he is quick to jump on the government bandwagon....

"Naomba serikali iangalie mateso ninayopitia...." kwani ulitumwa!?  Watu na ndevu zao na vitambi vyao, they go ahead and dump their waste on the gutters and trenches meant for drainage, and when the rains come and the drainage system is blocked, guess what, tunaiomba serikali ituangalie, wengine eti ooh, wananchi wanahitaji kuelimishwa kuhusu madhara ya kutupa taka hovyo, hivi mna akili kweli?

When you go ahead and make someone's daughter pregnant and she produces triplets for you, the first thing is to tell the government to bail you out.  Na wengine, they might even say that people need to be educated on the dangers of unplanned children, hivi mbona hamuombi kuelimishwa wakati wa kutongoza?

It has to reach a point when Tanzanians stop looking for silly excuses for their pathetic ignorance.  People always say that ignorance is not a defense, but to Tanzanians, that is the easiest way to escape your responsibilities, kuelimishwa na nani, acheni ubabaishaji!

Mama Joyce

I feel like only die-hard Bravo fanatics (like myself) will get the pun of this post's title, but nonetheless, I shall forge ahead.

The "Mama Joyce" in question here is not the sassy (s)mother of No Scrubs songwriter Kandi Burress, but rather Tanzanian Education Minister, Joyce Ndalichako.  Appointed as such by President John Magufuli when he took office in early 2016, Mama Joyce was quoted in The Citizen yesterday regarding special education funding.
 

You'll recall I have written about this formidable woman a couple times before (http://toanafasi.blogspot.com/2016/01/dear-joyce.html, http://toanafasi.blogspot.com/2017/02/joyce-to-world.html), mostly because she is a bona fide beast on the floor of Parliament!

While I don't always agree with her pretty radical ideas, I am always amazed by them.  And by Mama Joyce herself.  A woman of this caliber of mind and action is a rare thing in the patriarchal society of Tanzania.  So, go, Mama Joyce, go!  Get that SPED $$$$!!

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Ndalichako Clears the Air On Challenges Facing Special Education Teachers

The provision of education to children with special needs faces a lot of challenges including poor and unfriendly infrastructures, which is a situation that thwarts the teachers' goals.

This was said today by a representative of teachers of children with mental disability and autism, Ms. Mariam Halfani, during a training seminar for the teachers.

The seminar was on the guidelines about how to teach lessons on communication, health, math skills, upbringing, physical training, and craftsmanship.

Ms. Halfani explained that teaching children with special needs requires friendly infrastructures including proper teaching aids and a conducive environment to teachers.

She requested the government to improve the environment by providing teaching and learning aids and constructing teaching centers for such children.

Responding, the Minister for Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Joyce Ndalichako, said the government has already started to better teaching environments for effective provision of education to such children.

She also said the government had already carried out a feasibility study at schools for children with special needs, with the aim of improving teaching environments and infrastructures.

Besides, she said the government had already bought teaching aids worth 3.6 million Tanzanian shillings for such children, adding that the facilities have already been distributed to 213 primary and 22 secondary schools across the country.

The minister further said that the government had purchased and distributed mental assessment equipment with the aim of identifying such children as early as possible and providing medical care for those with treatable disabilities.

"Superstar!"

Hey readers, and pole sana for the delay in posting this blog entry.  I've been here, there, and everywhere in between with barely a moment to catch my breath!  At any rate, I am now back in La Mosh, at home with Drogo and at work with Hyasinta and the rest of the Toa teaching staff.  Things seem to have gone well in my ten-week absence, so it's not been bad picking up where we left off.

In case you're wondering, the title of this post refers to the iconic Molly Shannon Saturday Night Live skit in which she plays awkward Catholic schoolgirl, Mary Katherine Gallagher.  Though I managed not to bury my fingers in my armpits and sniff them nor bare my undergarments to the world in a spastic fit, I was acutely aware of my professional angles the whole time I was in Australia.  "Superstar!" all over the place.

You see, I had come to Perth as the sole emissary of The Toa Nafasi Project at the 2017 Biennial Conference of the International Association of Special Education with Angi being otherwise occupied back in Zanzibar and Gasto stranded in Arusha without a visa.  This led to a very heightened state of awareness on my part, a mixture of being super-nervous and hyper-confident, practically thrumming with energy and anxiety literally the whole time.  Really, I think the next time I attend a professional event alone, I need some sort of meds....preferably with a long half-life....

According to my pals at the IASE, however, I did superbly, so I guess I managed to hide my nerves fairly well.  No spontaneous utterances of "Superstar!" followed by extended falling down and damage of the immediate surroundings....at least not in public anyway....

The conference itself was quite a marvel.  There were roughly 200 attendees from 33 different countries around the world, all gathered together at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Center in downtown Perth, Western Australia (aka the end of the world!).

I had never been to Australia before so this in itself was a brand-new experience for me.  I traveled from New York to Dubai and Dubai to Perth, spent about a week in Perth, and then left Perth for Doha, Doha to Kilimanjaro.  Shortly after reuniting with Drogo and friends in Moshi, I was off to Zanzibar for Round Two of my escapades with Kaitlin who was due back in the U.S. to prepare for her sophomore year of college.  That, however, is a whole other blog entry as we celebrated the ten-year anniversary of my stepping foot in Africa on July 4, 2007.  Hijinks, capers, and shenanigans galore.

But back to the IASE conference.  Never mind I had just traveled 36hours from NYC and arrived in Perth in the dead of night on a Sunday; the very first day, I was scheduled to give a presentation about Toa Nafasi as an IASE "volunteer service project" site and talk about how IASE members could come to Moshi and help work with us, namely in the vein of teacher training.

This went pretty well as it was a round-table seated discussion and even though I was the speaker, it was not an "all eyes on me" situation where my nerves really kick in.  I don't know what it is, I am certainly not shy nor introverted by any means, but for some reason, public speaking makes me absolutely insane and my essential tremor kicks in like nobody's business!  It happened in the States too, at fundraising pitches and it is soooo embarrassing.  One of my friends here in Moshi joked that he should put a piano under my fingers and I'd play like Beethoven!


The second day, I had to present my paper, so this was the BIG DAY.  And yes, I shook like a leaf!  But my audience was small, engaged, and encouraging, so I was able to make it through and field questions with confidence ("Superstar!") and some modicum of knowledge.  Obviously, since I was the one speaking, I don't have pics of this, but here are a few mementos from the day: my conference badge and program (with a note reminding me not to forget my photo album), the sign outside my room and the podium within, and my little blurb in the program.






As you can see from the above blurb, the talk that I gave about Toa centered around the teachers, not the students, and how Toa has provided them with a sense of professional achievement outside of government-sanctioned means.  Not that they are lawless and running wild, but that where the government of Tanzania has failed these girls - in their studies, in their employment opportunities, in the making of them anything other than wife or mother - Toa has picked up the slack and offered them the chance to work and learn a valuable skill, training them in-service as they go.

The paper itself is a bit idealistic and self-congratulatory I concede, but not everyone need know our dirty laundry, right?!  And, obviously, creating change on this level is going to carry its share of challenges some of which we were able to overcome, some of which we are still tackling.  At any rate, I think it went over really well, and the paper titled "Gaining from Training: Cultivating a Professional Persona in a Rural Setting" will be published in the JIASE (Journal of the International Association of Special Education) sometime in the near future.  (Allow me here a quick finger sniff of righteous vainglory....)

Day Three brought yet another spotlight on me/Toa ("Superstar!" all over again) as I clambered onto an even bigger stage to speak to ALL the conference participants and tout the next biennial conference which will be held in July 2019 here in Tanzania.  I was not as nervous for this as Iris (the president of the IASE) was up on stage with me and we labored through some tech problems to run the PowerPoint presentation about Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University in Lushoto where that conference will be held.  The (very green) save the date card is below.


When that mess was finally over, I got to relax and simply be an attendee in peace and quiet with as many finger sniffs as needed to settle my frazzled nerves.  

I enjoyed the talks of other conference-goers, such as Morgan Chitiyo, a Zimbabwe-born professor at Duquesne University (before you get your hopes up, he's married, Mom....).  Morgan took my breath away, quite frankly.  His talk was amazing and resonated on so many levels.  I guess I was lucky because it was all about disability within the African context, so very relevant to the work that Toa does.  (Although after I gave my talk the previous day, a frantic Vietnamese woman sought me out to say that she was experiencing the same obstacles and challenges about disability in her part of the world!  So, really, the African context is kind of indicative of the greater human context, is it not?)


Here's a clip of Morgan's keynote speech in which he talks about the massive population of the African continent and the large number of people with disabilities living within.  By shutting them out of schools and the workforce, African governments are essentially losing vast numbers of people who are perfectly qualified to learn and work.  He refers to this group as "the forgotten tribe."  Morgan also talks about how, if Africa as a continent truly wants to develop and move forward in the global community, it will need this tribe to do so.  The strength of Africa is in its people and by marginalizing vast numbers of its citizenry, it is holding its own development back.  I strongly recommend taking a moment to watch this, and to look Morgan up if you are even remotely interested in disability (or development) in Africa.
 

Aside from Morgan's talk, I did get to attend others' as well as make a lot of new contacts.  I think once my time in the spotlight was over, I was able to loosen up and just schmooze like my normal self (still a "Superstar!").  There were many Africans in attendance, so we tended to band together, but also people from all over Asia and Europe.  Not so many from the Americas, however....

For the better part of the week, I was indoors but did get a lovely view of Perth's Elizabeth Quay out the conference center's windows.  I was able to book a boat trip on the Swan River later in the week during which I Mary Katherine-spazzed upon seeing a group of baby dolphins splashing in the waves.



The conference ended with a gala dinner during which some special needs children from the Perth area performed for the audience and I took video to show the Toa teachers that even wazungu kids have special needs and they piga ngoma (play drums) just like Danny and Vincent here at the Gabriella Center.  (Just as an explanatory FYI, that is Mary Gale, the past-president of the IASE wearing the Statue of Liberty foam crown.  The last night, everyone came garbed to rep their respective countries, so MG was lady Liberty from the USA for the evening.)
 

I was also gifted with not one but TWO certificates that I personally don't really care about, but I knew the Toa teachers would die over.  Certification and paperwork is the law of the land here and everyone from the highest parliament member to the girl who cleans your house loves a cheti.  So I brought them back to show the teachers and, as I expected, got a lot of ooh's and aah's over them.  One is for attending the conference and the other is for being a VSP site.  I mean, okay, but I'm much more interested in what the chetis represent than the piece of paper themselves....

 

Finally, I had a couple days to myself to explore the beauty of Perth unencumbered by nerves and work responsibilities.  In addition to my adventures with dolphins on the high seas, I went out to Fremantle, the infamous prison and a World Heritage Site.  The British sent their convicts to Australia to form a new colony in the mid-1800s, but first on the to-do list?  Build your own prison!  Yeah, turns out it really sucks to be a convict....



My last day, I went to Caversham Wildlife Park and like an idiot, left my phone (camera) charging in the hotel.  Thus begun one of the most awkward days of my life.  It truly was like an SNL skit as the only other people on my tour were a Malaysian family who I basically just attached myself to, in order to get some photos taken.

Actually, Shikin, Shahrol, their cousin, auntie, and uncle were the kindest, sweetest people to allow me to tag along on their wildlife tour, from the wombat section to the dingo cage.  By the time we got to the penguin pool, we were fast friends.  Still, a strange experience to say the least.  Mary Katherine definitely would have spazzed out at some point on this tour, but I think I was just too exhausted. 

Here's a kangaroo who got super-excited to see me and thought I had food for him before I'd even had my coffee!  He took a little off my program and nipped my finger too!!



When we came back later in the day, I finally got the hang of kangaroo-feeding and became quite popular among the hungry marsupial population.


I also got to touch, not hold, a koala.  And do not dare call them bears!  Like kangaroos and quokkas, they are marsupials!!  And, these poor beautiful creatures are under threat of extinction due to a rampant chlamydia epidemic, poor buggers!  Makes me so sad because they are the cutest things ever and really have the life: eighteen hours of sleep a day, waking only for feeding and presumably the behavior that got them in trouble with chlamydia in the first place!!


Here's an excellent photo of me with my adopted Malaysian family at the Caversham sign.  It's like a game of "which one of these things does not belong?"  I should put it on the Toa assessment when we want to test for differentiation....


Finally, I now have proof that real men wear Uggs.  An impromptu trip to the Apple store led to this sighting of an Aussie man in his fine, furry footwear.  They're not just for sheilas, after all.

Turn, Turn, Turn

"The Reverend Mother always says, 'When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.'"

So says Maria in The Sound of Music as she finally admits her love for Captain von Trapp.

So say I this week as we at The Toa Nafasi Project commemorate the two-year anniversary of Head Teacher Vumi Temba's tragic passing, and the formal hiring of our ninth Special Education Teacher, Marieth Michael Laswai.

Marieth joins a team of eight other special ed teachers who are supervised by three Assistant Head Special Education teachers, all of whom are commandeered by the beautiful (and very pregnant!), Project Manager/Head Special Education Teacher, Hyasinta Macha.

Though we miss our beloved Vumi EVERY SINGLE DAY, we remember her in the work we do, and we are proud to have not only continued this work but expanded into our satellite sites.

We are also so pleased to have grown our staff to double digits and to welcome newcomers like Teacher Marieth!

Mwalimu Marieth, karibu sana Toa Nafasi, karibu sana timu yetu!  Welcome to Team Toa!!

Deadicaid

I know this blog is dedicated to The Toa Nafasi Project and the work we do supporting children with learning difficulties in public primary schools in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, but I sometimes post slightly off-topic when I find something of interest concerning special education, early childhood development, or women's empowerment in other parts of the world.  This is one of those times.

In Trump-era America, services we Americans used to enjoy are seriously at-risk and it looks like the most vulnerable among us will be most affected.  The GOP health care bill, some MAJOR anti-Obamacare legislation, that is currently up for decision by the US Senate, is causing the most newsworthy sparks.  Besides taking away low-cost health care services for the masses, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act is expected to negatively affect the elderly, those with pre-existing medical conditions, women's reproductive rights, and, you guessed it, those with special needs or disabilities.

Below, please check out a recent article from the left-leaning magazine Mother Jones, and know that the developed world doesn't always have all the answers.  Just as we struggle to serve our students with disabilities here in Tanzania, so too do our counterparts back home in the United States.  More now than ever, it seems....

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Students with Disabilities Are the Overlooked Victims of GOP Health Care Repeal: Superintendents Are Concerned Cuts to Medicaid Will Threaten Crucial Medical Services


On the eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Rachel Fuerer's school district depends on more than $870,000 in Medicaid funds each year.  About 5% of its overall annual budget, the money goes toward providing medical services for more than 1,000 special education students in 19 public schools across 4,000 square miles.

Those dollars, though, will be at risk if Republicans in Washington get their way.

Last week, Senate Republicans' efforts to repeal and replace—and then just repeal—Obamacare appeared to be dead.  But now, at President Trump's urging, senators are again poised for a vote on some sort of health care overhaul this week, though it remains to be seen whether they'll vote on a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or a full repeal and replace effort.

What is clear is that passing either bill would greatly endanger the future of Medicaid.  The repeal and replace bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), imposes a cap on Medicaid spending that would sharply reduce funds in future years.  The alternative, a bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) last week that mirrors a 2015 effort to mostly repeal Obamacare, would shrink Medicaid spending over the next decade, especially for people who were newly eligible to receive Medicaid through the ACA.

Though McConnell currently lacks the votes to ensure either bill's passage, school officials and advocates are keeping their eyes trained on the Senate.

"We're being told that special education is being spared," says Fuerer, who works as special education director at Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District, "but that's not true at all if there are cuts to Medicaid."

Fuerer joined hundreds of school superintendents from across the country in recent weeks in descending upon Washington to lobby Congress, meeting with their state's representatives to convince them to leave Medicaid alone.  "They're lumping everything together in this repeal and replace," Fuerer says.  "In doing so, they are trying to fix something that's not broken.  Medicaid isn't broken."

To Fuerer's surprise, even just the few House members she met with the other week didn’t fully understand the extent of just how much schools rely on Medicaid dollars.  While the program is primarily used to fund health insurance for low-income families, it also doles out billions of dollars each year directly to school districts to fund special education services that are mandated by federal law and to support services for poor students.  Now school superintendents, from both red and blue states, are expressing concern that the GOP's health care plans would force districts to struggle to provide crucial services for their most vulnerable students. 

In talking about the bill as a "repeal" of Obamacare, Republican rhetoric can be misleading.  BCRA would fundamentally remake Medicaid, a program that has operated since 1965, slicing spending by $772 billion over the next decade and leaving 15 million more people uninsured.  It does this by turning Medicaid from an open-ended promise from the government to fund state needs into a block grant or per capita program starting in 2020 that will limit the amount of money each state receives.

Currently, John Hill, executive director of the National Alliance for Medicaid in Education, estimates that "almost half the children in this country are on Medicaid."  "So any cut is going to have an adverse effect on kids, no matter how much they'll assure us it's not going to happen," Hill tells Mother Jones. 

As mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from 1975, schools must provide a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities.  But Congress has historically fallen short on covering the cost of educating special-needs students under IDEA, so states and local agencies have turned to Medicaid to help offset the difference and pay the cost for medical services and equipment.  Starting in 1988, schools, like hospitals and insurance providers, have been able to request reimbursements from the Department of Health and Human Services for such expenditures.

In 2015, schools received nearly $4 billion in Medicaid funding, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, less than a third of what's doled out for special education spending under IDEA.

That $4 billion has been essential to schools covering the costs of speech and physical therapy, behavioral services, and medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and walkers.  For low-income students, districts use such funds to pay for vision, hearing, and other health screenings, as well as for school nurses and mental health services.  It's also important to note that school districts don't just offer services to poor and disabled students during school hours; they act as a connecting point to enroll eligible low-income families in Medicaid and in the Children's Health Insurance Program and help families find health care providers.  In turn, schools get reimbursed for their outreach efforts.

Sherri Smith, the superintendent of Lower Dauphin, a suburban Pennsylvania school district of just 4,000 students, was also in D.C. recently to meet with representatives.  She says the small but targeted $50,000 in Medicaid funding her district receives each year helps pay for more medical-related services, such as occupational and physical therapy, along with mental health services to serve a growing need for students in the district.  The money also allows the district to pay for additional nurses and personal care aides for students with disabilities and low-income students.

"Schools are doing more outside the peripheral of just teaching and educating," Smith says.  "So actually getting Medicaid dollars for medical services for our students, which they need, allows us the opportunity to do so.  I'm afraid that without those kinds of dollars, that will go away." 

In the broader Medicaid landscape, funding for school districts is just one tiny line item.  The National Alliance for Medicaid in Education projects that school districts receive less than 1% of all Medicaid reimbursements.

While neither the House nor Senate repeal-and-replace bill specifically targets funding for school districts, with less money coming from Washington, states would be forced to make cuts elsewhere in their budgets, which could impact the entire community.  Districts might be pushed to raise taxes, reduce spending on general education programs, or cut staff.

If schools opted to diminish services for special education students, they could be at risk of falling out of compliance with federal law, opening districts up to lawsuits and a potential further loss of federal dollars.  This is all the more complicated due to a recent Supreme Court ruling that raises the standard for what schools must offer and expands students' rights.

"We would have to be stringent on services" if Medicaid funding went away, Smith, of Pennsylvania, says.  "Depending on what types of services, if that child needs it, and it's mandated in their individualized education plan under IDEA, then we would have to provide those services.  We'd have to find our money, which means we would have to go back to our taxpayers in Pennsylvania, or we would have to look to cut from our regular programs to make up the difference."

Similarly, for Fuerer in Michigan, the cuts to Medicaid funding in the proposed health care bills would mean that her district might need to slash its overall budget just so the same level of services can be provided.  "The reality is, [the loss of Medicaid funding is] probably not cutting a speech provider.  It's probably cutting a gen ed teacher," she says.  "If you weaken the general education services, you are weakening the entire school community."

Sasha Pudelski, assistant director of policy and advocacy for the School Superintendents Association, says that changes to Medicaid could put schools in competition with hospitals and insurance providers for Medicaid dollars.  "Schools can't compete with other frontline healthcare providers for those dollars," Pudelski says.  "From our perspective, it could end Medicaid as we know it in schools."

Fuerer attended three meetings with Michigan representatives when she was in Washington this month, at least one of which really surprised her.  When she sat down with freshman Republican Rep. Jack Bergman, she says, "he had never heard about the Medicaid billing in schools and he listened very intently."  "He didn't commit to changing his position," she says.  "He voted for the House bill.  But he was interested and asked us for more information.  It was better than the other ones."

Fuerer also met with an aide to Republican Rep. Justin Amash, who voted yes on the House bill that included cuts to Medicaid spending similar to those in the Senate proposals.  In the meeting, Fuerer recalls the staffer saying that Amash believed that responsibility for funding education and healthcare should be left to states.  Fuerer says she finds that response "a little frustrating."

Chris Kjolhede, co-director of the school-based health program at Bassett Healthcare Network, which runs in-school health clinics across 15 school districts in rural upstate New York, says that though it's still too early to know the extent of damage on schools in the GOP's legislation, it is "terrifying to think about major cuts to Medicaid."  He says roughly half of children who work with his program receive care as a result of Medicaid funding and New York’s Child Health Plus program.

Kjolhede's program relies on the federal funds to provide dental, physical, and mental health services for more than 7,500 kids.  He adds that Bassett has advocated with elected officials to let them know that the group was concerned about the loss of Medicaid reimbursements in his red district.  "If the funding goes away, theoretically, I have to figure out how to pay for the services or the services go away," Kjolhede tells Mother Jones.  "There’s a lot of pressure on those of us trying to make it happen."

The Gift of Voice

From Autism Parenting Magazine, this article warmed the absolute cockles of my heart.  For realz.  Check it out and see what amazing parents of special needs children are doing for their equally amazing kids!

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Two Special Dads Give the Exciting Gift of Voice 

Most dads like to give gifts to their children.  Some dads give toys, some give treats.  Others give money, books, or clothes.  But one pair of dads—whose children had no speech of their own—gave a gift that meant much more than any of those.  They gave the gift of voice.

Brian Whitmer and Scot Wahlquist had one big thing in common—each of them had a child who could not communicate vocally.

Brian's daughter, Becca, was born with Rett Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that left her unable to speak or control her body movements.  For years, Becca could only communicate by indicating "yes" or "no" with her eyes.

"I just wanted to find her," Brian said.  "I wanted to know what she thought and felt.  I wanted her to be able to break out of the shell of her body and connect with the world, because I knew she was in there."

Scot's son, Adam, has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and like one quarter of all children on the spectrum, he is nonverbal.  Adam has better control over his body than Becca and began using an iPad in order to communicate with his family; however, his energetic escapades often resulted in a missing or broken speech device.

Convinced there had to be a way to help his daughter, Brian, a computer programmer by trade, dedicated himself to creating a cloud-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) application that works on nearly all devices.  It has created strong supports for parents, teachers, and therapists who encourage an AAC communicator.  He called it CoughDrop.
 

"When you've been talking too long and your voice goes hoarse, you throw a cough drop in your mouth so people can hear you better," Brian said.  "I wanted to provide a cough drop for nonverbal communicators so they could grow and connect with the people in their lives."

The moment he learned about CoughDrop, Scot knew he wanted to be a part of it, because it was exactly what his son needed.

"I contacted Brian to learn more about what he was doing and to see how I could get involved," Scot said.  "This was more than just a professional curiosity for me.  I've seen the heartache on Adam's face when his device—his voice—is broken.  I loved the idea that my son's voice wouldn't be tied to only one piece of hardware.  His speech information could be saved in the cloud and available from any computer, tablet, or phone."

Brian felt the partnership was a great idea.  "I hadn't met Scot before, but I knew he was passionate about AAC, and that drive would help us to keep moving forward.  We are both in it for our kids, and that's a pretty solid motivation."

Following intense research and input from dozens of speech professionals, Brian shaped CoughDrop into an AAC app that could fit any communication need.  He wove in features to provide reports and usage information for parents and therapists.  He created ways for communicators to share messages via email or social media straight from the app so they could connect with the world.  He worked hard to make the program user-friendly and easy to maneuver, and he added a two-month free trial so people could try it out for themselves before buying.

While Brian wrote the code and crafted programs, Scot began spreading the word and encouraging CoughDrop to grow.  Suddenly, the pair of fathers-turned-app-designers was not only bringing their own children a pathway to speech, they were also traveling the country trying to bring a voice to any person who needed one.

"We know we don't have all the answers, so we rely on professionals to give us guidance," Scot said.  "But we do live this reality every single day, so we really feel strongly about it and want CoughDrop to be its best.  After all, this is the way our kids speak too."

Because they knew first-hand the struggles a family faces when communication is an obstacle, these fathers wanted to help others overcome similar problems.

"When it comes down to it, we're just a couple of guys who love our kids and want to share the solution we've found with other people who need it," Brian said.

Brian keeps striving to make CoughDrop the best AAC app possible.  Scot keeps working to help families learn that there is a way to help people without speech be heard.

But deep down, they are really just two dads who want more than anything to give an incredible gift—the gift of voice–to the children they love best.

It's Good to Be Green

Peep this from Nic Corbett, USAID's blog editor.  Soooo, she may be a little bit biased, but she's damn right, this is a good guy and it is good to be Green!  I only wish he was still here in the ole Tee-Zed!!

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7 Facts You Might Not Know About USAID's New Administrator

On Aug. 3, Ambassador Mark Green was confirmed as USAID's administrator.  Read on to learn more about him.


1. He grew up in the Midwest. 
Ambassador Mark Green was born in Boston, but he attended high school and college in Wisconsin.  He majored in English and political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and was named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-America team in swimming.  He received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. 

2. He volunteered in Kenya.
Along with his wife, Sue, Ambassador Green volunteered as a high school teacher in Kakamaga, Kenya, through WorldTeach.  The organization was founded at Harvard, and recruits American college graduates to volunteer overseas.

3. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Tanzania.
In 2007, Ambassador Green was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Tanzania by then-President George W. Bush.  He led more than 350 U.S. and Tanzanian nationals representing 11 distinct U.S. government entities, and was a prominent voice for U.S. interests, as well as democratization, anti-corruption, and HIV/AIDS.  He still speaks kidogo ku ("just a little") Kiswahili.

4. He has a diverse family background.
Ambassador Green's father is South African and his mother is British.  Both of his parents have been proud Americans for more than 20 years.  He also has close relatives in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. 

5. He served in Congress.
In 1999, Ambassador Green was elected to represent Wisconsin's 8th District in Congress, where he served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.  He helped craft legislation that launched the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent U.S. government foreign aid agency, as well as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), an inter-agency initiative that has transformed the global HIV/AIDS response across more than 60 countries.  He was later nominated to serve on the MCC Board of Directors by then-President Barack Obama. 

6. He's respected by the international development community.
Most recently, Ambassador Green was president of the International Republican Institute.  IRI is a non-profit that advances freedom and democracy worldwide.  Previously, he served as president and chief executive officer of the Initiative for Global Development, senior director at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and managing director of Malaria No More.

7. He has strong bipartisan support.
At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ambassador Green earned praise from congressional leaders — both Republicans and Democrats.  Here are some quotes from the hearing:

"Mark's exemplary character and unique qualifications make him an inspired choice to lead USAID in the future." — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) 

"He has the deep personal passion and commitment to do this job, as shown through years of work in advancing our common good on the international stage." — Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

"He has an uncanny ability to bring people together of differing views [and] of differing backgrounds and get them to work on the same page.  He is a person who knows what it takes to improve and transform the lives of others." — Speaker Paul Ryan  

Team Fox

One of the really fun things about working in development in Africa is the unique and interesting partnerships you make along the way.

This past week, my dear friend Deus Haraja, whose wife Jenn I worked with at The School of St. Jude in Arusha back in 2008, came to Moshi with a group of clients to "climb for a cause."

This phrase is bandied around quite frequently, and I cast no shade on those who use it, myself never having climbed for any cause other than getting my damn self to the top of that blessed mountain.  But for those who do it for charitable reasons, raising money for various organizations, I have nothing but the utmost admiration.

Deus's group was part of Team Fox, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and each climber is in some way affected by the disease him/herself, including Jenn and Deus.


Unfortunately, Jenn was unable to make the trip to Tanzania, but I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely group of people from the United States and Canada: Chuck, Lydia, Natasha, Kevin, Anne, Marsha, Dawn, and Josh - if I am forgetting a name here, please forgive me, it's simply a factor of an overtaxed brain and not in any way a personal slight, as meeting each and every one of you and hearing your stories was really a beautiful experience!

The day prior to their trek, Deus asked if they could come out and visit one of Toa Nafasi's participating school sites, and I happily obliged.  The guests brought small gifts for the kids which were met, as you can imagine, with squeals of joy and rapture.

Then Teacher Rose A., who is subbing in for Hyasinta while she is on maternity leave, gave a nice talk about what Toa does in her own words.  (I mean, why should I be the one talking when the teaching staff is doing all the heavy lifting?!)

We also got to peek into the regular Standard One classroom (aka, chaos) so the guests could see the difference between the two learning environments and how Toa is helping to support the kids who are flagging amidst all that noise.

Yesterday, the climbers began their trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route, and will return on the 17th of August.  I can't wait to share some of the stories of their journey and also to join in their celebration.  Though I am down here in Moshi town, a little part of me too is "climbing for a cause" this week.

Below, please find some photos and videos of the guests' time at Msaranga Primary School, and to learn more about Team Fox and Deus's outfit, check this link: https://fundraise.michaeljfox.org/Climb-Mt-Kilimanjaro/DeusHaraja.

 
 
 

SpecialtyEDU

Toa Nafasi follows Sandra Martin at SpecialtyEDU on Twitter.  She self-describes thus: "Ed professor & classroom teacher for 38yrs, specialized in programs for inclusion, dyslexia, math & reading difficulties.  ALL KIDS DESERVE THE BEST!"

So, you can see why her posts resonate with me, particularly this one from Cengage Learning, "a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional, and library markets worldwide.  We provide superior content, personalized services, and course-driven digital solutions that accelerate student engagement and transform the learning experience.  At Cengage, we craft learning experiences that propel students toward a brighter future."

This article is a bit Western in Toa terms, but I still think there are some worthy bits that our teaching staff can use in TZ.  Check it out!

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Teaching Strategies: Students with Learning Disabilities


By now, you know that all students are unique and have their own learning preferences and strengths.  You can adapt your teaching strategies to meet these needs, including the needs of students with learning disabilities.

It's vital for all instructors to become familiar with the types of learning disabilities in order to help facilitate a positive learning experience.  Try these tips for expanding your teaching methods to be inclusive of all learning types. 

Approach each student as an individual 

Students with learning disabilities are the largest group of students with disabilities.  Some of the many disabilities include difficulty in writing or reading, difficulty in remembering, ADHD, autism, developmental delays, speech or language impairment, limited cognitive functioning, emotional disorders, or physical impairment.  Teachers should not generalize all students with disabilities into one behavioral and learning group, but approach each student to his or her own personal characteristics.  According to Donald C. Orlich et al., in the bookTeaching Strategies: A Guide to Effective Instruction, Tenth Edition: "As you get to know students with disabilities and understand their learning preferences and achievement levels, you will find that they reflect a similar range of diversity as their non-disabled peers" (Orlich, 51). 

Strategies for instructors 

In "Successful Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities," the Learning Disabilities Association of America suggested that teachers provide learning strategy instruction; use a multi-sensory approach to teaching; focus on individual learning, achievement, and progress; and provide teacher-mediated instruction at first, then allow the student to acquire skills and work toward student-mediated instruction.  Other suggestions:

  • break learning into small steps
  • supply quality feedback
  • provide independent and intensive practice
  • engage students in process type questions, such as "How is this strategy working?"

Use proven teaching strategies 

Teachers should utilize research-based teaching strategies that show verified successful results for other students with the same learning disability.  Proven teaching strategies assess how students absorb what they are learning, and how the teacher can most effectively impart information.  Teaching methods should not make the student feel uncomfortable or embarrassed and/or feel different from their peers.  Teachers should also be cognizant of the student's emotional well-being and educational progress.

According to Ginny Osewalt in "Teaching Strategies: What Works Best" at Understood.org, teaching guidelines for students with disabilities include:

  • Assuring that students understand the skills learned in the previous lesson before moving on to the next.
  • Asking many questions and creating a discussion with the student, asking them to explain how they derived their answers, and letting the student think out loud to work out the answer.
  • Providing models, examples, and problems that have a solution the student can discover.
  • Allowing for lots of practice and frequent reviews to improve long-term memory.

Instructors can also do the following

  • Discuss the curriculum of the course with the student.
  • Meet with the student to understand limitations and accommodations, and to discern if the student is able to meet the course objectives.
  • Grant special consideration to disabled students, such as extensions or seating preferences.
  • Meet several times during the course to discuss progress or any problems that arise.
  • Not assume the student will slow down the rest of the class.
  • Not single out the student during class for special attention which may embarrass them.

Reference: Orlich, Donald C. 2013. Teaching Strategies: A Guide to Effective Instruction, 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: How have you approached teaching students with learning disabilities?

News from Our Neighbors to the North

Horror From Human Rights Watch: August 27, 2017

Kenya: Post-Election Killings, Abuse; Investigation of Police Use of Excessive Force; Upholding the Right to Peaceful Protest
 

(Nairobi) – Kenya's presidential election on August 8, 2017 was marred by serious human rights violations, including unlawful killings and beatings by police during protests and house-to-house operations in western Kenya, Human Rights Watch said today.  At least 12 people were killed and over 100 badly injured.

Kenyan authorities should urgently investigate the crimes, and ensure that officers found to have used excessive force are held to account.

"The brutal crackdown on protesters and residents in the western counties, part of a pattern of violence and repression in opposition strongholds, undermined the national elections," said Otsieno Namwaya, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.  "People have a right to protest peacefully, and Kenyan authorities should urgently put a stop to police abuse and hold those responsible to account."

Human Rights Watch conducted research in western Kenya during and after the election.  Researchers interviewed 43 people, including victims of police beatings and shootings, in Kisumu and Siaya counties; examined bodies in mortuaries in Kisumu and Siaya counties; and visited victims at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (Russia Hospital) in Kisumu.

On August 11, following the announcement of Uhuru Kenyatta's victory at the polls, opposition supporters in Nairobi, the Coast, and the western counties of Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, and Homabay protested with chants of "Uhuru Must Go."  Police responded in many areas with excessive force, shooting and beating protesters in Nairobi and western Kenya or carrying out abusive house-to-house operations.

On August 12, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported that the police had killed at least 24 people nationwide, including one in Kisumu and 17 in Nairobi.  The number is most likely much higher, as Kenyan media were slow in reporting on the violence, and families have been afraid to speak out.

Mild protests and political tensions surfaced in parts of western Kenya and Nairobi on August 9, following allegations by the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, that the electoral commission's system had been hacked and polling results manipulated in favor of Kenyatta.  The protests intensified on August 11, when the electoral commission declared Kenyatta the winner.  Odinga has challenged the results in court, with the verdict due by September 1.

In western Kenya, police fired teargas canisters and water cannons to disperse protesters, who threw stones and other crude objects back at the police.  Protesters also blocked roads with stones and burned tires, and lit fires on the roads.
 

On August 11 and 12, police carried out house-to-house operations.  Residents said that police asked for any men in the house and beat or shot them.  Police also fired teargas canisters and water cannons in residential areas.  Human Rights Watch confirmed through multiple sources that police killed at least 10 people, including a 6-month-old baby, in Kisumu county alone.  In neighboring Siaya county, police fatally shot a protester near the town of Siaya and beat a 17-year-old boy to death in the outskirts of Ugunja, as they pursued crowds of protesters into the villages.  Human Rights Watch found no evidence that protesters were armed or acted in a manner that could justify the use of such force. 

In the town of Kisumu, hospital staff and county government officials confirmed that at least 100 people, mostly men, were seriously injured in the beatings and shootings.  Many others did not go to a hospital for treatment for fear of being further targeted or arrested.  As of August 17, at least 92 people with serious injuries, including three women who said police raped them, had not sought any medical help, according to Edris Omondi, the chairperson of the makeshift Kisumu county Disaster Management Center that was registering those affected by the violence and police abuses. 

Residents of Obunga, Nyalenda, Nyamasaria, Arina, Kondele, and Manyatta neighborhoods in Kisumu told Human Rights Watch that during the house-to-house operations, officers broke down doors; beat residents; stole money, phones, and television sets; and sexually harassed women.  Many town residents fled to a nearby school for the night, only to return to find their possessions looted, presumably by police.  Police denied any role in the looting and claimed that criminals were responsible. 

On August 12, the acting cabinet secretary for interior and coordination of the national government, Dr. Fred Matiang'i, denied that police used live bullets or excessive force against protesters and blamed criminals for looting.  "Some criminal elements took advantage of the situation to loot property," he said.  "The police responded and normalcy has returned in the affected areas.  The right to demonstrate should be carried out in a peaceful manner and without destroying property."

International law and Kenya's own constitution protect the right to freedom of assembly and expression, and prohibit excessive use of force by law enforcement officials.  The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms say that law enforcement officials should use force only in proportion to the seriousness of the offense, and the intentional use of lethal force is permitted only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. 

The principles also say that governments should ensure that arbitrary or abusive use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials is punished as a criminal offense.  Superior officers should be held responsible if they knew, or should have known, that personnel under their command resorted to the unlawful use of force and firearms, but did not take all measures in their power to prevent, suppress, or report such use. 

Kenyan police have a long history of using excessive force against protesters, especially in the western counties such as Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, and Homabay, where Odinga has had solid support for over 20 years.  In the 2007 post-election violence, during which more than 1,100 people were killed, most of the more than 400 people shot by police were in the Nyanza region, which includes those counties. 

In 2013, Human Rights Watch documented at least 5 cases of apparently unlawful police killings of demonstrators in Kisumu protesting a Supreme Court decision that affirmed Kenyatta's election as president.  And in June 2016, police killed at least 5 and wounded another 60 demonstrators in Kisumu, Homabay, and Siaya counties who called for the firing of electoral commission officials implicated in cases of corruption abroad. 

Yet, accountability for police abuses has been sorely missing, Human Rights Watch said. 

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), a civilian police accountability institution, has investigated many abuses in the Nyanza region.  In September 2016, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions opened a public inquest into the 2013 police shootings in Kisumu.  But these efforts have not resulted in any prosecutions of the police officers implicated in what appeared to be unlawful killings and maiming of protesters in western Kenya. 

The government of Kenya should publicly acknowledge and condemn any and all recent unlawful and unnecessary police killings and shootings, Human Rights Watch said.  Donors to the Kenyan government should support police accountability systems, particularly the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, in investigating the recent violence and releasing their findings to the public. 

"With tensions still running high as the country awaits the court's decision on the opposition's petition, Kenyan authorities need to be vigilant in preventing more police abuses and upholding the right to peaceful protest," Namwaya said.  "Kenyans should be able to express their grievances without being beaten or killed by police."

Post-Election Police Operations 
On August 8, Kenya held its second presidential election since the disputed 2007 election that resulted in violence in which more than 1,100 people were killed and another 650,000 displaced.  Within hours after the initial results started streaming live on television on August 9, 2017, but before the electoral commission announced Uhuru Kenyatta's victory, the leading opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, expressed concerns that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) server had been hacked and presidential results that were streaming in had been manipulated. 

Following these allegations and the August 11 declaration that Kenyatta had won, opposition supporters in the capital, Nairobi, in western Kenya, and in parts of the coastal region took to the streets in protest.  Victims and witnesses told Human Rights Watch that Kenyan police responded violently, hurling teargas canisters and water cannons in residential areas and using lethal fire. 

Human Rights Watch interviewed 43 people in Kisumu and Siaya counties about the events, including, among others, victims and witnesses. 

On August 11 and 12, according to victims of police beatings and witnesses to the events, police conducted house-to-house operations in the town of Kisumu, using lethal fire against unarmed protesters, violently storming into homes at night, looking for and beating mainly men, extorting money, stealing electronic goods, and in some cases raping women.  In Siaya county, police dispersed crowds of protesters at market centers along Kisumu's Busia Road and pursued them into villages, throwing teargas into homes and beating residents. 

Killings by Police in Kisumu and Siaya Counties 
Human Rights Watch interviewed family members and witnesses to at least 12 killings by police, 10 in Kisumu county and two in neighboring Siaya county, in the former Nyanza region of western Kenya.  Some occurred as police tried to suppress protests, but others occurred during house-to-house operations or in places with no protests. 

While some victims were protesters, others were not and were either caught up in the violence or attacked inside their homes.  A 33-year-old man from the Obunga neighborhood said police found him and friends standing outside his house on the morning of August 12, and started shooting at them without talking to them.  "They arrived in a Land Cruiser that was followed in the air by a helicopter and they just started firing at us.  They did not even want to know what we were doing outside my house.  We had to run for dear life."

In Kisumu county, Human Rights Watch saw six bodies that witnesses described as victims of police shootings and beatings, four of them in the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital, also known as the Russia Hospital, mortuary.  Two young men in their teens from the Nyaori area had gunshot wounds.  A witness said that police came into the homes of the two teens, Onyango Otieno and Ochieng Gogo, on the morning of August 12, beat them, then told them to run away and shot them in the back.  "As they were running away, police shot them at the back and took their bodies away."

According to relatives and witnesses, two others died from police beatings on the night of August 11 in the Kondele area.  Lennox Ochieng, a 27-year-old man, was beaten to death by police in his house in the Kondele neighborhood.  Another body, described in hospital records as "unknown male alias Kimoko," had bullet wounds, but witnesses could not describe the circumstances of his death. 

Another victim, 35-year-old David Ochieng, was shot while he was protesting on the night of August 11.  An acquaintance who was with him during protests said he saw police shoot him around 11pm as he threw stones at the police.  "The bullet went through his right ear and came out through the other side," the acquaintance said.  "He could not talk at the time we took him to hospital but he could communicate through signs.  He gave us the phone contacts of his next of kin by writing in the air using signs."  Ochieng died in the hospital on the morning of August 13. 

6-month-old Samantha Pendo was another victim.  Eyewitnesses told researchers that on August 11, police violently attacked her family, kicking, slapping, and beating with gun butts and batons everyone in the house, including the baby.  A nurse at Aga Khan Hospital said that the baby had a fractured skull and was in critical condition.  The baby died in the hospital on August 16. 

Police carried out the house-to-house operations in Kisumu, as well as villages in Kisumu and Siaya counties.  Residents of the village of Dago said that on the night of August 11, police officers attached to the Dago police post, 25 kilometers north of Kisumu, started firing at villagers strolling on the road, unaware of the protests in other parts of Kisumu.  In the process, they said a police officer shot 21-year-old Vincent Omondi Ochieng, who was working with Elections Observations Group (ELOG), a Kenyan organization that has observed the past two elections. 

"Vincent and his younger uncle were returning from watching a football game at a few minutes past midnight when police officers, who were hiding at Bar Union Primary School, started shooting at them," said his aunt, who lived nearby.  "His uncle told us that Vincent was on phone and the first two shots startled him and he fell.  It was the third shot that killed him."  Human Rights Watch researchers observed the bullet wound in his chest in the heart area. 

While Human Rights Watch confirmed the killings described above, the death toll in Kisumu county could be higher.  Many witnesses and family members were afraid of speaking up or even going to the hospital, while others said they could not immediately establish the whereabouts of their relatives. 

In Kisumu's Nyamasaria neighborhood, for example, witnesses and relatives of a young man who was shot dead near Well Petrol Station on the night of August 11 declined to be interviewed out of fear of victimization.  In Nyalenda, a family said it could not trace two young men three days after initial protests.  In Siaya county, demonstrations also turned violent as police dispersed protesters and carried out search operations in the villages.  Evidence given to Human Rights Watch suggests that police killed two young men. 

In Siaya county, relatives and two witnesses said that on August 12, police beat to death 17-year-old Kennedy Juma Otieno, after pursuing him from Kisumu's Busia Road, where they had dispersed protesters with teargas.  Human Rights Watch and Kenya National Commission on Human Rights members saw his body in the Sega Mission Hospital Mortuary in Siaya county.  His hand, head, and face were swollen. 

Relatives and a witness said that police shot and killed Zacchaeus Okoth, a 21-year-old man from Anduro village, Siaya county, on the night of August 11, as the police used teargas and live bullets to disperse crowds of protesters after the announcement of Kenyatta's victory. 

Beatings of Protesters and Residents in Kisumu 
On the night Kenyatta was declared the winner, the electricity went off in some parts of Kisumu, plunging residential areas into darkness just as police began door-to-door operations that targeted mainly men for attacks, according to victims of beatings interviewed by Human Rights Watch.  At least 100 people were injured by gunshots and beatings. 

A police officer in Kisumu said that a combined team of officers from various police units, such as the General Service Unit, Quick Response Team of the Administration Police, Border Patrol, Special Crime Prevention Unit, and Kenya Wildlife Service were responsible for the operations.  The officers were drawn from several counties and were ferried to Kisumu neighborhoods days before the announcement of presidential results.  Plainclothes officers, whom Kisumu residents suspected to be from the directorate of criminal investigations, swarmed the neighborhoods before the demonstrations started. 

Multiple witnesses, including those who said they were victims of police beatings in Nyamasaria, Arina, Kondele, Manyatta, and Car Wash neighborhoods, said police responded to the "Uhuru Must Go" chant with teargas and gunfire.  They said police dispersed with teargas any groups of more than three people, even people who were not protesters.  International human rights law and Kenya's constitution guarantee the right of peaceful assembly. 

House-to-house operations began soon after the electricity went off.  A 32-year-old father of two and resident of Nyalenda said, "Police started throwing teargas in the neighborhood, sometimes even in the houses, and shooting."

At 11am on August 12, according to witnesses, police carried out a door-to-door operation in Arina estate, beating men and children, and sexually harassing women.  A 17-year-old high school student said she was among a group of people the police beat that day for no reason.  "I was in the house with my younger brother when police kicked the door open and started beating and stepping on me.  They then went to the neighbor where they beat a lady there and her brother."

Police raided the home of a 35-year-old freelance photographer in Obunga estate and beat him severely.  "They broke into my house and started beating me.  They were hitting mainly the joints – knees, shoulders, arms, head, and back.  They stepped on me for a while and then left me lying there, unable to walk.  They broke my rib."

Human Rights Watch interviewed 20 victims of police beatings and gunshot injuries during the protests and during house-to-house operations in Kisumu alone. 

From the hospital records, at least 27 people with injuries were admitted at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (Russia Hospital) on August 11 and 12.  On August 17, officials of a makeshift Disaster Management Center told Human Rights Watch that they had registered an additional 92 victims of police beatings and shootings who were yet to seek treatment at any hospital due to fear of reprisal. 

Edris Omondi, the head of Disaster Management Center, said, "Some of them have very serious injuries like broken legs, arms, and ribs.  Others cannot walk or eat at all and they will need urgent medical attention."

Extortion and Theft from Kisumu Residents  
Many witnesses said the police broke into their houses and demanded money or simply stole money and electronic items. 

In Arina, a 30-year-old woman said that on August 12, police took Ksh5,000 (US$50) from her and another Ksh2,000 (US$19) from her brother.  A 15-year-old girl in Arina said that on the same day police kicked the door to their house open and started beating her with gun butts and batons, and stepping on her.  The officers took Ksh2,200 (US$21) meant for buying charcoal and food. 

In Obunga neighborhood, many families fled the harassment and beatings to seek refuge at Kudho Primary School on the night of August 11.  Many said that when they returned home, they found electronics such as radio receivers and television sets, and money missing, and presumed that police were responsible. 

Those who reported the theft to the nearest police stations in Kondele, Nyamasaria, and Obunga said police were unwilling to investigate and said that thieves had stolen the goods. 

"Police are telling us that it was the thieves who stole our items from the houses," said a mother of three from Nyamasaria.  "But which thieves were these when everyone had either run away, was writhing in pain and unable to walk, or dead?"

"I Have Not Even Had Lunch Since I Heard the Results."

This blog entry is a shocking (in a good way) addendum to my last post about the chaos in Kenya following the recent presidential election.  From CNN.com, on September 2nd, Farai Sevenzo reported from Nairobi and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London.  Briana Duggan, Idris Mukhtar, Fabien Muhire, and Katie Polglase also contributed to this report.

Though this is not about Tanzania per se, many people are saying the judiciary overturning of the Kenyan election results have implications that go far beyond Kenya to the entire continent of Africa.

New elections have been called for within two months and though sitting president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has said he doesn't agree with the decision, he has accepted it and so far there has been no violence.

Supporters of the opposition party are obviously joyful beyond belief.  This article veers a tad negatory towards the end, especially with John Kerry's "little aberrations" statement, the murder of the electoral management dude, and Kenyatta's strong political rhetoric.  Yet, the fact that the new vote is happening at all is certainly novel and newsworthy.

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Kenya Supreme Court Nullifies Presidential Election, Orders New Vote 

Kenya's Supreme Court has invalidated the result of last month's contentious presidential election and ordered a new vote, the first time in Africa that a court has nullified the re-election of a sitting leader.

The court upheld a petition by opposition candidate Raila Odinga, who said the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta on August 8 was fraudulent.

"The presidential election was not conducted in accordance with the constitution, rendering the declared results invalid, null, and void," Chief Justice David Maraga said, ordering fresh elections within 60 days.

In a decision that surprised many observers, including Odinga and his supporters, four out of six justices agreed with opposition arguments that the electoral commission committed irregularities invalidating the vote.  It also raised questions for international monitors, who had declared the election fair.

Odinga appeared jubilant as he welcomed what he called a "precedent-setting ruling."

"For the first time in the history of African democratization, a ruling has been made by a court nullifying the election of a president," he said.  "This indeed is a very historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension the people of the continent of Africa."

In a televised address to the nation Friday, Kenyatta said he would respect the ruling.

"I disagree with it because as I've said, millions of Kenyans queued, made their choice, and six people have decided that they will go against the will of the people," he said.

Kenyatta said his primary message was for all Kenyans to keep the peace.  "Your neighbor will still be your neighbor regardless of whatever has happened," he said.  "Regardless of their political affiliation, regardless of their religion, regardless of their color, regardless of their tribe."

But on Saturday, Kenyatta criticized the ruling, the chief justice, and the judicial system.

"Every time we do something, a judge comes out and places an injunction.  It can't go on like this," Kenyatta said before members of his party in a 30-minute televised speech from his official residence.

Kenya has "a problem" with its judiciary that must be fixed, he said.

"Maraga thinks he can overturn the will of the people," Kenyatta said.  "We shall show you in 60 days that the will of the people cannot be overturned by one or two individuals."

As news of the court's decision spread, cheers and celebrations could be heard in parts of the capital, Nairobi.  In its Kibera slum, an opposition stronghold where some post-election violence erupted last month, hundreds of supporters danced and sang in the streets, some chanting "Uhuru Must Go!"

"It does mean a lot to me.  I am sure Kenya will be at a better place.  I am really happy about the decision," Roseyln Aoko told CNN.

"I am really happy about today.  I have not even had lunch since I heard the results," said Margaret Akinyi, 36.


But it's not yet clear if the ruling will spark public protests.

Although Kenya's 2013 election was mainly peaceful, the country plunged into widespread violence in the aftermath of the 2007 vote.  More than 1,000 people were killed in months of bloodshed after Odinga -- defeated by then-President Mwai Kibaki -- claimed the vote was rigged.

After Kenyatta was declared the winner last month by 54% to 45% over Odinga, sporadic violence erupted in some areas, claiming the lives of at least 24 people.

Odinga is a longtime challenger who has yet to claim the presidency.  Kenyatta, the 55-year-old son of Kenya's founding father, has already served one five-year term.

Kenyatta's lead counsel, Ahmednasir Abdullahi, said in court that his client wanted to see the full judgment to understand how the alleged irregularities would "obliterate" his winning margin of 1.4 million votes.

"My Lord, it's obvious, and I'm not afraid to say, that this is a very political decision you have made this morning, but we will live with the consequences," Abdullahi said.  He added that the will of the people would prevail.

The court has not yet published its full written ruling explaining why the election was invalid but has 60 days to do so.

One of the most contested aspects of the election was the apparent discrepancy between the electronic results as transmitted and the manual count.

The head of Kenya's electoral body, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, suggested that discrepancy was the basis for the court's ruling.

"The focus of the decision is in the transmission of presidential results.  Therefore there were no aspersions cast on the voting and the counting of the votes," Chairman Wafula Chebukati said.

Chebukati said the commission was committed to ensuring that the new election "is done in accordance with the constitution, the relevant laws" and urged the prosecution of any staffer found to have broken the law.  He also said he had no plans to step down.

"The commission urges all Kenyans to remain calm and restrain themselves from any political rhetoric that may undermine the stability and cohesion of our country," he said.

In his address after the ruling, Odinga said he had "no faith" in the electoral commission.  "They have committed criminal acts.  Most of them actually belong in jail and, therefore, we are going to ask prosecution for all the electoral commission officials who have committed this monstrous crime against the people of Kenya."

Speaking later at a rally, he also condemned international election monitors.

"With this courageous verdict, we put on trial the international observers who moved so fast to sanitize fraud.  Their role must be examined as it is highly politicized and currently puts status quo and stability ahead of a credible election," he said.

Amnesty International's country director for Kenya, Justus Nyang'aya, said the "ruling demonstrates the independence of Kenya's judiciary and sets an example for the rest of the world."  He urged all parties to comply with the judgment and called on police to exercise restraint in their handling of celebrations or protests.

Most of the demonstrators in last month's post-election were supporters of Odinga, who had called the vote rigged.  National election officials dismissed the accusations, however, saying it was free and credible.

More than 400 international election monitors were deployed across the country to monitor voting, the tallying process and the post-election period.

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry, an election observer for the Carter Center, said then that the election was not rigged despite "little aberrations here and there."

In one unexplained incident, the head of information technology for Kenya's Integrated Electoral Management System, Chris Msando, was found slain days before the vote.  His department is responsible for voter-identification and result-transmission technology.

Any unrest in Kenya could have ripple effects far beyond the nation of 47 million people.

As the largest economy in East Africa, Kenya is a crucial trade route to the continent and provides an important buffer of stability in a region that includes the fledgling Somali government and the politically tense Sudan and South Sudan.

Trading on Kenya's stock exchange, the Nairobi Securities Exchange, was briefly suspended following the ruling but has since resumed.

Arrested Development


Oftentimes, people who do not live here or have not worked in development ask me, "What's the hardest part of the job?"

Could be a lot of answers to that one single question.  Culture shock.  Language barrier.  Lack of amenities.  Electricity cuts.  Minimal bandwidth.  Squat toilets.  Eating foods that require you to use squat toilets whether you want to or not.  Strange creatures, large and small, creeping and crawling, outside and in.  Strange illnesses, severe or moderate, that hit you like a ton of bricks or linger on for weeks on end.  Dust dust dust, or alternatively, mud mud mud.

But I think the hardest part of working in development is other people.  Not to go all Jean-Paul Sartre on you or anything, it's not because of the people themselves, but because of the communications and miscommunications among all the different types involved.  Whether we are Westerners or locals, the problem is the same: communication - the act of conveying intended meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs and semiotic rules.

When I first got here, Moshi was very different than it is today.  I will not deny that I have seen a lot of change over the past ten years.  Sky-high buildings with "offices to let."  Cafes serving barista-made coffee drinks with colonial-style wraparound porches.  Nail salons and massage parlors.  An enormous "superstore" selling everything from Heinz baked beans to flat-screen TVs.


But what has not changed is the way in which development occurs, or does not occur in this case.  All the old gaps are still there, the redundancies, the lack of partnership, the bickering and squabbling in both the NGO community as well as the local government community.

Everyone seems to put some sort of proprietary sense of "my Moshi" above what really matters - communication - something of which I have been guilty at times too.  When you look at it logically, "my Moshi" means something different to every single one of us, whether you're an expat New Yorker looking for the meaning of life or a Chagga schoolchild trekking a couple kilometers to and from class everyday.  I think it's fair to say that if Moshi has room for all of us - so nationally and culturally diverse - so should we find a way to make room for "all of Moshi."


Tanzania had a population of 45 million people when I first came here in 2007.  Now it's 55 million.  The shilling was 1250 to the dollar.  Now it's 2250.  Is it reasonable to assume that if we all worked together, if we actually communicated, the case might be different?

Among the Western community, it's a shame because we pretty much all came here with the same purpose: to help others less fortunate than ourselves.  But then sometimes we get wrapped up in our own narratives.  Which is fine to some extent because this is how we have chosen to live our lives.  But to another extent, there's a selfishness, a need for others' approval and platitudes.  "What wonderful work you are doing!"  "God bless you!"  "You're a saint!"

I am not a saint.  For one thing, I'm Jewish.  For another, I'm distinctly flawed.  And that's okay.  Being flawed is human.  Being human is real.

Among the local community, it's a shame because there is still an overall lack of responsibility in the uplifting of one's own nation.  People don't vote, have given up hope of any kind of fair governance, have lost faith in their nationhood.  I still see the same people at the same places doing the same things talking the same game.  There's very little sense of agency, of movement.  There may be passion simmering beneath the surface, but it hardly ever amounts to action.  Complacency abounds.  Communication falls short.


Kilimanjaro and Arusha in the Northern Zone plus Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar in the coastal region are basically the only places in which the country has any proper infrastructure.  The tourism industry booms with safari, mountain-climbing, beach getaways, and any number of adventure sports. 

Wazungu (foreigners) are attracted to these places because the rest of the country is basically one giant tumbleweed.  Myself included.  I make no bones about it; I am a city girl and need at least the basic amenities to get by, so I won't even front.  You will not find me roughing it in a Maasai boma made out of cow poop.

But the "real" Tanzania is a place I feel I have not even experienced.  A place I would not even recognize.  Sometimes, I chide myself for living "the good life" here in Moshi and not out in the bush somewhere where the needs are surely far greater than here.  I mean, there's pizza delivery in Moshi these days, for God's sake!

But then, when I am tempted to reproach myself into a place of shame and guilt, I remember the individual stories, both those that I have heard and those that I have told over the years, and even though I do not live in a cow-poop hut, "my Moshi" is a story that matters.  Really, a series of stories over the course of a decade during which people have touched my life, both mzungu and local, and I theirs.  Communication.


So, I guess "development" is subjective as well as objective.  Perhaps the country as a whole remains behind, still lost in a post-colonial and poorly-run republic.  But what I, and others like me, came here to do cannot be underestimated.  Nor can those strides made by those we seek to support, those individuals whose lives have been made better because we worked together.  Because we communicated.

(t)Winning!

Check out the recent article from The Citizen reprinted below for a story that will give you the warm and fuzzies.

It goes without saying that these girls are pretty amazeballs, pursuing their dreams of becoming teachers, even in the face of true adversity.

But, as a sister myself, I have to give them major props for doing it TOGETHER, and for not killing each other on the way!  There is no fight in the world like a fight between two sisters!! 
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Optimism High As Tanzania's Conjoined Twins Join University

Iringa — It was a dream come true for the conjoined twins Maria and Consolata as they made their first day at university Wednesday to pursue their goal of becoming teachers.


They were grateful to their lecturers for the warm welcome accorded to them in addition to the suitable learning and living environment that has been prepared for them at Ruaha Catholic University (Rucu).

They arrived at the institution ahead of other students to try and cope with the environment and get ready for their academic path ahead of them.  They start their computer lessons today.

The twins said it was all thanks to Consolata Missionaries that they have reached this stage of their life.  The missionaries brought them up and encouraged them as they pursued their elementary education.

The girls, residents of Iringa, were thankful to their sponsors who have offered to cover their education expenses.

A nun at Consolata Missionaries, Sr. Jane Lugi, said the twins' arrival at university before all other students would enable them to prepare ahead so as to cope with the others.

"We cared for these twins way back when they were still in Kilolo District.  I'm sure they will live a normal life here at university.  Sisters of Theresia have prepared a good home for them.  We are satisfied with what has been put in place for them and wish them all the best," said Sr. Lugi.

Three rooms have been prepared for the conjoined twins, which include a sitting room and a kitchen, all fully furnished.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration, Fr. Kelvin Haule, expressed his joy upon receiving the twins at the university.

He said the academic year begins at the end of October but computer classes start today.

Ruaha Catholic University's computer tutor Robert Manase promised to guide the twins well as they embark on their computer lessons.  "I have come to learn that Maria and Consolata have basic knowledge of computer but because of their nature, I know we have more time and I will do my best to teach them more things regarding computer, this is why they are here earlier than the rest," said the computer tutor.

Tanzania's Not Tesla

I may just be grumpy.  Or old and kvetchy.  Or a "nasty woman."  But this recent piece from Forbes really chaps my ass.

I mean, okay, kudos, right idea with corporate responsibility, and alms for the poor, and all that, you model-dating bazillionaire, Mr. Musk.

But think for a second about the infrastructure required to put your Xbox or neuro-turbo what-what into play in a country like TZ?

Hello?  Have you ever even come here on safari??  There is no electricity in most schools.  Certainly no internet.  Not enough classrooms.  Not enough trained teaching staff.  Not enough learning materials, i.e. PENCILS.  Not enough teaching materials, i.e. CHALK.  Too many students.  Unengaged parents.  Uninterested school administrators.  The grossest "bathrooms" you will ever see.

I just feel like before proclaiming yourself the "Education Revolutionizer," you might want to come and see what's going on over here for yourself.

Meh.

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Possibly Elon Musk's Biggest Idea Yet - Revolutionizing Education 

An estimated 250 million children around the world cannot read, write, or demonstrate basic arithmetic skills.  UNESCO estimates that the world will need 1.6 million more teachers globally, a number set to double by 2030.  Enter Elon Musk.

Musk is famous for being the face of such organizations as Tesla and SpaceX.  He is also the co-chairman of the AI research company OpenAI and the CEO of neurotechnology company Neuralink, among other companies that he is involved with.  More recently, he provided $15 million to the Global Learning XPRIZE.  The goal is to develop methods to teach the 250 million children who do not have access to primary or secondary education the means to teach themselves to read, write, and do math within 15 months.


Today, XPRIZE announced the five finalists advancing in the Global Learning XPRIZE and awarded each finalist a $1M milestone prize.  XPRIZE awarded each finalist for the open source, cutting-edge learning software they have developed for the competition.  The five finalist teams will begin field testing their education technology solutions this November in Tanzania.

"Universal access to education is a major priority for XPRIZE, and we are proud to celebrate the change-making teams making impressive strides to ensure every single child has the opportunity to take learning into her own hands," said Marcus Shingles, CEO of XPRIZE Foundation.  "The leading solutions born from this competition could provide the key to unlocking literacy for children most in need, giving them access to an education they otherwise wouldn’t have."

An independent committee of 11 judges chose five finalist teams from 198 companies who applied for the award:
  • CCI (New York, United States) is developing structured and sequential instructional programs, in addition to a platform seeking to enable non-coders to develop engaging learning content in any language or subject area.
  • Chimple (Bangalore, India) is developing a learning platform aimed at enabling children to learn reading, writing and mathematics on a tablet through more than 60 explorative games and 70 different stories.
  • Kitkit School (Berkeley, United States) is developing a learning program with a game-based core and flexible learning architecture aimed at helping children independently learn, irrespective of their knowledge, skill, and environment.
  • onebillion (UK/Malawi/Tanzania) is merging numeracy content with new literacy material to offer directed learning and creative activities alongside continuous monitoring to respond to different children's needs.
  • RoboTutor (Pittsburgh, United States) is leveraging Carnegie Mellon's research in reading and math tutors, speech recognition and synthesis, machine learning, educational data mining, cognitive psychology, and human-computer interaction.
"Our five finalists are developing the most promising software solutions to enable children to teach themselves basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, as determined by our panel of expert judges," said Matt Keller, senior director of the Global Learning XPRIZE.  "As we move to the final field testing phase, we are one step closer to scaling transformative technology solutions that foster child-driven learning and provide a world-class education for all."

To field-test the five finalists' solutions, the Global Learning XPRIZE partnered with UNESCO, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Government of Tanzania.  Approximately 4,000 children in 150 villages in the Tanga region of Tanzania will use 8,000 Pixel C tablets donated by Google to test the top software solutions for approximately 15 months.

At the end of the field testing phase, the team whose solution enables the greatest proficiency gains in reading, writing, and arithmetic will receive the Grand Prize of $10 million, to be announced in April 2019.  Each of the five finalists will be required to open source both their code and their content which will be free and available for anyone to build on.  By ensuring each finalists' solutions are open source, XPRIZE also aims to proliferate solutions worldwide at the intersection of technology and learning.

The Waiting

Hey kids, sorry this post is so late, things have been a bit hectic 'round these parts.  At any rate, this blog entry is kind of dedicated to Tom Petty, whose early demise this week at age 66 has all of us classic rock fans a bit shocked.

"The Waiting" is one of my favorite Petty songs, reminding me of sweet days with a college boyfriend before the world and my own insecurities got in the way....

Anyhoo, for the purposes of Toa Nafasi, however, "the waiting" refers to spending a day at KCMC (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre), the referral hospital of Kilimanjaro region, situated in Moshi town, which I have written about on this blog many times before.

Last week, I had the opportunity to accompany one of the Toa teachers, Mwalimu Glory, on a referral visit for a student whom I am following closely.

Meet Malaika*, a student in the Standard One class at Msandaka Primary School, one of Toa's satellite sites.  Malaika is a lovable and much-loved child, with two caring parents and a roster of friends at school and at home.

Shida (trouble) is, she is not doing well in class, and currently weighs over 62kgs (132lbs) at age 7.  At birth, Malaika weighed 6kgs (13lbs), so I am pretty sure she has a hormone, thyroid, or endocrine disorder, but we have tested her for everything under the sun, and this kid is healthy as a horse.... and happy as a clam.

We have not been able to pinpoint the reason for her excessive weight, so we have just advised Mama to punguza chakula (reduce food), especially carbs and sugar.  Because Mama is caring and involved in Malaika's life, she has been more than happy to cooperate, and really appreciates Toa's support, both in the classroom and on the referral appointments.

Unfortunately, Malaika's excess weight on top is causing her wee bones to bend below, and her tibias are becoming bowed.  Hence, our most recent visit to the ortho clinic.

But don't feel too bad for Malaika because with Toa's support and the advice of the medical professionals in Kilimanjaro, this spry youngster will get the help she needs to succeed both in the classroom and in life generally.

And, of course, we thank you, dear readers and donors and friends and family.  Without you, Toa could not do the work it does, and we are so grateful to you for our achievements.

Below, find pics and video of our last visit to KCMC's orthopedic ward.  You will see beautiful, sweet Malaika; Mwalimu Glory with Malaika; and video of how we pass the time: any free moment is a teaching moment!

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the child.




All the President's Women

Check out the opinion piece below written by Sauli Giliard, reprinted from the Tanzania Daily News, titled "Why Women Should Remember Mwalimu Nyerere."

As most of you know, Julius Kambarage Nyerere was the first president of Tanzania and every year on October 14th, all across the country, Tanzanians commemorate the anniversary of his death. 

Nyerere worked as a teacher for most of his adult life until 1953 when he became to the president of the Tanganyika African Association.  This would be his first foray into politics and the precursor to the fight for independence which he eventually gained in 1961. 

In 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form Tanzania, and Nyerere became the country's first President.  He resigned twenty years later, relinquishing power to his hand-picked successor, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, and remained chairman of the ruling party for five more years. 

Despite the fact that Nyerere's reputation is controversial, he is often regarded as the most popular president of Tanzania and Baba wa Taifa or "Father of the Nation."

The op-ed below describes the effect of Nyerere's beliefs on the role of women in Tanzanian society, and why today's Tanzanian woman might owe him a debt of gratitude.... 

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This week has been the "Mwalimu Julius Nyerere week."  As the nation is set to commemorate the 18th anniversary since Mwalimu Julius Nyerere departed on October 14, 1999, a lot has been discussed about him and his legacy.
 
The Arusha Declaration has been part and parcel of the discussions in radio and television programs and feature articles have been written in local newspapers.

The 1967 declaration, famously known as Azimio la Arusha contained the key features of socialism and Mwalimu Nyerere's philosophical point of view is strongly featured.

Though former Tanzania Assembly Speaker, Pius Msekwa, says there were some weaknesses during the implementation of socialism and self-reliance backed by the Arusha Declaration, he admits that there is a lot to learn and still to be implemented.

Decades have passed since the Arusha Declaration came into effect and the nation is commemorating the 18th anniversary since Mwalimu Nyerere passed away in London Hospital, United Kingdom.

Currently, human rights groups in the country have invested heavily in supporting gender parity movements in the country.  Education, economic empowerment, domestic violence, and gender-based budgets have been on top of its agenda.

On the other side, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been very supportive to women on the rights movement geared towards rescuing women from all forms of segregation.

However, did Mwalimu Nyerere's brain child, Azimio la Arusha, lay the foundation for women's rights?  Examining the content of the Arusha Declaration, the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) had stipulated principles that entail a lot about the rights of women.

In this article, some of these principles are going to be discussed in relation to gender movements in the country.


It was declared that "all human beings are equal" and the Arusha Declaration believed that there should not be segregation in respect to sex, religion, or tribe affiliation.  Hence, in accessing social services, or utilizing available resources available in the country, women were not left behind in the declaration.

Therefore, gender movements aimed at bringing equality should be an ongoing process until all traditional customs which act as obstacles toward eradicating gender inequality in the society are addressed.  For many years now, Tanzania has been struggling for women's empowerment in economic, social, and political spheres.  As of now, women are seeking a 50-50 percent representation in the Parliament.

It was during Mwalimu Nyerere's tenure that it was declared through the Arusha Declaration of 1967 that "every citizen is an integral part of the nation and has the right to take an equal part in government at local, regional, and national levels."  The term "citizen" does not omit women.

Mwalimu Nyerere treated all human beings equally, hence the 50-50 demand of representation in the Parliament or any posts in the public and even private sector can also be traced from the Arusha Declaration.

"Every individual has a right to dignity and respect," is another loaded phrase proclaimed in the 1967's declaration.  Everyone needs to be respected regardless of gender, religion, or tribe affiliation.  There are some traditions that affect women, causing endless domestic violence in the community.

Stakeholders from both public and private institutions should spearhead initiatives to build a society that treats women with respect and dignity.

The Arusha Declaration stated that all citizens together should own all the natural resources in the country in trust for their descendants.  But in this context, land has been a contentious issue for many tribes in the country and left women behind in ownership of it.

Women have mostly been engaged in agricultural activities, but denied the right to own land.  Rights' activists have been fighting for this for many years in vain.  However, there have been positive outcomes out of the movement seen in some tribes, where women have been allowed to own land for agriculture and other economic activities.  In both formal and informal sectors, women are earning little in comparison to their male counterparts.

A CNBC feature titled "Men Still Earn More Than Women with the Same Jobs," published last year states that studies have shown that even when a woman has the same level of education as a man, the latter can be paid higher.

"Even when comparing the sexes with the same job title in the same company and using similar education and experience, the gender pay gap still persists.  Men earned 2.4 percent more than women on average, down slightly from last year."  Since inequality in pay between men and women has been a global issue, TANU spotted this and insisted on economic justice for all.

It is the role of the leaders and local activists now to team up and make sure that everyone in the society enjoys basic human rights and women's position in the society is recognized, not just as mere observers.

The War Against Women

Direct on the heels of my last post in which this year's Nyerere Day was celebrated with a nod to his philosophies about a Tanzanian citizenry that includes every member - women! - I found this piece from The Financial Times, which both saddens and infuriates me.

Around the world, vile abuses are still being perpetrated against the female sex in such high profile cases as the Dominque Strauss-Kahn rape; Roger Ailes sexual harassment; Bill Cosby's drugging of women; Donald Trump's groping and bragging; and Harvey Weinstein basically being a creature from hell.  And there are many more.

These headline-making cases are revolting enough, but the crimes that occur against women in a low profile context, in developing countries, or from low-income households, without voices, and without advocates are beyond sickening.

Take President Magufuli's ban against pregnant schoolgirls in Tanzania.  Not only is it one-sided and grossly sexist, it robs both these young women and their children of any right to fulfilling and productive lives while at the same time creating a double-headed drain on Tanzania's meager economy.

Whether his reasons for the ban are his strong religious beliefs, the patriarchal attitude that pervades the country, or the notion that these pregnant youngsters will somehow "infect" their peers, Mr. Magufuli needs to wake up and take a dose of reality.

Sex happens.  TEENAGE sex happens.  Nothing is going to stop that.  So his best bet is ramping up a sex education curriculum in order to prevent early and unwanted pregnancy among this sector of the population.  This includes educating the male students as well.

Second to that is providing services to these young mothers-to-be so that they may care for themselves and their children even without a formal education.

By cutting pregnant schoolgirls off from education and therefore employment, he is creating a situation in which they are left with no means of self-care; moreover, he is taking no preventive measures to stop the wave of teen pregnancies.

Mr. Magufuli might think he is punishing these women.  He is.  But, more to the point, he is punishing his whole country.
 
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Tanzania's Enemies of the State: Pregnant Young Women 

The country's president has condemned teenage girls who become pregnant as 'immoral,' banning them from ever returning to school.

The Financial Times has a strict no-reprint policy, so please do check this link to read the article: https://www.ft.com/content/c7507730-712c-11e7-93ff-99f383b09ff9 

Conference in the Clouds

Hello friends, and many salams from beautiful New York City.  I have just arrived in the Western world, and am fully enjoying the luxury of consistent electricity, hot water, and wifi.  Of course, a part of my heart is always in Tanzania when I am here (just as a part of it remains in NYC when I am there), but my work here is cut out for me, and I must dedicate this Fall season to fundraising in order to keep the Project going yet another year.

There will be much more news on that front in blog entries to come, but for today, I am writing about my recent trip to Lushoto with the planning committee for the International Association of Special Education's next biennial conference.

Earlier this month, Mary Gale Budzisz, Iris Drower, Sandra Trevethan, and Susan Pursch, the lovely ladies of the IASE, descended upon Tanzania from various points around the world.  Mary Gale, the past president of IASE, is a mid-westerner who currently lives in South Carolina, though she spends precious little time in any one place!  Iris is the current president of IASE and a professor at Arizona State University.  Sandra is an Australian transplanted in Malawi where she runs a project called Mwayi Trust which encourages secondary school students to volunteer and support youngsters with special needs.  And Susan is a member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod who has a lengthy history with Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University (SEKOMU), where we all gathered for conference planning.



Just before heading out to Lushoto, where the university is located, a good five hours from Moshi town and another hour up into the clouds of the gorgeous Usambara Mountains, I met up with this formidable foursome in Arusha for "power-shopping" with Mary Gale.

Power-shopping, for those of you who don't know, is an extreme sport.  Especially when you go with Mary Gale.  It is not for the faint of heart, and you must - YOU MUST - bring your A game.


Every year, the IASE kindly bestows a certain sum of money on each of its various Volunteer Service Projects around the globe, of which Toa Nafasi is one.  This is a FANTASTIC benefit for Toa because we do not raise money for things, only services, and these "giving funds" from IASE can only be used for things and not services.  So, it is a really great way to top up the supplies needed by our teaching staff and students alike.  This year, IASE supplied Toa Nafasi with two laptops, one printer, school supplies for the children, and teaching resources for the teachers.  THANK YOU, IASE!  WE ARE SOOOO APPRECIATIVE!!

The following day, bright and early, the ladies (with Gasto in tow!) drove to Moshi to pick me up on the way to Lushoto for our "recon mission" to plan the 2019 biennial conference (you'll recall that I repped Toa at the 2017 conference this past June in Perth, Australia: http://toanafasi.blogspot.com/2017/07/superstar.html).

After a good rest in the fresh mountain air, we spent the day touring various venues for extracurricular site visits for conference-goers as well as lodging options.  Lushoto and its surrounding areas are really mountainous and tucked away, so the recon entailed a bit of driving, but we were able to identify sites and accommodations now so as to cut down on travel time for guests later.




The sites we are including in our offerings are Irente Rainbow School, a day school for children with special needs and physical disabilities; Irente School for the Blind, a small residential facility, originally dedicated to girl children only, but currently providing services for both sexes; and Irente Children's Home, an orphanage that teaches young local women to care for the tiny babies abandoned in the area.

 
 


All three sites are located in - you guessed it - Irente!  Because of their convenient locale, these three community-based organizations will make a really nice package for interested attendees to check out and see what kinds of services are available for special needs and other marginalized children in this part of Tanzania.

The next day, we spent the whole day at SEKOMU, the site of the actual conference.  Gasto and I stayed fairly quiet as we toured the buildings, and let the ladies, who are seasoned conference-goers (and planners) make the decisions about the auditorium, lecture rooms, and roundtables.

 

However, one we sat down with the local committee and began the process of delegating responsibilities, we both piped up where appropriate.  I think we did a good job for novices, though we both now realize the tremendous amount of work involved in planning an international conference.  Especially one to take place in the clouds!
 
 
At this time, we solidified the players on the local committee which included Pastor Mbilu, Professor Bagandanshwa, and Mr. K, all of SEKOMU, as well as - dum dum dum DUM! - me and Gasto of Toa Nafasi fame.  I had thought I was on the international committee, but it appears I'm double-dipping, hanging out on both sides of the globe.  Typical.  :)


On the very last morning, just before departing Lushoto, we had the pleasure of meeting with Mama Munga, the provost of the entire university, and a formidable force in her own right.  We rehashed what we had gone over with the local committee the day before, and after receiving her blessing, headed back to Moshi and Arusha.


All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I'm so looking forward to working with all these amazing folks to help make this conference a great success.  Mark your calendars: July 13 - 17, 2019 at SEKOMU University in Lushoto, Tanzania.  Be there or be square!

Disastrous DeVos

Being back in New York definitely has its perks, but it also has its pitfalls, one of these being the immediacy and urgency of news media in daily life.

You could say, "Don't read the paper," or "Don't turn on the news," but there's really no escape.  The headlines will still find you.  And generally disgust you.

Here is one such news story.  From the website Refinery29, written by Caitlin Flynn, check out this piece titled Betsy DeVos Has Rescinded Over 70 Documents Protecting The Rights Of Disabled Students.

Then, have a good cry.


While this clearly bodes poorly for the United States and other Western nations, what does it say to developing countries like Tanzania when the big boys start doing away with the rights of marginalized peoples?

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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has rescinded over 70 policy documents that outline the rights of disabled students, The Washington Post reports.

In a newsletter written on Friday, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services stated that "a total of 72 guidance documents... have been rescinded due to being outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective — 63 from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and 9 from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)."

Advocates for students with disabilities are in the process of reviewing the move to assess its potential impact.  Lindsay E. Jones, chief policy and advocacy officer for the National Center for Learning Disabilities, noted that the removal of documents outlining how schools can use federal funding for special education is particularly concerning.

"All of these are meant to be very useful…in helping schools and parents understand and fill in with concrete examples the way the law is meant to work when it's being implemented in various situations,"Jones said.

As reported by Newsy, the documents included guidance and directives on vocational programs, independent living services, and "free appropriate public education" for students with disabilities.

According to Jones, the Education Department held a hearing in February regarding potential changes to special education guidance.  She says education advocates and disability rights groups urged officials to keep all 72 guidance documents in place.

"Much of the guidance around [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] focused on critical clarifications of the regulations required to meet the needs of students with disabilities and provide them a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment,"Representative Robert C. Scott (D-VA) said in a statement.  "Notwithstanding the actions taken by the Department today, the regulations still remained enforced; however they lack the clarification the guidance provided."

The guidance documents included detailed information about the rights of students with disabilities and clarified how federal funds could be used for special education.  According to The Washington Post, some of these documents had been in place since the 1980s.

Although it's not uncommon for new administrations to update these documents, Jones says this is the first time she's seen so many eliminated at once.

"If the documents that are on this list are all covered in newer documents that were released — which sometimes does happen — that would be fine," she said.  "Our goal is to make sure that parents and schools and educators understand how these laws work, and the department plays a critical role in that."
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