In preparation for my trip, I had spoken to numerous experienced development staff and researched piles of historical texts, development strategies, journals, papers, personal accounts, etc. I had lived in Singida before and used that experience to draft a flexible framework of activities that would engage the villagers and stimulate collective learning and practice. And I adopted a naïve idealism, thinking that accomplishments could be made if there was a blindness to certain overwhelming obstacles.I wanted to erase all preconceived notions – to really listen to the villagers so that any intervention for positive change included their voices and involvement. This has not always been easy, and I have been especially affected when the stereotypes I tried so hard to erase presented themselves in plain view – World-Vision-style poverty (cue music), unmotivated villagers waiting for handouts, blatant lack of skills, accountability, follow-up initiative, effective facilitation, a hierarchical system excludes the vulnerable, etc.. I have spent some of my previous entries mentioning some of these issues and I always feel a sense of regret because my accounts are simplified versions of the “real thing”. It takes a lifetime to grasp the intricacies that weave together the conditions of this community.
So I retract my previous attitude. Blindness is not the answer. There must be an awareness of the multiplicity of a community. There is both good and bad. What is important is to celebrate hope and have the energy to invest in it.

youths gathering with OVCC director to learn about strategy and planning

 youth drawing out strategies in the sand

In impoverished rural communities where unpredictable weather, sickness and unreliable infrastructures reinforce the fragility of existence, a sense of powerlessness can pervade the consciousness of the community. Villagers need to have access to resources, have the skills to analyze, make the right choices and implement. The youths (60% of the population is under 21) will be trained to do just that. A new generation of active leaders will be empowered with the ability to control the destiny of their communities.

Girls are emphasized to participate. Women are usually the breadwinners of the family but are often treated as “second-rate citizens”. In participating in the Youth Leadership Programme, girls are empowered with the skills to plan, strategize and execute projects that can benefit themselves and their community. They will be reinforced with the attitude that they are equals and should demand the same rights and choices as their male counterparts

Training a new generation of leaders is a lengthy process. Like any new idea, correct implementation involves an incredible amount of effort – especially “on-the-ground-facilitation”. There must be a sensitivity towards the unique conditions of the place – environmental, social, skill level, existing governance structure, etc. Many well-intentioned plans for development have failed to align their practices with existing conditions. Also, minimal (or a complete lack of) follow-up ignored emergent problems and possible solutions. Any programme that hopes to succeed must have skilled staff capable of addressing these issues, making the appropriate decisions, and having the infrastructural channels to discuss and implement.
How can small-scale development programs such the Youth Leadership programme succeed if it operates on the backbone of ineffective banking systems, services, roads, mobile phone and internet connection, effective government support, etc? Improvement of these large-scale enterprises takes time and are often only accelerated when real incentives emerge (ie: profits). Ironically, what can drive these incentives is the success of small-scale developments that can improve the earning/spending capacity of villagers. Therefore, projects need to be catalytic..

Stay tuned for more updates

Chicken 1,2. distribution of chickens for the “Chicken Project” (see earlier posts)

Its my second week anniversary of arriving in Singida!
Photo-time: A walk through a village.

a new asphalt road has replaced a previous dirt road. This new addition to the highway has brought better accessibility to this village and has attracted rapid growth in the area. Trenches are being dug to handle the water flow. In the highlighted section on the bottom left, you can faintly make out a 6” wide metal bar that is used by the villagers to cross the trench.

new house being built on the left. Owners incrementally save money to buy land, build foundation, erect walls, then purchase tin roof. Some homes take years to build for lack of sufficient funding. Dozens and dozens of unfinished houses sit in the landscape, waiting..

unbuilt land adjacent to house still used for farming. Lack of irrigation limits the potential of the land. Large boulders in the background are characteristic features of the Singida landscape.

earth bricks drying in the sun. electrical wires bringing electricity to nearby road construction headquarters. Electricity is expensive – rural communities live off the grid.

green planting used exclusively for fencing demarcates boundaries and prevents cows and goats from grazing on private fields. My tour guides are walking in front and accustomed to long walks in the hot sun without the need for water. I, on the other hand, stopped multiple times to re-hydrate my tiny body

piles of stones on the left demarcate a plot of land that has been purchased and waiting for development

[Urban photos to come - more difficult to obtain since most residents are weary of photographers. Sometimes pretty ugly situations can unfold]

In a recent discussion with a panel of subsistence farmers, I was told that the local secondary school had appropriated some of the villagers’ farmland without providing any sort of compensation. I was floored by the complete lack of consideration for these poor farmers. Some of the affected villagers sought council to express their complaints. But these are the lucky ones – they have leftover funds and the time available to seek (very slow) justice. The more destitute suffer silently – all their time and effort is spent on finding ways to simply survive.

Situations like this can happen because in remote villages, the citizen’s rights can be easily abused. There are few (if not a complete lack of) skilled “lawyers” to defend these “small cases”. In a country where expressing dissent towards the government is taboo, many complaints are not even raised. Thus, nothing is done to rectify the situation. Those who actually do fight face incredible challenges. Finding someone accountable to address one’s case to is sometimes a game of luck. On top of that, follow-up is difficult when communication channels are so severely challenged by primitive infrastructures, lack of personal resources and time.

I take a bus (that i often complain about) when i visit the villages. If i wanted to join the majority, I would be walking the 2.5 hours to the village instead. But I am among the privileged ones that that can afford to pay the equivalent of 1 USD each way. While waiting for my rickety bus (daladala) to fill pass capacity before we are allowed to depart (and I have never waited less than one hour), I watched a series of sparkling new SUVs drive by. I wonder about the policy makers, leaders, and workers that visit remote communities in their insulated chauffeured vehicles. They see the conditions around them, but they do not fully participate. Does their detachment completely blind them from reality and the possibility of realizing truly sustainable solutions? And now for a completely naïve proposition (and entirely impossible to implement): what if leaders were forced to live in the worst conditions that their have policies created? Who would be a politician? What changes would be made? And how accountable would they be then?

Distribution is definitely a challenge in remote rural areas. But there is one product that is having success: Coca-Cola. In villages that are situated one hour off road, I am able to purchase warm bottles of coca-cola is small village cafes. The beverages are priced to be accessible by most as a treat for guests and those celebrating happy occasions. Café owners can be seen walking their bicycles laden with carts of glass bottles back and forth between the “main town” and their café. Empty bottles get returned in huge trucks via an unfinished highway to local plants for cleaning, rebottling and redistribution. Perhaps it possible that one day, mosquito nets, mediation, solar panels, etc.. can be similarly distributed. But there remains an uphill battle: there is so much to be done to create the conditions for affordability, local production and skill training for effective execution.

Been feeling under the weather lately. flu/malaria-like symptoms are keeping me bed-bound most of the time. However, i have been working! met with OVCC at last and watched a youth soccer game. These young players love their soccer.. some playing with no shoes (as they cannot afford them) on a ground scattered with tiny thorns. These same thorns are a danger to the ball itself as one has already been destroyed. (pictures to come)

Singida’s rural condition creates an interesting case study. Since youths here are relied upon by their families to share in the housework/fieldwork, youth programmes must be structured to address youths’ varying routines so that they can participate without sacrificing their commitment to their families.

In the coming weeks, mapping exercises will be conducted to examine the social networks the physical spaces that are routinely inhabited so that youths can identify key times/places they can start to meet and collaborate.