I’m back in Arusha with Ish, after spending three productive days in Karatu. I’ve seen so much and met so many people that I have grown to love and respect for their courage and for their work. Tomorrow morning, I am making my way to Dar-es-salaam again to get some work done, more filming and more writing. Although I’m used to the work I am doing now, I can’t deny that being unwell has taken its toll on me. I am still feeling drained and fatigued, but I can’t let it get to me because the work has to get done. I am looking forward to the days off in Dar, the days I can just sleep in and spend time with my family. Five more weeks of hard work and traveling and then after that, it’s time to embrace Ottawa all over again. Although we are coming back when winter is at its worse, I’m kind of excited to freeze a little bit. I wonder how long I will last before I start complaining about the winter again…I’ll be back, knocking on Africa’s door.

These past few days have been filled with bye-byes! As soon as the group came back to Arusha from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, we all had to say bye to some Algonquin College members who had to return back to Canada…namely Sarah, Cameron Dube and Ben Shillington. They made it so much fun when we were building the school in Rongai; I miss their stories after dinner, with Ben and Cameron gone, who else is going to tease me about everything nowadays? No more sunshine! they are all so missed; it’s become so quiet! I hope we can have a mini-Expedition reunion when we all return…Expedition Africa has given me so many memories, it has given me so much to live for and it has introduced me to so many people. No two days are ever the same; I’m constantly learning, constantly meeting people and being educated and challenged at the same time. Interviewing people and writing have become second nature to me; I don’t know how I could go to a 9 to 5 job after this adventure. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some downsides to Expedition. For the past few months, I’ve been going to bed as early as 9 or 10 p.m. and I’m usually always up by 6 or 7 a.m. You’re probably thinking, “well, what’s so wrong about that?’ – This is what is so wrong with it: I can’t even sleep in anymore!  Also, I have stopped being so picky about where we are staying and how clean the toilets are. Honestly, after getting stuck in Sudan in the desert and not having a toilet and after staying in some very rustic places, I think I have learned a lot about patience. This trip is really teaching me about survival…I think I can survive anywhere now…as long as I can get some clean water to drink and a surface to sleep on, surely, I can’t ask for anything more!

So now, back to my time in Karatu, it was truly amazing. The women of UMATU are just a fraction of what I experienced and what I learned. The Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) gave us insight into the work they do, all at the community level, here in Tanzania. In a nutshell, CPAR works with vulnerable communities and diverse organizations to overcome poverty and build healthy communities in Africa. They work in Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania, where they are implementing all kinds of community development programs. Here in Tanzania, they work in the Karatu District where they are integrating sexual and reproductive health education with natural resource management and household food security. What I love about CPAR is that all of their activities have a sexual and reproductive health education side to them. I was also impressed with how CPAR works deep inside the communities. They reach areas that are very remote. Yesterday, we spent the day visiting their primary school rainwater harvesting project. Basically, CPAR receives funds from the Ryan’s Well Foundation that they pour into their rainwater harvesting projects. So far, they have established rainwater harvesting infrastructure in 10 primary schools; in each school, they constructed two 30,000 liter concrete tanks, setting up gutters along the roofs, placing drinking stands and handwashing stands and providing drinking cups. We visited one of these schools, the Magesho Primary School in the village of Gongali, where I interviewed the head teacher and two students about their daily life and water consumption. They told me that before CPAR came in with this rainwater harvesting project, the students used to walk long distances to get water. They went to open contaminated wells, which their communities dug on their own. These wells were used by humans and animals alike, considering there was no way to close and protect the wells. They would carry the water back to school and students would use it as drinking water. This water was untreated and as a result, students used to get sick with stomach pains and other illnesses. Once CPAR introduced these tanks in schools, life changed for these students and teachers: they can now enjoy clean and safe drinking water and they are no longer getting sick. They also use the water for cleaning the school and for watering their plants. The school we visited looks beautiful; it has trees and flowers, and most importantly, the students look healthy because they now have safe drinking water. As a result, students perform better academically. I can’t imagine what life was like for these students and teachers before the rainwater harvesting program. Can you imagine going to school and knowing that there is no safe water to drink? It’s hot outside, the sun is burning, you are in school from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. How long do you think you would survive before wanting water, the water that will make you sick once you drink it? It must have been so hard for these students and it is still so hard for millions of other students and communities in Africa and worldwide.

It was only after visiting this school that I thought about the work that is being done by organizations such as the Ryan’s Well Foundation, who have identified the need of clean, clear and safe water. These organizations are changing lives; they are giving life to millions of people on this continent. As we were going into Gongali, I thought to myself, how do these organizations get there? How do they become aware of the communities that need help? The distance from Karatu Town to Gongali may not be much but the roads are very rough, making it hard to reach. The day we went, it had rained the night before, so the roads were slippery; the mud made it so hard for the car to move, we were sliding all over the place. We actually got stuck and some of the team got out of the truck and pushed it out of the small water puddle that we were stuck in. This place is hard to reach, yet CPAR does not let this get to them. I would like to thank them for going so far and helping so many of my Tanzanians get the basic necessities of life. After talking with the students and teachers, I asked our host, Japhet Emanuel, who is the Program Manager of CPAR Tanzania, about the water that is used in Karatu town. Is it safe and is it clean? Actually, I suspected it wasn’t; I remember turning on the water at the hostel and asking myself, why is this water so brown? Not to my surprise, Japhet told me the water is unsafe. “The water comes from the forests, it is piped and that’s how it gets to our houses…people use it for washing, for drinking, for everything.” How does water come from the forest? Japhet willingly offered to take us there. He told me animals use that water before it goes into the pipes. I thought about all the showers I had taken up to that point; “so, you’re saying that elephants and all kinds of animals touch this water that we all use?” I asked him. He nodded. We arrived at a place called Gibb’s Farm, where the water source of this water we use in Karatu comes from.

Japhet had told me that we had to walk for about half an hour to get to the source; I thought half an hour can’t be bad. After climbing Mt. Sinai in Egypt, I thought I was ready to take on any kind of hike or walk! Boy, was I wrong. First of all, it was hot, hot, hot! Here I was, dressed in my long jean skirt, carrying my hand bag and wearing my flip flops. I was so not prepared for a long hike. We walked and walked and walked, for at least six kilometres. We were going uphill most of the time…and of course, I was complaining, especially because we were walking inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Our guide kept showing us all kinds of footsteps of animals such as elephants and buffalo; honestly, I didn’t want to know this! Who would protect us if an elephant came running towards us? I tried to be brave and I said to myself, alright, I need to get to this water source to truly understand where people get their water. Eventually, after about an hour of walking, we got there. It was a small stream of unclean water, “this is where elephants come all the time,” said our guide. He then took us to the waterfalls and showed us where the pipes were located. I could not believe my eyes. The water goes through no filtration or treatment before it reaches households. The lack of clean and safe water is a reality in this part of the world. It had never become such a reality to me. You hear this in the news, you read about it in the papers and online, but when you come face to face with it, it’s a totally different thing.

We walked back down to the car, another 6 kilometers up and down hill (I was so tired) and we went back to the hostel. I was felling exhausted and filthy, and all I could think about was a clean shower. Then reality hit me again, now that I knew where the water was from, how was I to shower in it? How, how, how? Well, I did; everyone in Karatu does it and they survive, I thought. I showered although every little drop of water reminded me of how unsafe it was…we really need to do something about this issue. Having access to clean water needs to be a universal right, people should not be living this way. It breaks my heart that in this day and age, we still have such issues. So many children are dying … this is a serious matter,…next time you take that nice, long shower, please think about people in this part of the world and how they can’t even enjoy that basic necessity.

Now, more about my day - I spent most of today visiting a few villages and meeting women who are making a difference. Through CPAR, they are carrying out a number of income generating activities in their communities and they are bettering their lives. I commend them for their effort and for their drive to do all this. CPAR continues to do a number of workshops and outreach programs to educate communities about sexual and reproductive health issues among other things. CPAR reaches some of these communities and educates women about their rights and challenges.
I wish I spent more time with CPAR, I wish I was involved in their outreach programs because I really support the work they do. It almost feels like there is no limit to the work they do. Thank you, CPAR staff, especially Jean and Japhet, for opening your doors to us and showing us the excellent work you do. I am continuously moved when I meet such organizations who genuinely want to see a better Africa, and a better Tanzania. I thank you and I commend you!

Now that I’ve shared so much, let me get back to work and packing. I have a short night tonight since my journey begins at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. Thank you for following this amazing expedition! We have five more weeks to go…don’t you wish it went on for longer? I do! I will keep you posted about my Dar adventures and work