Would you like to teach in Suji?

If you have been following this Blog you will know that five teachers from Ireland have been teaching in Suji since last January.  All the teachers will return home at the end of the second semester and will be back in Ireland for Christmas 2011.  You will also know from reading the Blog that they are really enjoying their time in Suji.   At this time, July 2011 some of their friends and family are visiting with them and all of them go on Safari today to Lake Manyara and nGororo Crater, having just returned from a few days in Zanzibar.

In 2012 some of the teachers wish to return to University to start work on PhD programmes and we wish them the best of luck in their endeavours and thank them most sincerely for their on-going work in Suji.  (More of that later)  So if you would like to go to Tanzania and commit to teaching in Suji Malindi Secondary School for a year we would be delighted to hear from you and give you any information you require.   Please contact Maureen Mescall mpmescall@gmail.com.

Books, Pens, Calculators, Printers, Football Boots & Jerseys and biscuits for Belinda on their way

As you probably know by now, especially if you have been following this Blog: Tanzanian Village Renewal, the charity run by my husband Michael and I are supporting five teachers in Suji Malindi Secondary School in Tanzania, for the past eight months and hope to be in a position to do so for a few more years.  The teachers collected old school books before they left for Tanzania in October 2010 and their families continued to collect more books, football boots and jerseys since then.  Aine's  sister Niamh who is also a teacher collected pens and pencils in her school and also did a sponsored Sky Dive and from the proceeds is purchasing a photo copier for the school.  Niamh is currently on a visit to Suji and we hope she will enjoy the experience and we might even get her to stay on a teach for a bit!!   Aaron's sister  and Jim's nephew are currently visiting also.   Maybe two more teachers???    Noel Murphy, one of the men who went to Suji last year to help build the extension to the school did trojan work up around Ballymacward in Galway in collecting books.   Here in Kilmihil the pupils of both the Secondary and Primary Schools also collected books and donated track suits.   So after all the collecting we ended up with 4 pallets and they are currently winging their way to Tanzania.

Just to prove that they are on their way we took a few pics!

                                          Danny guiding in the pallet with Pat at the wheel.

                                           Michael having a spin on the last pallet

                                           Michael Mescall, Pat McDermott & Danny Breen


Pat McDermott, our neighbour arrived with his Teleporter and loaded onto the truck owned by Eoin Gavin Transport http://www.eoingavintransport.com/  and driven by Danny Breen.   It is great to have pleasant, efficient people like Pat and Danny around.    Michael directed the traffic and made sure everyone was safe and I took the pics! 

We had never sent goods to Africa prior to this so the whole business was a bit of a worry.  What kind of pallets, how would we wrap them, where would we get pallet wrap, who would do the shipping, how much would it cost and a million more niggly worries.   We were very lucky in that we struck oil when we contacted Paul Bergin of AB Logistics  http://ab-logistics.com/ .  Paul was extremely helpful on all aspects of the job, returned emails and telephone calls immediately and was even pleasant when I asked stupid questions.

It will take 40 to 50 days for the goods to arrive in Dar and Prof Kilonzo will get them cleared through customs and will then get a lorry to carry the goods up to Suji which is about 6 hours away.   Let us hope everything works out well and that the consignment will arrived at Suji Malindi Secondary School.   It would never do if Belinda's biscuits were lost on the way!