Introduction of Josefine's and Terese's work

Hello!

We are two students from Finland named Terese Backlund and Josefine Bjorkfors. We are studying social work and at the moment we are doing our practical training for Ni Hekima Pekee. We are staying in Mwanza for 3 months and so far we have been working here for 7 weeks. We are doing family work in a ward called Lwanhima. The organization has not been working in Lwanhima before we came here, so it is very interesting for us to start to work in a completely new area. We work together with a social worker, Gertruda, and our translator Machimu. 

The first thing we started with when we came here was to find out how many children are not attending school in the 40 most vulnerable families in Lwanhima. The organization got sponsored from an organization in the Netherlands called SKKB with 1500 euro, which is enough to provide school uniforms and material for 50 children. After finding out how many children who are not attending school we organized a day when the families and all the children came to the chairperson’s house to take the measurements in order to be able to make the uniforms and shoes. Then a local tailor and shoemaker made the uniforms and shoes and 2 weeks later we went to the school and met all the families and children again where we gave them the uniforms and material. It was a really good day, to see the children’s faces when they got their uniforms. The parents were also truly grateful about our work.

After making sure the children go to school we started to visit the families and parents. There are 40 families to visit, so it will take some time to meet them all. After meeting all the families we need to decide which families are very vulnerable. We have found out that some families have enough money to get food and provide the children with clothes and the parents have jobs, and some families have a lot of children who they can’t afford to feed. On these 6 weeks we have left we need to focus on the most vulnerable families among these 40. 

We will update again once we have visited all 40 families and when we have decided which families we are going to focus on more. All the families need support and advice, but some families really need our help. We will also be doing follow ups when the children come home from school, to show them our interest in their studies. One thing we agree on is that you can’t just put a uniform on a child and put them in school, you need to show the child and the family that you are interested, and also we need to find out the family situation, if there is something going on in the family that might risk the child of dropping out of school. That is why we do family visits and follow ups. 

Terese and Josefine with our dear friend

From the day we were at the school to hand out the uniforms

For the day we did the measurements

A normal day in Mwanza

We (Samira and Julia) is on our third semester at the Social Work Programme at Mid Sweden University in Östersund. We have now been on our internship in Mwanza, Tanzania for 13 weeks on the organization Ni hekima Pekee. We now have two weeks left to practice, and it is with mixed feelings! 

A common family visits are usually look like so that we meet up with our supervisor Kennedy and then we start going to the families, and usually the walks are a little longer because of the distance, we usually call it The Social walk. :)
A day out in the field of family visits all look different, but last week we had the pleasure to share mattresses to five of our families that the organization supports. The mattresses were a gift and it warms the heart of other people's dedication and benevolence. It was a nice day with lots of laughs and smiles.

PERMACULTURE
Onesmo Kajuna is now attending  permaculture course in Arusha to learn and increase his knowledge on helping most vulnerable families to get lead-off  their vulnerability by using  present natural resources within their area. Permaculture is all about sustainable farming and household gardening for self reliance,surface water management and water harvesting,natural building,rocket stove and extra. 
 With this knowledge most of families will be able to take care themselves and support their children

during class session at  Arusha community

church

during practical session at the bottom of mount Meru, Oldonyo sambu village

                                                         Natural building at Oldonyo sambu village in Arusha region, this house is modified,tank for rain water harvest and solar panel ion

 UPDATE
Our work at NIHEP  has been going well, Irina and Therese have joined our work under good supervision of our team, our creative games now is included in the school timetable, the supported  children and other pupils at Tambukareli primary school are enjoying these different games which aim to build and increase their confidence hence to increase their learning capacity.Further more NIHEP working with Nursery school within our working area as a way forward to establish a future sustainable project most vulnerable children.
Mwanza Street Project/Mwembe r.f,Ni Hekima Pekee Organization

Therese with Nursery kids outside the classroom

             

Irina with nursery school kids

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helping kids by school supplies and creative games

Thanks for the supporters and volunteers, our work is going on well. On 24th of January 2014 Ni Hekima Pekee Organisation supported 16 kids to start school or continue their studies by donating school supplies. These photos have been taken at the Butimba ward. On the photos you can see kids, some kids with their parents and also Butimba ward executive officer and Butimba ward education coordinator.

Down below you can see pictures of kids who have been playing creative games, in swahili called furaha yako and furaha yangu. Kids have enjoyed playing games with our Finnish volunteers Miro and Ria.

Khadija with he grandchildren

Khadija Mhamed 60 years old at her garden growing vegetables for her family and, as only way of her income generation, Khadija is a widow; her children die from HIV and left 2 grand children with her, she is taking care of them. NIHEP identified this family and find these children dropped out from school because of school material shortage and family poverty ; with education support from NIHEP these kids were supported with school materials, grandmother has been support from parent micro finance program to grow vegetables for her family and sell some of them, she is managing, the

Khadija at her garden

kids attending school regularly . Now the family is happy.