Stories from the Field:

KBT’s First Project Funded!  

The Kilimanjaro Blind Trust is excited to report that it financed its first project in August 2007. Perkins School for the Blind expressed a great need to repair Brailler machines that were acquired earlier in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, so KBT funded a workshop to teach technicians how to repair the machines which resulted in at least 100 machines in the three countries being repaired.  

The above workshop was organized by Perkins School for the Blind in collaboration with African Braille Centre (ABC) Kenya. The workshop was conducted in Nairobi Kenya for four days in August 2007. After training, the participants traveled to their respective countries to track down and repair broken Braillers in their schools and institutions.

The objective of holding the workshop, was to empower staff in various institutions within East African countries to repair broken down Perkins Braillers and, thereby make the Braillers available for the children/students to use. A study showed that institutions had a number of machines but they were broken and unusable. In Uganda alone 62 broken machines were counted. Financing was never available before for this training.

The facilitators of the workshop were all from the African Braille Center. Twelve participants in total were trained, with four each from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The content of this first workshop was tailored towards persons who had little knowledge in the repair and maintenance of Braillers. Each participant was given a repair manual, complete service kit and spares. The training covered the following areas: understanding the tools and manual, how to solve common problems and how to perform regular servicing.

After the workshop, the trainees went to Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya to repair Braillers in a number of schools and organizations. Over one hundred Braillers were repaired and are now being used by the children who can finally advance on their road to literacy.

Costs included food and housing for trainees, transportation, training materials, closing ceremony, administration costs, cleaning charges, shipping, cameras, consumables, and transportation and housing expenses for the Trainers themselves, and finally the Management Fee. The total budgeted was $20,750 but the actual cost was $11,159.35.

Further needs participants and facilitators expressed are for follow-up training, more spare parts, and continue to identify schools that have broken machines.

Thanks to Perkins, the Kenyan Institute of Education and ABC for oranizing the workshop.

Participants’ Comments

A trainee from Tanzania expressed her thanks to all who participated and who organized the workshop, because the skill she gained is very important and was greatly needed on her campus.

A trainee from Kenya told that he is proud to have received this training which enables him to understand much better how to provide service and maintenance of Brailler machines which is very useful to blind children.

Kim Polman serves as the Secretary of the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust and is an active leader for various community projects in Geneva, Switzerland.

---

Moshi, Tanzania

Reflections on a Visit in Moshi by Jim M. Lafferty After a 1 hour ride from our hotel outside of Arusha, we arrived into the bustling city of Moshi and began our final 10 minutes over a dirt road that resembled more a bombed-out airstrip than anything else. Being tossed about with every crevice and lump we drove over, we could see the school approaching on our left.	Arriving at the school for the blind

Disembarking, we were greeted with the unique blend of emotions and sensorial experiences that can only be Africa…..smiling children, chatter and shrieks of delight all around us, yet at the same time deplorable conditions and pitiful conditions. In a sense, joy amidst what can only be termed as difficult subsistence.

The school was integrated, both blind and seeing students. Each wore as proudly as could be the school uniform. In touring the classrooms, I was overcome with emotions and deep appreciation for the staff. Despite little money and supplies, and teaching in the most squalid conditions, they tried hard to create a learning environment. They decorated the rooms, and smartly used whatever they could find to surround the children with facts and figures. Tree stumps became desks….walls were blackboards….magazines transformed into wall decoration.

Students at the school for the blind

As you passed by each part of the school, and interacted with the children, it was again the amazing mix of emotions. Tears enveloped in a smile. Such difficult conditions….yet such enthusiasm to learn. I could only wonder how seeing something like this first-hand would impact a more “spoiled” student from the developed world? I found myself wishing my own children were here, in more ways than one.

When we arrived at the blind student section, the emotions were magnified. Some of the blind children were also suffering from congenital birth defects, and were in tough state. Some were ostracized from family and lived full-time at the school. We were greeted by a young German college student who was volunteering to work at the school for 6 months as she took time off studying. She lived at the school, and worked exclusively with the worst-off students, the blind ones with major birth defects. They clung to her continuously and one could tell in a moment they adored her! Despite the absolutely constant barrage of groping, hugging, tugging, whispering, she never seemed to lose her patience and was like a mother with a newborn baby. I can’t recall her name now, but I will always remember her selfless giving to these children, her courage to be there all alone at the age of 21.

The children proudly put on a show for us. They sang songs, beautiful melodies that communicated hope and love and happiness. They listened attentively to speech after speech and introduction after introduction, and never flagged in their clapping and cheering for each of us. I never felt I deserved any of it. We should have been clapping for THEM!

The children greeting us with beautiful African songs

Blind children receiving their new canes

We closed our visit by making a donation to the school, and by equipping the children with canes, “talking watches” and Braille paper. They were overjoyed. We all gave out the pens and pencils we had with us, and every gift was received with joy and gratitude.

There are many lessons in all of this. Even in the toughest conditions, being ostracized by even their own families, the hope of these children cannot be extinguished. They only want a chance to be listened to, to learn, to contribute to society. And they can. And even the smallest of gifts can change a life, whether it is a cane, a watch, a monetary gift, or the tools to teach and learn. It can, and will, make a difference.

Jim Lafferty serves as a Vice President for the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust, and is Vice President of Philippines for Procter & Gamble.

---

Monduli District, Tanzania

Longido Integrated Primary School by Kim Polman Longido is an Integrated Primary School for blind and sighted pupils. The School is located in the sprawling Maasai settlements of Monduli District, Arusha Province, 80 Km north of Arusha City along the Nairobi Arusha Highway. The School is on the slopes of Mount Longido and adjacent to the Amboselli Game Park in Kenya and Lake Manyara Game resort in Tanzania.

Children at the Longido Primary school

The School was founded in 1947 by the Lutheran Church Mission and in 1977 the government of Tanzania took charge of its management and operations.

The School goes from Grade 1 to 7 with a student body numbering 878 pupils, (520 boys and 358 girls) of which 24 are totally blind, others have low vision. The majority are sighted. Of the total, 359 boys and 199 girls are boarders and the rest are day scholars. The school is run by thirty teachers, three cooks, one matron and one security guard. The School serves blind and visually impaired pupils from the Provinces of Arusha, Tanga, Manyara and Kilimanjaro.

Team members speak at the school	New Dormitory Project The dormitory Project was initiated by Hon. Nirurod Mkono, Member of Parliament, Msoma Municipality of Tanzania, on April, 26, 2003 with a donation of TSH 2.9 million. The projected budget to complete the construction and to purchase beddings was estimated at TSH 10.5. Millions

The school projects are overseen by the elected School Development Committee which comprises the Headmistress (government representative), the School Chairperson, parents, teachers and selected village representatives.

During meetings decisions are made collectively prior to carrying out any development activities about budget, evaluation and administration of the school development accounts, etc.

Project is expected to be fully implemented by end 2006.

Kim Polman serves as the Secretary of the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust and is an active leader for various community projects in Geneva, Switzerland.