Mbeya team Thursday – by Andrew & Susy

It is now a week since we boarded a plane at Gatwick and the time seems to be flying past.

Today we split in to two teams, one team went to Uyole and the other went to Nyibuko. This involved some clever and cosy packing of team and equipment in to the back of the vehicle. We may have set a new world record for the most people in a Grassroots gari.

On arrival at Uyole, the weather looked to be hot and sunny, with the need to find the shade for interviews. Our first port of call was to visit Janet, Mary and Wema, the cows, and Matthew, the calf, who live next to the church which provide milk to feed children on the Milk programme. Janet is pregnant and expecting a calf in December. (They are hoping for a bouncing baby girl!) We had some time to hang around whilst waiting for the children to arrive from school for interviews and so we enjoyed some games of catch with the children that were hanging around.

We had some inadvertent games of piggy in the middle and attempts at juggling.

The interviews began in glorious sunshine with lots of people wanting to be the next in the queue. However a few hours in the sky grew dark and droplets began to fall. The tarpaulin roof on the half built church where we were holding the interviews partly protected us allowing the odd droplet through. But after a nudge from the wind, water soaked a waiting mother and the heavens opened. The lightning was bright and the thunder rumbled loudly, so we retreated to the cook house and the truck, while the final interviews continued.

After a late lunch the sun came out and the team rounded out the day with a trip to the local market. The market was on the side of the road and was a cross between the souks of Marrakech, Camden Market and a muddy field. Much African material was purchased and so be on the lookout for the team in African dress on their return home.

Susy & Andrew