On Sunday, I finally got a chance to meet with Hekima again at their weekly meeting. I made a survey for all of them to fill out and worked with my mama's daughter to translate everything properly. I learned that almost all of the 37 members are small business owners. Whether it be selling vegetables at Tengeru market twice a week or selling second hand clothes and shoes in Arusha, all remain super busy every day of the week struggling to expand their businesses even further. I also met the group coordinator who started up Hekima as well as over 10 other micro groups in surrounding villages. She saw a need for a common meeting place and support group for small business women. Once she learned the benefits of microfinance, she started her first groups three years ago and they're now growing and supporting more and more people.
After the surveys were filled out and their meeting was coming to an end, I passed out the mardi gras beads I brought from NOLA, because last year my mama loved them! The group enjoyed them just as much and started singing while I was passing them out - I love Tanzanian songs! It was certainly a fun way to end the meeting and I'm hoping to visit some of the women at their businesses before we leave.
After the surveys were filled out and their meeting was coming to an end, I passed out the mardi gras beads I brought from NOLA, because last year my mama loved them! The group enjoyed them just as much and started singing while I was passing them out - I love Tanzanian songs! It was certainly a fun way to end the meeting and I'm hoping to visit some of the women at their businesses before we leave.
Today was also a sad day because it marked our last official "cooking class" where we made grilled meat, banana cake, potato salad, fried bananas, and rice cakes. I am really going to miss spending afternoons in Makumira with our wonderful Tanzanian family! I feel like the luckiest person having been placed at my mama's house last year. I'm glad with the cookbook, I have a chance to help them in return. It also makes me happy knowing I always have a place to stay whenever I have the chance to come back! Farida and Mama Glory are both single ladies, and despite how hard it is to keep a steady job here, they've managed to make due with what they have, send their eldest daughters to university, and have the most welcoming homes you could ask for.
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