2015 in Review:

2015 was a great year for Mboni Ya Vijana and Zeze village. Here’s what we accomplished: Created a microfinance group which jump-started the businesses of over 100 women in the village Fixed a water pump, sparing the villagers from taking hours out of their day to collect water from the nearest river  Installed 67 beeContinue

Looking forward to 2016

In 2016, we hope to accomplish the following goals: Trained 500 beneficiaries in Zeze village on climate change (concept, causes, effects and coping strategies) Have in place three (3) fish farm dams for fish production/harvesting Have in place up to 10 hand drilled bore holes with rope hand pumps and the equipment and local skillsContinue

How solar power can boost Zeze, Tanzania

One natural resource that is plentiful in Zeze is sunlight. While the sun is great for nourishing crops and providing natural light, there are so many ways that we could use solar power to boost the Zeze community: Solar pumps In August 2015, Mboni Ya Vijana fixed a water well by using a solar-powered water pumpContinue

Putting Zeze on the map

It’s the rainy season in Zeze so everyone is busy in the fields making the most of the precious water to try and grow enough to sustain their families over the dry season. The unpredictability of the rainfall and lack of any storage is not without it’s problems.  The roads quickly turn to inpassable mud andContinue

Helping Water Problems in Zeze, Tanzania with… an Ebay Pump?!

Water dominates life in Zeze.  Everyone conserves the little they have as obtaining it is so difficult – carrying it long distances to your home, queuing at the pump…  There is also the continual fear that another of the pumps will fail, making water even harder to obtain.  These are constantly breaking down.  When IContinue

Microfinance in Zeze

In August I spent a week in Zeze village and met the chair, vice chair and secretary of the microfinance group, as well as many of the women who have received loans. I  also visited many of them in their homes and businesses and spoke to the Village Chairman, Village Executive Officer, and chair of MVG,Continue

Bringing Broadband to Zeze School

School life in Zeze is rather different from the one I remember.  For a start, most pupils walk for over an hour to get there.  They also have to carry water with them to clean the school  as there is no water source nearby.  Their parents are subsistence farmers who struggle to provide them with foodContinue

Bees and Sunflowers in Zeze

I was last with Benedicto in Zeze in January.  Then he was talking about his dream of constructing bee hives to improve incomes in Zeze village. Now, thanks to many of you the hives are in place.  It hasn’t been without its challenges.  Moving the wood was delayed due to flooding during the rainy season,Continue

Tackling inequality in Zeze village with sustainable agriculture

Building rural livelihoods and eliminating poverty in Tanzania… I met Benedicto Hosea by chance. A well wisher from England who he’d met online had been so impressed with his drive to improve life in his village she’d asked me to take out a camera to him. When we met he talked with such passion andContinue

Investing in honey production in Zeze village

Transforming rural lives with bees.. I first met Benedicto by chance in September and was very impressed by the cooperative he founded and his meticulously costed plans to avert poverty in his village by developing agriculture.  I returned to Zeze this week and spent two nights in the village finding out more. Zeze is 41kmContinue