Mwika

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit one of Imara's projects: Mwika.

Mwika is located about 2 hours west of Arusha, in the Kilimanjaro region. Interestingly, I had already been to Mwika in November when I hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, although I had no idea at the time that I would ever be returning.

The Mwika project is predominately sponsored by a group of Australian churches. The project consists of an orphanage, a primary school and the provision of medical aid to widows and women living with HIV/AIDS.

In all, there are about 250 widows/women living with HIV/AIDS and 260 orphans in the area. While the project does not provide aid to all these individuals, they do try to provide for as many as they are able.

At this point, several small income-generating projects have been introduced to Mwika, although none have been able to successfully take off and produce income. The projects thus far include chickens, pigs, and sewing machines.

Yesterday, I met with Mamma Marina to discuss the projects and to develop a strategy to begin generating income for the project. The goal for each project is to be self-sustaining. There may come a time when we are no longer able to support the project and in order for it to continue on, income-generating activities must be actively and successfully in place to allow for a monetary withdrawal. The meeting went well and I walked away with an understanding of the project and what needs to happen. Of course, making that happen is another story.

It was awesome to finally have the chance to gain a better understanding of the projects and to see where I can possibly help. I was really stoked yesterday. :)