But with the help of the MP for the Luhimba region, Jenista Mghagama, they eventually agreed to waive all taxes and the lorry reached the village with what seemed like the entire population of Luhimba turning out to celebrate its arrival with singing, dancing and partying. Very sadly Kevin passed away just before my return, but he knew that “Mr Rusty” had finally reached its destination. Kevin was a very special person and we and the villagers will always be indebted to him for his unique act of kindness.
 
For the following three weeks I was joined by my wife Wendy who was making a return visit. The last time she went to Luhimba was in 2002, just before the opening of the secondary school and she was amazed at what has been achieved in the past five years.
Then for the remaining few weeks seven more volunteers from Weston joined me, all with specific aims. They were Jayne Richards, Laura Wedmore, Jacqui Hall-Scott, Chris Taylor, Rosemary Cook, David Cook and David Willingham.
The whole visit was very positive from start to finish. It was good to have so many volunteers out there and to have the time to work with the villagers to help them achieve their goals. Following is a summary of all that is going on in the project at the moment:
EDUCATION
The secondary school and the three primary schools are thriving. The secondary school has recently had solar power installed throughout, provided by Melton Mowbray Rotary Club and the ring well will soon be completed. A new boys’ hostel is nearing completion and the head plans to carry out a programme of maintenance to the buildings during the next three months.
Several of the students who have completed form 4 and passed their O levels are now moving on to a seminary in the nearby town of Songea to study for their A levels. They need sponsorship for this. David Cook, who joined us for the last few weeks, had been fundraising prior to his visit and was able to sponsor five students to attend the seminary for a year.
  David, who is a Sports Co-ordinator at Weston College, also paid for another student, Norbert a self-taught acrobatic gymnast, to pursue a residential nine month course at a college of performing arts in Bagamoyo, near Dar es Salaam. David’s efforts have given these young people a wonderful start in life, and opportunities which would otherwise be beyond their reach. David also donated sports equipment to the secondary school and trained staff and students how to use it. He also coached the village football team to beat another village side, after which he was popularly known as ‘Coacha’.
 
The three primary schools are doing well and were delighted to receive gifts and financial support from three local schools in this area – from Worlebury St Paul’s School, Ashbrook House School and Backwell Junior School.
HEALTH
George Pallangyo, the village medical officer, was delighted to receive 20 hospital beds for the recently completed extension to the Angela Carey Dispensary. The purchase of the beds was made possible by Richard and Jo Purgas of Beach Lawns Nursing Home with sponsorship from Weston Rotary Club and several of their business colleagues in the Weston area. The beds were transported in the lorry.
Rosemary Cook, a practice nurse at a GP surgery in Weston, spent two weeks working with George, exchanging ideas and offering support for the work he is doing for the six ward villages. She is also planning future support for the dispensary.
 
David Willingham, who owns Wills Electrics in Locking Road, spent his time in the village installing electricity at the dispensary and training the villagers to maintain the system. He very kindly donated the generators and all the equipment needed for this purpose. He is a member of the Axe Vale Jazzmen who also very kindly donated a large sum of money to the project from the fees they have earned from performances over the past year.
Plans are in place for a new care home in the village to help elderly people who don’t have families to look after them. The building of the home is being funded by Weston Homemakers Club and staffing costs for the first year are being covered by Weston Rotary Club. Jayne Richards and Laura Wedmore recruited and started training carers from the village during their stay in Luhimba. Jackie Hall-Scott is planning ways of supporting the village with the help of organisations in which she is involved, having now seen at first hand what the project is hoping to achieve.
AGRICULTURE
The village is very fortunate to have a very dynamic government trained agricultural officer in Joseph Simsokwe. He is the inspiration behind the small business scheme which has developed and grown over the past four years. In this scheme villagers borrow money from a fund to set up or extend a small business. It is administered by a very efficient committee of villagers. To date all loans have been repaid in full. Joseph trains the villagers in crop growing and care of livestock. The fund was set up from donations from businesses and organisations in the Weston area. Many families also now own goats, pigs and cows thanks to the sponsorship from friends in this area.
 
Last year the villagers requested help in installing an irrigation scheme to help farmers improve and increase productivity of maize, rice, tomatoes, sunflowers, fruit etc. During my stay in the village Joseph and I discussed this with the local government water engineer. After some site visits and a feasibility survey, very detailed plans have been drawn up. When completed the system will double the area of irrigated land around the village. It is expensive but we are delighted that the Rotary Club of Dublin has agreed to fund the whole project.
Other future plans include building a farmers’ market adjacent to the main Songea –Dar es Salaam road for the villagers to catch passing trade. This is about 3km from the village.
We are so pleased with what has been achieved over the past few months, and are fully aware that none of it would be possible without the extremely generous and loyal on-going support the project receives from individuals and organisations both locally and now over a much wider area nationally. We are also indebted to the Weston Mercury, both for sponsorship and for raising awareness of The Luhimba Project throughout the area.
ASANTE SANA
(Thank you)
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My Impressions of Luhimba
Joanna Hulin
Joanna is a graduate from Plymouth University and, spent some time in Luhimba in Sept/Oct 2006. These were her impressions on her return.
My time in Africa from start to finish was just the most wonderful experience of my life. Luhimba is a very very special place. Never before have I felt so welcome, safe and content. The reception we received was overwhelming. The moment we stepped out of the car into the village a swarm of what seemed like a thousand children and friendly faces surrounded us and the chorus of song began and did not stop until we left!
It was a complete privilege to be invited into the lives of Luhimba and was fascinating to see how the village was run and hear of the progress that was being made, not only in the schools, farming projects, medical centres, but in the lives of all the villagers. The Luhimba Project has done so many wonderful things for the people that are more than deserving of a better way of life. The defiant attitudes and constant cheery nature of the adults who are working so hard to improve their lives, the elders (whose faces almost tell their own story), and the children who I fell in love with, was astounding.
It made it hard, when returning to England, to have any sympathy for people complaining about the most trivial things when they don’t realise how fortunate they really are.
What I’ve learnt from the experience and the Luhimba Project is that the idea that we are the developed world and that Africa should strive to be like us is a total misconception, when in fact if we were a little more like the people in Luhimba, the people in Africa, the world would be a much better place.
So thank you ’Mr Paul’ for giving me this opportunity, and for letting me be part of The Luhimba Project.
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