Hi Everyone

I am in Dar es Salaam at the moment and I have my laptop with me so I am sending you all an update on Luhimba.

I've been in Tanzania for just over two weeks and was joined just over a week ago by Carys and three gap year students - Matt, Jon and Becky. We travelled down to the village on Tuesday and they are all now safely installed in the house in the village.

Carys is doing a wonderful job as mentor and the students will start their three month stay by supporting the teachers in the secondary school, and doing some teaching themselves. They also want experience of the other village projects, the 3 primary schools, dispensary, building projects and farming activities.

We are expecting another volunteer, Dave Hooper, to join us next week. I will be travelling back down to the village then. So plans have gone like clockwork up to now. We've organised weekly menus, cooks, a guard! They are all throwing themselves into this and even enjoying their first experience of a real tropical downpour a couple of days ago.

At the end of their stay in the village the students plan to travel around and see more of the country - Kilmanjaro, Zanzibar etc. Then Carys will be preparing for another group in September.

The secondary school has now been adopted by the government, which was the plan from the outset, and this seems to be going well and ensures sustainability. Our sponsorship now can buy equipment they so desperately need, rather than pay teachers etc.

Several of the students who have passed through the school have gone on to further education and we continue to support those as well. I've met some of them in the past few days and it is just great to see all this happening.

One lad, Norbert, who is a brilliant acrobatic gymnast, thanks to one of our sponsors, has almost completed 2 years at Bagamoyo College of Performing Arts. I saw him last week and he told me he had just performed before the Tanzanian President at a reception for the visiting President of China, and Norbert shook hands with both! We are now looking for a sponsor for him to continue his studies at the college. They put on their show for me and it was brilliant.

In the village the planned care home is well on the way to completion. Walls are up and the roof is on. So after the rainy season we should see this finished.

We are waiting for work to start on the irrigation scheme. This is now in the hands of the Rotary Clubs of Dublin and Iringa.

I will be visiting Ngembambili Priary School next week with a gift from Worlebury St Paul's School in Weston, following Gillian Quick, the head's visit last October. And I will be going in to Backwell Junior School on my return to give them an update on their link with Luhimba Primary School as part of their international week.

So all in all things are ging pretty well to plan and its just wonderful to be part of it.

Next Saturday there is a memorial sevice for Michael in Wrington. I know some of you will be going. Obviously I can't be there but I have sent a tribute from me and Paul Mosha and I think the village council is planning to send amessage as well.

I'll be back in Luhimba then so we will be able to share our thoughts from there. As this year is the 25th anniversary of the project we are planning to write a little book, dedicated to Michael. Charlotte Richardson, our Mercury reporter has kindly agreed to write it (she knows more about Luhimba than I do by now!) with contributions from anyone who has been to or has any interest in the village.

Anyway, thank you for bearing with me and my ramblings. I get back mid April some time, so see you soon.

Paul