Travelling with TEMBO and Sustainability

The beautiful African Tulip tree is in bloom now, during the rainy season

Since first visiting Tanzania in 1998, I am fortunate to have gotten to know many Arusha “business” people (hawkers) on the street who have become friends. They continue to provide good reliable advice on all things local and this has been a tremendous help to an outsider like me. 

So is this familiar beauty

I spent part of yesterday working with a highly recommended safari company in Arusha (where there are literally scores of safari companies) to plan the August 2011 TWT (Travelling with TEMBO) Project Visit and Safari. This is the fourth safari I have made with this company so I know the five people participating in this program this year are in for a real treat. I want to talk about the importance of this TWT program to the overall success and sustainability of our project work in Longido and Kimokouwa.

Worlds apart, worlds together

TEMBO began this program so that donors and supporters, primarily in Canada, would have an opportunity to see how their donations are put to work and the real difference they are making in the lives of people in two small rural villages in Tanzania. Travellers with us get very ‘up close’ to the women and girls in our programs and their families – they become participants rather than simply tourists. I think this is what makes the biggest difference. 

A precious resource

TEMBO has put together a program of activities with the staff and villagers but the result is far from ‘orchestrated’. For instance, one of the highlights is walking to the deep wells with village women in Kimokouwa to see where they fetch water during the dry season. The walk is long and filled with conversation about local herbs and medicines still used today, and about life for the Maasai people. When you reach the dug wells you see how dangerous it can be to access something we often take for granted, water. And there is so much more you will learn about how TEMBO is fulfilling its mandate of providing education and economic empowerment to girls and women in Longido and Kimokouwa when you  visit schools and small businesses.

TWT enlarges the horizons of so many people in Tanzania and Canada

The other part of the TWT program is a safari through some of the most beautiful national parks on the planet. Tourism is a huge resource in Tanzania that generates large amounts of money for the economy. Tanzanians, including the Maasai, are learning how valuable their natural areas are and the herds of animals that run free. In learning to live side by side with the natural world they are ensuring their own futures, as well as the survival of animals and plants that are so important to the world’s ecosystems. It is privilege to be able to experience in Africa, even for a short time, a connection to the world that we have lost in the west.

Tanzania is a photographers paradise

How does this once in a lifetime experience help TEMBO? When you take part in the TWT program you are given a tax receipt for $500.00 that is used directly for program activities. When you are in Longido you stay at the TEMBO Guesthouse – another way of supporting another of our important sustainability projects. Villagers who participate in the program during your visit are also compensated. And, when you return home, we hope you’ll tell others about what you have seen and experienced – the real TEMBO and the real Tanzania that most people will only ever read and dream about.

The memories are yours to keep forever

Improving life, one person at a time

The TEMBO Guesthouse and Sustainability

March 28, 2011

The roadside sign

The TEMBO Guesthouse (TGH), where I am comfortably staying, is located at the foot of Mount Longido in the heart of Maasai land and in one of the best cultural tourism areas in all of Tanzania. The TGH is central to the goal of making TEMBO Trust an independent Tanzanian organization by the year 2020. The guesthouse was officially opened in January 2009 to help provide funds for education and economic empowerment for girls and women. Growth has been slow but steady. The guesthouse continues to be highly subsidized by TEMBO Canada and in 2011-2012 we are working hard to reduce this subsidy greatly.

Nestled at the foot of Mt. Longido

TEMBO Trust's vision of ustainability is not just about money, though money certainly makes it possible. When TEMBO opened the TGH we made a choice to hire local villagers as much as possible. We could have brought trained or eperienced people from Arusha but this would not have helped the local economy. The current staff of three askaris (watchmen), a gardener, two housekeepers, and the TGH manager is all from Longido and Kimokouwa. Through employment at the guesthouse they are able to better provide for their families and educate their children.

The colourful multi-purpose inner courtyard

Hiring local people also means the learning curve is much steeper and it is even more challenging when you add in the fact that the service you are offering is to people from many different cultures. On the job training must happen, and so many new skills must be learned. Patience is a must but the benefits can be enormous and far reaching.

Harvesting rainwater from the TGH roof grows food for the kitchen

 It takes any business time to make itself known and to get its name and services circulating in the wider community. Effective marketing and follow up is essential. Seeds that were planted a year ago and replanted in the fall of 2010 seem to be paying off. TEMBO Guesthouse is seeing many repeat customers and some NGO’s have begun signing yearly contracts. New marketing strategies are being tested and the feedback from customers is enabling the TGH to better know what clients from around the world need and expect.

A current very large contract from World Vision, an established NGO, is teaching the staff many valuable things they will incorporate into the service they offer in the future. As one staff member offered, “This is teaching us what our weaknesses are.” It is also highlighting what their strengths are. TGH staff are able to work together under pressure as a very effective team to provide a very good quality service. Their pride in the service they offer is evident and appreciated. And it will ensure even more repeat customers. If they continue on the path they are on, and with the support of TEMBO Trust and TEMBO in Canada, as well as new and returning customers, 2011 might just be a very significant year in the growth of the TEMBO Guesthouse.

Beauty to welcome guests

Guests who arrive leave with the satisfaction of knowing that by staying at TEMBO Guesthouse they have contributed to TEMBO Trusts’ Education Sponsorship and Micro-Business programs for girls and women. And a backpack full of memories.