Despite government initiatives since 2016 to move towards free education for children across Tanzania, there are still significant gaps in provision, access and quality of government schooling.
Can you play cricket on the equator (...and other extra curricular activities)
It has been a delight to be back at Upendo this September, and great fun to have been able to bring some fantastic friends from home for their first visit.
We've had a lot of work to do in a very short amount of time on this trip, but there has still been time for important extra curricular activities!
A dala dala journey into Mwanza for some swimming lessons
As with any group of children who are rapidly growing up (!) the need to find entertainment outside of school that is sustaining and enjoyable is really important.
Art, additional classes and especially sports have always been important pass-times in this respect.
When we started Upendo only two of the kids could swim, but over the past 8 years we have consistently worked on water skills and safety with all of them, and swimming lessons always prove an enjoyable, if exhausting afternoon out in Mwanza.
Glad to say the kids didn't spent the whole afternoon sat on the side of the pool!
Swimming lessons over the years have always been an important project. A knowledge of the water is something many of us take for granted in the UK, but it's just not taught to children in Tanzania, and it means the kids take to water with differing levels of enthusiasm.
Nonetheless water-skills over the years have come far easier easier than cricketing ones!
Hammering stumps into ground baked by an equatorial sun (or attempting to)
But we got there...!
Still...Eddy decided to sit it out
The Roof of Africa is really, really high
This September I was delighted to return to Tanzania, with my eye's set on a long-intended challenge - climbing Kilimanjaro, and raising some money for Upendo in the process.
I was additionally excited about the prospect of being accompanied by three of my best friends, who had never before visited Upendo, or seen the incredible sites of Tanzania, and of the prospect of introducing them to the kids and showing them around.
The entire trip was fantastic, and we raised around £750 for Upendo, which has been a hugely helpful contribution to boarding fees. It's hard to find words (or phrases for that matter) to do justice to describing the Kilimanjaro climb, but 'incredible, exhausting, unimaginably-cold, hard, awe-inspiring and sometimes enjoyable' are a few.
Climbing for most of the first day is through lush rainforest. It's warm and there's monkeys - but it doesn't last!
Camp on the first evening is at 3000m, at the limit of the rainforest - and the summit looms into view for the first time. It looks close but it's 4 days climb yet.
Day 2 was a steep 800m that took us high above the forest
And soon above the clouds too
Sunset brought the first real taste of Kili's chill
The summit peaks out above the clouds at the end of the third day. The glaciers look (and feel!) a lot closer
The next day starts with a steep climb in biting cold. It never warmed up again this side of the summit!
I wouldn't have sat there
A last look at the summit before starting the final ascent. No more photos till the top...The climb was far too hard and my hands were far too cold to take anymore!!!
At the top
The ice cliffs (which are rapidly retreating)
Roads only go as high at 1800m on Kili, so any injuries need to be evacuated on one of these. It took us two solid days to get back down from the summit, so I imagine it would be a pretty uncomfortably journey down!
Back down and celebrating! It took a team of 16: two guides and 14 porters to get us and our equipment to the top and back!