Bukoba, Tanzania: That's A Wrap!

Well hello! I failed to blog since arriving back in the USA, but I AM back in the USA and have settled in Minnesota! I've been enjoying a little bit of summer since mid-August, and I’m preparing for my first full winter in almost 10 years.

I want to thank you all, so much, for taking the time to check in on my COSAD Tanzania blogs over the last two years. It has been a joy sharing this journey with you. I’m glad you met my Tanzanian family, familiarized yourselves with the work we were doing in Bukoba, and for some of you, I am thrilled you were lucky enough to make the journey to Bukoba to be with us in person. We made great connections along the way.

I already miss my blogging days of writing and sorting through hundreds of pictures to find those special "story pictures" for y'all to flip through. :)

It only seems fair to go over a very brief run-down of COSAD’s progress during my stay…

In late 2014, I believe I was the busiest I had been in my entire life (and that is saying something!). Through August and September, Smart mobilized an army of workers to set up the final elements of COSAD’s social enterprise businesses, and then pulled together an elaborate celebration for the Grand Openings of those businesses: the COSAD Clinic, Imuka Studio, Business Lounge, and the Women’s Cooperative Goat Farm. It was a grand celebration and a grand start to COSAD’s new mission of self-sustainability.

After the Grand Openings, a significant portion of my time in Bukoba was dedicated to creating systems for our businesses and overseeing daily operations. Over the last several months, the COSAD Clinic and Imuka Studio made leaps and bounds- bringing valuable medical resources and personnel to our community, generating revenue, and showcasing the central role music and dance play in the Tanzanian culture. Dr. Jessica Baitani fearlessly lead the clinic as Medical Director and quickly became a beloved doctor, along with our entire staff, with many residents in Bukoba. The Business Lounge hit a few road blocks, starting with a tragic flood in one of our offices that claimed several of our tablets and laptops. Thereafter, the internet proved to be a hurdle we could not overcome, so the decision to wait -temporarily- for better internet access and equipment was made.

The Women’s Cooperative Goat Farm found success in providing space for the speedy expansion of the OWOG Program. In 2015, the OWOG Program partnered with Rotary to bring 200 goats to 200 women in two of COSAD's partner villages. Shortly before the Rotary expansion, the OWOG Program gave 25 goats to 25 women through partnerships with Edina Covenant Church, GCN & FAIR High School, and the Jennie-O R&D Department. Before any goats were given, we spent several weeks to months meeting the women and gathering information about themselves and their households with a team of COSAD staff and community volunteers. I am forever indebted to the women I met in our partner villages; they were the most beautiful and strong people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and they enriched my life in countless ways.

Kiteyagwa School launched and completed two seasons of the Girls' Soccer Program, keeping the girls engaged in school and teaching them about confidence, teamwork, healthy sacrifices, meeting goals, and a place for them to have a lot of good fun.

As an organization, it is COSAD’s nature to connect and create partnerships. In keeping with COSAD’s character, we enjoyed hosting several medical volunteers during my stay (local and international), and a group of about 15 students and teachers from FAIR High School through an organization called GCN. (They were an amazing group!)

There are many smaller stories, unique challenges, quiet successes, and displays of grand teamwork that I would love to tell you about- but I’ll let the blogs already published speak for themselves… So if you haven’t read any of them, go choose one to read!

As for adjusting to life back in America, I have been caught in a pleasant but bittersweet whirlwind of change and transition. I miss my Tanzania family dearly, but am truly lucky to have an American family and job to come home to. I'm beginning to pick “family photos” that will be displayed on my new desk at work. I just don't know how to choose which ones…!

Again, thank you for your prayer, thoughts, support, and involvement during my time in Tanzania. I hope you enjoyed the narrative and felt a part of the COSAD experience! Asante sana! (Don't forget to enjoy a little bit of my Swahili farewell speech; both speeches and speaking Swahili are not my strong point, so don't judge too harshly!)