Our first impressions
Falling in love with Chala
I first visited the region of Chala, Rukwa Region in 2021. To visit our beloved friend and partner Roland Ketterer. During this time, I found a real sense of adoration not only for the region but for its people as well.
After the flight from Dar Es Salaam to Mpanda. A hot and bothersome two-hour gravel road trip awaits you to get to the technical school that was built by Roland and his associates. The car trip ended by us first visiting the Parish of father Anselm, where we were greeted with loving bright smiles and some locally cooked pilau and fried fish to welcome us. Followed up with some local dancing by some of the maidens, we seemed to have submersed ourselves quickly in to local culture and hospitality.
A heartfelt welcome
The warm embrace of Chala's people
Since our first visit here we have been back to Chala many times, and sometimes only to “brag” to our volunteers with the exquisite natural surroundings namely Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi which is only a short drive from the vicinity. Hahaha I am just kidding! The students from the technical school were always visited, and made to listen to more of my quirky jokes and spontaneous ideas for the future.
The reality is that Tanzanians from the rural areas are really susceptible and willing to learn from any foreigner who makes their acquaintance. That’s why all foreigners are expected to uphold a high moral standard during their visit here. A kind and generous people who love to share what they have, even if this means offering you their last plate of food, that they would otherwise need to make it through the month themselves. Kindness goes a long way here.
Growing a sustainable future
The agroforestry project in Chala, Rukwa region
The fact of the matter is that in the month of February this year we cleared the first 5 acres of land in front of the technical school, where we started with one of the first agroforestry projects to be undertaken in the area of Rukwa.
We are super excited to see the results in the up-coming months after going through all the impact studies together with our good friend Roland Frutig. A specialist in agroforestry development and one of the most sought after for the job internationally.
Sown agricultural land next to the technical school as a part of the agroforestry project in Chala, Rukwa region. The area to the right of the access road leading to the school, as seen in the picture above, is the five acres we cleared and started our first partnered initiative with.
After the trenches and swells were dug, and the field was well-prepared the planting started. Seen above in the middle is Amadeo Amadeo (school foreman), and two students from the technical school.
If the bacteria in the soil is healthy, the people who live their lives in the area are ultimately healthy! The benefits of Agro-forestry are so under-appreciated still at this stage globally, however, every day farmers and communities in Tanzania are waking up to the immense intrinsic value and strengthening capabilities these new techniques can bring to rural areas.
Tanzania boasts a land size of almost 1 million square km’s which means there is so much space to still delve in to the development of Agro-forestry, forestation and landscaping.
Expanding our impact
Creating a brighter future in Same
We are now in preparation to use the same method and model in another area of the country, Moshe, in a village called Same. Not far from Mount Kilimanjaro!
Mrs. Simone Geisser built a small ‘labour ward clinic’ here a few years back. Hence why we keep coming back and have always tried to help out where we can.
The proposed budget will be similar to our initial project in Chala.
Empowering women through agroforestry
The project will be entirely run, farmed and its produce eventually sold by woman from the area. We will be developing a self-sustainable economy for them reliable completely on mastering Agro-forestry techniques.
Changing lives, one project at a time
karibu sana
(you are welcome)
Find out more
project overview
To learn more about our project please download the full project overview in the PDF below:
