This is the first time I have written an article for this publication
and I should like to tell you all a little about the charity Trade Aid.
It was set up in 1996 by a group of people headed by Brian Currie, a Salisbury
businessman. The aim of the charity it to create sustainable employment
in a village called Mikindani, a deprived and desperately poor part of
Tanzania.
The first phase of the project was to renovate a badly decayed but very
beautiful German fort, situated on the side of a hill and overlooking
the spectacular Mikindani Lagoon. With the help of European experts, local
people have restored this building to its former glory, and it is now
open as a 6 bedroom, country-house hotel. All the staff are Tanzanian
nationals and most are local people from Mikindani and Mtwara, the local
town.
Now that this phase of the project is complete, we are concentrating
on promoting the hotel and attracting visitors to this beautiful and unspoilt
part of Tanzania. Mtwara has an airport and there are scheduled flights
six days a week. The airport is 20 minutes from the hotel and guests are
collected by the hotel staff.
There is a range of guest activities available such as a guided tour
around the historic village of Mikindani, a trip to the Ruvuma River on
the Mozambique boarder, snorkelling in the crystal waters of the Mnazi
Bay Marine Reserve, or a two-day excursion to the fascinating Rondo Forest
Reserve. Some guests may prefer just lazing by the pool at the Old Boma.
Each month we produce a newsletter written by our volunteers working
in Mikindani, and I will include some of their news and activities in
the next article. This is an item from our January Newsletter written
by one of our Gap Year volunteers, Matthew Maddocks.
“Our Christmas at the Boma and in Mikindani was one I will never
forget for a number of reasons. In George’s (a fellow volunteer)
absence we awoke and had an exquisite breakfast of fresh bread rolls,
jam, marmite and English tea. Eggs would have been a choice if Tanesco
had been festive and let us have some power! But our palette treats were
immediately withdrawn when Mtipa came through with a traditional soup
he’d prepared that morning. His present to us was the intestines
and internal organs of a goat he had slaughtered that very morning, stewed
together! Ian and myself managed a tiny taste but we were all shocked,
and playing ‘guess the organ’ was fun, but also highlighted
the fact we simply couldn’t eat it all!
The day’s events didn’t really pick up until just after lunch
when I slipped into the grotto we had put up in the courthouse and dressed
myself in the mock up Santa’s outfit we had made. Dennis had said
that it would have been the first time Mtwara region had been visited
by Father Christmas and as I expected a few of the visitors were scared
silly and ran out again given one glimpse of me! However, overall it was
a big success and after asking names, ages, if they had been good, each
child was given a gift (including George who had just returned and came
to sit on my knee and tell me what a good boy he’d been.) One small
Indian boy did ask me for a car however giving that he was 5 and perhaps
not ready for such things I gave him 'the even better thing' from
my sack!”
I hope some of you will visit The Old Boma, and see this hidden treasure
of Southern Tanzania for yourselves. There is more information about the
Hotel, the Charity and the project on our website www.mikindani.com
The Beetle would just like to add that she visited the Boma, chatted with
the staff, had tea by the pool at the Boma, and it is not only fantastic
what the charity has achieved, but also the fact that they are genuinely
giving something back to the community.
