Moshi, TZ – Tupendane employee is a leader in her community – 18 Dec 2015

Tupendane employee Nazaeli provides both technical assistance and leadership by example to families living around Maendeleo Primary School. In her job as “Mama Bustani” (Garden Mama) she teaches organic vegetable gardening practices to families. Her hard work and serious approach to improving the lives of children models to other families how they can improve their lives through small steps.

Nazaeli lives with her husband and three children aged 20, 19, and 14. The family moved to Kahe 13 years ago to take over farmland they inherited from their parents. Each week they attend Kisangasangeni Lutheran Church in Kahe. It was at church where Nazaeli first heard about Tupendane’s organic vegetable gardening program through the pastor, who was encouraging church members to join the program. While she was researching the organic gardening program a job opportunity opened up to help families at Maendeleo Primary School start gardens.

Nazaeli was hired to fill the position in 2014. When she took over the job as Mama Bustani the school demonstration garden had become unproductive. Since Nazaeli started caring for the garden the school has harvested an average of 35 kilograms of vegetables per week. This has been enough for the 694 students at the school to enjoy a small serving of vegetables once per week with their lunch of corn flour and beans. Nazaeli has also helped 64 families with children at Maendeleo Primary School to start organic vegetable gardens at home. She was recognized as a top employee in the second quarter of 2015 and received a bicycle, which her daughter uses to make the 8 kilometer commute to school each day.

Additional income from her job has allowed Nazaeli’s family to invest in the health, education, and future income of their children. They have invested in health by feeding their children organic nutritious vegetables every day and by improving their home. They used to have a stick and mud drop toilet but now have a flushing block toilet which is safer and more hygienic. They also put plaster on the outside of their house to seal it against animals, insects, and poor weather.

Reliable income has also helped the family afford continued education for their children. The youngest children are continuing secondary school studies with school fees fully paid and all of the necessary school materials.

Finally, they invested in future income by purchasing 20 chickens. Now they have a total of 30 chickens. Their goal is to continue expanding the flock for meat and egg production. They have also been able to expand from a half acre farm to a full acre because now they can afford the inputs necessary for a full acre.

The family’s next steps are to put a permanent roof over their toilet block and to build a proper chicken coop to protect their growing flock.