Wednesday, March 3rd

Morning came early with much to do before I was picked up by Leonard. Had a quick breakfast, had to confirm my flight, change money and pay the hotel bill. Fortunately the early bedtime last night helped with having somewhat of a clear head first thing in the morning.

We traveled back to the offices of the CCT. From there we went to tour the barrio in Dodomo (I'm never quite sure how to describe these areas - I guess the closest recognizable words would be squatter town or slums). This particular area contained many people with HIV/AIDS and was one focused on by CCT. The tremendous complex challenges of working with people in extreme poverty and with HIV/AIDS takes one into issues of education, health, social fabric and discrimination, reduced accessibility and quality of common services, and many more. The issue of land ownership adds to the instable complexity of such a place and strengthens the cycle of poverty. I came to learn that in Tanzania, land titles are a significant challenge for the poor and for those who have lived on a certain parcel of land for multiple generations. If you do not have legal title then that land is vulnerable. To get legal title, one has to have clear identity and proof of entitlement, such as documents from parents. One can only imagine what begins to happen when a person with no identity (no birth certificate because children in poverty are rarely registered) tries to argue for what they have experienced as their home. The real problem arises as development increases in places like Dodomo. If the government plans a project which needs the lands of the barrio and if the people in the barrio cannot prove legal claim to that land, things become explosive. As was explained, the government issues a 1 day vacancy notice and then proceeds to come in the next day with the bulldozers. Gone are homes, pots and pans, clothing and even people who stay behind. The poor run to whereever they can with whatever they can carry and will simply have to start over again. Tragic.

On our way back to the office for some lunch, I saw the home that will be for the new overseas personnel who will be posted to the CCT in Tanzania very soon. After a quick lunch in a local little restaurant, it was time to pack everything into the truck and begin the very long journey back to Dar Es Salaam on the eastern coastline of Tanzania. After 8 1/2 hours, we arrived at the hotel close to the airport. I was glad to be so close to the airport (15 mins) because I needed to be at the airport by 5:30 am the next morning.

After cleaning up a bit, I went to have some supper because I knew I would be leaving before breakfast. At the end of the meal the restaurant manager, a young man in his 20's, came to bring the bill. We started chatting a bit and he seemed intrigued by the fact that I was a pastor. He ended up bringing over a plate of food for himself and our conversation focused greatly on the inclusiveness of The United Church. He seemed disillusioned with his church experiences yet he and a few friends met for bible study quite frequently. It was a good conversation and would have gone on longer but I knew that 4:30 am was coming quickly. Still, I am also so thankful for the opportunity to glimpse a tiny bit of someone else's world through their eyes.