A Seed to Feed Your Need

Food is prepared for Growing Helath's beneficiaries

Produced and edited by: Austin Greene

Subsistence farming dominates the Rwandan economy. In fact, more than 85 percent of the population works in the fields. Rows of crops dominate the landscape. Farms are everywhere.

Even inside a hospital.

In early 2015, two American doctors, Medie Jesena and Emily Esmaili, were working in the pediatrics ward of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Butare (CHUB) when they noticed that their patients were not responding to treatment.

According to Laurette Mushimiyamana, the program's coordinator and president, the children's treatments were ineffective because the kids were malnourished.

"Simply because children had no food, that medicine had no effect," she said. "After discovering that, both of them and their colleagues started gathering money to buy food."

When the patients' conditions began to improve, Jesena and Esmaili began putting together a program that would grow food on the hospital grounds. They named it Farming for Child Health (F4CH), and it initially provided food for 30 children. However, the doctors soon realized that the problem was not isolated to the pediatrics ward.

"The patients from surgery were facing the same problem," Mushimiyamana said. "They were having anemia because they had no food. Surgery became our second priority and we added 30 more patients."

Meanwhile, new mothers suffering the effects of hunger were unable to produce breast milk. Tragically, many babies passed away from undernourishment. F4CH stepped in, adding 30 more patients from maternity and internal medicine to bring the total number of patients served to 90.

At this point, the program wasn't solely farming for children's health, but for the health of any person who could not afford food. F4CH was renamed Kuzamura Ubuzima, or Growing Health in English.

Ange Imanishimwe, the training and M&E manager, said that another important goal for the program is to teach the beneficiaries to select better food when they leave the program.

"What we are doing is to integrate food security, nutrition and human health," he said. "Those patients also come in our plots and learn the basic cultivation practices and we can train them. When they are good, they can go home and do the same practices."

Samuel Byiringiro speaking to patients at CHUB

Along with teaching patients about the need for a complete diet, Growing Health also provides opportunities for local medical students to volunteer. One such student, Samuel Byringiro, talks to the beneficiaries before the meals to help them understand why proper nutrition is necessary. Along with other miscellaneous jobs, he also handles most of Growing Health's IT work.

"Growing Health is really helping me grow my career," he said. "Because the skills when I'm teaching them, I will keep mastering it and I will keep doing it everywhere that I practice as a nurse."

With almost two full years under its belt, the program has so far succeeded in its goals of helping Rwandans in need. Both Mushimiyamana and Imanishimwe hope that Growing Health can be a model for similar programs in other parts of the country.

"We have the plans to scale up," Imanishimwe said. "We are also partnering with the government of Rwanda through Huye District so that this program could be implemented in other district hospitals. We are all responsible for this world, so we have to help each other."

Mr. Coffee

Luzius Whipf at his roaster.

Produced and edited by: Austin Greene

The aroma of fresh coffee lures in tourists, students and business people in just about any corner of the world. That much is certain. But what makes Café Connexion in Butare, Rwanda so special?

Luzius Wipf has it down to a science.

"If you go to a cafe in Europe or even Kigali, coffee can be quite expensive," he said. "Here we offer it at 50 cents per cup."

The coffee's taste likely has a lot to do with it too. The beans come from local farms in the Southern Province, seven of which won the prestigious "Cup of Excellence" award from the Alliance for Coffee Excellence in 2015. Perhaps that's why the cafe is attracts so many Europeans and Americans visiting Rwanda.

Wipf is a globetrotting coffee connoisseur who has been in the business for over 20 years. A native of Switzerland, his last venture before coming to Rwanda was the Asia Coffee Company in southern Vietnam. The cheap, local coffee found similar success there.

"We had several people carrying around trays delivering coffee around the offices in the buildings," he said. "At our peak we were selling thousands of cups per day at 50 cents."

After traveling to Africa, Wipf saw the potential on the coffee business in Rwanda. It was here that he met his current business partner, Jean-Marie Irakabaho, who co-owns the cafe.

"My partner knew the local farms and the Rwandan coffee business better than anyone," Wipf said. "I had the experience of running businesses and it was a great combination."

Wipf explains the different tastes that can be achieved with
various roasting methods using the "Flavor Wheel"

Wipf packed up the massive roaster that now dominates the room at Café Connexion and set up shop in Butare. The country was already producing a large amount of coffee beans, however, there was still a big challenge.

"Coffee is not very popular in Rwanda," Wipf said. "But as time has gone by, we've been seeing more and more Rwandans come in for coffee. That's a good thing too, because one of our goals was to create an environment where people can come in and meet and connect."

Hence the name, Café Connexion. Another "connection" that he created was a network for local farmers. Wipf and Irakabaho use their expertise to help the farmers sustain their crops by teaching better agricultural management processes. And in order to sustain his own businesses, Wipf has one final secret.

"You have to work with good people, people that you can trust," he said. "I have that here. And without the people I work with, this would all be impossible."

The Town Crier of Nyamagabe

The loudspeakers high above Nyamagabe.

Produced and edited by: Austin Greene

Radio is, at least in most parts of the world, broadcast to its audiences over its namesake, radio waves. The preferred mode of delivery for Radio Voice of Parking Station Nyamagabe?

Acoustic waves.

Music plays throughout the town of Nyamagabe, Rwanda from morning until night. Sometimes there are breaks for sports shows, and other times locals call in to the "radio station's" DJ, Emmy Valentine.

"People mostly call in to give shout outs to their friends and family," Valentine said. "Other people just want to request a song."

Three loudspeakers are affixed to a 30 ft. tower to broadcast Valentine to the people of Nyamagabe, whether they want to tune in or not.

The entrance to Radio Voice of Parking Station Nyamagabe.

His studio is no more than a tiny closet inside what appears to be a small sewing shop. There's a portrait of Rwandan president Paul Kagame, along with an assortment of posters showcasing different styles of African women's fashion. Other than that, the shop appears to have been abandoned.

Behind the counter is the inconspicuous entrance to RVPSN.

"I work here from 6 in the morning until about 8 at night," Valentine said. "I began to work here in order to expand my talents as a journalist and as an artist."

Aside from being an on-air personality, he's also an aspiring musician. Some of his songs are even played from the makeshift radio station.

Emmy Valentine at his workstation.

When he needs to take a break from the studio, Valentine plugs his phone into the mixer to broadcast content from other radio stations. From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., Radio Voice syndicates a sports program from Voice of America. During this time, Valentine gets lunch and then searches for stories or announcements from the town.

"We run a program about hygiene in the city," he said. "Most of it is for the drivers, but it's also about keeping the city clean."

The "Parking Station" in the radio's name refers to the bus station in Nyamagabe. It's also a trade hub for the southern part of the country, sitting on the main road to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The drivers that pass through make up the show's target audience.

Radio Voice's composition raises a question: is it really even a radio station? Valentine seems to think so.

"We do everything that the other stations do," he said. "And this way, we know that people are always listening."

A Walk Through The Horror Halls

The exterior of the main building.

Produced and edited by: Austin Greene

"I can't go back there," Ashley Weselak told her friends. "I've been to Auschwitz and Birkenau before but Murambi is so much worse."

It had been two years since her last visit to the Murambi Genocide Memorial just outside of Nyamagabe, Rwanda, and she vowed not to return, never again.

"I had nightmares after I went," she said. "It's just an awful place."

Weselak and her friends from Huye had planned a hiking trip around the rolling hills of the Southern Province. At the last minute, Murambi was added to the itinerary. With that, the group that was seven was now six.

Of the six memorials commemorating the 1994 genocide, Murambi carries the reputation of being perhaps the most shocking. It was planned to be a technical school, but the civil war and subsequent massacre of over 800 thousand Rwandans halted its construction. Here, over 65 thousand of those people sought respite from the bloodshed under the guise of protection by French soldiers.

20 years later, a small group of European students and volunteers walks the same dirt road that the Tutsi refugees once walked. The atmosphere is certainly different; the sounds of a church choir and children laughing and playing can be heard from the hilltop where Murambi sits. The site is well-maintained, with rows of shrubs lining the dirt path that leads to the entrance.

The path leading to Murambi.

The group is greeted by a younger woman, perhaps the same age as the tourists. She appears to have a great amount of pride for her job, though it's obvious that working in such a somber place has left a lasting effect on her.

"More than 50 thousand people are buried here," she tells the group. "The bodies were uncovered from the original mass grave to receive a proper burial. Some of the bodies that were not claimed are kept preserved and are on display as a reminder of the terrible events that took place here."

The first part of the tour takes its visitors through a winding hallway that tells the history of Rwanda and the events that led to the genocide. The walls are adorned with pictures and text in English, French and Kinyarwanda to recount the grisly story of what happened to the tens of thousands of people who sought refuge here.

Soon after the refugees arrived to the still unfinished school building, the French soldiers abandoned their posts. Water and supplies were cut off. Those attempting to flee the grounds were immediately killed by the Interahamwe militia. On April 18, the surrounding Hutu forces began to attack the tired, starving Tutsis inside the building. The initial attack was repelled, but on April 21, a full assault was carried out. Some fell to gunfire, some died from grenade blasts. Most of the victims, however, succumbed to wounds from axes, clubs and machetes. Of the 65 thousand people trying to escape the violence, only 34 survived.

The guide leads a tour group through the memorial.

The tour group reads the stories from these survivors before coming to a room decorated by pictures of the deceased. A startling number are of children and babies. Much blame at the memorial is directed to the Western world for its failure to intervene. Promising "Never Again" after the Holocaust, the rest of the world turned a blind eye to Rwanda.

Behind the main building are smaller structures that were meant to be classrooms. In a way, they still are classrooms, teaching a much more profound lesson.

"In these buildings are the remains of several of the victims," the guide says sadly as she leads the visitors outside. "They were kept preserved in lime in the same positions they were in when they died."

848 bodies are on display at Murambi.

Nothing could prepare the group for the sights inside other than the smell. The scent from the preserved bodies dominates everything else, and it is incomparable to anything other than death itself. The buildings have open windows spaces and no doors. The only thing inside are several tables with corpses as white as snow.

Even in their state, the half skeletons, half bodies still show expressions of terror. One holds his hands over his eyes while another grabs at wounds that are no longer visible. Others wounds are still there, such as many cracked skulls and bullet holes.

The next room is more of the same. The one after is too, as is the next, and the next, and the next. Room after room is the final resting place for unidentified victims of an unspeakable crime. A few exhibits feature cases that showcase more skulls in one, stacks of femurs in another and shelves of clothes from the victims in the last.

The final part of the tour is the mass grave that was dug when the French soldiers returned.

Femurs inside display cases.

"When the French learned what happened, they told the Hutus to clean the blood off the walls so nobody would find out," the guide says. "Then they came in with bulldozers and buried the bodies."

After the bodies were covered, the French built a volleyball court on top of the grave as an extra measure. Today, the bodies have been moved near the front of the grounds. The volleyball court has been removed.

The group that had arrived talking and laughing left the museum in silence. After a short walk back to Nyamagabe, they met back up with Ashley Weselak. She didn't need words to see the effect on her friends.

"Told you so," she said.

You Know What They Say About First Impressions

Gasarenda. My home until November

Produced and edited by: Austin Greene

I'll make my introduction quick. My name is Austin Greene and I was sent to Rwanda by the E.W. Scripps Institute for International Journalism at Ohio University. I grew up in Smithfield, Ohio, a small town of around 800 people. Life was simple in those days (i.e. a month ago), and I lived it just like any other average guy. You can seriously just imagine your version of "Average Joe" and it'll get you

close enough. What's worth mentioning is that before August, I had never traveled outside of the United States aside from a short little trip into Canada with my grandfather.

Most people who travel take vacations to Europe, Australia or tourist traps in Mexico or South America. Once their feet are wet, they move on to harder places like Asia. The seasoned vets go on to what we call the developing world.

OK, I'm making all of that up, but it's how I imagined it. My first real international experience is taking place in Eastern Africa.

Most people in America only really know Rwanda for the violent genocide in 1994. The genocide was depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda. If that's all you know of the country, your first impression would utterly surprise you.

Rwanda as a whole has to be one of the safest places I've ever visited. The people are very cordial, quiet and reserved. Aside from that, there are soldiers armed with AK-47s on the streets of most populated areas. For going through one of the bloodiest events in history (over 800,000 people were killed in only 100 days), the country seems to have stabilized and is moving forward steadily.

When I was interviewed for this internship, I was asked why I wanted to come to Africa. Race issues and immigration are huge topics in American journalism. It would be very difficult for me to cover those issues fairly if I've never been a racial minority or a foreigner. I hoped that by coming here, I would be able to better relate to those in that position in America.

I'm probably going to be able to relate better to the Kardashians after this.

Check out those fake, 2-dollar Ray-Bans

Gasarenda is a small town in Nyamagabe District. There's not much there aside from a few shops and a market, but there a ton of people there. I can't find any official statistics for the population, but if you find them you can add one more to that number.

Very few white people, muzungus as they say around these parts, ever come to Gasarenda. It is on the way to one of the most popular tourist destinations, Nyungwe National Forest, so I'd imagine that a lot of foreigners pass through at least. However, they wouldn't have much of a reason to stop.

"Good morning!" excited little voices say to me every time I leave my house. These kids have seen me every day for a month by now, and they're still fascinated just at the sight of me. Plus, it's usually 9 o'clock at night when they wish me a good morning.

The kids follow me everywhere I go. When I get on the bus, they stand next to my window and stare. When I'm working in the office in town, they stand in the doorway and stare. Sometimes they ask for spare change.

"I think he's a ghost."

"Give me my money," they'll say.

 It was very surreal and flattering at first. Then it started to creep me out. Now I'm just used to it.

The older folks smile and wave. I feel like I get preferential treatment on the bus, at restaurants and in the market. That should be expected though, Nyamagabe District and the Southern Province are the poorest areas in all of Rwanda. I obviously come from a more privileged background.

It's hard for me to think that way sometimes. I lived in a trailer when I was young and we received government assistance. 86 percent of Rwandans live off of local agriculture. Most of them rely on about 500 dollars per year.

I knew before I came here that I was going to see some things that were hard to see. Children walk around the street in tattered clothes and no shoes. Some of them look like they haven't eaten in a week. There are two beggars at the bus station in Nyamagabe that don't have eyes. I've spent a lot of time at the hospital in Huye, and some of the conditions that I've seen children in are very heartbreaking.

Luckily, there are plenty of things going on in Rwanda to cheer me and everyone else up. I've seen two different species of monkeys in the wild. The black-and-white colobus monkeys in Nyungwe National Forest moved in a group so large that I couldn't even count them. Vervet monkeys are all over the place in Huye, and you can even get up close and feed them out of your hand (I don't think you're supposed to do that though).

Despite the circumstances, Rwanda doesn't seem to be all that cynical. It is one of the fastest developing countries in the world, and the government hopes that Rwanda can achieve "middle-income" status by 2020. The people are very welcoming, and living here can really only be described as easy. I would never have thought it, but Rwanda is turning out to be the perfect place for my first true international experience.

There's so much more coming soon from me,
but check out these pictures in the meantime!

A vervet monkey in Huye

Black-and-white colobus monkeys in Nyungwe National Forest

I wish I knew how to do this.

Prayer at Ruciranyari, just outside of Gasarenda

The "Canopy Walk" at Nyungwe National Forest

The crowded streets of Gasarenda

A typical Rwandan shop

Working For Women In Ghana

By: Megan Laird

Produced & Edited By: Andrew Davis

Photo © A Ban Against Neglect

         A Ban Against Neglect, commonly known as ABAN, is an organization in Ghana that works to empower women in a most unique way.The founders of ABAN, Callie Brauel, Emmanuel Tetteh Quarmyne and Rebecca Brandt saw a unique opportunity in the form of litter on the streets of Accra, Ghana. What was at one point a mock Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in an NGO Management Class at the University of Ghana turned into an actual business, in which the three founders worked to sell up-cycled products in order to help the women of Ghana. According to Brauel,

         “We went from a class project trying to help fund two other nonprofits on the ground in Ghana to starting our own nonprofit that was focused on the economic empowerment of young homeless women through giving them a job, a safe place to sleep, and way to save.”

A Growing Organization

         ABAN was started in 2008 and now has 19 employees and three interns on two different continents. The former college students that started it were able to turn a dream into a reality, and have seen success in Ghana. According to Brauel, “We have gotten support from several large companies in Ghana, created a Ghana Advisory Board, and have partnered with numerous schools to initiate recycling programs.”

         From fall of 2008 to the summer of 2010, ABAN sold their products to support Accra’s youth. The founders of ABAN then won the Carolina Challenge, a prestigious business competition at Universityof North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Callie’s original university before studying abroad), the funding from which allowed ABAN to become a registered non-profit.

         The actual process of creating the beautiful handbags, jewelry and other products from ABAN involves up-cycling water sachets (the main source of litter in Accra) and combining them with recycled glass and traditional Ghanaian batik fabrics. The proceeds from the goods directly benefit the young mothers who are enrolled in ABAN’s school. The ABAN school is an entrepreneurial school that seeks to empower and transform the beneficiaries to develop themselves and their community. According to Brauel, the women selected are those,

         “…Willing to commit two years to breaking the cycle of poverty, changing their lives and preparing for a more participative role in their communities and society. Because the women are in a resident environment, ABAN is able to focus on developing a sense of self-confidence by teaching a basic educational curriculum, developing vocational and social skills, money management, and counseling in nutrition, and physical and mental health.”

         Doris Darkwah, the Programs Coordinator in Ghana, discussed some big moments in her time with ABAN, “When they show up for training day in, day out, that tells me they are willing to make a change in their lives and that makes me proud. A peculiar big day for me is usually their graduation day.”

         Darkwah also noted her main fear for the women of Ghana, “My fear is that most of them will not reach the peak of their potential because of cultural restrictions placed on them.”

Photo © A Ban Against Neglect

Helping Others

         ABAN fights to break down these restrictions, and educate the women and young mothers about gaining their independence, often from men.

The organization has a staff in both Ghana and the United States, working to spread ABAN’s message and help the girls of Ghana. According to Operations Manager, Mary Kathryne Hutton,

         “While our Ghana operations focus primarily on program planning and implementation, as well as production of our products, ABAN’s US office focuses primarily on sales and fundraising to sustain our programs.” 

         New programs are constantly being initiated, all working towards the bigger cause. One such program being ABAN Women’s Empowerment, or AWE, which consists of many stages and different accomplishments ABAN hopes to reach. According to Executive Director Janine de Nysschen, ABAN is currently experiencing one of it’s biggest leaps in terms of growth, “almost quadrupling intake numbers” and “expanding it’s overall community impact.”

         She also spoke of what ABAN has planned for its program future.

“Program-wise, ABAN will expand into the area of social entrepreneurship so that we can take our self-funding, which currently is around 35% to 40% of what we do, and raise that to being able to fund 60% of everything we do.”

Other Goals

Photo © A Ban Against Neglect

         ABAN fights to not only help women, but also to help the environment, making them multi-dimensional in their efforts.           
         Furthermore, they execute their cause in such a manner that is unique and beautiful; and they are creating products that are in demand and well liked. Among the staff’s favorite items that ABAN produces were the tote bags, computer and iPad cases, cosmetic bags and wine bags. Nysschen spoke of what she feels is ABAN’s strength as an organization.

         “ABAN has a strong sense of purpose; our core reason for doing what we do is to help people and things achieve a renewed sense of worth. That's why we can work with young women from very disadvantaged backgrounds, and yet we see in them their potential, their true value. It's also why we have a heart for recycling and nurturing our environment.”

         Co-founder Emmanuel Tetteh Quarmyne spoke of the impact he sees of ABAN on the women of Ghana. “I see it in their everyday lives. For most of the girls who I saw and recruited on the street it is fulfilling for me to see them gain employment and a monthly income that enables them to take care of themselves, their children, their dependent family and the community.”

         Emmanuel’s hope for the future of ABAN is to see it not only grow bigger but to empower up to 100 girls in every session. This goal, while ambitious, is not unrealistic for this unique non-profit.

         ABAN defies the norms of a business, having been started by three college students, and having grown to the magnitude to which it is today. The impact of ABAN is seen through the women in the programs and their success stories, the beauty of the products, the impact on the surrounding society and the satisfaction of the staff involved.

China's Influence on Tanzania at the Foundation

By: James Roller

Produced & Edited By: Zainab Kandeh

Earlier this year, China and Tanzania celebrated the 50th anniversary of the beginning of what has been described by Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete as, "mutual trust at bilateral and multilateral levels."

As China moves closer to economic dominance, those investments have gathered the attention of other world diplomatic powers. It may seem like suddenly China is moving in on a region that has been ignored by the West, but these diplomatic relationships have deep ties.

 While China's diplomatic power in some African countries is an interesting topic, the effects that China’s investments have on the ground in African countries like Tanzania often go ignored. But how does this investment change the lives of the citizens of Tanzania? Is Chinese culture rubbing off on Tanzanians, and are the effects of these diplomatic ties reaching every Tanzanian citizen?

Chinese Infrastructure in Tanzania

Rev. Reginald Mrosso runs a Catholic mission in Manyoni District of the Singida Region. This is and isolated and, rural region of Tanzania. The mission has a hospital and Nursing school called St. Gaspar. The Hospital sits 40 kilometers off the highway near Manyoni. A new road from Manyoni reaches St. Gaspar Hospital and has allowed many more people to receive healthcare from Rev. Mrosso's mission.

© St. Gaspar Hospital-Itigi Facebook

"There has been a cry for over 20 years since when the hospital was opened." Mrosso said. "It was so difficult to reach the hospital especially during rainy seasons. Now with the new road, patients and relatives can easily reach the hospital."

These Chinese roads are being built all over Tanzania. China has been investing heavily in the infrastructure of Tanzania since building the Tazara railway connecting Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia in 1979.

© Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

According to AidData, an organization that specifically tracks the flow of Chinese investments into Africa, the value of the 16 infrastructure projects China is currently involved in are worth over half a million U.S. dollars, and rates offered by China make for a deal Tanzania can't refuse.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce can also offer interest-free loans and grants, which are financed directly by the Chinese government. Tanzania is expected to pay back all loans and lines of credit provided by the Chinese government, Charles Perla of AidData said.

Tanzanians Studying in China

Tanzanian business is heavily influenced by Chinese Investments. Therefore, young people who want to be a part of the Tanzanian business scene are becoming very interested in Chinese language courses, and attending Chinese Universities. Chinese language programs are being set up in Tanzania, and Chinese Universities are becoming an option many young Tanzanians are choosing including Sadam Mohammed.

 "(I chose China) Because I want to do business and in Tanzania 80% of our products come from China. So, if you’re going to do business, it comes from China, so it’s better to see the place where it comes from," Sadam said. "How they live, how they do everything, how they do business. So, it was better for me that I got to see there."

There were other benefits to studying in China. For starters, Sadam was able to attend university in China at Guang Dong University using a regular visa, a luxury Tanzanians are rarely offered.

Sadam mentioned that it was not difficult to find a Chinese University. China has a large Tanzanian population, and the Chinese universities have been recruiting international students by word of mouth, so Sadam was connected to Guang Dong University through friends in China.

However, China may be beginning to get more aggressive when it comes to recruiting international students. Sadam mentioned how there now seems to be more billboards for Chinese universities than western universities in Tanzania these days.

Where there is a market there is business opportunity. Organizations like the Tanzania-China Promotion Centre is attempting to be the conduits between Tanzania and China Representative of the organization, The center is a for profit institution that focuses on placing Tanzanian student in Chinese Universities, and also does a bit of importing and exporting.

"We started at the same level which both were poor and socialism countries. After six decades developing we can see the differences between us. I think that's the reason why Tanzanian students go to China." Roy Rong Director Assistant at the Tanzania-China Promotion Centre said.    

According to Harun Magosho, a Tanzanian PhD student at East China Normal University, this is not surprising news. Chinese schools lack international students and desperately want international standards, but graduating those international students has proven difficult.

"Chinese universities are trying hard to acquire the international standards, though still the issue comes to the type of courses given here, the medium of instruction Mandarin, and the resources books, which most of them are in Chinese," Magosho said.

"This has created negativity among foreign students including Tanzanians, because it is hard to learn in Chinese. For instance, you are told to learn Chinese for one year, so you take classes in Chinese, which has been an obstacle to many Tanzanian students."

Chinese Language in Tanzania  

Universities in Tanzania are also embracing China's influence in Tanzania. The  University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Dodoma both have Chinese language programs now.

Magosho thinks these programs will expand due to the doors they open in the Tanzanian business community and since the courses are free they will be taken advantage of. 

"Besides, since the language programs are being offered freely in universities, (Confucius institutes) people learn hoping that the language could help them when communicating to Chinese trade partners bearing in mind that the movement of people to and from China has increased a great deal," Magosho said. 

China's influence is now reaching Tanzania and other nations across the world, similar to how the USA's influence was spread to Japan after World War Two. That U.S. influence gave Japan capitalism and baseball. It's not yet certain what China's lasting effect on Tanzania will be.

Empowering South Africa's Youthful Voices

By: Jim Ryan

Produced & Edited by: Andrew Davis

Children’s Radio Foundation sheds light on issues facing South African youth

With a hint of nervousness, a young reporter approaches his subject — a South African author known for her children’s books. The reporter introduces himself, adjusts his microphone and asks his first question: “What did you eat for breakfast today?”

Stifling a giggle about her response — “Is that all?” — the reporter concludes his microphone check and proceeds to the real subject at hand: South African storytelling and youth literacy.

Author Lesley Beake later gushed about the preteen reporter’s professionalism, poise and confidence. His news organization, the Children’s Radio Foundation, aims to instill each of those qualities in its young reporters.

The foundation trains African youth ages nine to 20 to report and produce radio packages that air on radio stations around the continent. It reaches more than seven million listeners each week. More than one million of those listeners hail from South Africa, where the foundation has partnerships with a dozen community radio stations and puts almost 200 youth reporters to work.

Storytelling

They tell the stories of their communities and the issues facing them, such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic that plagues South Africa, international politics, education and health. They cover lighter topics, too. Stories about musicians, dance and childhood dreams are told during recent shows, published weekly on air and the online audio platform Soundcloud.

Children's Radio Foundation reporters interview United States
Ambassador Patrick Gaspard when he visited the Manenberg community
in South Africa. © Children's Radio Foundation

Reporters are not fed stories from a producer sitting behind a keyboard somewhere, either. They pitch the stories themselves, and make their final products reflective of what they are experiencing in their daily lives.

“They take ownership of the show and what it looks like,” said Nelisa Ngqulana, a Children’s Radio Foundation director. “It really gives them confidence that the product that comes out is owned by them.”

Growing up South African

The programs, funded in part by UNICEF, provide a unique glimpse into the lives of South African children. Given South Africa’s diversity, the living conditions and culture that children are born into there vary drastically.

In other words, there is no universal South African childhood. One child might grow up down the street from a Kentucky Fried Chicken, while another might grow up far from the nearest street.

Yoliswa Yolee Dyamara Gege, an avid listener and foundation alumnus, said listeners appreciate how each Children’s Radio Foundation story explains a different wrinkle of South African culture, as seen through the eyes of a child.

“(The Children’s Radio Foundation) is giving youth a great platform to learn more about radio,” she said, “it's really expanding in a very successful way.”

Getting a Head Start

Before reporters hit the streets to work on their first story, they are paired with professional mentors — many of whom have learned the ropes as a youth reporter — and complete a four-step radio training program.

Youth reporter Brighton interviewing Dr. Banda, the chairperson
for the nation of AIDS council, a bishop and advocate on HIV/AIDS
and gender based violence in Zambia. © Children's Radio Foundation

Thabo Leping, a manager for Aganang FM, a community radio station in South Africa’s North West province, said that radio stations jump at the chance to partner with the foundation because it offers them the opportunity to train prospective reporters and create content that interests a young audience.

“It is important to give young people opportunities to express themselves or come up with their own solutions on how to solve the challenges that we are facing as a society,” he said.

Furthermore, foundation officials say that their reporters are less likely to delve into lives filled with crime, drugs and gangs — problems some have chosen to report on — after they have gone through the program.

“Children's Radio Foundation has unlimited opportunities,” said Lee Vilakazi, a director for Emalahleni FM, a partner station in eastern South Africa.

Sydney Shearer, who worked in South Africa for the foundation in 2012, said that in addition to keeping kids out of trouble, the foundation promotes them from a largely unheard demographic to one that has a powerful voice.

“We create spaces for young people to develop into fully participating citizens,” she said.

Shearer said that the foundation informs a global audience about the struggles that South African children face while giving children an opportunity to express themselves in ways they otherwise would not be able to.

Andrea Emberly, a York University professor who has long studied the context that surrounds South African childhood, said that many children are particularly interested in documenting their lives.

During a recent month-long trip to the Limpopo Province with her students, for example, she said that local children were interested in her photographs and video as much as they were her education and philanthropy initiatives. Recording (and sharing) stories of their lives is common, she said, and kids there use cell phones “much more actively there than they do in North America.”

It’s no surprise, then, that the Children’s Radio Foundation attracts interest from a wide range of South African youths. Ngqulana said the foundation has little problem recruiting new reporters.

Once she and her colleagues get new reporters in the door it is not long until they are up to speed and working alongside their new peers. Within weeks, they can be producing packages about their lives; the issues that affect the environment in which they’re growing up.

In some respects, Beake said, the reporters are helping shape that environment as well. “I always feel that children — generally, not just in South Africa — need to be given the chance, more often, to be good at something, to succeed,” Beake said. “Children’s Radio Foundation is doing a very good job of that.”