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On my arrival in Mwanza on route to Bethany I called on the Regional Immigration Officer to discuss progress over the Resident Permits. He confirmed that they had been approved for Jemma Turner and Karen Ross but not for Dave and Vicky Shaw because professional teachers needed a licence from the Ministry of Education. I explained their circumstances at Bethany, which is an Orphanage rather than a School and following his visit to check out our story the Resident Permits have now been issued for all of our long term volunteers.
After the weekend I started to look at our newly introduced Accounting System and was pleased to see that the procedures were working very well. To improve transparency and accountability even further I introduced an extra step from the Bank Book to a Transfer Account Book and then to the separate accounts. This is to enable the Bank Statements to be more accurately reconciled with the Bethany Bank Book.
As you know we have changed our local Bank in Mwanza (now Diamond Trust) with the result that we receive a much improved exchange rate from 1,621 shillings in March to a current 2,002 shillings to the pound
The local social welfare officer called to discuss his stance on secondary education, which is simply that all children who pass should go to secondary school despite the fact that the local school has 700 pupils and 6 teachers. Our policy at Bethany is focussed on employment and to achieve that objective we embrace vocational training, education in the UK and as a last resort secondary education.
During my visit I inspected the equipment inventory, vehicular log books, building maintenance log book and the minute book. The Dining room project is slowly taking shape with the roof trusses and sheets now in place. When funds permit the next stage will be the rendering of the block walls.
I discussed with Elaida the Menu and decided to leave things alone since the price of Rice was falling and because of this a substitute meal would not result in any reduction in costs. At long last Bethany will shortly have a mains electricity supply and soon thereafter we will wire up the site from our own main switch board.
The ‘Torch’ celebration is taking centre stage (the torch is taken to various locations in Tanzania and apparently represents the President – all to do with national pride and it a great honour to have it at Bethany). The access road has been scrapped level and a lot of tiding up is in progress involving clearing away the grass/weeds and laying out new cultivation beds. A good area is currently growing tomatoes and the place does give a feel of being well looked after.
Karen is returning to the UK in 5 weeks and Dave and Vicky at the beginning of December. The work they are doing is absolutely fantastic and the progress the children are making is quite amazing. How they maintain their enthusiasm and energy level being so far away from home day in and day out is quite beyond me but I do know that their teaching is truly a blessing. No one will ever know exactly what impact this will have on such young lives but if any thing is worth doing in this life then by God this is it.
David Borland Treasurer
Bethany Project UK
6th June 2009
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