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Friday 24th February 2012 saw the 2nd instalment of Ditcham Park School’s now annual Youth Environmental Conference on Climate Change.  Initiated by the former head boy and girl at Ditcham just last year, it has grown and was attended this year by 140 students from around Hampshire and Surrey, including four Bedales students; Vincent Hasselbach, Olivia Brett, Jenna Sajous and Sam Wilkinson (pictured below).

“Climate Change is real, is happening now and is driven by human activity.  It poses an immediate and grave threat to the health and survival of humans alive NOW on earth.  Politicians are doing little to address the problem. The 11-16 year olds can, however, do what adults are failing to do- and lead and deliver the necessary change.” 

This was the message from leading UCL professor, Professor Hugh Montgomery, to which students duly nodded and agreed.  What then followed proved to be the most controversial and thought provoking element of the conference.  A short film by Project Genie aimed at primary school age children, telling the ‘Story of Climate Change’, ending with the question ‘Which world would you choose?’

As environmental campaigns go, it proved controversial for our students. The story tells of the politicians, governments, scientists and people who simply talked but failed to act in response to the growing concerns of climate change.  The importance of young people in developing strategies for the future is immeasurable and indeed, we see the generation we are educating at Bedales now as prime candidates to develop ideals that will support a more sustainable future.  But this can only be achieved through understanding the nature of climate change and working to minimise potential impacts in the future.  The great failing here is voice, when they speak – who hears them?  A greater voice is needed in that generation, even at this conference level.  Whilst the conference worked well to talk through what we already know, we need it to empower our students more, to stand up, voice their opinions and instigate the change that will come.

At this point, our students proved their worth and questioned every speaker in turn about their presentations, staying behind for nearly an hour systematically working their way along.  Professor Montgomery from UCL was queried on the validity of his statistics; and whilst appreciating his aspirations, our students wanted to know how he intended to approach a consumerist generation in the ‘fight against climate change’.

Dr Broadmeadow, the Forestry Commission's main advisor on Climate Change, was approached to discuss the rather restricted approach that had been presented on climate change, and asked to review the way we educate, not through the biased propaganda as had been displayed here, but through optimism and forward thinking, allowing young people the scope and vision to pursue positive, attainable goals in for Climate Change.

We are constantly reminded that Global Warming or Climate Change as we know it, is a largely misunderstood phenomenon that requires careful handling and active management in the future; small changes make a big difference – yes they do.  But to echo the sentiments of Gareth Baynham-Hughes, Deputy Director at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC):

“Every little helps, but big things help more. Use a carbon calculator and see where your family’s footprint comes from and where you could make the most difference!  Be interested in science. Don’t be put off by thinking science it’s complicated or boring. Knowing the basics – including about climate science and the myths people peddle – is more and more important.  A greener world will be a better world, so it’s a win-win!  It’s really not all pain and no gain – but we do have to act RIGHT NOW.”

The conference is an admirable vision of some incredible young people, and we hope to join them in the future, but perhaps to work on strategies together, with other schools, local authorities and communities to build the future we want to live in.

Joining Ditcham Park School in attending the conference were pupils aged between 11 and 16 years from Bedales School, Bohunt School, Churcher’s College, Horndean Technology College, Lavant House, Lord Wandsworth College, Portsmouth Grammar School, Portsmouth High School, The Petersfield School, and The Royal School.

Onto the final leg of our tour in Tanzania, with a pit stop in.  Not realising quite how much time we would have in Arusha, it is one of those places you need to do some homework before you get there.  On arrival we were told… ok the day is yours and that was it!

So, escapism plans at their best we headed off to find information! 2 minutes down the road the tourist information provides us with a plethora of information about opportunities in and around Arusha, piles of leaflets offering ‘Masai Cultural Experiences’, ‘Arts and Crafts of the Masai’, walks around local geographical features… even the Arusha International Convention Center currently hosting the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda – what great opportunities!  Clearly Arusha has discovered tourism!

Sadly limited by time and transport we opted to stay put in Arusha and see what the city itself had to offer.  The AICC where the International Tribunal is currently being held is free to visitors, only needing your passport to sit in and see a session of court.  Unfortunately for us, the court was in recess for 7 days added to which the National Nane Nane festival, it will have to wait for next time!

Heading off on foot from our ‘eye opener’ of a hotel, we headed down main street passing the historic clock tower – apparently marking the central point between Cape Town and Cairo, the edges of the former British Empire in Africa - and getting a taste of the shops, people and locale we were to spend a snapshot of time in.  Arusha is a city out of the ordinary in this region, its character is confusing and not entirely ‘local’, but its heritage is held not in Africa but in Europe. 

Following the Waarusha tribes use of the area for many years, the city of Arusha itself was developed at the turn of the century by a German administration, creating a European base with fortifications and some of the features we can still see today.  The clock tower near to our hotel was one example of the key features placed here by Germans at the time, this together with the Boma’s and other military buildings held power over the tribes for the best part of a decade before the British came and removed the Germans.  Not wanting to turn this too much into a history lesson (although I have a feeling my school history teachers would be delighted in my improved knowledge!), there is a wealth of information available, but on achieving independence from the British in 1961 following the development of the city and many districts in then Tanganyika, the country of Tanzania has continued to build its own identity into Arusha, creating this busy metropolitan hub in the shadows of Mount Meru.   This 20th century freedom and independence in Arusha is marked by the Uhuru Monument (freedom), a striking feature by the museum in the city.

After our historic look at the city, and avoiding the main tourist shops and hotels… we found our way into the back street markets of the city, the main market for locals here.  The walk up to it took us through lines of women trading the fruits and vegetables, bartering for a good price but presenting their wares beautifully!  The market was tightly packed into the covered shelter, with fruits, spices, dried fish in the centre and fabrics with bold Battik designs hanging around the edges.  We were hassled by a few men on the way in, but within the markets the women were friendly and welcoming going about their business.  Watching one woman, she was busy sieving her spices as her son sat on a bench behind her using a candle to seal them into sachets for sale, a typical image in this market.  As we moved back out to the sides the sales of clothing and fabric from wooden carts began.  Some of it new, some recycled and as we passed a dispute broke out between two women, ending with the contents of both carts being strewn across the ground and the women scraping as a crowd gathered.  Back onto the main streets and the hassle started again from young men, following us shouting ‘hakuna matata’ seeming to think that made it ok.

Arusha as a place is not the most comfortable to be as a female traveller.  In a group of 3 women we did get approached constantly by men on the street corners wanting our conversation, but it was done in such an aggressive way it was almost unpleasant.  I can understand why they recommend not going out at night as a woman here, as we were either dodging high speed buses, bikes or men.  The number of white people wandering the main roads was limited, and most visitors seemed to restrict themselves to the Africa Café or their hotels, which is a real shame.  There are many hidden gems here, but you simply need the time to find them!

So moving on from the experience at Makalema, we had the chance to visit one last school in the Moshi area before our time ended.  When we first heard about the multi million dollar school that was St. Mary Eugenie, a boarding school for girls in the area, it seemed crazy for one school to hire a fundraiser to create a financially selective school in a region that needs so much, almost unreasonable.  But this misguided and thankfully short lived impression was rapidly quashed by the impressive dreams and ambitions of everyone involved in the project from the students and teachers to the team of people working to gain the funds and work with the contractors. 
 
The goal of the school is to reach a capacity of 500 boarders over the next 10 years, and the project started out as a $3million (US) project has rapidly grown to $10million, offering an alternative education to government run boarding schools.  Currently, government boarders would share with up to 17 other students in a dorm, here it’s only 7 others, as the school tries to expand they experience the problems of electricity supply but are working to create sustainable options to create their own electricity.  It is a long way in the future, but the sugar factory down the road has set a precedent of creating and selling back electricity to the grid giving the school ambition for their own future.
St Mary Eugenie School, Moshi (http://www.chekereni.org/)


 
Although student numbers are low at the moment, gradual growth of the school is supporting its success, and the girls take responsibility for their learning and the upkeep of the school, from cleaning their dorms to washing floors, toilets and other facilities.  Sister Scola (the Head) believes without having understanding of the duties required to maintain their environment how are they ever to respect it?  A noble sentiment, one which rings true with my sail training past!
 
One things that did grab my attention here, was the volunteering options they are keen to develop, I started to think about the opportunities for our own students to spend their summers teaching the students here and supporting the school in the future… lots of potential!
 
Following the schools, it was time to check out the hospitals and businesses in the area, leading us to the main hospital in Rombo District.
 
The Jimbo La Moshi, Hospiali Ya Ngoyoni hospital, run by catholic sisters from the Diocese of Moshi was a good example of a modern Tanzanian institution.  It’s wards have become cleaner over the years, but limited in terms of supplies and equipment.  Working with US Aid they are striving to reduce cases of HIV and AIDS as well as Malaria and many tropical skin diseases still prevalent in the area.  Running free vaccination programs for children under a year, clinics at home and in the hospital and offering free treatment for HIV as well as care and support, this place serves the local community well.  As a not for profit, the hospital still struggles to maintain itself financially as many patients arrive without paying National Insurance meaning the cost of care is not covered.  No food is provided on site and again the site suffered the same fate as most of Moshi, electricity and water supply are short!  The equipment is dated and the plans here are to make the necessary improvements for the people the hospital serves.  Yet more challenges for the people living here, but positive steps forward by those working for success.

Other community initiatives are focused on farmers cooperatives.  Whether they’re linked to the fairtrade branding or working together for a more fruitful harvest, communities in the foothills of Kilimanjaro are responsible for extensive banana and coffee farms.  In Rombo district, Machame-aleni village works with 14 farms forming a cooperative making money from crops.  Mr Ulimali, a retired teacher turned coffee farmer took the time to show us around his farm and show us his ‘organic’ farm.
 
We found ‘organic’ was a loose term here, as although many natural methods and products are used to enhance the quality of his farm, using the delights of cows urine as a fertilizer and to prevent disease in the trees, mulching banana leaves and manure to maintain moisture in the farm floor allowing for a richer crop, the farmer also used MPK and other pesticides to protect his crops.  Eventually we found that Mr Ulimali had strict guidelines to follow as part of the coffee unions requirements and therefore this ‘organic’ approach was much less so!

Overall, our time in Moshi was a mixed bag, the highs of opportunity and drive we saw in most of the people we saw and met and the frustrating opposites in others.  In the school we spent most time, the young staff and their mobile phones presented the biggest surprise for me, with behaviour that was worse than teenagers in the UK.  Ignoring social situations and playing on phones, following their younger visitors around trying to take pictures and get phone numbers without even knowing a name was not acceptable.  Our expectations were high, but as technology is jumping forward so quickly in this area, the social aspects of using it are completely misunderstood.  Perhaps some simple guidance or sharing of our practice would save the uncomfortable disparity between us.
 
On the flip side, the young people we met and the inspiring leaders that appear in many teaching institutions, and indeed business men like Mr Ulimail show how development of these regions is possible and self driven – without people like this it would be an uphill struggle.  A richly rewarding experience, but not for the reasons I expected… here’s to the final phase of our tour!

 
Orkolili School - new science block

The middle section of our tour is centered on education in Tanzania. Looking at 3 very contrasting schools and teaching in one.  On arrival in Kili we drove out to Moshi our base for 4 days, stopping at our first school Orkolili just 15 minutes from Kili airport.  The link here is with Kevin Cook, a long standing member of the GA now living in Nairobi but lecturing on East Africa in the UK.  Kevin has worked with the school for years, the most recent project being to complete and roof the new science block.  On our arrival here, the children in their maroon uniforms, gathered chanting and singing ‘Welcome’, greeting us with such enthusiasm and interest.  The head teacher Yohanna is an absolute inspiration!  She has such great drive and so many dreams for the future of her students she is absolutely mesmerizing.  African schools have many incredibly difficult hurdles and challenges to overcome to gain success.  Actually funding the basics to inspiring vision in young people to help them achieve their goals, are two of the fundamental aspects of education here and Yohanna knows all too well how difficult it is for her and her students.  That said, she sets the school small targets knowing it will take time and should she gain support from elsewhere, those dreams are achieved quicker.  By no means does this suggest she sits with her hand out waiting for the support to come, she carries on regardless.  The school has gone from strength to strength since opening in 2004, it is private with 150 boarders, 40 day students – and for completing the Science block, fully equipped with work benches, black boards, gas cupboards, gas taps and sinks cost just £4000, this essentially paid for the roofing and finishing touches to turn this block into a functioning classroom.  Yohanna dreams of creating an ICT room for her students, building in an ‘entrepreneur’ program for students to allow them to explore other options beyond purely academic and increase boarding numbers – but this takes time.  Something I would love to see Bedales support in the future.  I left Orkolili School with a renewed sense of vigour and passion about opportunities for education around the world – Thank you Yohanna!
 
Following Orkolili, we went onto Moshi to our base, and began preparations for Makalema High School, near Mengwe, where we were to spend the majority of time over the next few days.  Makalema is different to Orkolili partly due to its location in the foothills of Kilimanjaro in Coffee and Banana growing country, but also the differences in ideals behind the staff.  On our arrival, the children stood around the edges of the school yard, watching with interest as we were ushered off the bus through to the staff room without much in the way of introduction to the students.  I can imagine what our students would be like if a bus load of teachers arrived from Africa and walked through the school passing classrooms before going into the staff room, they would want to know who they were and what they were doing there!  The staff were friendly, many extremely young men, who had not long left school themselves.  There were 3 types of teachers here – Permanent teachers, temporary teachers drafted in due to a shortage and university undergraduates offering services to their local areas as part of their specialist university courses.  The number of permanent teachers was relatively low, but the time spent in school was varied between them.  This school was started in 1997 as a day school serving the local town of Mengwe, now with over 500 students divided into 4 forms. School fees here are 40,000Tsh (of which government pays half and families pay the rest - £1 is 2500 Tsh 2011).
 
Our task in the afternoon of our first day was to select a form and take a lesson, originally meant to be 1hr30mins long, but due to disruptions in the day it was 45mins.  Walking into a Form IV (equivalent to our Block 4/5) and facing 80 students crammed into the classroom, our lesson began.  Exploring the idea of Place, myself and colleague Kay Chapman (a university lecturer from Plymouth) began the task of teaching and getting to know the students.  Compared to teaching in the UK where students don’t hold back in letting you know their ideas, have no qualms about asking obscure questions and can drive lessons forward with such gusto it can be mind blowing, this class of 80 students giggled, chewed gum and happily acted like many teenagers would.  Although, the big difference was when asked questions they would not respond, no hands up, no volunteering information, just silence.  Only when we walked around the class and knelt down next to them would they whisper ‘what’s your name?’, ‘Where are you from?’, ‘How old are you?’, ‘What do you do?’ – all before answering questions on the set task.  We did find out that many had great dreams for their futures, doctors, engineers, and of course ‘footballer, like Wayne Rooney’, but also getting ideas of home life beyond the boundaries of school.  Many of the girls go home in the evening and help their mothers wash and clean, the boys return and help their fathers in a variety of agricultural tasks, and when they have electricity in the evenings, they are able to study for a short period of time. 

 
Kay & Kirsty teaching Form IV, Makalema High School

Again the ongoing issue of electricity and lack of generators is a big problem in mountain communities like these.  The government and energy supplies make decisions about who gets power and when, but where demand continues to increase, suppliers can’t meet the needs anymore.  (However this doesn’t stop all the young male teachers having mobile phones and spending more time on them than the teenagers at home!).  Following the lesson, we asked questions to try and get the students to identify what the opportunities and challenges were in their own ‘place’. Many came out with disease, poverty and transport being their major concerns, but what followed was the most eye opening comparison made with the first school.  The students asked ‘What are you going to do to solve our problems?’, ‘what are you and the teachers from the UK going to give us to make our lives easier?’, between that and the request for us to buy them a school bus because school trips cost a lot of money and we could do that for them because we each have enough money – I was quite taken aback and saddened by the experience.
 
The instant contrast between the two schools we had seen was clear, where drive and ambition pushed one forward at an incredible rate of knots, the other appeared to sit back asking us to give and solve…  After this, it really made the teachers in the group question how and what we do for African schools.  For link schools to work, it needs to offer a cultural enhancement, an opportunity for both and a future with goals for both where the needs of both are met. Ultimately, there needs to be an understanding from both parties about where we come from and how we move forward.  Our education systems are so different and the idea that a group of teachers can simply walk in and teach is naïve.  Observe, immerse, understand and then move forward through guidance and development is the way it can work.
 
Needless to say I was unsettled by the experience in the second school we visited, but we are to return there for a few more days, so perhaps it will change my impressions in that time.

After 4 days on this incredible island it’s hard to think it's time to move on already. From our base in the historic Stonetown we have explored a tiny amount of the island's offerings and are left wanting to see more! Having sampled just 3 islands in the archipelago - Unguja, Changuu and Chumbe - Zanzibar shows such a range of opportunities to those who live and visit here. The tourists are a mixture, those that fly into the airport, transfer to their resort and stay there for a week or two before returning to life back home. Others choose to see the Island and its people for the reality that it is. Yes, Zanzibar is poorer in many places than I imagined but is richer for the attitude and welcoming nature of many people we met, from boat builders working on the shoreline to the fruit sellers on the roadside.

Zanzibar is in an interesting place just now as it's working out how to best serve its people and the thousands of visitors it receives every year. There are many groups that live side by side on these islands and with tourism growing annually, Zanzibar is working to find a way to make it a success (although still a little unsure of itself and how much potential it has).  From sustainable tourism on Chumbe, an island paradise - a fossil coral island itself, surrounded by younger reefs - that limits its visitors to 14 a day, to the Kite surfing mecca of Paje on the East coast, this island is diverse and teaming with life and challenges in the years ahead.
 
Having visited a number of different industries during our visit, the people here work hard to make the most of the land and its resources.  Mr K’s spice farm, a small intensive farm in the centre of the main island near Bububu, is diverse partly out of necessity but also because they can.  With the medicinal properties of leaves, roots and fruits of the species that grow here being utilized to their best, Mr K has opened his farms to visitors allowing them to sample everything from rice beating, durian fruit and vanilla pods; a chance to raise his profile and diversify further by selling items to global visitors. Go beyond this to the boat builders working on many of the islands beaches to restore wasting wooden fishing boats and building new ones.  No electric sanders or welders, simple traditional crafts are continued by the young men following the traditions of their families, Maruhubi is a good example of this.
 
This aside, it doesn’t stop certain developments and influences creeping in around the island – from the ‘Gunners Hair Salon’ and cars covered in Man Utd, Chelsea & Arsenal paraphernalia to the rapidly increasing number of mobile phones amongst the people here.  Electricity may be an issue (although not as much as mainland Tanzania) yet mobile and internet technology is rife.
 
The relationship between tourist and local is relatively unstrained until you reach the East side of the island, particularly noticeable in Paje, the people react in a different way to tourists, particularly those with cameras – working hard to draw you into a conversation and then hoping to charge you for their time at the end of it. As for taking a photo, do so at your own wallet cost!  The contrast between the East and the West of the island is clear, East being developed for the tourist industry with 5* resorts and facilities for summer sports and beach chilling – the West is more local where industrial life centred around the busy port of Stonetown continues amidst the growing demands for better facilities for tourists.
 
We flew from Zanzibar on a wet and muggy day, torrential rain obscuring the views around us.  Better to leave it in this light than draped in the stunning views and colours we had enjoyed for the duration.
 
Here’s to Kilimanjaro!  (Sadly missing Cheryl Osborne by 2 days at Kili airport!!!)
 
K

Day 1 – Arrive Zanzibar

Saturday departure from LHR for Zanzibar via Nairobi, meeting the crowd from the GA (Geographical Association) at 5pm for a flight out of London at 8pm. Touch down in Nairobi after a long night was welcomed with our first glimpse of Kenyan sunrise, a blood red sun rising in the distance amidst low lying terrain of Nairobi! Onward to Zanzibar heading SE along the border of Tanzania and giving us a sneaky peak at Mount Kilimanjaro that will become our backdrop later in the week!

Arriving in Zanzibar, welcomed by a small airport and four bartering Bureau de change shops vying for custom (even changing their rates to get one of us to spend our sterling and dollars there). During our decent to Zanzibar’s airport, we could see the beautiful white sand beaches, sand bars and lush vegetation that everyone sees in the brochures, but a little closer and the human landscape starts to unfold, tightly packed corrugated roofs, little vegetation around the houses, large communal unmade areas with football posts on each end and boys kicking the football around before afternoon school. Zanzibar is known for its exclusivity but spending time staying in a hotel at the gates of this major port will be an eye-opener. Men and women gathering their goods at the gates to get items home or to the markets, sirens calling them to and from work, a call to prayer reminding all visitors that indeed the local culture is strong and vibrant – and then you meet the people and begin to understand why. With regular calls of ‘Jambo’ to you as you pass, the children want to say hi and see what you’re doing and the men and women are accommodating, friendly and with genuine interest in what we are doing.

This is the beginning of a 14 day experience traveling with a group of likeminded geographers from primary to secondary teachers, deputy heads, university lecturers and those with a passion for the subject; here begins 4 days in Zanzibar before heading over to Tanzania!

Google - Geographical Association!