It's been a couple months since I began blogging on NNN, and I would like to thank everyone for all of the wonderful comments I have received. Many times, in addition to receiving a comment from a reader, I will also receive questions. I have decided to use this blog posting as a way to answer some of the more common questions.

Before I go into the details, I do want to point out that I refer in this article to "muzungos" or "the white man." It is not intended as derogatory, it is a part of the East African culture. In the Swahili language, "muzungo" translates into "the white man."

It is very rare for East Africans to see people of European or American descent, and as a result, visitors often become instant celebrities. I cannot begin to count the times that I was in a populated area and began to hear "muzungo" from children and adults alike.

I remember walking though the village one day when a child came up to me and said "hi muzungo." I smiled, returned with a pleasant hi, and carried on.

Now for your questions...

What did you eat while in Tanzania and Uganda?

I will say that the best meal I had while there was my final night in Uganda. At the Kampala Sheraton, I was able to enjoy steak, pasta, cooked to order omelettes and even a cold beer, but that was also a luxury hotel.

Generally, our food consisted of rice, bread and either a fish or beef stew. The difference between American and Tanzanian stew is the freshness of meats.

In many parts of Tanzania, electricity, and consequently refrigeration is a luxury. "Butcher shops" consist of small, wooden shacks along the roadside. Meat often hangs in the sun for a day or two, and it is the same for fish, all in the company of a multitude of insects. Meat is often very overcooked in an effort to kill any disease.

Besides these staples, we also enjoyed matoke, which is a dish made of steamed plantains (a member of the banana family, but m... [Read More]

I arrived in Itoju village a day or so later than planned and was looking forward to relaxing. After riding across Uganda and into Tanzania in a minibus (that had seats as comfortable as a rock) with seven other people and enough luggage for a small army, relaxation was overdue.

The next few days went very smoothly, which was a nice change from the prior days. I was finally able to experience the culture firsthand, as I lived with the Kiguta family during my stay in Itoju.

Lake Victoria; in search of African wildlife

A couple days into our stay, our group walked down to Lake Victoria, the world's second largest freshwater lake. It looked like a short walk, but took about an hour and a half. It's hard to believe, but Avitus recalled of the days as a child running to the lake after school. It was hard enough to walk the path, let alone run it.

Once we made the lake, we relaxed on a mountain peak and enjoyed a soda. We then boarded the boat which was to take us out on the lake. The boat had two crew members – one to drive and the other to bail water. I was less than thrilled to get in the boat, but I had no worries – Avitus said it was a good boat!

A few days later, it was time to board the minibus again and travel to Rubondo Island National Park. Avitus said it would only take a couple hours – good enough for me. I was looking forward to experiencing African wildlife up close, as all I had seen in Itoju was a few monkeys and birds, and the occasional lizard/tarantula in the house.

About one-half hour into the trip, the "good" road suddenly ended. There were piles of dirt everywhere, and we began what ended up to be a five-hour journey through the jungles and mountains of Tanzania. I believe our top speed was 15 km per hour. Of course we had no worries, the road got better soon, or did it?

We arrived at Rubondo a few hours late, and only spent an hour or two on the island. We did not get to view mu... [Read More]

In Swahili, Hakuna Mataka translates into the phrase "there are no worries." I can't even begin to count how many times my travel partners and I heard Father Avitus and other native Tanzanians say "no worries" to us. I laugh at it now, but there were times throughout our travel that I, and I'm sure others, had a slight bit of concern. Let's see, where do we begin?

Uganda and Tanzania, like many East African countries, have a strong military presence. I was greeted with this presence upon my arrival at Entebbe International Airport. After a major issue with luggage, I had mine (others were not so lucky) and we boarded the SUVs and headed to our guest house in Entebbe.

As we neared the main road, we were stopped by the UPDF (Ugandan People's Defense Force, or Ugandan Army) for a search of our vehicle. This was the first time I heard "no worries." For an American citizen, having several military officials walking up to your car with AK-47s wasn't your traditional everyday activity.

The next day, after multiple issues with gathering the lost luggage and getting supplies for the school in Kampala, we were finally on our way. We left Entebbe about 4 p.m., with about three hours of daylight left.

It is very dangerous to travel the region at night because of poor roads, poor drivers and banditry. In some parts, it is even illegal to travel at night. Many of us were questioning the decision to leave versus staying in Entebbe another night, but we had no worries, so we left.

East Africans have unique driving skills. Basically, anything and everything goes. The sign says 50 k.p.h., so why not go 100 k.p.h. There is a car coming in the other direction, so why not pass into oncoming traffic. There is a major curve in the road, but why not pass...you might get lucky and make it. All of these experiences were blessed upon us, but hey, we had no worries.

The issue with the extreme speeds by our driver on poor roads was in part to make the bo... [Read More]

One of the first differences I noticed at SHSS upon my arrival is that all of the students spoke English, and some very fluently. All rules are enforced very strictly by the staff, including the rule that "No student will speak the native language while on the grounds of SHSS."

The purpose behind this rule is that by knowing the English language, students will be able to succeed in the world beyond Tanzania. Most residents of Tanzania do not speak it, yet in neighboring countries such as Uganda, it is widely spoken.

Many of the students of SHSS travel great distances to attend school. Remember the days when your parents told you about their multi-mile journey, uphill both ways, to attend school? That may have been a stretch for you and me, but for many Tanzanian children, it is a reality.

One of the students walks over two hours each way just to attend, but that doesn't stop him. Bikes are provided to students who live far away, but they are not given out for nothing. Students must prove that they are willing to succeed. If they can do this through improvement in grades, they are given a bike. If their grades fall, the bike is taken away.

The students at SHSS are guided by seven core values. These values ensure academic success for the student and also teach them valuable life skills. SHSS recognizes the fact that the children of SHSS are the future leaders of the villages of Tanzania, the country of Tanzania and beyond.

Corruption is highly prevalent throughout East Africa (more on that to follow in a future post). Subscription to a system of core values will help to break the system of corruption for future generations.

The core values at SHSS are:

• Academic Excellence
• Faith
• Leadership
• Service
• Integrity
• Gender Equality
• Perseverance

The students attend an eleven period day Monday through Friday, 7:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., with Saturdays slightly shorter. Their ... [Read More]

In 2006, Father Avitus Kiguta felt it was time for a change at home. Father Kiguta, then living in Winnetka, Ill., as a member of the Archdiocese of Chicago, still felt the need to make an impact on the place he called home – Itoju Village, Tanzania. This is when the ideas of Sacred Heart Secondary School (SHSS) became a reality.

It was a thought that I'm sure many said...it simply couldn't happen. For those who know Avitus, including myself, if you tell him it can't happen, he'll just work 10 times as hard to make sure it will happen.

Over the next year, Avitus shared his dream with others and formed Children Outreach and Community Empowerment (COCE) – the parent organization of SHSS, and in January 2008, SHSS opened its doors to the first 120 students.

Father Avitus shares some thoughts on the Tanzanian education system

In Tanzania, Primary (Grade) School Education is provided by the national government, which provides free education to children through the seventh grade. The area of the three wards has 13 primary schools, each of which graduates approximately 70 students per year.

However, the area has only one secondary school, located in Izigo. Each year these communities graduate approximately 910 children a year but a small number – not more than 100 children – proceed to secondary education.

Sacred Heart Secondary School is the only the only charitable secondary educational institution dedicated to the mission of educating orphans and children from the poorest families of the region.

Compelling evidence indicates that education positively affects a person mentally, psychologically, spiritually, emotionally, morally, socially and physically. In an age of globalization, education seems to be the best inheritance that parents or a nation can bestow upon a child.

The presence of SHSS gives the orphans and poor children of the region the welcome opportunity to receive an education, wh... [Read More]

Traveling to a foreign country is always an experience. My foreign travel experience prior to December 2008 amounted to a few trips to Canada, not that impressive at all!

This all changed when I took the lead on an international service project for the Rhinelander Rotary Club. The culmination of putting the project in motion, for me, was a trip to Uganda and Tanzania (located in East Africa) in December 2008 and January 2009.

Before I get into the details, I'll provide a little background. When we initially began our search for a new project in April 2008, I chose to seek out an individual who I had worked with many times while he was a U.S. Congressman, Mark Green. At the time, Mark was serving as the U.S. ambassador to Tanzania. I felt, in a way, that because of all the help that Mark gave me while I was mayor of Rhinelander, I owed him a favor or two. What better way to do that than helping to make Tanzania a better place with the assistance of the Rhinelander Rotary Club!

Over the course of the next two months or so, I worked with Mark's staff to locate a suitable project for our club. The project we ultimately selected was a developing secondary school that was located in Itoju Village.

Itoju is a small, traditional rural village in northern Tanzania. Itoju's residents, like many Tanzanians, rely on agriculture as their source of income. They may be banana, coffee or sweet potato farmers, just to name a few examples.

Tanzania, like many East African countries, has had its share of civil unrest. The Kagera region, in which Itoju is located, was one of the areas that suffered as a result of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's attempted takeover of Tanzanian lands in the 1970s.

Even today, some 30 years after the struggle, the economy is still in peril. Add to this the health crisis in the area. AIDS has a presence in 8 to 10 percent of the population, and malaria kills just as many, if not more. Clean water is scarce, and diseases ... [Read More]