“The whole world is filled thanks to us. Let us not think little of ourselves.

We are perfect.

We are strong.”

Winny Saigod (Mama Pelis), Safina Group Member

In 2017, the Safina Group was established at QEA as a way to provide a place where women struggling to find peace and to feed and educate their families could be supported, both through friendship, common purpose, knowledge building, income generation projects and other kinds of support.

‘Safina’ is the Swahili word for ‘ark’, and as Winny explains,

“Noah’s Ark was built to save humanity from the flood. We decided on this name because we see this group as an ark, saving us from where we are now, and delivering us to the next steps in our lives.”

Many of the women have children at the school, some of whom it supports through their education. The group is a huge resource to the school, not only through the increased support they are able to give to their own children, but the important part they play in visioning what the school can be and all the hard work they put in to it.

They are currently spearheading a permaculture design for the school land after three of them completed a training* in the practice at Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania. The aim is to develop the land in a way that aligns with the processes of nature, so that it will produce lots of varied and nutritious food, protect and nourish the environment and make some money too. They also plan to have the school farm become a demonstration site for teaching the wider community these principles.

“Long ago men were in charge, but now we are building our own houses.”

Emma Sekwiha (Mama Faith), Safina Group Member

Featured

Maria Ndugai (Mama Isaya)

Maria runs a shop in the nearby village centre of Sheyu. You can see a picture of her in the shop in the gallery below. Learning from the older women in the group has helped her to grow in confidence in her marriage, with her business and in supporting her children through their education at QEA.

Rehema Malole (Mama Asha)

This is Rehema (known as Mama Asha) with her youngest daughter Damari. Damari and her elder sister Mariam are both students at QEA.

Mama Asha is a farmer and has worked hard all her life to support her children and family, who love her dearly. She is generous, loving and strong. She surrounds herself with other strong women in Mlali to get her through the hard times and to laugh with through the happy ones.

Maisha Kalaita (Mama Stan)

Also a school cook, Mama Stan is an important member of the group, and provided a lot of encouragement and support for the other members. She is also learning so much from the older women and is inspired by them and their abilities to overcome big challenges.

Mach Kingamkono

Mach is an unbelievable woman. She is unafraid to challenge local officials who won’t listen to her, she carries huge loads of wood down from the mountains on her head, she farms cows, pigs, rabbits, ducks and goats and looks after her son Isaya, all while fiercely standing up for the women around her if they need it. Oh, and she has a very dry wit. Wherever she is, everyone around is laughing.

Manuela Lusito (Mama Sara)

Mama Sara, mother to Sara in P7 has grown so much in her confidence since being part of the group. In the beginning the weight of the responsibility to educate her children bared heavily on her, but building friendships with all of the amazing women in the group has allowed her to see what she can be and that she doesn’t have to do it alone.

Emma Sekwiha (Mama Faith)

Mama Faith is in many ways, the foundation of the school. She dreams about it and says she could never leave it. She is wise, loving and always goes above and beyond to help people around her. She is working on building her own house for her family, something she says she never imagined she would be able to do.

Winny Saigod (Mama Pelis)

Mama Pelis is a leader of women (and a leader of everyone!). She does things and inspires others to do them too. She has an insatiable appetite for learning. She is passionate about change in her community and very wise in the approach she takes to making that change come about. She also has a very good way with words.

Lusia Lenjima (Mama Arnold)

Mama Arnold has an infectious smile. One of her sons Arnold studies at QEA. She has always been one of the first to volunteer her time and labour to help the school, bringing firewood and helping on the farm.

The women’s group has given her a place to find friends, belonging and support. Through this, she has grown in confidence and her family have all benefited too.

Photo by HC

“I am standing here because I have passed through so many challenges, but because I am a woman I have overcome. I am standing here because I can.”

Maria Ndugai (Mama Isaya), Safina Group Member

“I was left by a man. I was in really hard times. He doubted that I could do it alone. I have put two kids through to secondary school and I have 2 in primary now. He doubted me but I did it and I can do it.”

Rehema Malole (Mama Asha), Safina Group Member

“I am strong, I have animals, I farm, I have businesses. If I need a loan I get it. Women can do it!”

Mach Kingamkono, Safina Group Member

See some more of all the amazing things the group is doing in the gallery below

This is pretty reflective of the group's confidence...

Mach and Isaya

This is Mach with Isaya, her adopted son. She took him in when he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Now they look after each other. This is them with the vertical garden Mach learnt to make that uses grey water and a filter to grow healthy food, even in the dry season!

Mama Asha and her family watering their vertical garden

Permaculture Course

This is Mach and Mama Pelis during their permaculture course - it has been transformational for them all! Photo by Emma Sekwiha

Learning about keeping chickens

Photo: Winny Saigod

Learning about double dug beds

Photo: Winny Saigod

“The permaculture training opened my eyes to what is possible. All this time I have been struggling away, buying expensive chemicals fertilisers and things, when all the answers were around me for free! It’s given me even more confidence in myself as a woman and in my ability to be independent.”

Mach, Safina Women’s Group

Working on the kitchen garden

The women learnt how to make a kitchen garden. They have them at their homes and they built one at the school too. The garden has a built in filter made from gravel and dry grass that filters grey water, so that food can be grown, even in the dry season.

Mama Asha and her family

This is Mama Asha at home with her three daughters Asha, Mariam and Damari and Asha’s two little ones as well. Photo by Jess Smith.

Permaculture at home!

Mama Pelis lives in a particularly arid area, but through permaculture techniques, she has been able to grow lots of nutritious food right at her house and it is now a luscious garden. People pass by and ask how she managed to get her own water source, but she tells them it is just using grey water wisely that has made it happen!

Kanani Beauty Salon

After learning new business principles during the permaculture course, Mama Pelis was inspired to set up her own hair salon in her village of Moleti. She has been able to provide a job to a local woman through this too.

Kanani Beauty Salon

This is the stylist that Mama Pelis has employed. She is very talented at doing styles for special occasions like weddings and parties.

Mama Isaya at her shop with her children

Photo: HC

Mama Faith is building a house for her family

It is her pride and joy. The house is not quite yet ready to move in to yet, but she has already planted fruit trees all over the land so that they will provide shade and food when she and her family do move in.

Photo: HC

International Women's Day Celebration

The women of QEA (Teachers and Safina Group members) got together for International Women’s Day to celebrate and to talk through the different challenges they face and how to help each other overcome them.

Photo: HC

It was an amazing event

Photo: HC

*Training funded by Mama Hope and the Zimmerman Foundation