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Mlali Cheshire Home, Tanzania
Location: Mlali Cheshire Home, Tanzania
Date: 9th June - 10th June 2001
GPS: 06d18'29''S,36d45'21''E
Distance: 42,163km's

The Mlali Cheshire Home benefits from some of the most spectacular views in Tanzania with the Masai Steppe unfolding to the North. The landscape literally opens before you and it is a truly humbling experience gazing at its sheer enormity and raw beauty.

The Italian Capuchin Order started to build the Home in 1982 and it opened in 1992. It is a rehabilitation center for physically disabled children accomodating up to 42 children at a time. The children are predominantly suffering from Cerebral Malaria which is brought about from mosquito bites transmitting malaria to the person which then affects the brain. It is a particularly nasty condition and is often passed on to the unborn child during pregnancy and leaves the child with severe mental disabilities, which also affect their physical development. Malaria is a major problem in this area as it is through the majority of Africa, bar the Northern and Southern most regions of the continent.

The Home also sees a few patients with Polio, however, this has been mostly eradicated through successful vaccination programmes.

Children with congenital abnormalities are also seen at the Home.

Up until last year, the children were taken to the General Hospital in Dodoma for operations, however, an operating theatre has now been built at the Home and since last July, operations are carried out there. A Dispensary has also been built which serves not only the Home, but also the local area and an orthopaedic workshop produces callipers for the children.

The Plaster Room.

We had planned to meet Father Stanislao Mencarelli, the Director of the Home, however, due to our late arrival - approx 5 months - he was not at the Home during our time there. We did however, meet Brother Pasquale who very kindly showed us around and introduced us to the Sisters at the Home.

There are 6 Sisters and 2 student sisters working at the Mlali and they all come from Latin America. We spent some time talking to Sister Martha who had been at the Home for 3 months and spent time not only with the children but also out in the community seeing at first hand the poverty and desperate lives many of the local villagers live on a daily basis. The area around Mlali and Dodoma has seen little rain over the past few years and without water, crops are left to wither and die. The people have a small amount of food to sustain them, however, when that food has gone and their crops have failed, they are left to eek out a meagre and desperate existence. We in the 'civilised' world, take water so much for granted, but when you see the consequences that a lack of water can have, it makes you respect and cherish it. Not everyone has the luxury of turning on a tap and getting instant water and believe me, that is a luxury. For people without a Boar hole in their village, a daily walk of 10km's for the women, starting at 5.00am, is seen as a part of everyday life. The women collect the water, return to their home, get their children ready for school, then go out to work themselves, come home, cook supper and the whole process starts over again the next day. Don't forget that these women are not returning to a home with material assets as we know it, rather they are returning to a small mud hut, with no electricity, no cooker, no running water, no heat and precious little food. It really makes you think.

Brother Pasquale showed us a photograph of Angelo Simonetti whose idea it had been to start the Home at Mlali and whose grave is at the Home.

The Home is very self sustaining with regard to cultivating its own produce. They grow a vast array of vegetables and fruit including banana's, cashew nuts, aubergines, peppers, pawpaws, carrots and beans.

I was totally entralled as we walked around the vegetable garden. I have never seen peppers and aubergines growing before.

The Home is very much linked both financially and administratively to the Capuchin Order in Italy and each year many visitors from Italy come to Mlali, some to help out for a few weeks and others who are doctors, who bring their skills to perform operations.

Brother Pasquale kindly invited us to join him for supper that evening and breakfast the following day and we would like to thank him for his hospitality.

Sue - enableafrica.net expedition team

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