The Buturi/Makongoro Project initially came about when a small group of us undertook a reconnaissance of villages in Makangoroo, an area of Northern Tanzania - we selected a village called Buturi. We wanted to see how we could be of assistance to a rural community which had suffered desperately from AIDS and the effect of drought.
We met with village elders and local government officials, and entered into discussions as to how we could best be of help. It is perhaps worth stating at this point that we all had some experience of 'the aid business' and shared a cynical view as to the efficacy of aid placed through government. As a result of these discussions: we prepared a project proposal for phased development.
Mothers who came to discuss the idea of a nursery school
ACCESS TO BUTURI
Although Buturi is a remote village in Northern Tanzania, it is surprisingly accessible. There are scheduled flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport from most major cities. The Airport is close to the towns of Arusha and Moshi and the snow-capped mountain of Kilimanjaro. There are scheduled flights by Air Tanzania from Kilimanjaro Airport to Musoma.
Musoma is a town on the shores of Lake Victoria, where there is a reasonable hotel. Buturi is about twenty minutes from Musoma by car. Alternatively, you can fly to Nairobi and travel by road, crossing the border into Tanzania at Isebanya.
Accommodation can be provided in the village for the intrepid traveler and you will be made very welcome, but it is very basic.
This map shows the location of Buturi
Buturi is 12 miles from Lake Victoria. (Named after Queen Victoria.) The lake is half the size of England and teams with Nile perch. (Huge fearsome looking fish!) To the south of the village is the fabulous Serengeti - the most incredible wild-life park in the world. (It is more the size of a country than a park!) The official entrance to the park is at Bunda which is about 25 miles away. The migration of animals is an incredible sight. The Kenyan end of the Serengeti is tiny in comparison. The Village is surrounded by huge, strange-looking rocks: the home of baboons and monkeys. (The rocks are glacial moraine? Geologists please help.)
Note. Area of interest: Julius Nyerere Museum in Butiama. The late President Julius Nyerere is the father of the Nation and one of the most beloved of African leaders. He was born in Butiama and died in 1999.
