Jesus Lives Here

There are places in this world where you go and upon the first step you know that you are in the right place. We found that place in Iringa, Tanzania.

Our morning was a usual morning, a herd of us heading off to our first day of ministry, not really knowing where we were going or for how long, a day where anything is possible. We caught a bus downtown and walked with Pastor Peter around to a few shops, being shown where good internet can be found and spotting a local coffee shop (score!). A few more steps and we found ourselves in Neema Craft Workshop.

 

At first glance it appeared to be a shop filled with amazing handmade crafts by artisans with various disabilities. But it is so much more than that. Andrew Hart, the manager of Neema, greeted us and took us on a tour of the facilities. The word “facility” seems to be completely inadequate to fully describe what happens within those walls. This place is the definition of community in action. It is the gospel lived and breathed daily. Andrew and his wife Susie have a heart and a mind for the people of Tanzania that humbles me.

 

Approximately 15% of Tanzania’s adult population live with disabilities of various sorts. Children born with disabilities are often hidden away for most of their lives, because if a family has a disabled child the village/community will often think the parents have been cursed. This can lead to many problems such as their other children not being able to marry as easily, or the family not getting the support they need during times of famine/drought. There are no government institutions or aid set up to help care for persons with disabilities, and they are looked upon as useless and treated harshly within society. Neema Crafts enables people with disabilities to not only find value in themselves but have their role and value redefined within society itself. What is more, there are not just concerned about changing opinions and views of people with disabilities, they are concerned with taking care of those who they employ. The crafts people and artisans are paid a fair wage as well as having 90% of their medical costs covered. This medical coverage does not come out of their wage. The numerous stories of how lives have been transformed within this workshop are amazing and inspiring. The meaning of what Jesus said to His disciples about the last being first and the least being the greatest come to life here.

 

Neema Crafts was started in October 2003 by Anglican Diocese of Ruaha in Iringa. Susie Hart then came in and worked to establish the workshop. They started with three deaf people named Josphat, Godfrey, and David; they now have over 120 employees. The employees, both who come in to work and who are out-sourced workers make a variety of arts. This business is run with a mind to employ those with disabilities as well as make environmentally friendly and sustainable products. Some of the things in production at Neema include:

– batiked fabric that is made into clothing, purses, bedding, and more

– paper beads made from recycled paper, cereal boxes, and so on

– glass beads made from used bottles, the kiln to make the beads runs on used engine oil

– beautiful pottery made from local clays, made in the same kiln as the glass beads

– cards, photo frames, and notebooks constructed of various kinds of paper (they make paper out of maize husks, pineapple skin and leaves, waste paper and – this is my favorite! – elephant dung…it doesn’t get more sustainable than that!!). Sawdust and rice husks are used to fuel the machines that are involved in making this paper

– scarves, clothes, and other cloth items hand woven with local cotton and hand dyed. The designs are almost all made by a deaf man named Benjamin who is the head of the weaving department

– the dyes that are used for the fabric and paper are locally found and often recycled. For example, they gather the leftover tea-leaves from a local tea bagging factory to use to dye the elephant dung paper

– solar panels are made by hand by some skilled workers. These solar panels are sold to local villages and have revolutionized the lives of students, teachers, and villagers all over the area (there will be an article in an upcoming issue of National Geographic…April, I think…check Neema’s website for more details)

– tailoring workshops are also held every now and then and are open to the community

– a physio-therapy program has been set up within Neema for children with disabilities to go to. It is run by a therapist named Beatirce and is a unique and effective practice that even government hospitals refer families to