Communication Workers Union Humanitarian Aid

Charity Number 1078312

It was decided during a CWUHA Trustee meeting that we would try and finish
a project which had been ongoing for two years at the Kilima Hewa School situated outside Moshi, Tanzania. The school is more commonly known as the “Mr. Masawee” school, which is the name of the headmaster.

At our request, Mr Masawee had submitted a shopping list of school furniture, goods and stationary etc. which was required to enable the two school rooms, the building of which CWUHA had previously financed, to be fully operational.

A limit of £2500 was agreed by the trustees to meet most of the items on the shopping lists. In order that everything which was to be purchased could be witnessed by CWUHA trustees it was agreed that Alex Pearson should handle the transactions personally, in country.

Alex had planned for some time, with Roger Jones, to attend Chris Keggie’s wedding in Arusha. This was an opportune time for Chris, Roger and himself to supervise the purchases. Mr. Masawee agreed to pre-order the furniture and playground equipment. The rest of the goods would be purchased by the trustees during their visits to Moshi.

FRIDAY 16th May 2008 IN MOSHI

Chris & Alex decided not to use public transport on this and any future visit to Moshi from their base in Arusha as Alex was carrying $5000 in cash, the only way to do business in Tanzania, so they travelled by taxis.

On their arrival in Moshi Mr. Masawee took them to the carpenter’s yard where half of the desks and cupboards had been completed. Alex paid $1000 deposit towards the required $2500, to the owner of the yard, in order that he could buy more raw materials to finish off the order.

We then went on to an ironworker’s factory, where the swings and roundabout were being made. Once again half the money was paid over, the rest to be settled on delivery.

By this time it was getting very late so we decided to stay over and complete our business on Saturday morning. Coincidently staying in Moshi was one of the Tanzanian witnesses for Chris’s wedding who was travelling back to Arusha that afternoon. We persuaded him to give us a lift saving the charity money in taxi fares.

It was agreed with Mr. Masawee that Roger Jones and Alex would return in one week, on a Monday, to settle any outstanding accounts, providing the equipment had been delivered, and to purchase all the other goods personally. In the light of this we commissioned Paul, a local safari/taxi driver to drive us to Moshi and go with us from shop to shop buying what was required, and this would take all Monday 26th May.