Month: April 2011

Be A Friend of the Mutombo Dikembe Foundation

On By Shaaban Fundi, Ph.D.In EducationLeave a comment

Enjoying himself.I am 6 feets tall, but Mutombo id towering me like am a baby

Talking about the diaspora and africa connection.
It was a great morning at Dunwoody today. The man was waving his middle finger all-over the basketball court. Not to offend anyone, off course.

It was an international awareness day and a morning to raise funds for the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation. The work he is doing is magnificent. I wish more successful people of african descent (athletes included) could do the same or more to save lives or just help the development of Africa. Watch a video of Dikembe Mutombo’s accomplishments here.

I was in the mist, having a conversation with Mutombo Dikembe on how the diaspora can contribute to the development of Africa through charity and social entrepreneurship.

He (Mutombo Dikembe, a very humble man) was like “ Your country is doing very good Mr. Fundi, I was with your president in Europe a few weeks ago. He spoke very positively about Mr. President (Kikwete) and the positive things he is doing for Tanzania. He also mentioned his meeting with our Balozi Mrs. Mwanaidi Maajar and spoke highly of her as well. Kudo to ya’all Tanzanian politicians.

If you want to know more about the Mutombo Dikembe Foundation and the work “he” and the foundation is doing and how you can help, click here.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Education in Tanzania:a mirage of progress

On By Shaaban Fundi, Ph.D.In Education5 Comments

I have written several posts on the state of the education system in Tanzania with some simple recommendations on how to change the tide of high failure rates in our education system. Our education system, must adapt to meet the needs of the students it serves.

Definitely, the student population has changed over the years, teaching methods have improved tremendously over the same time span, but we are teaching using a curricula left by the British with some bandages here and there.

The education system in Tanzania is a bilingual one (maybe even trilingual in some parts), but none of the best practice of bilingual education are being used or implemented to ensure student success. How do you expect children with limited English proficiency leaving primary schools to miraculously perform wonders at the secondary level through college if systems for improving their English acquisition and proficiency are not in place to begin with?

I am afraid we are not going to stop these failure rates just by adding money to the already flawed system. It is high time we revamp the whole system. Starting with how the money is distributed, the way we educate our educators, supervisors and the whole nine yards.

By the way, the money is not even reaching its intended target “the schools and the students”. With all this mess, people still have jobs???…… Seriously, what hapenned to that word KUWAJIBISHWA?……..I am completely flabbergasted.

Watch Mr. Rakesh Rajani of TWAWEZA, speaking about the pathetic state of the education system in Tanzania.

What are your views on this issue after watching the video? Do you think we still have a shot at this or just wait for babu’s cup to cure this problem? Where is the money going? Why are teachers teaching only an average of three hours a day?

The Loliondo Technical Report is Out, Read it!!! Tanzania

On By Shaaban Fundi, Ph.D.In Education6 Comments

Loliondo_Technical_Report[1]

I was very enthused to read the long awaited “ Loliondo Technical Report” on the “Murigariga” miracle cure prescribed by Babu in Samunge Village, Loliondo, Tanzania. The scientists who conducted the study concluded that the miracle cure cup is safe (toxicity-wise) and also has activity against most of the chronic diseases including diabetes, HIV, blood pressure and many more. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel afterall.

I am not going to spill the juicy nature of the report, but I find the recommendations made by the scientists who conducted these investigations and wrote this report to be quite intriguing.

By the way, don’t forget to sign up to participate on a study to medically follow up patients receiving the remedy. The study will monitor progress of patients under babu’s miracle cure treatment. The head researcher is Dr. Malecela. Help this investigation by filling out the attached consent form at the end of the report if you have embibed the cup or are planning to in the near future. Good luck ya’all.

To read the entire report and/or sign up for the study, click on the link below or above:

Loliondo_Technical_Report[1].

Youth in Kenya: Infinity possibility or Definite disaster?

On By Shaaban Fundi, Ph.D.In EducationLeave a comment

Interesting video about the explosive population of young people in Kenya and how that will affect issues like employment, education, health care, political participation, entrepreneurship and numerous others.

Is the explosive number of young people in east africa an asset or a burden to the countries involved (Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda)?

All these countries are experiencing the same issues facing Kenya right now.

Is there a lesson to be learned from this video by the young people themselves and people who are making policies that affect the lives of these youngsters in our communities?

Watch the video and am open to disussing your opinion on this………

Celebrating?!!? 30 years of HIV.

On By Shaaban Fundi, Ph.D.In Education1 Comment

As we celebrate 30 years of HIV and Aids (Did I say celebrate?) this year, stigma is still a major issue for those affected or infected with this horrible disease. Check out www.thebody.com website for more information on the treatment advances and other cutting edge developments in the treatment and care for those with HIV.

Click on the link below to watch a video of someone who has lived with HIV for over 20 years explaining her encounter with stigma, sex and other issues related to living positively with HIV/AIDS. The title of the video is: Laurie: Overcoming Stigma and Fear

http://www.thebody.com/content/art61172.html#top