Scavenging a rubbish dump for food scraps to eat or for anything that can sold to buy food is life for the world's poorest of the poor.One such place is Kaloleni, a community in Moshi, Tanzania where a Melbourne grand mum Kerry Frost is working hard to break the cycle of poverty through relationships, education and understanding. Kerry together with son Brendan and “adopted daughter” Caroline are the volunteer directors of Team Vista, a tiny charity working its sox off on several fronts for change.
Three of Team Vista's focuses are:
- “Education is the most important assault on this sought of poverty,” says Kerry. Team Vista sponsor children to secondary schools and have established a primary school where children sit on upturned buckets.
- Team Vista has a plot of land where the rubbish dump folk can take up an allotment to grow vegetables.
- Another focus is a sewing group where women, who previously scavenged for food on the rubbish dump, stitch items for sale. Kerry has a stall at the Hawthorn Makers Market where she sells goods the sewing group make.
Kaloleni Sewing Project
Sewing group member, Kaloleni
Club volunteer preparing a machine for shipping
The Rotary Club of Camberwelll is currently collecting treadle sewing machines to send to Kaloleni. A container leaves with these and school chairs and other helpful items next month.
