Dear friends of Tikondane,
The magic word is “vegetable rings.” These small, round garden beds (HOCHBEETE) are intended to provide members of the Tiko community with a vitamin- mineralrich diet and a small income from selling produce. The director brought the concept back from a trip to Uganda in 2022. Three years later, the triumphant progress is complete. More than 300 vegetable rings exist on the Tiko site and in many of the surrounding villages, parishes, and schools. Eight more groups will soon join. The vegetable rings are just one of their products.
When fully developed, the small communities produce their own organic fertilizer, renovate small wells, build clay ovens, and each begin breeding rabbits so that meat is also on the menu. They will also have pigeons, but they are mainly for saving money for a rainy day, as they do not cost any money to keep – they find their own feed. Anyone familiar with Zambia’s everyday diet of Nshima, a tough, lumpy maize porridge, can see the progress. When there is a drought, as was the case until recently in Katete, no maize grows. So there is no maize porridge, and hunger reigns. The director hopes that this problem will become a thing of the past in Tiko and the surrounding area.
THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS IS ON THE ROPES
The 60 billion dollars per year that the US used to spent on development aid and healthcare worldwide are gone. The impact on Tiko? Unpredictable. Until now, thanks to the money from the US, the director has been able to distribute condoms for free. They amounted to 5,000 condoms per month, each one a victory in the fight against AIDS. If each condom costs just 5 Kwacha (about 18 cents) in the future, that means more than 10 000 dollars per year in additional expenses for Tiko. Or the men themselves will have to pay. But then they won’t use the condoms anymore, Elke fears. And the AIDS rate will rise. The consequences are even worse for those already infected. This affects at least five members of the Tiko community.
At the moment they still receive their medication free of charge at the nearby St. Francis Hospital. “If they have to pay, they’ll come to us,” Elke fears. “They don’t have the money, and without the medication, they’ll die.
CHURCH MONEY FROM ITALY
“Eight out of 1,000” is not the name of an NGO. The term stands for a mechanism used to finance churches in Italy. Italian taxpayers can allocate 0.8 percent of their taxes either to the state or to a religious group of their choice. The group then decides what the money is spent on.
Methodist and Waldensian congregations – two small protestant churches that have formed an administrative union in Italy – have been financing projects in Tikondane with their “Eight out of 1,000” funds for many years. Close to a million Italians have decided to give their tax money to them. Their most recent project involved the Tiko Tech Centre. A total of € 4.000, – were donated from the funds for office furniture and computers in the new IT learning lab.
AUGUST MAKES EVERYTHING NEW
A slight upward trend is noticeable in the numbers of tourists. “We’re now at about 50 percent of the overnight stays we’ve seen before the coronavirus pandemic,” says Rachel, the area manager responsible. These were not the best times of Tiko, though – in the beginning in 2002, Tiko only had one competitor, but by 2020 there were 40.
“This was encouraging, however, but what Tiko needed was a facelift of the three main guesthouses. A generous individual donation ensured that the work could start quickly. All rooms received new bed linens, pillows, and curtains. In the Rondavel Suite, the shower and toilet were renovated, the doors were replaced, and the walls were painted. The Humboldt and Sekelani houses both received new ceiling boards. Fresh paint was applied to the restaurant verandah, and the gift shop received new decorations. Outside, the undergrowth was cleared and the trees were trimmed.
“The summer clean-up was also psychologically important,” says Chrissie, a German volunteer who worked in Tiko for three months and has become a partner of Tiko. “We simply needed a sign that the tough times of COVID and drought were over. Now things are looking up again!”
RONDAVEL SUITE
TIKO STORE
CLASSIC ROOM
EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS AT TIKO!
Help for Tiko has come in many forms! We are thrilled to announce that the director and founder of the Tikondane Community Centre will continue her journey with us. She will remain in her beloved home in Tiko. Elke had received the land for Tikondane Community Centre for CITUKUKU, DEVELOPMENT. Relatively recently the Board of Tiko wrote a document and registered it in the local court that the house she lives in is hers in perpetuity. She is very grateful to both.
As she transitions, she will hand over her responsibilities to her Deputy Director, Mr. Mustapher Banda. A trusted friend since her arrival in Katete in 1993, Mustapher has risen to the position of District Commissioner through a political appointment. Now he is excited to carry on the legacy of Tiko!
We are also grateful for the generous donations we have received. Not only have we secured funding for solar panels kindly donated by Peter Keeling and the Guernsey Government and a reliable internet connection facilitated by Christoph and friends, but we have also received support from Otto per Mille for furniture and computers in our Tech Hub.
Volunteer Christine, affectionately known as Chrissie, has played a pivotal role in revitalizing our accommodations and craft shop, now proudly named the “Eco-Lodge.” Her dedication has attracted further funding for various projects through the DonorSee fundraising platform. Chrissie has taught our team how to create video projects and provided basic IT literacy lessons to 14 crew members. Additionally, she has assisted with complex grant applications and raised awareness about our community.
While we believe Chrissie deserves to be recognized as an official partner of Tiko, her modesty keeps her as our cherished ongoing volunteer. Tiko is indeed fortunate to have such dedicated individuals supporting our mission!
Tiko online!
Just in case you haven’t seen them, here are the links to our social media on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and even Linkedin.
And all information about visiting, volunteering and rooms on our website: Tikondane.org
– For donation information please have a look on ‘Support Tiko‘, Global Giving, our fundraising page at DonorSee or Tribuntu –
