| Grace sews to make money to support her family. | | | | refused despite the pleading and threats. The young |
| She lives on the peripheries of Arusha Town in | | | | man then lunged across the room and seized a plastic |
| Tanzania, East Africa. She makes curtains for a shop | | | | bottle full of kerosene that was used as fuel for the |
| in the town centre, one of the expensive shops | | | | Chinese stove. He poured the kerosene over himself. |
| where all the ex-pats go to spend their money. | | | | Anna screamed and ran for the door. The young |
| Arusha is a small town with one main street and two | | | | man grabbed her and threw her against the far wall |
| small markets. Even though Arusha is sometimes | | | | away from the door. The young man lit a match and |
| called a city there are no traffic lights and only three | | | | cried and begged Anna to reconsider. All Anna could |
| traffic circles. It is not much of a city really. Grace's | | | | do was to cry and stubbornly refuse to answer. A |
| husband works in the Tanzanite mines which is a | | | | neighbor, the mother of the young man, started to |
| grueling half day travel by bus towards Kilimanjaro. | | | | bang at the door as she was concerned about all the |
| Grace's husband visits home at weekends if he has | | | | noise. The young man dropped the match and the |
| money if not Grace can wait a whole month and not | | | | kerosene ignited. The house was ablaze in seconds. |
| even hear from her husband. Working on the | | | | Neighbors rushed to the scene and eventually broke |
| Tanzanite mines does not bring money into the | | | | down the door. Anna, the young man and the two |
| home. To work in the narrow underground tunnels will | | | | children were dragged out into the open they had |
| pay only when the precious Tanzanite is found. Grace | | | | sustained major burns. A car was found and the |
| gets fed up with waiting for the Tanzanite to make | | | | injured rushed to hospital. That night at 11 pm the |
| an appearance. She tells her husband they have to | | | | young man died in hospital. Despite round the clock |
| eat and pay the rent for their two roomed house. | | | | care, in our small but efficient local hospital, Anna died |
| Because there is no money she sews fabric into | | | | in great pain three days after the fire. The two |
| curtains and earns not quite enough to pay the rent | | | | children also suffered, Rebecca the eldest started to |
| and feed the family. Life has become very hard. | | | | recover but died after a two weeks. Remarkably the |
| Grace has two daughters the first born aged four | | | | four month old baby survived. The last time I spoke |
| years and the youngest just four months old. Not so | | | | with Grace she was still finding it hard to restart her |
| long ago Grace had completed a large order for | | | | life. For the poor such as Grace there are no banks |
| curtains and decided to walk into town to get the | | | | or insurance, if she had saved any money it had |
| wages for her work. She had a young relative, | | | | burnt with the house. Everything she had bought with |
| named Anna, living in her home to look after the two | | | | money she managed to glean from her work was |
| children and to help around the house. Grace carried | | | | lost along with the smoke in the fire. The last time I |
| the newly made curtains on her head and as she left | | | | spoke with Grace she said she was thinking of |
| her home a young male neighbor was at the door. | | | | leaving Arusha with her husband and baby to live |
| This young man was keen to marry Anna the house | | | | with her Sister in Dar es Salaam. She said it is warmer |
| help. Grace chased him away as he would distract | | | | in Dar, life is a little easier and her sister has money |
| Anna from her work. Anyway Anna was too young | | | | to help with the continuing medical bills for the baby. |
| and not very keen on this young man. However, he | | | | A short while latter the husband of Grace, he is |
| was persistent and though Grace just a little | | | | named Muna, he came to visit me. I like Muna he is a |
| stubborn as he was just not able to accept being | | | | nice man with a big smile. However, today he wasn't |
| rejected. I met Grace as she walked into town to sell | | | | smiling. Grace had kicked him out. Two days latter |
| her nice curtains; we had a chat and I was invited for | | | | she had packed up the little she now owned got on |
| lunch. It had been some time since I had visited | | | | a bus with her baby and returned to Dar es Salaam. |
| Grace's home and decided I would enjoy passing an | | | | She was tired of poverty, tired of waiting for the |
| hour and catching up on all the news about her | | | | Tanzanite to appear and wanted to get a teaching |
| family. The curtains were delivered and wages | | | | job in Dar es Salaam and start life over again. There |
| collected. We returned home with a detour through | | | | was no room for Muna now. I wish there were a |
| the busy central market to buy cooking oil and some | | | | happier end to this tale of great sorrow, |
| spinach for lunch. As we approached her home we | | | | unfortunately there is not. Grace left Muna and |
| could see black smoke billowing up above the few | | | | Arusha permanently. As far as I know the baby is |
| stunted thorn trees that surrounded the small cluster | | | | well and Grace is working and has a new house in |
| of houses where Grace lived. Shouts and screams | | | | Dar es Salaam. Muna, he disappeared and no one is |
| were heard. Grace dropped her shopping and ran | | | | quite sure where he is. I believe he still looks for |
| towards the smoke. As we arrived most of the | | | | tanzanite and if he ever finds the tanzanite, I believe |
| drama of the fire was over. Mostly Women were | | | | with money it earns he will go try to get his family |
| screaming and waling, the fire that had begun in | | | | back. |
| Grace's house had spread to four neighboring houses; | | | | This article was written by a group called Tunaweza. |
| they were all burnt down to the sandy soil. Later we | | | | They support and set up Community Initiatives in |
| were to learn after Grace had left for town the | | | | East Africa. - for information on Tanzania safaris and |
| young man seeking to marry Anna the house help, | | | | tourist information this company supports responsible |
| returned to see Anna. He begged Anna to reconsider | | | | tourism. |
| accepting him as a husband. Anna refused and | | | | |