How many of us could name the capital city of Tanzania? Dodoma, on the mainland plateau in central Tanzania, was a small, regional community until 1975, when it was chosen to replace Dar es Salaam as its national capital. The city, however, is not easy to get to. Flying into the International airport in Dar es Salaam allows few options for comfortably getting there. One could endure a nine hour, often crowded bus over marginal roads or the alternative is to fly.

Arriving in Dodoma in a Cessna 206 airplane, Ramona and I began our mission to deliver, install and train teachers to use 50 donated PC’s that would be distributed to schools in and near Dodoma.

In the year 2000, I, with the support of a grant from Rotary International, created a program I called CAFÉ. It means “Computer Access For Everyone”.

Ramona and I, hosted by DCMC (Dodoma Christian Medical Center) and its acting directors Wally and Kathy McKenzie, would stay at the Humble Guest House on the DCMC grounds.

In late May of 2005 50 computers, monitors, keyboards and mice began a journey from Fairmont Minnesota to Dodoma Tanzania. First – the four pallets stacked high and shrink-wrapped, made their way to the Warehouse of Global Health Ministries in Minneapolis. There they were joined by pallets of medical supplies destined for the same African location. Then the container of equipment began their journey from GHM. The container traveled by rail and ship to the shores of Tanzania where they were received by volunteers of DCMC and stored.

With partnership from the Rotary Club of Dodoma, the we took daily trips to schools where computers were installed to be used for training students.

CAFÉ's first project in Tanzania was in 2001 serving schools in the Arusha area. For more information about that project click HERE.

Gallery

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Reaching Dodoma is safest by air.

Teaching computer skills to the very young.

Secretarial classes once taught on typewriters...

Secretarial classes are now taught on PC's

The Cafe Team

Doug & Ramona