When I first went to Tanzania in 1989, a person that worked for the company I was managing was seriously ill. He knew he was not going to survive his illness and one of the last things he asked before his passing was that I look after his 18 year old son Itaeli.
Itaeli was young with a lot of street knowledge and no experience in dealing with foreigners. He spoke no English and as I spoke no Swahili at the time, it seems a match doomed to fail. To add to the challenges, he was mad at the world for losing a father who was everything to him.
There was a pool at my office as to how long it would be before I sent Itaeli packing. But many underestimated my determination and patience. After our initial struggles, it became clear that his interest was in driving - following the career of his father. So we headed off for a deserted road and began driving lessons. An experience I will never forget (or repeat).
I watched him develop into an excellent driver and become husband, father, and close friend. Sadly, I also watched him contract the same illness that took his father and watched him die. His wife also has died leaving behind a daughter named for my mother, Betty. Perhaps it is this that had led me to devoting time and money to support the orphans and street children of Tanzania.
Before his death in 1997, Itaeli asked me to look after his younger brother, Fred. Talk about deja vue... Fred is a clone of Itaeli in almost every way.
Itaeli’s brother Fred driving the streets of Arusha
