This is Justin as he is - always happy and joyous with a great sunny smile !I’d like you to meet Justin, my ‘right hand man’ - as I mentioned previously I was waiting to ask his permission to feature him on my blog, and I wanted to also take a recent photograph of him to share with you all.
Justin first came to work for us in 2001. He started with us as a casual gardener, when we were still working in the tourism industry and living in the town of Arusha. He was then promoted to part-time “Askari” (Night watchman). He then moved with us to a remote farm in the Hanang area of the country where he soon became our assistant Houseman and eventually the main Houseman. He then moved with us from Hanang to West Kilimanjaro in 2005.
Justin started work with us as a 24 year old man. That was over 7 years ago and just this month he will be turning 31.
Justin’s father died when he was a young boy, and he was raised by his mother. As there were 4 children in the family, she could not afford to educate them all, so Justin was forced to leave school before he was able to complete his education. He worked at home on their small subsistence farm, growing and selling bananas, before he came to work for us.
I know that Justin doesn’t want to be a Houseman forever, most Tanzanian’s I know want to better themselves and go further in life – it is part of what creates the spirit of this country. So I try to broaden his horizons as much as possible. When we can, we take him traveling with us. To larger cities which he has never heard about before, or to the Tanzanian coast last year where as part of the deal, he worked in the house we stayed in, and got to go out deep sea fishing with my husband which was a huge life experience for someone who had never seen the sea before. I send him on courses when they are offered … for example he completed a basic First Aid course and as he is off on his annual leave this month, we are paying for him to go to a Driving School and learn how to drive (one of his lifelong dreams).
We help him with medical and school fees for his immediate family, and also employ his sister.
As a houseman Justin is responsible for cleaning, washing & ironing in the house and feeding all the animals (he is wonderful with dogs and cats) – and generally making sure that everything in the house is ship shape.
We have had some trying times with him, including bailing him out of prison, taking him to hospital in the middle of the night when he had part of his ear bitten off in a mugging, and numerous girlfriend troubles (he is not married, but has a 4 year old son whom he supports). But on the whole, the times have been good and he is a wonderful person with a good heart and soul. He is very respectful and never over steps the mark, never misses a day’s work and has a great sense of humour. I couldn’t ask for a better person to have worked alongside me all these years, and I hope that he will be with me for many years to come.
I do not believe in the old fashioned ‘Colonial’ treatment of and attitude towards staff which still – sadly - prevails in certain parts of this country today. People who have no respect for their staff and who mistreat and swear at them disgust me. I believe that one’s staff should be treated with dignity and respect and that as the African spirit of Ubuntu teaches “A person is a person through other human beings”.
Justin first came to work for us in 2001. He started with us as a casual gardener, when we were still working in the tourism industry and living in the town of Arusha. He was then promoted to part-time “Askari” (Night watchman). He then moved with us to a remote farm in the Hanang area of the country where he soon became our assistant Houseman and eventually the main Houseman. He then moved with us from Hanang to West Kilimanjaro in 2005.
Justin started work with us as a 24 year old man. That was over 7 years ago and just this month he will be turning 31.
Justin’s father died when he was a young boy, and he was raised by his mother. As there were 4 children in the family, she could not afford to educate them all, so Justin was forced to leave school before he was able to complete his education. He worked at home on their small subsistence farm, growing and selling bananas, before he came to work for us.
I know that Justin doesn’t want to be a Houseman forever, most Tanzanian’s I know want to better themselves and go further in life – it is part of what creates the spirit of this country. So I try to broaden his horizons as much as possible. When we can, we take him traveling with us. To larger cities which he has never heard about before, or to the Tanzanian coast last year where as part of the deal, he worked in the house we stayed in, and got to go out deep sea fishing with my husband which was a huge life experience for someone who had never seen the sea before. I send him on courses when they are offered … for example he completed a basic First Aid course and as he is off on his annual leave this month, we are paying for him to go to a Driving School and learn how to drive (one of his lifelong dreams).
We help him with medical and school fees for his immediate family, and also employ his sister.
As a houseman Justin is responsible for cleaning, washing & ironing in the house and feeding all the animals (he is wonderful with dogs and cats) – and generally making sure that everything in the house is ship shape.
We have had some trying times with him, including bailing him out of prison, taking him to hospital in the middle of the night when he had part of his ear bitten off in a mugging, and numerous girlfriend troubles (he is not married, but has a 4 year old son whom he supports). But on the whole, the times have been good and he is a wonderful person with a good heart and soul. He is very respectful and never over steps the mark, never misses a day’s work and has a great sense of humour. I couldn’t ask for a better person to have worked alongside me all these years, and I hope that he will be with me for many years to come.
I do not believe in the old fashioned ‘Colonial’ treatment of and attitude towards staff which still – sadly - prevails in certain parts of this country today. People who have no respect for their staff and who mistreat and swear at them disgust me. I believe that one’s staff should be treated with dignity and respect and that as the African spirit of Ubuntu teaches “A person is a person through other human beings”.
