Take Off Your Sweater

Adeladius Makwega – MBAGALA

“Hey, Mwanakwetu, take off that sweater—it's very hot right now. What are you looking for here at the office of the Regional Medical Officer of Mara?”

These were the words of the clerk to the Regional Medical Officer of Mara, Ms. Adventina Chacha, wagging her fingers at Mwanakwetu early in the morning of February 5, 2026, as he was walking along the path toward the Health Department at the Office of the Regional Commissioner of Mara, which is headed by Dr. Zabron Masatu.

When Mwanakwetu was teased like that, he laughed loudly and replied with several boastful remarks:

“We, your fellow folks, sit upstairs with air conditioners in every corner. Not like you who stay down here in the valley where the scorching sun beats down on you until you turn white—yet you’re actually darker than me.”

After being teased by Adventina in that way, Mwanakwetu got annoyed and decided not to enter the office of the Regional Medical Officer of Mara, because, as the saying goes, someone who shines a light on you during the day will burn you at night. Right there, out of spite, Mwanakwetu chose instead to enter a nearby office.

“Hey everyone, knock knock! What kind of work do you do here? Why are there so many books piled on the tables like the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi on Mount Kilimanjaro?”

One woman replied that they had received many books—three dozen in total—from the Ministry of Health of Tanzania:

“Menstrual Health and Hygiene Training of Trainers – Toolkit, First Edition 2025. On the cover there is a picture of a schoolgirl skipping happily, with her teacher helping her skip properly. This picture carries an important message: when a girl is on her period and is given a sanitary pad on time and wears it properly, everything becomes fine. She can participate in any sports and even study peacefully.”

As this woman was explaining these things to Mwanakwetu, suddenly the Regional Nutrition Coordinator from the Office of the Regional Commissioner of Mara, Ms. Grace Mgongorwa, entered.

Ms. Mgongorwa then said,

“Dr. Magreth Shaku, when are these magazines being sent to the councils?”

The response was that the books were being packed immediately for distribution to the nine councils of Mara Region: Musoma Rural, Musoma Municipality, Bunda Town, Bunda Rural, Tarime Town, Tarime Rural, Serengeti, Rorya, and Butiama.

Dr. Shaku asked Ms. Mgongorwa to wait a moment so that she could explain to Mwanakwetu about the remaining two books among the three dozen received from the Ministry of Health:

“The second book is titled Integrating Menstrual Health into Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Service Delivery Toolkit, First Edition 2025. The cover shows an entire family sitting together discussing a girl child’s reproductive health. The goal here is that in our African communities, this issue is often treated as a secret—hidden and taboo. As a result, girls even fear their own menstruation; after using sanitary pads, they hide them under beds, then later wash and reuse them. This leads to reproductive health diseases. It is very dangerous to health. We must break the silence—these matters must be discussed.”

Dr. Magreth Shaku continued to explain the third and final book, titled National Menstrual Health and Hygiene Guidelines, First Edition 2025, which emphasizes that various communities must be involved in matters of reproductive health, including people with disabilities—we must not exclude them.

Dr. Magreth Shaku concluded by saying that she is the Acting Public Health Education Coordinator for Mara Region.

Mwanakwetu then asked Dr. Shaku,

“Why are all your books written in English?”

Dr. Shaku replied that these are books for facilitators, like a teacher’s guide. It is true they are in English, and the facilitators know English, but they also understand Kiswahili—everything will be fine, there is no need to worry.

 

 

Suddenly, the sound of a Toyota Land Cruiser horn was heard—beep, beep, beeeep… A driver stepped out, a relative of Chief Kingalu Mwana Banzi of Matombo, Morogoro—Mr. Emmanuel Msimbe—saying,

“Friends, I’ve come to pick up the books. Are they ready?”

He was told they were ready. One by one, the books were loaded and taken to the districts.

Mwanakwetu bade farewell to Dr. Magreth Shaku and returned the way he had come, remembering the words of the RMO clerk, Ms. Adventina Chacha:

“Mwanakwetu, take off your sweater.”

Mwanakwetu, are you there?

I wish you a good day.

makwadeladius@gmail.com
0717649257