Abraham Harrison lov
es the Neema Crafts Cafe (http://www.neemacrafts.com/) and the amazing work they are doing for the physically handicapped and hearing impaired in Iringa, Tanzania, East Africa. Besides… they have hands down the best melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake between the Cape and Cairo!
And Neema Crafts is hoping to win British Airways “Expat Best of British” contest for the restaurant category. Please help them out by going to the Expat Best of British Restaurant page, and casting your vote for them (scroll down and click on Revie
w & Vote for this venue below the images and above the comments.)
Neema Crafts is a cafe (yum!), weaving, and handcrafted paper workshop/store employing the deaf and physically handicapped in Iringa, where I used to live in Tanzania. Amazing panini, incredible cakes, and freshly roasted, freshly brewed local highland coffee… incredible. Neema saved more than one of my days there in the mountains of East Africa.
In addition to treating us customers to moments of culinary bliss, Neema has literally changed the lives of the physically handicapped and hearing impaired there in Iringa. People with handicaps in Tanzania suffer under strong discrimination and in the past have have few opportunities to earn good livings for themselves, regardless of their skills and talents otherwise. They are also subject to particular targeting for acts of crime and violence. Neema Crafts has changed all that in Iringa, providing training, employment, and as a result, status and futures for the handicapped of the city. It’s a truly amazing organization, making the world a better place for their co-workers and for anyone in Iringa craving a delicious bite!
Here’s the Neema Crafts entry on the British Airways Expat Best of British page:
Set up and run by a Yorkshire couple from Harrogate, Neema Crafts Restaurant is entirely staffed by deaf people and is part of the Neema Crafts Centre employing 103 deaf and disabled people in our craft workshops making everything from elephant dung paper to micro-solar panels. Also a physiotherapy Unit serving disabled children where you can also book an amazing massage. The restaurant, internet cafe and conference room (plus soon a guest house) serve fantastic food, cakes ice cream and some of the best teas and coffee in east africa. A favourite stop off for everyone from ambassadors to the guy with hardly a shirt on his back. A great place to relax and the place to go for the top tips to explore the area.
A tour of the workshops is the unexpected highlight of many an expat or tourists trip to Tanzania. The restaurant serves local dishes, but also a taste of home with cakes made to recipes from Susie’s (who runs the place with her husband Andy) great grandmother. The chocolate cake and carrot cake draw expats and all the VSO workers out of the bush to induldge. The ice creams and deserts like lemon meringue pies and rubarb crumbles are equaly fantastic and the chocolate toffee shortbread… The restaurant also features a childrens play corner with wendy house and books and toys so you can sip your coffee in peace while reading British and local newspapers or reading one of the second hand novels which we sell to raise money for the physiotherapy work with disabled children, playing a board game or browsing the development journals in the development library which is kept up to date with the best in development literature for the N.G.O. workers in town.
The Centre recently recieved rave reviews in the Rough Guide to Tanzania and the new Bradt guidebook and is soon to be featured in the National Geographic magazine for its micro-solar project. They run regular childrens clubs for the whole community in school holidays. Their deaf dance and drumming group are also amazing, having toured the UK in 2008 and danced for the EU embassy celebrations in Dar and zanzibar where they are currently performing in a major cultural event sponsored by the British Council. please also see these videos to hear more: http://www.vimeo.com/322277 & http://www.vimeo.com/322185 to hear from some of those who work at Neema Crafts.
Stori Nne/Four Stories from Usikike/Be Heard Film Project on Vimeo.
Safari Siyo Kifo from Usikike/Be Heard Film Project on Vimeo.
Every month a evening event is held which ranges from Scottish dancing to concerts from visiting musicians often top international cultural acts from across East Africa. These draw a huge crowd of Ex-pats and locals in from the bush to have a great time! A truly British establishment fully imersed in the local community and including everyone and serving the most disadvantaged.
Please go vote, and if you are ever in Iringa, Tanzania (perhaps on your way to a safari in one of Africa’s best, but still little known game parks, Ruaha), stop on by and tell Susie and everyone there at Neema that you voted for them!
