The "FUNDI" Factor

The word "fundi" is translated as "a skilled person" and the "fundi factor" affects any job that gets done in Tanzania. There is no "cross-'fundi'-ing". Only a "fundi" of a particular type of job does or oversees the job. And the fundi is only a fundi for one particular skill. For instance "fundi seremala" is a carpenter, "fundi wa umeme" is an electrician, "fundi wa bomba" is the guy who works on water pumps, and "fundi wa gari" is the auto mechanic. I don't remember what the word is for "welder".

Anyway, imagine everyone's surprise when Ed arrives and he is the "fundi of everything": construction, carpentry, welding, auto mechanics, electricity, plumbing, painting, farming, and just a good old "honey-do" kind of guy. Our Tanzanian friends are always amazed at his skills and have labeled him "fundi wa vitu vingi" (the fundi of many things).

The beauty of Ed sharing his talents as he works alongside the Tanzanzians, is that they have enjoyed learning they are capable of doing more than just one job. There have been several guys who want to work with him to pick up on other skills.

In some of the posts to come, I will tell you a little more about Ed's "fundi" jobs.