Dave's Tanzanian Experience

When I sat down to write a blog today I thought I would write about our safari but as our time here comes to an end it’s the students here at GHTA who are on my mind.  The safari was amazing and I’m sure that it will be the topic of many future conversations. I know I’ll get questions about how safe it is here or the food or the houses.  I’m sure I’ll get questions about the poverty.  Nothing you see, read or hear can possibly prepare you for the poverty here.  Still right now it’s the people who have made the biggest and most permanent impact.

Janet, Mammy, and Jenny (fellow volunteer who was also here when Janet was here last year)

Zuwena and Hadija

Since the first day here I have been struck by how friendly, open and giving the people are here and how hard they work to get a little extra education to help them better their lives. The things that immediately come to mind may seem trivial or very small to the average American and probably would have sounded that way to me six months ago, even two months ago.  Mammy giving us 6 eggs one morning.  It might not sound like much but that’s how she earns her living so six eggs may represent a day’s pay.   Six eggs, is a big deal.  Mlay giving Janet and me each a T-shirt to take on safari.  No big deal.  Mlay gets up before school and sells milk to earn his living.  He earns about 16,000 Shillings a week—that’s about $10.00 a week.  So, two T-shirts—ya, it’s a big deal.

 

Janet and the GHTA students

Happy students

I know I’ll be asked how this experience has changed me.  I have such a flood emotions when I really think about it.  I am overwhelmed .  I realized that I probably spend around $10.00 every single week on coffee (sadly, I probably spend way more but I honestly hate thinking about it right now).  No big deal.  That is about the same amount of money the average Tanzanian lives on.  About half of what I spend on coffee every year would send one of these students to school to learn computer repair.  It would be enough to buy 20 or 30 chickens and feed so one of them could sell eggs to supplement their income.  It would buy the supplies to start a soap making business.   So, when I get back I’m going to skip buying that coffee at Dunkins’ or Starbucks and I’m going to sponsor one or two of these students.  If skipping that third or fourth cup of coffee can help some have a better life well, I’m okay with that.  

 

Mary and Upendo

Nakaniwa and Yasinta

Now that the Give A Heart to Africa Class of 2013 is graduating we are looking for people to sponsor students either for them to start a small business or to further their education.  So if you are able to donate any amount of money to help out a student, even if it's only $25, it can be put together with other donations to make a huge difference in a student's life.  If you would like to help I’ll include the GHTA link at the end of this and you can contact Monika directly.  I’m here and I’ve seen where all the money goes and I can tell you that it all goes to helping the students.  

Jesca

Sophia

So, when you ask me about what I think of my time in Tanzania it will be the people who will be on my mind.  Here is the link:  http://www.giveahearttoafrica.org/

Business Opportunity - Making Liquid Soap

Classes are over and the GHTA students are studying hard for the final exams they will take next week.  There was one more vocational class to be taught, one that all the students were excited about - how to make liquid soap.  Yesterday, Fatihia, one of the translators, and Betilda, one of the students who acted as her assistant, showed the students how it's done.

Sesalia, Digna, me, and Joyce before soap making class started.

Fatihia wrote the ingredients needed to make the soap on the blackboards in the classrooms so the students could write them down. The class gathered around a table outside the classroom and the soap making began.

Everyone was interested in learning how to make soap - including me.

After adding all the ingredients to a large bucket it had to be stirred non-stop for 15 minutes.  Many students shared the stirring, and some only stirred long enough for Dave to get a picture of them.  One thing we're learned about Tanzanians, they love to have their picture taken.

Yunisi taking her turn.

As soon as Dave snapped her picture she had enough and handed the big spoon to the next person.

Edward actually stirred for quite a while.

We love Mlay but he was definitely only stirring for the photo op!

Pilly taking her turn.

Yacinte and Pili just wanted to have their picture taken.

After the soap was ready the students filled containers so they could take some home.  Making liquid soap can be a good business.  The ingredients cost about 100,000 Tanzanian shillings (about $70 USD).  And it makes a lot of liquid soap. They can make a good profit by making and selling it. It can be the difference between being able to pay their children's school fees or not.

Dave Delves into the Education System in Tanzania

We sometimes forget that the entire world does not use the same educational structure as the US.  It is pretty simple —Elementary School, Middle School, and High School.  The system here in Tanzania is very different:  7 years of primary education called Standard 1 through 7, 4 years of Junior Secondary (Ordinary Level) called Form 1 through 4, and 2 years of Senior Secondary (Advanced Level) called Form 5 and 6.   Primary school classes are taught in Swahili, the official language of Tanzania.  The secondary levels are in taught completely in English.  They do teach English as a course in primary school but it is often taught by people who unfortunately, do not have a good command of the English language themselves.  So if you can’t afford to go to a private school (there are English Medium schools where English is taught and spoken in all grades) your knowledge of English is pretty limited.  It’s a system where the majority of students are set up to fail.  There are “competency” exams after Standard 7, Form 2, and Form 4 that you need to pass in order to go to the next level. If you go to public (called government) school there is an extremely good chance you will not finish secondary school.

 

GHTA Director Monika and students watching a video

To make matters worse, there is also the problem of school “fees”.  The average Tanzanian makes about $500.00 a year.  Public school requires tuition fees of $30 per student per year.  It is expensive relative to the income of most Tanzanian families and many struggle to pay their children’s school fees because they understand how important education is.  In many cases they can pay for one of their children but not all.  And if it is a choice between sending a boy and sending a girl they will send the boy.  They also can’t pay the other “fees” and “contributions” such as the testing fee, watchman contribution, academic contribution, furniture contribution, identity fee, emblem fee and lunch fees.   Read the word contribution/fee as a bribe—it’s that simple.  If you can’t come up with enough of a “contribution” for the tester for Standard 7, Form 2 or Form 4 exams, you don’t pass.  And that is the end of your education. Very few ordinary Tanzanian students make it all the way to Form 5 and 6. 

I know I have mentioned one of the student’s here at GHTA, Shadrack.  He’s incredibly smart, quiet and thoughtful.  (He was the one who asked about different words that had similar meanings in Swahili).  Unfortunately, he and his family were unable to come with enough of a “contribution” when he took his Form 4 exams so he failed.  Imagine if there was a mandatory test at the end of your sophomore year and being told that you needed to make a “contribution” to the tester.  No “contribution,” no pass.  If Shadrack was a student in the US he would probably be studying to be a doctor (his dream) at an Ivy League college on a full scholarship.  Sadly, Shadrack’s story is not unique.  Here’s a kid who is truly capable of being and doing so much more.  But without an education he is destined to live a life of poverty. 

GHTA students - Mlay, Shadrack and Daudi

Shadrack

 So why bother coming here to volunteer and teach at Give a Heart to Africa?  The educational system is broken and there are so many problems here—it all seems so insurmountable.   Janet’s blog is titled “The Starfish of Moshi.”  If you don’t know the Starfish story take just a minute and read it.   http://www.starrbrite.com/starfish.html

A Visit to Mlay's House

 Each Friday during the Give A Heart to Africa school year, Monika, one of the teacher/translators, and the volunteers go to the home of a GHTA student to see what their life is like outside of school as well as to introduce the volunteers to how many Tanzanian families live their daily lives. This morning, Monika, Dave, Rahim, and I walked to Njoro, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Moshi, to visit Mlay.

View of Mt. Kilimanjaro as we walk into Njoro

The peak on the right it Mt. Mawenzi, often climbed before Kili to get acclimated to the high altitude.

Mlay met us as we entered Njoro and brought us to his home.  He introduced us to several of the mamas living in the compound who were shyly standing in their doorways checking us out.  There were many small children running around and Mlay scooped up one of the babies to join us on our visit. Mlay lives by himself and says he has a brother in town.  His mother and grandmother live in a nearby village.  He has one sister who lives in Dar es Salaam and one who lives with his mother. 

Mlay showing some expertise handling the baby.

Mlay's home is one room with a full size bed, sofa, cabinet, and many pictures of the Chelsea Football players on the walls. Mlay loves his football! He works hard for everything he has, explaining to us that in order to buy things he would put a little money down as often as he could until he had paid for it completely and could take it home.  This "lay away" plan allowed him to buy his bed, sofa, TV, and bicycle. To earn money he buys milk early every morning for 850 Tanzanian shillings and sells it for 1200 Tsh.  Monika asked Mlay if he has a girlfriend and he told us that "Football is my girlfriend."  He seems to have a very good head on his shoulders for a recently turned 22 year old.

Rahim, Mlay, me, and Monika on the sofa.

 

We asked Mlay what he wants to do after graduation and he told us that his heart was sad because school would be over soon.  He is still trying to figure out what he wants to do but he thinks he wants to do something that involves driving, and he is particularly interested in driving big trucks.

Mlay with his New England Patriots jersey.

Mlay was a very good host serving us some chai (tea) with chapati (like a thick tortilla), orange slices, and avocados.  Everything was delicious.  It is obvious that Mlay is a hard worker.  There is a sign above his bed that he says he reads every morning when he is tired and doesn't want to get out of bed. He says it makes him get up.

The signs says "If you love sleep, you will be poor."

The compound.  Each doorway leads to a one room home.  Cooking and washing is done outside the home.

Mlay is always smiling.

The kids hamming it up for the camera.

More came out when they heard the camera.

A picture with the big kid, Mlay.

Student Becomes Teacher

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that amaze me.  The students arrive at school early every day and begin sweeping the classrooms, the courtyard and the sidewalks.   No one tells them to do it.   Everyone shows up here in clean pressed clothes.  Some of the students don’t have electricity or water.  They walk for miles or take the daladala to get here.  How can anyone ride a daladala and not end up with wrinkled clothes.  Somehow they do it.  Can you imagine any of this happening anywhere in the US?

Today one of the GHTA students, Shadrack, asked me for some help after class because he didn’t understand some English vocabulary.  He wanted to know the difference between the words “ordinary” and “ordain.”   We sat and I explained the differences between the two words.  He then told me that the Swahili/English dictionary he used had the same definition for both words. English is hard enough without but having a confusing dictionary makes it even harder.   I have to admit that I was really amazed that he thought to ask the question.  How many of us would have looked in the dictionary for a definition and said, “Oh, so that’s what that means.”  Guilty!  

Why We Are Here

In 2010, after reading the book Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, I found the small, recently started NGO called Give A Heart to Africa on the internet and decided in a leap of faith to get involved.  My life was changed forever.  I started by sponsoring a couple of GHTA students, Neema and Gloria, so they could go to secondary school.  Last November I traveled to Moshi, Tanzania to volunteer at GHTA and also to meet Neema and Gloria. It was an amazing experience to volunteer and to meet the wonderful students as well as all the people in the GHTA family.  I decided while I was there that I wanted to come back to see the students and for Dave to experience what GHTA is all about.

Of course, the number one reason I am involved in GHTA is because of the students.  Words cannot describe how rewarding it is to spend time with these incredibly strong and smart people.  The lives they lead are difficult in ways that those of us lucky enough to be born in a developed country cannot even imagine.  I wish I could help them all but unfortunately that's not possible :-(

One of the students in this GHTA class with the most potential and one of the hardest lives is Jesca.   She is 20 years old and her parents did not have enough money to allow her to finish secondary school.  She lives in a very small house with her parents and no electricity. She is extremely bright, one of the best students in the entire class.  She dreams of becoming an accountant one day. Without continuing her education she will end up spending her life as a house girl (maid) or selling used clothes on the street. She is an unbelievable sweetheart as you can probably tell from the smile she has in the picture below. We are hoping that someone will step up and sponsor Jesca so she can realize her dream.

Jesca and me

Most of the GHTA students are older than Jesca and want to start small businesses so that they can provide for their families and pay their children's school fees. When I was at GHTA last year I met a former GHTA student named Miraji. He graduated a couple of classes back and always had a dream of opening his own music store.  Monika told him that if he wanted a sponsor he needed to come up with a business plan.  A few months later he came to Monika with the plan, I said I would sponsor him, and today he is the proud owner of his own music store, King Music. Dave and I visited the store today and met Miraji's lovely family.  He says business is good (he says he thinks his competition is afraid!). Definitely a success story!

Dave, me, and Miraji with his wife and daughter in his new music store.