I am enjoying the last few hours of my three month journey.
My Rwanda and Uganda trip was incredible. Rwanda is a beautiful country and it can easily be seen by any traveler why it is called the land of a thousand hills. It was very lush, green, and clean. I would recommend Rwanda for anyone to visit. As you do drive through the country you see signs for many different genocide memorials. In 1994 there were a million people killed in 100 days. One person would never guess this if they today if they traveled there not knowing about those dreadful months. The people there are amazing and now there is no more division in the country as everyone now views themselves as Rwandan. When my friends and first stepped into the country we were shocked. The roads are better paved there then back at home. We happened to wander into a mall with a food court! There were also Christmas trees there!! I thoroughly enjoyed myself even though I was happy to return to Moshi, my home in East Africa.
Uganda was also great. We had to change our travel plans do to an Ebola outbreak. no worries though, the 4 of use made it out alive. We ended out trip by doing a full day of grade 5 whitewater rafting on the Nile river!!!
Yesterday was perhaps my most memorable day of the trip. For the past 5 weeks I have been trying to find a school and home for a 15 year old street boy named Baraka. I have a friend in England who wants to sponsor him and so I said I would help Baraka when i arrived in Tanzania. In order to find Baraka when I got here I went through a local Tanzanian, Rashid, someone I knew from my first trip, to help me find Baraka. It has taken many weeks to get everything setup. I wanted to finalize everything for Baraka on Monday but the problem was that I couldn't contact Rashid. Something probably happened to his phone, it is a usual problem here, so I had been unable to find Baraka. So Yesterday morning I woke up very early and went into the streets to find Baraka. I already knew where the boys slept so i hoped that I would find Baraka there. When I arrived I found he wasn't around! Then one of the other street boys decided to lead me around town to where he thought Baraka was. It was an interesting journey as I walked through many places I would have preferred to stay away from. Finally we found Baraka after about a half an hour.
I then told him to come with me because we had a meeting with the teacher who was going to work with him. we arrived right on time at 8:30 am. Baraka then had his first lesson. After the lesson I took him to where he will live. It is a hostel type setup for local children attending school where he gets room, board, and transportation. It all worked out incredibly well. In the morning when I set out to find Baraka he had no idea that any of this was going to happen to him and I had no idea if I was going to find him. I had only met him only one time before all this happened.
Life is difficult for street children. Then have to battle hunger, disease, infections, abandonment, and more. I can't even begin to imagine what their life is like. It is difficult for a street child to go right from the street and into a school or home setting. My friend chose to sponsor Baraka over the other children because he has proved to us that he wants to attend class. He is already attending his second lesson at this very moment. I wish to go into more details with you about everything but i must be going.
I will never forget the people of Tanzania and East Africa. I will never stop thanking them and I thank you again and again for reading through my blog.
For those who gave donations for my projects here I also say thank you because you have forever bettered the lives of many children here.
Kwa heri
Tyler
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
This past Saturday was World AIDS Day 2007!!! It was quite exciting to be in Tanzania as there were many events going on in Moshi. There was a march where all of the organizations in area who deal with AIDS participated along with anyone else who wanted to walk. The march ended in a small town just outside of moshi and where it finished there was a large circle of people, tents, signs, and organizations. There were then many different music and drama performances about HIV/AIDS and the stigma attached with it here. There are rumors about how one can contract HIV/AIDS, what happens to a person when they have AIDS, and more in Moshi and the surrounding areas. Because many people do not have access to magazines, television, radio, and other such things, is is sometimes difficult to fully learn about the virus. Some people believe that you can contract HIV from sharing a toilet seat. Sometimes, not all time, a person may be kicked out of their house if they have HIV. That is why World AIDS day 2007 in Moshi was great. There was even a center set up at the rally to test people for HIV/AIDS and counsel them for free. Tow other volunteers and I also got tested. It was quite scary but we were all negative but many of the locals really appreciated it. I hope it set a good example for some. Overall it was a great day!!!
Last week i also went to Newlands Orphanage for a day and the boys dorms are complete!!!!! I can't wait to post photos. I don't have enough time right now so sadly I will have to wait to post pictures till December 17th. they really do look great and all of the boys are very very very happy.
I went to the Nursery school that I have helped out at for the last time yesterday. It was sad leaving but I was so happy about how far the school and children have progressed. I'm not sure if I told you but I used some of my own fun to hire a local teacher and the teacher has been doing great. Much better than I was. haha. It helps that she knows Swahili and english. My swahili isn't at the point where I can teach it. anyway. It was sad to leave the school but I know that the children are doing great and more volunteers are coming in January to help out!
Now I must be leaving. I'm off to rwanda tomorrow. Thanks for reading!!!
BYe!
Last week i also went to Newlands Orphanage for a day and the boys dorms are complete!!!!! I can't wait to post photos. I don't have enough time right now so sadly I will have to wait to post pictures till December 17th. they really do look great and all of the boys are very very very happy.
I went to the Nursery school that I have helped out at for the last time yesterday. It was sad leaving but I was so happy about how far the school and children have progressed. I'm not sure if I told you but I used some of my own fun to hire a local teacher and the teacher has been doing great. Much better than I was. haha. It helps that she knows Swahili and english. My swahili isn't at the point where I can teach it. anyway. It was sad to leave the school but I know that the children are doing great and more volunteers are coming in January to help out!
Now I must be leaving. I'm off to rwanda tomorrow. Thanks for reading!!!
BYe!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Habari yako?
It is been a while since i posted last time. A lot has been happening here and there is much to talk about. I probably won't be able to share everything with you in this post so expect another one later this week, maybe even two more!
About a week and half ago I had a difficult time here with some of things I saw. Down the road from the Nursery school is a secondary school run that provides a free education for about 147 students who either an orphan or comes from a low income family, or both. This is actually the school that I volunteered at the first time I traveled to Tanzania. When I arrived there I was told that one of the students was very ill and at a free hospital in Moshi called Mewenzi. I was told that the student was infected with malaria and, at the time she was brought to the hospital, was vomiting blood. After I was done volunteering for the day one of the women who helps me at the nursery school took me to visit the student in town. The hospital is quit big and is very spread out. There are concrete buildings spread outside in no specific order. All of the buildings were connected by concrete paths. If I would have went alone I would have surely ended up walking in circles. When we arrived in the ward were the student was being treated I saw that the room was flooded with patients. There were about 2-3 patients per bed. It looked like a photo of a refugee camp. It was hard to see at first as it is hard to accept how the differences in the world I live in at home to their own. On the upside, all of these patients were here because they didn't have to pay. The girl I was visiting was being looked after by her younger sister. The sister had run out of money and could no longer pay for her sister's medication or food. I didn't hesitate to help them by payng for the rest of the medication and food. Soon after I did this I left in silence.
This was a hard situation for me to swallow. At times it is easy to be pulled down by how much more there is needed to be done. The reality is that this is the what the lives can be like for a some of the people here, but not all. There are Tanzanian doctors, teachers, pharmacists, and more. Yesterday I ate lunch at Nursery school teacher's house. It was a great time! She lives with her husband and they have two children. Their house had a tall fence and steel gate, a garage, living room, dining room, 3 bedrooms, and a bunch of other rooms. Her husband works at a bank in Tanzania and has spent a year in Germany taking classes. The living room had two couches, a table, chairs, stereo, tv, vcr, and dvd player. The teacher, Lilly, chose to become a teacher because she wanted to stay active. It was great to learn about her life and I was very happy to be invited into their home. They were living without having to fight to live. If one of their children were to get sick, well then they could afford to take them to a hospital other than Mewenzi.
No matter what the socialstatus of a person is here I must add that the spirit of Tanzania is very much alive. I had read that the people of East Africa have been rated some of the happiest people on the planet (i wish I could give you the source for this). I have not witnessed any cases of depression, exhaustion, or anything else. I have yet to hear anyone complain. It is not to say that there are no problems here but the outlook on life is different. This is something that I hope I can absorb as much as I can before I go home. And someone might ask how an orphan out of money and severely sick with malaria can live a life of happiness. Well because today I saw her back at the Secondary school, attending class, and happy and thankful to be well. Of course she thanked me but I don't think there were any words i could have used to thank her for how much she has done for me.
Check back again soon for another post as I am starting to tie up my volunteer projects. As this is my second time in East Africa and I have only seen Tanzania, I have decided to embark on an adventure to travel overland in Rwanda and Uganda. I'll be on that trip from December 5th to the 15h. I will return to Tanzania for a few days and then i fly home on the 19th!
It is been a while since i posted last time. A lot has been happening here and there is much to talk about. I probably won't be able to share everything with you in this post so expect another one later this week, maybe even two more!
About a week and half ago I had a difficult time here with some of things I saw. Down the road from the Nursery school is a secondary school run that provides a free education for about 147 students who either an orphan or comes from a low income family, or both. This is actually the school that I volunteered at the first time I traveled to Tanzania. When I arrived there I was told that one of the students was very ill and at a free hospital in Moshi called Mewenzi. I was told that the student was infected with malaria and, at the time she was brought to the hospital, was vomiting blood. After I was done volunteering for the day one of the women who helps me at the nursery school took me to visit the student in town. The hospital is quit big and is very spread out. There are concrete buildings spread outside in no specific order. All of the buildings were connected by concrete paths. If I would have went alone I would have surely ended up walking in circles. When we arrived in the ward were the student was being treated I saw that the room was flooded with patients. There were about 2-3 patients per bed. It looked like a photo of a refugee camp. It was hard to see at first as it is hard to accept how the differences in the world I live in at home to their own. On the upside, all of these patients were here because they didn't have to pay. The girl I was visiting was being looked after by her younger sister. The sister had run out of money and could no longer pay for her sister's medication or food. I didn't hesitate to help them by payng for the rest of the medication and food. Soon after I did this I left in silence.
This was a hard situation for me to swallow. At times it is easy to be pulled down by how much more there is needed to be done. The reality is that this is the what the lives can be like for a some of the people here, but not all. There are Tanzanian doctors, teachers, pharmacists, and more. Yesterday I ate lunch at Nursery school teacher's house. It was a great time! She lives with her husband and they have two children. Their house had a tall fence and steel gate, a garage, living room, dining room, 3 bedrooms, and a bunch of other rooms. Her husband works at a bank in Tanzania and has spent a year in Germany taking classes. The living room had two couches, a table, chairs, stereo, tv, vcr, and dvd player. The teacher, Lilly, chose to become a teacher because she wanted to stay active. It was great to learn about her life and I was very happy to be invited into their home. They were living without having to fight to live. If one of their children were to get sick, well then they could afford to take them to a hospital other than Mewenzi.
No matter what the socialstatus of a person is here I must add that the spirit of Tanzania is very much alive. I had read that the people of East Africa have been rated some of the happiest people on the planet (i wish I could give you the source for this). I have not witnessed any cases of depression, exhaustion, or anything else. I have yet to hear anyone complain. It is not to say that there are no problems here but the outlook on life is different. This is something that I hope I can absorb as much as I can before I go home. And someone might ask how an orphan out of money and severely sick with malaria can live a life of happiness. Well because today I saw her back at the Secondary school, attending class, and happy and thankful to be well. Of course she thanked me but I don't think there were any words i could have used to thank her for how much she has done for me.
Check back again soon for another post as I am starting to tie up my volunteer projects. As this is my second time in East Africa and I have only seen Tanzania, I have decided to embark on an adventure to travel overland in Rwanda and Uganda. I'll be on that trip from December 5th to the 15h. I will return to Tanzania for a few days and then i fly home on the 19th!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
A day in Tanzania
There are many different types of volunteering in Tanzania. Some people chose to do one on one work with children and this my include tending to orphans every morning. There are other people who conduct research, for example, studying the impact impact of HIV/AIDS on pregnant women in a local town.
My volunteer experience doesn't include research but it does entail some one on one care everyday. Most of the time I am coordinating the nursery school and clinic projects.
This morning, I walked with some other students who live in the same hostel as me to an organization that work at called Kiwakkuki. The goal of Kiwakkuki is to eradicate HIV/AIDS in the Kilimanjaro area while also mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS of those who already have it. I wanted to meet with them because they have many different community outreach programs which includes free informational sessions about HIV/AIDS and free HIV/AIDS testing and counseling. Working with this organization will be very important for the future of the clinic I am helping to open. the clinic and nursery school I volunteer at everyday is run by the Uwawayaki women's group. Next week I plan on bringing the Uwawayaki leaders to meet with Kiwakkuki so that these two organizations may work together in combating HIV/AIDS and other public health issues.
Now after I met with Kiwakkuki I went and had a little Tanzanian snack at a local coffee shop. From there I walked to a food market in central moshi to buy thirty oranges for the children at the nursery school. I then walked 45 minutes to the school and delivered the oranges. Then children left to go home soon after and I then sat with some locals at the school and clinic trying to converse in Swahili. I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I head home. After that I walked 45 min. back into to town to write this blog post and email other people about my volunteer projects. After this I will grab another snack and head on back to the hostel. I will then do a little more volunteer work and planning, study Swahili, SHOWER, read, eat, and then fall asleep.
Now my time is running out and so I must log off.
Thank you!
My volunteer experience doesn't include research but it does entail some one on one care everyday. Most of the time I am coordinating the nursery school and clinic projects.
This morning, I walked with some other students who live in the same hostel as me to an organization that work at called Kiwakkuki. The goal of Kiwakkuki is to eradicate HIV/AIDS in the Kilimanjaro area while also mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS of those who already have it. I wanted to meet with them because they have many different community outreach programs which includes free informational sessions about HIV/AIDS and free HIV/AIDS testing and counseling. Working with this organization will be very important for the future of the clinic I am helping to open. the clinic and nursery school I volunteer at everyday is run by the Uwawayaki women's group. Next week I plan on bringing the Uwawayaki leaders to meet with Kiwakkuki so that these two organizations may work together in combating HIV/AIDS and other public health issues.
Now after I met with Kiwakkuki I went and had a little Tanzanian snack at a local coffee shop. From there I walked to a food market in central moshi to buy thirty oranges for the children at the nursery school. I then walked 45 minutes to the school and delivered the oranges. Then children left to go home soon after and I then sat with some locals at the school and clinic trying to converse in Swahili. I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I head home. After that I walked 45 min. back into to town to write this blog post and email other people about my volunteer projects. After this I will grab another snack and head on back to the hostel. I will then do a little more volunteer work and planning, study Swahili, SHOWER, read, eat, and then fall asleep.
Now my time is running out and so I must log off.
Thank you!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
I wanted to start of by talking quickly about the donations. There was a total of $1190 USD in donations given to me for various volunteer projects here in Moshi. The total amount raised for Newland Orphanage was $690 USD. Those donations have now all been donated! The funds went to the boys dorms to help pay for the installation of electricity, concrete for the outside of the dorms, new bunk beds, and windows with mosquito nets. Thank you, Thank you, thank you, for everyone who donated and I will post more photos of the dorms as they come close to being finished.
The clinic is slowly coming along and there will be new steel doors on Monday to keep everything locked up and safe. After that I plan on purchasing tables, chairs, a big cabinet, and then finally, and basic medication to stock a small pharmacy. I am very excited about this project!
Tomorrow I am leaving Moshi to go hiking in the Usambara region, it mostly consists of a mountain range in Northeastern Tanzania. The whole trip will only cost about 20USD per day and the hikes should be very flush and beautiful. It will be a nice break from Moshi.
Will post again next week.
The clinic is slowly coming along and there will be new steel doors on Monday to keep everything locked up and safe. After that I plan on purchasing tables, chairs, a big cabinet, and then finally, and basic medication to stock a small pharmacy. I am very excited about this project!
Tomorrow I am leaving Moshi to go hiking in the Usambara region, it mostly consists of a mountain range in Northeastern Tanzania. The whole trip will only cost about 20USD per day and the hikes should be very flush and beautiful. It will be a nice break from Moshi.
Will post again next week.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
I'm currently working to help open a free health clinic. The building for the clinic was recently renovated but there was not enough funding to cover the cost of health equipment and medication. The other volunteers have funds that should cover it and by the time I leave the clinic should be up and running! At the clinic people will be able to receive free treatment from a Doctor and very inexpensive medication. The clinic will also hold informational meetings about nutrition, sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and more. I may also start working on a community outreach project to raise awareness about condoms. There is a lot going on with this project and I'm very excited about it.
ON the same plot of land is a nursery school that provides a free education for about 30 children who come from very poor backgrounds. I'm also heading up this project in order renovate the school. The construction will start this week.
I will be posting photos of the clinic and the Nursery school next week (if the computers will let me). haha. I will also be going to Newlands Orphanage very soon to give you another update on the projects there.
The link below will take you to a photo album of more pictures form my trip...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068514&l=753d5&id=40603000
It includes many pictures from different weekend hikes and few from Newlands Orphanage!
This is a picture of a hallway that is almost done. Some volunteers are going to paint animals and such on the walls to make it more fun for the kids. The bunk beds for all of the rooms have been ordered and those should be in place in the next few weeks. yey! once that happens the boys will be able to move in...all thanks to those who donated!
This is a picture of everyone digging for clothes at the market!
ON the same plot of land is a nursery school that provides a free education for about 30 children who come from very poor backgrounds. I'm also heading up this project in order renovate the school. The construction will start this week.
I will be posting photos of the clinic and the Nursery school next week (if the computers will let me). haha. I will also be going to Newlands Orphanage very soon to give you another update on the projects there.
The link below will take you to a photo album of more pictures form my trip...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068514&l=753d5&id=40603000
It includes many pictures from different weekend hikes and few from Newlands Orphanage!
This is a picture of a hallway that is almost done. Some volunteers are going to paint animals and such on the walls to make it more fun for the kids. The bunk beds for all of the rooms have been ordered and those should be in place in the next few weeks. yey! once that happens the boys will be able to move in...all thanks to those who donated!
This is a picture of everyone digging for clothes at the market!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Updates!
Hello from Moshi!
It has been interesting trying to submt a blog post in the last few days. For some reason My blog hasn't working well but i think it is all under control now.
I wanted to post some pictures of the shopping adventure we had at the Market. WE gathered as many volunteers we could at took the old boys to the market to buy them some new clothes. We spent about 10 USD per boy and were able to buy all of them three items of clothing. One pair of shorts, one shirt, and then something else that they really wanted. It was a load of fun. I felt like I was running through a mall the day after thanksgiving. The boys loved it because they had never been shopping like that before.
The dorms are coming along nicely and the next time I post pictures the dorms will be fully painted and there may even be beds! Which means they should be moved in very soon.
Well I tried to post pictures but the website isn't working. Pole sana (sorry). I will be sure to try again this week.
I'm currently working on helping a women's group to start up a free health clinic. The building that we are going to use was renovated this past summer for the purpose of turning it into a health clinic. The problem was that there was only enough funds given to revovate the building. There is no equipment, chairs, desks, or medications. That is what I am helping with. Soon I also want to start a community outreach project to increase community awarness about sanitation, nutrition, STIs, and other such things but that too is a lot of work. There always a lot to do but I enjoy all of it.
A little over a week ago I went on a day safari and saw Giraffe (Twiga), monkeys, baboons, zebra, and much more. It was great a great park and only an hour drive from where I stay! Going on safari is always so much fun.
There is always so much to write about so I hope I don't jump around too much in my blog.
Kwa Heri
Tyler
It has been interesting trying to submt a blog post in the last few days. For some reason My blog hasn't working well but i think it is all under control now.
I wanted to post some pictures of the shopping adventure we had at the Market. WE gathered as many volunteers we could at took the old boys to the market to buy them some new clothes. We spent about 10 USD per boy and were able to buy all of them three items of clothing. One pair of shorts, one shirt, and then something else that they really wanted. It was a load of fun. I felt like I was running through a mall the day after thanksgiving. The boys loved it because they had never been shopping like that before.
The dorms are coming along nicely and the next time I post pictures the dorms will be fully painted and there may even be beds! Which means they should be moved in very soon.
Well I tried to post pictures but the website isn't working. Pole sana (sorry). I will be sure to try again this week.
I'm currently working on helping a women's group to start up a free health clinic. The building that we are going to use was renovated this past summer for the purpose of turning it into a health clinic. The problem was that there was only enough funds given to revovate the building. There is no equipment, chairs, desks, or medications. That is what I am helping with. Soon I also want to start a community outreach project to increase community awarness about sanitation, nutrition, STIs, and other such things but that too is a lot of work. There always a lot to do but I enjoy all of it.
A little over a week ago I went on a day safari and saw Giraffe (Twiga), monkeys, baboons, zebra, and much more. It was great a great park and only an hour drive from where I stay! Going on safari is always so much fun.
There is always so much to write about so I hope I don't jump around too much in my blog.
Kwa Heri
Tyler
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