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!

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

This blog post doesn’t contain anything about my volunteer experience. For me to say that I have traveled to Africa is true but the fact is that I have only traveled to Northern Tanzania. I have not ventured up the Nile or down the Zambezi Rivers, stared into the eyes of a Gorilla in the mists of Rwanda, bargained for food at a coastal market in Ghana, gone on safari to see the swamp lions of Botswana, or walked through the walls of the apartheid museum in South Africa. What we hear in the west about Africa is a sad reflection of what life is like for some on this vast continent. I wish to share with you another perspective.

I don’t know if there are any colors bright enough for me to paint you a picture of the spirit of Tanzania. The people are proud. The children are full of laughter. The colors worn here dance through the streets. Thinking back on this last month and past travels here I can’t recall ever hearing a single complaint. I often feel like an elementary student jumping out of my seat with excitement hoping to learn the next letter alphabet, and today, as everyday, my next letter is life. And life here is more alive than anywhere I have yet to see.

When read through you read through my blog know that the children at the Newlands orphanage or at the nursery school are no different than the children you may see at your homeland tomorrow. They want to play football (soccer) with their friends, eat a fresh meal when they wake up in the morning, be hugged when they cry, continue running after they fall over, show off their new shirt from a weekend shopping adventure, and continue laughing even when the sun falls into the next day. Know that they are no different from you an me.

Next time you hear about a tragedy in this vast land just remember that Africa is a continent, not a crisis.

If you are considering traveling to Tanzania, or perhaps any of the other 52 countries, may I recommend taking the time to learn about the people, life, and spirit once you arrive. But let me tell you, once you let the air pass through you lungs and into your blood, a part of you will be awakened. Africa is already in all of us, it is all of us.

I have pictures!!! There is lot I want to show you but the computers are very slow.

The first one is a photo of me and a boy at the orphanage. Currently, I only go the the orphanage once a week. I will explain more in the next post! Anyway, this picture was taken on my first day there. He hurt his arm playing with the other children and i don't think he wears the wrap anymore.

These are some of the boys in class. Their classroom it only about a 30 second walk from where they sleep. It is the same for the girls. All of the can children eat, sleep, attend class, and shower right a the orphanage. It is really a great setup. On this particular day all of the children were taught how to brush their teeth. Everyone of them was given a little bag with their name on it that contained a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other bathroom products. Now we just have to make sure they keep up with it.

This last picture shows a boys dorm. There are total of six and next week all of the painting should be done. The money donated has gone towards everything I stated before: doors, electricity, completion of the windows (they need to be mosquito proof!), and cement on the outside of the dorm. So thank you again for donating!!

I'll be sure to keep adding pictures now that I have figured it out!

Tyler

Jambo Jambo!

This will be a quick post because I didn't realize that it has been over a week since I last posted. You wake up here and all of a sudden it is a week later than you thought it was.

I have already used $300 of the donations to put a deposit on 7 doors for the new Boys Dorm! This is exciting because the boy should be able to move into the dorms in the next month or so.

Sometime this week we are taking 15 of the children into a local market in Moshi to but new clothes!!! The orphanage is only about 20 minutes from Moshi but most of the children have NEVER travelled there. Moshi is the city I live in that rests below the roof of Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. This may be the biggest city they may ever travel through.

Some of the other volunteers and I are thinking of giving each child a picture of themselves. We would include their name, date of picture, and where the picture was taken. The orphans don't have anything like this. We would like to add how old they are and where they are from but most of them do not know. I'll be sure to keep you updated on this project.

Thanks again for reading!

Tyler

Project update!

Hello hello,

It is a beautiful Friday in Tanzania! When I am done writing this blog I will be going to a local market to buy fresh tomatoes, oranges (they are more green than orange here), and some fresh bananas for breakfast tomorrow. I always enjoy picking up a bag of sugarcane to chew and spit on the way home.

Something great happened today! Last year when I volunteered I purchased a new wheelchair for a disabled girl, Ellie. When she was a baby she got sick and her family couldn't afford the proper treatments for her. She suffered seizures that left her unable to speak, walk, drink, or eat on her own. She is about 12 years old. When I met her last in June 2006 she had outgrown her wheelchair, but was still using it. It was rare for her to ever go outside. I gave the money needed for a new wheelchair to a fellow volunteer as I had to leave the next day. I left hoping the money would make back to Ellie. Well today I found out it did! I saw Ellie and she looked much much better then what I remembered. Her mom was very thankful and it seems to have made their life much easier. Ellie and her mom were even able to escort me when I left. It definitely made my day, maybe even my whole trip.



I have also been able to visit the newlands orphanage. In the next week or two I plan on posting photos. The donations raised currently totals $1190.00!! This means that there is a lot of work that can be completed. The orphanage desperately needs the boys dorm to be finished. It houses about 30 boys. Next week fellow volunteers and I will finish painting the dorms. I plan on using the money to purchase doors and to install electricity. I don't think that there are currently enough beds or mattresses so I may be using the money for those also. It is all very exciting and I can't wait to post photots!!

I am also working with another volunteer to teach English to group of 30 children. They are either orphans or come from very poor families. About 8 or 9 of the children have ring worm, a fungus that grow on their head. It can be itchy and highly contagious. This weekend I will be using some of the funds donated by you to pay for ring worm treatment cream. I think it will only cost about 10 USD to treat all of the children. So again, thank you for that!

Tanzania is an amazing country and I would encourage everyone to come and visit. The people are wonderful, the weather is great, the food is delicious, and wildlife is incredible. I can't wait to see an elephant again!

Thanks for reading!

Tyler

Mambo!

I have finally arrived in Moshi and am very excited to be here! It didn't actually hit me that I was in Africa again until the little twin prop airplane stumbled over some turbulance as it flew right over Mount Kilimanjaro. As soon as I stepped out of the plane I could feel the spirit of tanzania flush through my veins. It's great to be back!

For the rest of today I will be wandering around Moshi , digging into my Kiswahili book, and meeting the other 20 volunteers who came from all over the world.

Tomorrow I will be going to the orphanage and other volunteer projects to assess what needs to be done. Thank you again for all of those who have donated and be sure to keep checking back in.

Kwaheri,

Tyler