Editors Note: M. DeAgostino visited Tanzania from May 29 to August 1, 2008. This is a piece she wrote about the time she spent volunteering with Global Service Corps in the HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Program.

This summer I traveled to Arusha, Tanzania, to intern with an international NGO, Global Service Corps (the internship was sponsored by the Kellogg Institute at the University of Notre Dame). I spent weekdays teaching secondary school students and community groups about HIV/AIDS and life-skills and conducting research in medical anthropology for my senior thesis, which I will complete this academic year.

I was placed in a homestay with a local Tanzanian family, so I had the opportunity to eat traditional cuisine, improve my Kiswahili, and ride dala dalas, the public transportation, every day. The dala dalas are crazy vans created to hold 15 people typically crammed with 25 or more.

On weekends, I was able to make small trips outside of Arusha. I went on safari to some of Tanzania’s beautiful national parks, including Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti. The parks were breathtaking, both for their landscapes and the incredible wildlife.

Not only are the varied species amazing, but the density of animals is astounding!

I also had the privilege of visiting a Maasai village outside of Arusha. A Maasai warrior who works for Global Service Corps invited some volunteers to spend a weekend in his traditional village, where we witnessed and attempted to participate in (at their insistence) spectacular jumping dances; in the morning, they slaughtered a goat for breakfast, and they shared its blood with us!

My time in Tanzania was amazing, and I definitely plan to go back ideally as a physician after medical school.

American politics in Tanzania

Editor’s note: This picture was taken by Jennifer R. who is currently an intern in Global Service Corps HIV/AIDS education and prevention program. Thanks for the photo Jennifer.

Everyone seems to be involved in American politics during this election year. Even in Arusha, Tanzania the local Daladala (mini bus taxi) drivers are getting their opinions heard. Daladala’s are usually decorated in some form by their drivers, but this may be the first time a US presidential candidate has been featured on one’s rear window! 

Fun Facts about Arusha

Editor’s note: Jennifer R. is a current participant in the HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Program in Tanzania. She will be working with us for the next six months. We look forward to receiving more posts from her throughout her time in Tanziania! Thanks for the post Jennifer!

 

Fun Facts about my new life and home…

Arusha has definitely been an interesting place to live in. I have only been here a few weeks now, but here are some first impressions:

• The amount of dust is outstanding, it covers everything. Because of this, I have severely changed my view of cleanliness.
• Almost everyone, EVERYONE, knows how to say “Good Morning” in English. This is how I am greeted all day and night, no matter what time it really is. I found out it is because these are the first words kids learn in English, so they can go to school and say “Good Morning Teacher”.
• Tanzanians talk very softly, sometimes I have to make the students stand up and ask them to yell just to hear them. But on the street, everyone here also LOVES to say hello to the Muzungus, or white foreigners. They will yell “hello” or “Mambo” at you and get louder and louder until you just go ahead and answer back “Hello” or “Poa”. They seem to get a huge thrill from this. It is normal and customary for Tanzanians to always greet each other, but we are the only ones who get yelled at. We are truly fish out of water here, I am enjoying being different, but it is definitely an eye-opening experience.
• The students in our class move their desk forward instead of their chair back when they are called on to stand and read or come to the board.
• Herds of goats wander through our field next to our classroom, it is surreal to watch out of the classroom window.
• We run on an entirely different schedule here, on African time, which usually means everything is always late and you can’t seem to help it. They are even worse than New Orleans people, my friends and family at home you have met your match!

Massai Land

  Editor’s note: Russel P. Participated in the HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Program January 2008. Thanks for the post Russel!

It is Sunday morning March 9th and I have some free time. I am supposed to be on my way to the airport but my travel agent emailed me and said my plans had changed. my flight had been cancelled and rescheduled for Tuesday the 11th. Darn now I have to spend a couple more days in Africa while the folks back home are dealing with a snow storm. Chances are I would have gotten stuck in Washington D.C. As the locals say ”Hakuna Matata” I began to review the events of the last week and thought this would be a good time to write down a few things while they are still fresh in my mind. Dismas, my conterpart and translator was scheduled to return to Manyire where we had taught a class two weeks earlier. This time we were to conduct a class to a group of villagers in Massai Land. Our program coordinator thought it best if we stay in Manyire at night and travel to the massai village each day for flasses. There was little water in the Massai Village as it had to be carried in via 5 gallon buckets daily. Accomodations were also an issue as there was no place Dismas and I could share together. It was thought this might pose a problem with communication and possible safety. This is the same Massai Village that I visited a couple weeks ago with Norbert, a minister living in Manyire who helps coordinate setting up classes throught GSC. As the plan unfolded, I learned Norbert would be chauffeuring Dismas and I individually to the village from Manyire each day. I had travelled to the Massai Village on the back of Norbert’s motor bike before and fully knew what to expect, or so I though. As a time saving measure it was decided classes would be condensed from three days to two. Dismas and I arrived Monday morning by way of the GSC van and remained at the village while the van returned to Arusha.

Live from Tanzania!

Editor’s note: Samantha H. is participating in the HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Program.  This summer she will also be a part of the annual youth day camp that focuses on HIV/AIDS awareness and life skills for Tanzanian young people. Thanks for the post Samantha!

I have been here in Tanzania now for 4 weeks and I absolutely love it. I feel very at home here, my host family has accepted me with open arms. In fact last weekend my host mama took me to Moshi, a town about an hour and a half from Arusha. I had been looking forward to going to Moshi since I had arrived in Tanzania because that is where Kilimanjaro is. For the past few weeks I have been telling my mama that I wanted to see Kilimanjaro and that was one ( of many) things that I had to see before I left. The entire day in  Moshi it was cloudy and you couldn’t see anything, needless to say I was disappointed.  It was about 4 pm and we were sitting outside when the clouds parted and there it was,  Kilimanjaro! I couldn’t stop smiling, my mama, knowing how bad I wanted to see Kilimanjaro couldn’t stop smiling either. Kilimanjaro was amazing, it is hard to explain, there were times when it didn’t seem real.

Working here is also a lot of fun. I didn’t expect people here to be as open as they are to our coming in to talk about HIV. But the women we have taught in community trainings that last few weeks were very open and not embarrassed to ask questions. The people we have taught have been very curious, and like I said they ask a lot of questions which is great because there are many myths about HIV here.  I am looking forward to the next three weeks because we are starting day camp in  3 secondary schools. It will be a nice change of pace, the last 2 community trainings have all been older women. While there are times that I do miss home there is no where else I would rather be!

Reflections from Tanzania

Editor’s note: Dan T. participated in the International Health Internship Program in Tanzania in the summer of 2007. Here are some of his reflections. Thanks for the post, Dan.

 

 Having never traveled abroad before, I was quite anxious before my journey to Tanzania. Soon after my arrival, however, all of my nervousness disappeared as both the beauty of Africa and the kindness of its people made the transition into my new lifestyle a smooth one.
One of the most valuable aspects of my experience was getting to work with the counterparts. I made great friends with many of them, and I still keep in touch with several of them to this day. This special group of people not only made volunteering possible, via their role as translators, but were also a wealth of information about Tanzanian culture. I remember during orientation week we did an exercise where we split into small groups of volunteers and counterparts to compare differences in gender roles between our respective nations. One comment that really stuck with me was when one of the counterparts posed the question, “Who (men or women) digs the graves?” In retrospect this question isn’t all that striking, but at the time it really made me more aware and more appreciative of the differences, large and small, between our two cultures.

Since my return home, hardly a day goes by where I don’t see something that reminds me of my trip. The nine weeks I spent there were easily some of the shortest and most memorable of my life. I suppose I still feel a little anxious from time to time, but now it is because I can’t wait to return to Tanzania and see my family and friends.

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Global Service Corps is pleased to announce our new online presence on social networking sights. We now have pages on facebook, flickr, youtube and wiserearth. Join our groups to keep updated on GSC developments, connect with other volunteers, watch videos and discuss your GSC experience. Follow the links below to view and join our groups. We hope to see you there!
         

It’s that time of year again…

My favorite time of year…day camp time! All year, I eagerly look forward for June to arrive. More volunteers come into the country so the orientation audience is bigger than usual, AND we exclusively train youth in HIV/AIDS prevention, health and life skills. In all honesty, though, day camp is a lot of fun and the volunteers from last year were all very glad they got to take part in such a meaningful volunteer program. In addition to our traditional two-week program conducted in secondary schools, we are also expanding to train youth not normally reached by our programs in schools. GSC is partnering with Mkombozi Centre for Street Children to conduct a week-long camp for 40 of their street kids along with 25 Form 1 students from Arusha Meru Secondary School. We will also conduct a similar week-long camp for 25 youth who are part of Whisperers in the Jungle. Whisperers in the Jungle is a local organization that creates a home for kids who have no family. We are excited about this addition to our youth program and the opportunities it will create in the future for GSC volunteers.

Global Service Corps has also benefited greatly this year from the generosity of local supporters in order to subsidize the costs of these programs. Unlike in the United States, there is no tax-deduction for donating to worthy causes. I often wonder, “What is the motivation?” I had my doubts that any businesses would contribute, because really, “What’s in it for them?” However, I have been pleasantly surprised that we (actually Erwin, GSC’s Director of Operations) have raised over one million TSH (about $1000) not including donations of food, supplies, and T-shirts!! People here do understand that education for youth on health issues is lacking and are eager to support our program.

In addition, this year during the first week of June, Arusha is hosting the Leon H. Sullivan Summit. It is an honor to be chosen to host this event, as it will add to the economy of Arusha by bringing 4000-6000 guests to town!! What a great way to kick off high season!! Many prominent African Americans are expected to attend such as Chris Tucker, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and several famous basketball players as well as 30 heads of state. During this time GSC is also going to start advertising for the newly developed ‘development tourism’ program.

So needless to say with all that is going on, GSC and the entire town of Arusha are excited that June has arrived!!

Tanzania HIV/AIDS Prevention Camp

You Can Help GSC Create a Generation Free of HIV/AIDS in Africa!

Here’s how your support will help students in Tanzania become equipped to live health lives free from HIV/AIDS!

 

During June, Global Service Corps organizes a 3 week long Peer Education HIV/AIDS Prevention, Health and Life Skills Day Camp. This Camp works with about 240 high school students and teachers to help educate youth in Tanzania about HIV/AIDS prevention. Volunteers from abroad work with Tanzanian students to learn stratagies to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS. These camps are designed to be an interactive way for students to learn about HIV/AIDS, prevention, relationshops and sexuality in a fun, creative, and ultimately sustainable manner. Students then disseminate information about HIV/AIDS, lifes skills, and other health issues through peer health clubs at their schools throughout the rest of the year. Surveys make it clear that programs are needed to move youth from awareness and knowledge to actual behavior change. This is a primary goal of these camps.

 

The Camp training is coupled with a uniue cultural exchange provided by GSC volunteers. Through the Camp, GSC volunteers work collaboratively with local teachers, peer educators, and GSC staff counterparts to teach a pre-designed education curriculum over a three week period, Lessons include: HIV/AIDS in Tanzania; Biology of HIV/AIDS and the immune system; STD’s; healthy lifestyle choices; gender roles and life skills, such as decision-making and goal-setting.

 

At the conclusion of Camp, students participate in a graduation ceremony: in addition to receiving certificates of completion, they present to the local community through drama, song, dance and poems what they have learned during Camp.

 

In addition to training students to serve as peer educators, the Camp’s overall goal is to create a sustainable forum for students to continue to train fellow students. With the continued support of their teachers and GSC, these peer educators create school health clubs where they continue the task of educating fellow students in HIV/AIDS prevention and life skills. GSC is now providing follow-up training throughout the year.

 

In order for GSC to maintain this vital work with the youth of Tanzania, we need your help. Even from far away, you can help the fight of the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS and assist in saving lives. Your support and donation of any amound is needed nowl; with your help we can send a Tanzanian student to Camp, train and support a Camp counselor, buy lunches for the students, and purchase supplies.

 

Please go to our Secure Donation page to help out!

Where are the plates?

It’s that time of year again….what I think is the most exciting season at Global Service Corps-TANZANIA…HIGH SEASON!! High season is not only when all of the tourists flood to town to climb Kili, see Ngorogoro Crater, and buy copious amounts of crafts; it is also the time of year when most of GSC-TZs volunteers come. All of the June 2 arrivals have the privilege to be involved in what I would like to call “GSC’s most fun program ever”: The Youth HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Day Camp!

We have been gearing up and planning for the day camp since February and now we’re getting down to the final details. This year we are excited to change the format of camp in several ways. We have modified the curriculum to include more health issues such as pregnancy prevention, nutrition, and access to youth friendly health services. We have also added the component of ‘mini-camps’. These will be week long camps put on for youth not reached by our traditional in-school program. This year we will be working with Mkombozi Centre for Street Kids and Whisperers in the Jungle, another organization that works with vulnerable youth. And lastly, we have added a peer education training workshop for school leaders for the last week of June. So this year’s volunteers need to come ready to work!! A lot of great and exciting activities are going to be going on all at the same time.

And now a story about the rigors of planning….