Editors note: Lauren participated in Global Service Corps sustainable agriculture program in the summer of 2008. Thanks for the post Laura!
Two months ago, I was sitting on a huge airplane with my eyes closed and feet anxiously tapping the floor below me. As we roared down the runway, I tried to remain calm but instead I was second guessing my desire to travel to Tanzania and volunteer with Global Service Corps (GSC), a nonprofit organization that emphasizes international health, HIV/AIDS education and sustainable agricultural techniques. I barely knew how to say hello in Swahili, had never traveled alone, and was always a little nervous to fly, especially when it came to take off. In fact, I was so nervous to fly that I repeated the word “safe” over and over in my head as the flight attendants passed through the cabin prior to departure, assuring the pilot that all passengers had their seatbelts safely fastened. I was jealous of their relaxed attitudes and wished I could just fall asleep like the snoring woman next to me who did not wake until our aircraft landed in another continent. When I was brave enough to look out the window, the airplane was already encircled by clouds and I could not believe that we had left the ground…it felt as though we were still on the runway! From that point on, my breathing eased, I stopped repeating the word safe, and was finally able to sit back, relax and enjoy the twenty hour flight to Tanzania.
Upon arriving in Tanzania, I was greeted by a GSC representative who drove me to the hostel I would be staying at during my initial training. These first few days were exciting and informative. I was taught primarily about sustainable agricultural methods but also learned about the growing problem of HIV/AIDS throughout Tanzania. As a volunteer, I would be spreading my knowledge concerning agriculture and nutrition to various community members, but it was essential to receive training myself before helping others. I worked alongside a Tanzanian counterpart named Javasson for a week and my training occurred both in the classroom and outside in the demonstration farming plot. This method of learning was beneficial because I first learned about the theory behind particular practices and then ventured outside to put the practices in action. With some help, I made a standard sized compost pile, dug a double-dig garden bed, built a sack garden, and made a natural pesticide spray from papayas. During these activities, Javasson explained that proper farming techniques not only improve overall crop yield and increase plant health, but also indirectly benefit human health as well. Organic vegetables and fruits grown without the addition of chemical pesticides are better for the environment and for our own bodies.
In addition to learning sustainable agriculture techniques, Mama Betty, a lady with HIV/AIDS came to talk to the volunteers about the importance of nutrition and its role in preventing further symptoms of the disease. She explained that those suffering from HIV/AIDS often feel weak and helpless. Although she felt this way when originally diagnosed with the disease, she claimed that proper nutrition such as a diet rich in vegetables, has allowed her to regain the strength necessary to continue with her daily routine. Mama Betty advocated the addition of sack gardens to homes for HIV+ people. Sack gardens are low maintenance and various types off immune-boosting produce can be grown and incorporated into meals and/or tea to allow for better nutrition. Mama Betty was extremely open and I appreciate her willingness to share her story.
The majority of Tanzanians are farmers. However, the majority also waste money and time using chemical pesticides. Furthermore, they do not maximize the limited space of their gardens and do not engage in companion planting. Thus when a particular insect invades their cucumber bed for example, and no other vegetables are being grown in the same bed, farmers are denied access to vegetables and more than likely, will not make any income for that particular growing season. In addition to not making any money on market days, famers will have less food to feed their own family. For a couple weeks, I conducted several ‘follow-ups’ with other volunteers and a Tanzanian counterpart who acted as a translator. Follow ups served several purposes. They allowed volunteers to help Tanzanians improve their current gardens by giving advice concerning plant spacing, crop rotation, compost pile building, etc. Even though many of the farms we visited had an existing garden, we also initiated the digging of double dig beds in other locations. Several of the farmers we met were HIV+. In addition to providing information about the disease, we taught the farmers about the nutritional value of the vegetables/fruits they were currently growing, and pushed for the implementation of sac gardens, often using Mama Betty’s story as a great reference tool.
Follow-ups accounted for a small amount of the work I did throughout my volunteer position. The bulk of my work occurred at a primary school with children ranging from ages four to twelve. For a week, three volunteers and I once again taught about sustainable agricultural techniques and the significance of food security issues throughout Tanzania. After listening to us speak, the students, teachers and volunteers all went outside and began to build compost piles, double dig beds and sack gardens. Initially, I thought this would be a huge project because I figured the volunteers would be doing most of the work…and believe me, it is hard physical work! However, I was proven wrong because the school children and teachers were so excited to start their garden that we had to find more shovels, rakes and other gardening materials to go around. This project took a good two weeks and the amount of work accomplished in that short amount of time was outstanding. I am eager to hear an update from the students and anticipate that the addition of organic produce will provide great health improvements for the entire school.
My area of concentration in human biology is Health Promotion and Nutrition. My position in Tanzania allowed me to address and help solve food-related situations by working with local communities and teaching people the importance of proper organic farming methods. Although the content of the information being shared was always the same, the way in which it was presented differed depending on the group of people we were aiming to help, whether it was HIV/AIDS patients, students, or the general farming community. Regardless of who was being taught however, the volunteers were fully welcomed and many students and community members told us that our help was much appreciated.
Based on my anxiety prior to leaving the United States, it may seem ironic that I chose to travel so far away from home to work with an organization that I simply stumbled upon on the internet. However, I could not be more pleased with the entire experience. Before boarding the plane last July, I knew that I wanted to travel internationally and help in the general areas of health, food, and sustainability. I also knew that I wanted to be outside, interacting with people and not inside, sitting behind a computer screen. Finally, I wanted to be immersed in a culture different than my own. Having accomplished all these criteria, I feel that my time was well spent and that the information I shared with various farming communities and schoolchildren positively influenced their health and overall lives. A few of the GSC directors warned the volunteers about having too high of expectations with regards to changing the world. This advice is extremely wise. I was only in Tanzania for five weeks and at times I became frustrated with the poor health habits, malnutrition and poverty that I was exposed to. Looking back on my experience, I think that I helped make a small impact on current food security issues in a small region of Tanzania, something I am very proud to have been a part of.
It is true that I learned so much concerning agricultural methods and nutritional information specific to the Tanzanian people. More importantly however, I learned about humanity and culture through my everyday interactions with the locals and the volunteers. I learned that we can communicate with each other for hours, despite language barriers. I learned that we should always stop and ask someone how his/her day is going instead of rushing to our next destination (also known as ‘Tanzanian time’). I learned that relationships with people should dictate or lives, and not overscheduled agendas. I learned that everybody can always teach you something about yourself, regardless of his/her age. I learned that no matter how complicated life gets, laughter is essential to human growth….all of these concepts were not learned from a book or in a classroom. Rather they were experienced and taught to me by the people of Tanzania.
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