Macaulay Award 2017 - Tanzania by Pratibha Srikanthan
Tanzania by Pratibha Srikanthan
On the 13th July, we set off from Heathrow airport full of excitement and energy even though we had a seven-hour flight to Doha International Airport followed by a six-hour journey to Kilimanjaro international airport. Just before landing on the plane we were able to witness the majesty of Kilimanjaro, the world’s largest free-standing mountain, it stood tall and proud with the clouds still not able to fully cover it. When we landed we were met with our two group leaders, Julie and Nelle. From here we went to a hotel where we were served with fresh food which was a good contrast from the airplane food.
The next morning, we were on the road again for a four-hour drive by 8:20 to Babati. Most of us fell asleep for the first half and the second half was spent looking out the window trying to see any wildlife. When we arrived at Babati we were welcomed with open arms by a large group of school children and their head teacher. Just before lunch, the school children gave us a powerful and lively introduction singing some songs and dancing. We all joined in the final dance as well as some of the teachers. The rest of the evening was spent getting our rooms ready which involved setting up mosquito nets and putting out mattresses. During this, we had an unexpected visitor, a baby scorpion! Don’t worry it was dealt with accordingly.
Our main agenda in Tanzania was to work on a project which would improve the lives of those in the community in a sustainable way. In addition, working with the local Girl Guides
to discuss issues they face on a regular basis such barriers to their ambitions and leadership in their community. Therefore, the day was split into two - the mornings spent doing physical labour, meanwhile, the evenings spent with the ‘Girls 4 Girls’ girls doing workshops.
The first half- Labour: For the first two half days, the plan was to make a classroom floor for Managa Primary school. By 8 we set about making, shovelling and layering for the floor. A large part of the process involved us filling up buckets (with sand, concrete, cement, and aggregate) and carrying them to the required places by forming a line. It was extremely strenuous and tiring, but rewarding when looking at the completed floor, as well as the excitement on the children’s faces.
The next workday, Wednesday, we learned how to make the stoves that we will be making for six different families in the community as well as a raised bed garden. The reason behind these stoves is that they use natural resources that almost all families in the community, energy efficient in that one fire can cook two pots and most importantly safe because there is no open fire in the house. We were helped by three fundi’s [builders in Swahili]: John, Hafsa, and Isadori, who not only taught us the job but also some basic Swahili such as Asante for thank you (which was hard to come out of when I came back to London). It was really interesting to see how they make such a useful piece of equipment from bricks, mud, and cement, whilst using cooking pots and buckets as their only measuring tools. Building these structures was not easy it required a lot of team effort, motivation, and physical strength. On the other hand, there were unforgettable moments such as when some of the team got a once in a lifetime experience of an organic foot mud bath, added with the stress
of successfully removing the mud from their feet using sand.
Workshops: Women are the main caregivers for their households in Tanzania but are more likely to be poor and illiterate. Tanzania was ranked 124 in the Gender Equality Index as women face barriers in access to education, access to making decisions and many practices and laws in the country are discriminatory against women. Each session would focus on specific topics such as confidence, obstacles, leadership, teamwork, dreams etc. and the first workshop focused on each of us talking about events in our life, which became increasingly emotional. Initially, the girls were shy to talk to us but during lunch, they came out of their shells. Aisha was extremely inspiring with her song that she wrote on education and empowerment of females. The rest of the evening was filled with lots of fun and laughter, even though the girls took an exceptional liking to our hair.
On the Friday after our morning work, we had sports day at the girls school, Fredrick T Sumaye School, where we all played volleyball and netball. It was immediately obvious that they are very good at netball while we are not! When we weren’t playing they taught us songs while we taught them songs. It was really lovely because we had a chance to bond with them outside of the workshops – we genuinely felt like such good friends. Another workshop was heart-warming and informative as all twenty-two of us gave our presentations on our special items that we brought along with us: bracelets, photos, a headscarf, rope and more. The last workshop day focused on saying goodbye and reflecting on all the gifts we have gained over the last two weeks. We all gathered around a tree and filled out gift tags giving words of wisdom and memories we wanted to commemorate and share with the girls once we left. The hope is that the tree will become a sanctuary for the girls so they can come back whenever to remember us and to seek empowerment. As the melancholy of the limited time we would have left together dawned on us girls, the tears began.
Adventure days: On Sunday, we went on a tour around Babati town where we looked around the market and found a traditional shop selling remarkable African fabric. After a lot of debating between the wide range of colourful fabric, we chose our favourite and took it over to the shop opposite. Here a kind lady called Flora offered to sew clothes of our liking from our chosen designs.
After one of our work days, we went to visit the home of an Iraqi tribe member to learn about their culture and discuss the cultural differences. They served us traditional food such as ungali, pigeon peas and a whole range of food none of us have ever tried before, nonetheless, it was delicious. Furthermore, we also went to a Catholic church, did more shopping in town, went to the lake, and finally had a farewell celebration.
Safari Saturday was the highlight for most of us. With a chapatti in one hand and our malaria tablets in the other, we got onto our 4x4 safari vehicles with our Tanzanian partner girls. Tarangire National park was a sight to behold. The further we went in the more we saw nature’s best creations: elephants, zebras, impala, giraffes, wildebeest, lions and a whole range of birds and monkeys we cannot even begin to distinguish between. Though eating lunch was like sitting in a boxing ring waiting for punches to be thrown your way by the monkeys who were keen on stealing our food.
Moreover, from this trip, I learned to be a lot more grateful for what I have especially free education and a needed reminder that we can live without our phones for two weeks. This was truly an experience that was life-changing and will be
