Volunteer in Tanzania - Give a Heart to Africa

GHTA Fundraiser a great success!!!!

2011-12-04T20:27:00.001-08:00

Give a Heart to Africa held its first fundraiser at the Royal Canadian Legion in Toronto on November 22, 2011. The fundraiser had two main objectives. Firstly, we needed to reach out to the community and educate them about our organization and seek potential sponsors for our students. Secondly, by raising funds we would be able to assist some of our students with their businesses and continue our work in Moshi, Tanzania.

During the evening, a video of some of our students describing life in Moshi and how some of them have improved their lives by being in our school was shown to the attendees. There was a table which had items for a silent auction, these were generously donated by sponsors from around the community. We also had a 50/50 draw which made people excited about the possibility of winning some money to spend prior to Christmas. There were also tables with food for everyone to eat and drink, this too was donated. We also had laptops showing videos of some of our current students who were thanking sponsors for their interest in them and GHTA.

All in all, close to 100 people attended and we were able to raise $3,364. These funds have been earmarked to assist two students start up their business and also a portion of the rest of the money is going to help pay for the rent of our co-op for the following year. It was great to be able to put the word out there about our organization and involve so many people. We were very lucky to have so many volunteers who helped from decorating the hall, to selling tickets and various other duties. The commitment of everyone helping together towards the project made the evening the success it was. Thank you to all that sponsored us and to those who also attended the function, we could not have made it without you!!!

See you again next year!!!

Ave

GHTA Charity Event

2011-10-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

Give a Heart To Africa would like to invite you its Charity Event, held on November 22nd, at 7pm, at the Royal Canadian Legion, 72 Durie Street in Toronto.
It will be an evening filled with videos, photos and stories about Tanzania and GHTA's students and businesses, food, drinks, music and many prizes.
Should you wish to attend and/or get more information, please, contact us at info@giveahearttoafrica.org
Thank you so much in advance for your support
Monika

Home Visits with Fausta and Erica

2011-09-28T06:50:00.001-07:00

Usually volunteers visit a couple students' homes every Friday. The point of the home visits is to learn more about the students' lives outside of school, and to see who needs the most help. This Friday we visited two students, Fausta and Erica.

The first visit was to Fausta. After a 30 minute walk into town, a 30 minute dala dala ride (a local bus where 30 people are crammed into about 15 seats) and a 30 minute walk from the dala dala stop into her village, we arrived at her house. She lives in a room in a building with about 8 rooms all attached to a central walkway, sharing that room with her husband, and 3 of her 5 children. The other 2 live in a room across the hall. Upon entering the room, I was very impressed with how prettily it was decorated. There was a bed, three couches and a couple chairs against the wall, along with a coffee table and some storage space. No washroom, but there was electricity. Fausta obviously took great pride in her home and was very excited to have us there. Tanzanians are quite hospitable and she had prepared a huge thermos of chai tea and bowls of roasted peanuts for us. We had brought our translator Herman with us and with his help we discussed how she was liking school, and what her goals for the future were. She explained that she wanted to expand her peanut business and also start to sell clothing. Her children popped in throughout our conversation and even her husband joined us. We had attracted a lot of attention during the walk through her village and apparently the news had spread to him that he had visitors, so he left work to come and join us. It was a lovely visit with a lovely women (constantly smiling, hugging us, and thanking us for coming), and a nice way to ease into the home visits.

Erica's house was close by so we were able to walk after saying goodbye to Fausta. Her living conditions were a stark contrast to Fausta's. She lives in a small dark room with a metal roof without any electricity. Erica lives with her Uncle and cousins so that she can get to school more easily (even so it is a 2 hour journey to school every day). Her son Victor stays in another village with her other family members. Once we had settled in, Erica started crying as she explained that she had nothing to offer us to eat or drink. We tried to console her and explain that we had come to see and talk to her, and that nothing else mattered. It was heartbreaking to see how upset she was. She said that once she graduates she would like to embroider fabric.

I was astonished at how much effort the students have to put in to get to school every day (and I know that some of the other students have it much worse). It is amazing that they are able to balance their studies with all of their other responsibilities. I also don't know how Monika will pick who gets to start their businesses at the co-op (every term a couple students get the start up capital from GHTA and run their businesses out of the organization's space in town). So many of them of try so hard, and it's very difficult to see all of the challenges they have simply because of the position they were born into.

Volunteer in Tanzania, Africa in September

2011-07-27T00:35:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and supporters. Give a Heart To Africa is in great need of volunteers in the month of September. If you, or anybody you know, may be interested in volunteering, please, let us know at info@giveahearttoafrica.org
September is a great time to volunteer in our school. Volunteers will be involved in new student recruitment and interviews, in selecting students for next semester and in preparing and putting on a graduation for existing students.
Join us in September
Thank you for your support
GHTA

my time at GHTA

2011-07-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

I came here for 3 weeks to volunteer and I think it's all going to sink in properly after I leave, which is in a few days.
It's amazing how one can connect with people on such a deep level and feel so much love for one another. I love Africa, Tanzania, Give a Heart to Africa.

Among my best experiences (and they have all been amazing so it's really hard to choose) have been meeting the students and the teachers. A few days ago, we went to take baby neema on her first day of school. She had such a big smile on her face and seemed so excited to be starting school. Her school is located in a beautiful and lush area on the foothills of Kilimanjaro mountain. It dawned on me how many people in more fortunate countries take their education for granted. Monika went and paid for her fees, and for her uniforms, books, mattress, sheets, and farming gear (a dress and a sickle for farming which they do on the weekends and is common in boarding schools here). For children here, just attending secondary school is a luxury.

Our home visit was also eye opening. We visited Grace in her small hut and it was the first time I saw how many people live here. She had made so much food for us, relative to how much she has, and it was just so amazing to be there and share that experience.

The translator/teachers here (Herman, Panina and Rahimu were the one's I met) were also so lovely. They are all working so hard and are creating a decent life for themselves. It makes me want to go back home to Canada and appreciate everything I have, use every tool I have been given and acquired in my years and really work hard. Make the best of our situation.

I am inspired and feel blessed to have been a part of all this

Passion in Motion

2011-05-05T10:44:00.005-07:00

Recently our dedicated and passionate students at Give a Heart to Africa graduated. Over 40 students graduated after an intensive 6-month education program in English, Business and Computers. The majority of the students are women that hold only a primary education due to the poverty and social structure in Tanzania. Continuing education is a luxury and predominately a big challenge for women. The aim of this well-run NGO is primarily to empower Tanzanian women through free education and providing these women with the fundamental skills to aid work opportunities and financial independence. The 6-month program is offered free to the students with volunteers from around the world dedicating their time and resources to teach and support the NGO.

An eventful, emotional and colourful day marked the Graduation for Class of October 2010 to May 2011. We wish our students every success as they embark on a new and enlightened journey to enter the work force or to further their education.

A final component to their 6-month studies required all students to submit a business plan to secure one of two placements in the Give a Heart to Africa Co-Operative store to sell goods and reap the rewards of profit. The successful students this year; Serapia and Grace will join three previous students in a shop front in downtown Moshi.

Serapia – is selling niche sports shoes for men
Grace – is selling fashion to the young and hip Tanzanian college women

The students embarked on an 8-hour road trip to Dar Es Saleem to spend $2million Tanzanian Shillings on inventory each to stock their shelves. Good luck ladies with the business venture. Moshi is waiting for your inspiration!

Follow the Give a Heart to Africa website for more updates and details about this wonderful program and how you can volunteer and give your heart to Africa!

http://www.giveahearttoafrica.org/

A warm welcome by two students - Flora and Hidija

2011-04-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

Fridays are home visit day, we go and visit the students at their homes to understand more about who they are, where they come from and meet their family. It turns out it is quite a privelage to have "mzungo" white people in your home.

We met Flora one of my struggling English students at the disused railway station to be taken to her house, (pictured on the left) Flora tries so hard at school she smiles a lot and is one of the first ones to put up her hand in class.

Flora took us to her small room within a mud hut, it was pretty shocking turning the corner and seeing this mud hut with gaps in the walls and corregated sheet for a roof, I didn't get any pictures outside as it really didin't feel appropriate... The room inside was very cosy 2 double beds 3 chairs and a very small table, there was 6 of us and it was a tight squueze for us all to fit in. Flora told us that her 4 girls live there with her. Her husband died recently and her 3 boys live away with other relatives.

Flora served us lunch, which was pretty humbeling when she has nothing - kidney beans in a cocunut sauce and chapati - it was lovely! We talked but her English was very bad so most of it was through the inturpreter Herman. Flora told us she makes donuts and sells them at the local supermarkets. We told her she should bring some to school so it will be interesting to see if she brings them into school sometime soon!

We bid out Asante sana's (goodbye and thank you very much in Swahili) and headed to our second students home - Hidijya - she picked us up with her one year old baby and took us to her house.

Hidijia is 23 years old and in the top class for English and is very good in class - she is a keen student and always smiling. She lives with her mother and brother - there was no mention of a husband so we didn't ask - being a single mother is very common in Tanzania. She immediately went and bought us fizzy drinks - there is no diet options here. Coke Cola is all over Tanzania - however did there marketing did a very good job but its such a shame to see people wasting there money on these sugary drinks..

While talking to Hadijya the local children from all around gathered sitting at her front door - it felt like we were VIP's. They all loved there photos taken and there was smiles all round.

I am so looking forward to more home visits - it gives such a good feel for what challenges and issues our students face

A day trip out - The Maasai Village

2011-04-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to a maasai village on Sunday (my day 3!) with a Siyanga a maasai boy who is a former student, to visit his family and see how the Massai’s live. The volunteers pay Siyenga for this trip and it funds his rent in Moshi for six months so he can go to school – GAHTA does so many amazing things like this!!

We arrived at the village after a 2k walk from the main road, we were greeted by his mum and father and many children from his extended family. He has 7 brothers and sisters from his dad’s first wife and 7 from his dads second wife. They all live together in a small area in mud huts.

We went into his mothers mud hut for chai tea and bread and to talk with his brother and uncle. They asked us questions about our countries agriculture through Siyanga – he asked me what England was famous for I said meat, veggies and potatoes!! Good answer me thinks! Then he wanted to know how long it took to grow a potato.. umm 4 months?!?

We brought the family gifts of rice and sugar and I had brought the children colouring books and crayons which they loved! They had one between 2 which they shared well and spent ages colouring amazingly carefully – they were still working on them 2 hours later. I also took them bubbles which was a riot, they loved them, at first I had to show them and they were scared if a bubble touched there skin but they caught on fast and I had 25 children clambering over me to have a go!

The camera was also a great source of entertainment, they had met a few groups of volunteers before so they knew how it worked but they loved having their pictures taken and then look at them, even the mothers loved this!

I was shocked at how happy and content the families are - they seriously do not have much at all, it is so fantastic that give a heart to Africa has helped Sienga further his education so he can get a job and hopefully change the future of this family. It was also interesting that the children where so fascinated by my skin, they where touching my arm to try and understand how it was so white and so very different from theres.

The trip was fantastic and we were made to feel so very welcome!

In Memory of Robert Marchesini

2011-04-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

Give a Heart To Africa would like to extend our condolences to Roberto Marchesini's family and friends as they have recently lost a man very dear to their heart. In his honour, Roberto's friends have decided to form the Roberto Marchesini's fund to help support some of our students. On our students' behalf, we would like to thank Mr. Marchesini's friends for their great support and generosity.
Sincerely, Monika Fox, E.D., Give a Heart To Africa

Statement by Mr. Piero Zucchelli:
The grief of the past few days has been terrible: even those that had not seen Robi form many years are feeling the void that he has left . Roberto was very special and to honor his memory and keep it alive not just in our hearts but also among the people around us we would like to do something special.
Robi studied physics at the University of Ferrara, all of us that had the privilege to attend classes with him cannot forget his humility and talent, that he always worked very hard to improve himself and to make the best out of the opportunities that life had to offer.
We believe the best way to honor Roberto's memory is to offer other young and bright students the opportunity to follow his steps, to improve and educate themselves so that they can to choose their path.
We identified a non-profit organization, “Give a Heart to Africa”, which empower people less fortunate than us to improve themselves through education.“Give a Heart to Africa” helps people at the feet of Kilimanjaro to learn English, to use a computer, to develop business skills with the goals to improve their quality of life.
Coordinating with them, we have decided to create a fund in memory of Roberto Marchesini. Robi has left us, but thanks to him many other Robis will get an opportunity, and maybe one day they will have the chance of arriving where he has arrived.

I will miss...

2011-03-17T04:35:00.000-07:00

Somebody has asked me what I will miss more about Moshi and GHTA. I would say many things. I would say when kids see me coming and run to hug me. When Samueli says: "teacher, teacher, gari." When I finish the class and students say with shinning eyes: "asante sana, teacher". When Peter says: "teacher, I have a question." I'll miss sharing the house with the girls and Monika's laughs. I'll miss the walk and having some soda at the Coffee Shop. I will mamas walking with food and shoes on their heads! I'll miss Magreth's dinner and yes I do love beans!!! I'll miss Kasanda picking us up to Impala Hotel (pool time!) I will miss home visits and all generosity and welcoming from our students. I'll miss Lusajo talking about politics, football and revolution! I'll miss Herman's smile and patience. Penina's chaming and intelligence. Rahimu's partnership and support. Yes, I will miss Excel's formulas and calculations! I'll miss all this and much more... and for sure I will never forget GHTA. Asante sana. Lili de Caires

Giving technology to educate with technology

2011-02-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

After coming home from Tanzania back in October, like a lot of the other volunteers, I found it difficult to adjust to being home at first, and wanted to do something to help.

Having taught the computer classes, it became clear that more laptops were needed. Out of the three subjects, the computer class was the one that faced difficulties just for its dependency on technology. Power cuts would disrupt classes as half the laptops had dead batteries. Parts needed to be replaced, viruses were infecting the machines, and general wear and tear were making it hard to tell how much longer they'd last.

I work in an industry which relies heavily on technology, I'm surrounded by geeks, and I am one myself. I'm also lucky enough to work for a company which classes "generosity" as one of its core values; so it only made sense for me to try and find a way to get some parts or unwanted laptops sent over.

After several emails and meetings, working the charm, and the CEO hearing about GHTA; the CEO stood up in front of the entire company during an event, shared the cause and information about GHTA, then announced that they would be donating brand new laptops for the school...hell, I would have been happy with old laptops, but who am I to argue with the CEO :P

One of the hard things with organising something like this, is making sure the money is used wisely. Working in an IT company has its advantages, but its also challenging. I live in a world that has high speed internet, wireless devices, and touchscreen computers; where everything is cutting edge. Explaining that we just needed basic machines rather than top of the range was foreign for some. I was getting laptop specs that had all the bells and whistles, but I knew spending on these extras would not be utilised well, and we could get more basic machines for the same price.

I made it my mission to find the right balance, and was a women possessed; to the point where a number of us were finding suitable machines; I was dragging my friends to Walmart at 2am (when on holiday) to find out the cheapest prices possible. If that's not dedication, I don't know what is!

After lots of coordinating across the board (Team US, Team UK and Team Tanzania), donations from friends and colleagues, lots of phone calls, emails, skype conversations, laughter and perseverance; GHTA received 5 brand new laptops, and 20 mice - the non-furry kind!

Monika emailed saying the laptops would be used in class this week. It makes me smile to know that:

classes will run more smoothly due to fully charged working batteries;
the students will learn to use the mice to navigate around the computer screens - during the internet cafe visits the students didn't know what to do with the mice;
I have gained a great appreciation for how difficult it is to do things remotely;
and that yet again my charm has done its job =P

To any potential volunteers/donators reading this - if sending or bringing a laptop is feasible, then you really will be helping to ensure the class keeps running and growing. It plays such an important part in the school, and helping the students better their skillset; and if anything, it would make sure Monika brushes up on her skills to bring out her inner IT Guru. =P

Women's Co-operative

2011-01-02T00:15:00.000-08:00

Give a Heart To Africa's Women's Co-operative opened its doors in November 2010 and it now houses three of our former graduates' businesses. In 6 months it will house 3 more, always accommodating up to 6 students, 3 rotating every 6 months. Give a Heart To Africa assists the new business owners with store space and annual rent, initial inventory, advertising and on-going business advice. They are allowed to stay in the co-operative for up to a year which should be sufficient time for them to gain valuable hands on business experience and make enough profit to move out and have a business of their own. Our first business women are: Christina - sewing and fabrics; Gaudencia - cosmetics; Eunice - shoes (yes, those high heels do sell :-)

We wish them all the best of luck, it will be a wonderful experience for us all...

Purchasing our students' first inventory

2010-10-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

We went to Dar es Salaam with 3 of our students last week to purchase their first inventory for our GHTA co-operative. They kept saying there were not tired, they were just happy and excited ;-)

Graduation - Class of 2010

2010-10-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

Put those computer skills to good use

2010-09-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

"You type so fast, its like you were born with a computer in your hands"

That's what one of the students said today when we were hastily retyping her Excel work after the computer switched off due to overheating.

Technology seems to be a luxury item here, not only at GHTA, but in Tanzania. We currently have eight machines, now that another recently made its way to computer heaven. Its hard to comprehend how something which is so readily available at home, is so needed here. Some of the students have had to share laptops during lessons, and for the most part, computer class is the only opportunity they have to practice what they have learned in a previous session. I've watched them redraw the spreadsheets they've created in Excel onto paper. It takes the whole concept of "backing up" to a whole new level.

Its been just over a week since I arrived here in GHTA, and after observing some of the computer classes before Sergio left, I was feeling a slight sense of panic; thinking...will I do a good job? Will the students understand me? Can I really teach them what they need to know in time?

The classes themselves involve teaching (a max of 10 students at a time) how to apply the lessons from business class to spreadsheets; and doing calculations and charts in Excel. However, saving, formatting, and writing formulas can often be a challenge. Up until now, the closest I'd ever come to teaching, was a workshop in my job where there were no language barriers, no cultural nuances, and everyone was on an intermediate level. To say I was a tad nervous of sharing my skills with people who were 3 weeks away from their finals was an understatement.

Classes are generally setup with a translator, the teacher, and an additional volunteer if available/needed. The students are split into two groups of level 1 and level 2; with level 1 being the beginners, and level 2 the quicker learners. You can definitely see the differences between both groups; and even within each group; the varying levels of skillset and understanding.

I often think I'm going too fast, or going too slow, and on occasion have been caught off guard with how different each lesson can be; but to be perfectly honest with you, I'm loving it. The level 2 classes always seem a bit more serious, possibly because they pick things up quickly and feel they have something to prove. The level 1 classes though, they're my favourites. The students tend to be older, not as technically skilled, but a joy to watch. Telling them to make things "boldi" and to "clicki" on the mouse (words that have no specific kiswahili translation which end in a consenent automatically have an "i" added) can be challenging; but to see their reactions when they get something right...when the penny drops. It just makes it worth it.

I've had the opportunity to spend some time chatting to the students, getting to know them; and joking around. Last week, I would often be met with silence or confused looks on their faces, whereas this time around the students are more interactive. Its hard to judge how much of an impact you make on these people's lives; but when I'm greeted daily with smiles, and hugs, and "asante sanas"; it makes it all the more enjoyable.

Today I went into class and informed the students I would be going back home the end of next week, which was met with some looks of surprise and sadness. I told them that until I left, I would be available to help them when they wanted, because after all...that's why I came here. I explained that I wanted to see them all pass, and expected all of them to be in the graduation photo, seeming as its a fair trade off for flying all the way from London ;-)

According to the other volunteers, its not usual for people to stay after class; so it was nice to see 5 of them turn up today...I think I'm warming to them all; either that or my skills of emotional blackmail have done the job. =P

Wazungu Adventures Lake Chala

2010-09-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

On a recommendation from a friend, Victoria, Carissa, Andrea and I decided to venture outside our neighborhood for a day trip to Lake Chala. The excitement began at the bus station where we were besieged with kind offers of transport. Our friend had already given us some good advice (and a brochure), which we had confirmed by phone with the owners of the campground, especially regarding the necessary transportation (and the fees) from Moshi. We boarded an empty dala dala (yes, I know that seems like an oxymoron) and had only gotten as far as the Maji roundabout (known locally as a “turn lefti”) when the driver and his sidekick wanted to “talk.” This, we learned, meant “negotiate terms.” Although he believed that we four “wazungu” would fall for his scheme, we had already informed ourselves on cost: TZS 2500. He urged us to let him be our day’s transporter, i.e. skip the taxi segment—he would be exclusively ours—for about TZS 100,000. It needs to be stated, that this persuasive argument was conducted in Kiswahili—he thought he had the advantage there; however, as “hapana” was an integral component of our rudimentary language, we burst his dream of the day. For the uninitiated to dala dala travel, this meant a lot, I repeat, a lot of stops to pick up passengers on the way to Himo, on the Kenyan border. We were far from alone when we arrived there, only to be set upon by taxi drivers, anxious to drive us the 30 minutes to Lake Chala. Our dala driver, of course, had a recommendation, and despite the fact that his fee was already 10,000 TZS higher than we expected to pay, we piled in (since we were still far below the 100,000 TZS offer we’d spurned). As we arrived, he insisted on his “asante”, but we were firm that we’d covered that already, to the tune of an extra ten thousand.

The campground is beautiful, with lovely tent sites, a huge kitchen facility, a bar/restaurant, clean restrooms, a pavilion for gatherings and very friendly folks. After a “leisurely lunch,” we opted for a guided tour that included the crater as well as the gorgeous lake. in the dry riverbed, we watched some monkeys and baboons before we continued through the grassy paths to the crater, when, suddenly, one guide spotted a poacher of grasses. This fellow became our POW, his tools now confiscated by the guide. Later, he retrieved his bundle, carrying it on his head, returning to the campsite with one of the guides. We can only assume that he did not persuade the owner to let him keep the bundle. Our descent to the lake was steep, but what a reward—the lake is absolutely stunning. There were quite a number of others who’d enjoyed the sun and water already. In our concern for the parasites often lurking in fresh water, we only enjoyed the view and the sunshine—actually quite enough. On our steep return, Victoria and I quickly affirmed to our guide that the “bibis” were far quicker climbers than the “watoto” with us, but maybe they were just savoring the view longer than we!

The campground owner had tried to secure a taxi for our return to Himo, but since the local drivers were anxious to turn a big profit, he’d arranged an alternative--a pickup truck to fetch us--for gas money. Little did we know that we’d get to visit the “gas station” en route. As we pulled up to a house “to get gas,” we wondered where we were and where the pumps were. Quickly, though, a plastic jug with a short hose and a strainer were supplied. A young woman hoisted, then poured the gas from a huge container, while the male driver managed to hold the strainer. Hmmmm, we thought, but we were just passengers, wazungu in the back of a pickup truck, glad to have a ride in the lovely late afternoon light and fresh breezes. It was short-lived, for when we arrived in Himo, we squeezed in to a dala dala, sitting on the “hot seat” (the bench behind the driver that gets pretty toasty in 30 minutes). It is always the best place to sit so that ALL of the other passengers can gaze on your pale faces throughout the trip. I sat opposite a woman with, shall I say, an “oversized” basket from the market—we both had it on our laps all the way to Moshi. I counted 24 people in that vehicle. I thought the students had told me that 20 was the maximum, but I didn’t bring that up to anyone. As we neared the YMCA on the Majengo Road, we decided to relinquish our seats to others instead of riding on to the bus station. I can only hope that those who occupied the “hot seat” were as grateful as we were to give it up. Just another mzungu adventure…what will we do next?

How I got to GHTA

2010-09-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

On the last day of my 29+ years of teaching, one of my students asked me what my plans for retirement were. I said that I would probably teach something somewhere and that I’d like to learn another language. Little did I know that within the hour, an opportunity would appear: Give a Heart to Africa came on my radar. Just when I thought that I would head off to the beach with four grandchildren without any commitments, I changed gears, started getting lots of shots, and stunned my children with the announcement that I was heading to Tanzania for eight weeks. I even celebrated my 63^rd birthday at the end of July, first with two home visits to students and then with a delightful home-cooked feast, complete with chocolate cake, at the home of a fellow Ohioan and new friend in Moshi. I write these lines with purpose: I thought of a lot of reasons why I couldn’t go: family; age; deadlines; uncertainty, the same reasons you might think of to keep you safe and sound in your own little world. But I want to tell you two things, first, I did it anyway, and second, you can, too! My two months in Moshi opened my eyes to many things I didn’t expect, and each of them was wonderful. The 37 students that I taught in English (with a little German thrown in for fun) were amazing. With a blackboard and chalk as my tools, we just got busy learning together. My Swahili lessons from Herman helped me understand why a few concepts were especially difficult for them since they don’t exist in Kiswahili. These men and women were eager to learn, and they showed me every day how much value they place on education. I feel a little guilty, now that I am back at home, because I am sure that I learned far more than I taught. The joyful, generous attitudes of the students energized me. They got to laugh at my Mzungu adventures with dala dalas and new foods since those appeared in their sentence translations. They patiently endured stories of my American students and my grandchildren, all in the course of conversation in English. Give a Heart to Africa is an amazing opportunity for you to experience the joy of living and learning, regardless of your age, your life stage, or your background. It was a delight to live together with volunteers from the UK, Canada, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand in the two months I spent there. I can tell you that I walked ever so slowly to the steps of the plane, taking in the starry night sky of Africa for the last time, and I left a piece of my heart there.

You Are What You Eat

2010-06-29T08:45:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd write a bit today about the food here in Tanzania. There are no big supermarkets in Moshi (well, at least not yet, though I've heard that ShopRite will soon be opening up: hooray!) -- just small local "mom & pop" grocery stores. A couple of them are known for carrying "mzungu" (white person) products, such as yogurt, cheddar cheese, Cadbury milk chocolate, bran flakes, cornflakes, granola (and other cereals), Marmite, Pringles and the like. Things like olive oil are extremely expensive, so, after finishing the two miniature bottles I brought with me from Spain (from the takeaway cafe near work), I've now resorted to regular vegetable oil (not the same, but without a salary for 4 1/2 months, I need to be a bit more careful!). So far, after one month here (yes, already!), my staples at Aleem's Grocery seem to be red wine (usually from South Africa), taro chips (like potato chips but made out of the taro root and with less oil), crackers, bran flakes, butter (most Tanzanians use something between margarine and vegetable fat), and cheddar cheese. We get our milk from the local shack right outside our house. Every couple of mornings I go there with my plastic pitcher and the woman who owns the shack fills it for me. The first time I tried asking for the milk in Swahili I asked for 2 liters of thieves (I said "mwizi", instead of "maziwa"). Since the milk is straight from the cow, we have to boil it for 5 minutes (we also boil our water before drinking it). I haven't seen any pasteurized/homogenized milk in the stores here. You can get UHT milk in the "mzungu" grocery stores, but it's quite expensive -- and why get zapped milk if you can get it fresh??!! At the shack you can also buy white bread, all different kinds of soap (for bodies or clothing), toilet paper, eggs, donuts, and other various items. Behind the shack is another shack but that one is called a "container" (I have no idea why). There, one can buy sugar, rice, and other stuff. Everyone buys veggies and fruits either from local stands or from the outdoor market. Of course, if you're a mzungu like me, your bound to get ripped off. I guess you really can't blame the locals -- it's their chance to make a little more money than usual... Still, I've asked Monika for "acceptable" prices to pay so that I'm not completely taken advantage of. I have yet to venture into the market on my own--yes, still, after 1 month--hence I just pay the prices that Monika pays, which is still more than a local would pay but less than a tourist). Every day I feel closer to taking that step into the "lion's den" (i.e. the market) by myself. I will get there, I know it. My usual market purchases are tomatoes (you can only buy the "plum" variety), cucumbers (like the kind in the U.S.--i.e., smooth skinned--and not the kind in Spain which have bumpy skin), carrots (huge), and bananas (the miniature variety). However, every once and a while I get a little more adventurous and I buy, for instance, lentils, green peppers, mandarin oranges or regular oranges (which both have tons of pits). At the market you can also by white rice, split peas, a whole range of beans--most of which I don't know the names for--various grains (I think the locals make flour out of them) and stuff I have no idea what it is. You cannot by chick peas (an important piece of info if you're Spanish). I only have to prepare breakfast and lunch for myself -- dinner is "on the house". Which brings me to our evening meals...Until this past week, Monika had been the sole dinner cook, but that changed as of last Monday. It is now a former Give A Heart To Africa School student--I'll call her "M" to keep her anonymous--who prepares our meals since Monika will be going home to Canada for two months in a week's time. "M" has cooked for the house before, but there were some issues -- like not arriving on time, not coming with sufficient ingredients to cook for the number of people living in the house, and making meals that were not very appetizing (sounds promising?). The thing is, "M" has been repeatedly beaten by her husband. Not that long ago, he broke her leg, though I don't know how it happened. She finally moved out of the house (a big deal here, since people are very religious Christians and believe "until death do us part") and moved in with her brother who's a pastor at a local church, sending her only son (12-13 years old) to live with his grandmother in the south of the country, since she was afraid for him. Now, however, some big-wig white priest/pastor (her brother's superior, I believe) told her she couldn't stay with her brother in the church and had to move back home to be with her husband (until death do them part...). So, now she's back with him. She said that things were bad and that she's afraid. Monika decided to give her another chance to cook for us to help her make some money and get out of her situation. Hopefully "M" will be able to go home in September to visit her son, whom she hasn't seen for more than a year and who is refusing to go to school. I'm glad to report that, so far, "M" is coming on time and the cooking is pretty good. One of last week's meals was particularly delicious -- ugali (like a thick polenta, made from corn flour and water), cabbage, and spinach. Tanzanians eat ugali with their hands and use it to scoop up whatever is accompanying it. Since "when in Rome do as the Romans," I followed local custom. You have to mold the ugali into a ball in your hand, then flatten it a bit (all the time using only the one hand) and use it to scoop up the other stuff -- a bit messy, but fun (in my opinion). The night before that, we had rice with orange-colored split peas (not very interesting). Usually, we have either rice, potatoes, or ugali along with any variety of veggies and or beans or other "legumes" (lentils, split peas, etc.). The standard veggies seem to be any mix including one or more of the following: zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, peas (fresh), cabbage, and string beans. I'm trying to introduce the idea of something similar to pumpkin, which they have in the market. Last week we had cabbage pasta! If you haven't yet guessed, Monika is a vegetarian and does not cook with meat (looking at the meat hanging up in the market, I don't blame her!). Lusajo and I tried to convince Monika to put french fries on the menu (very popular here and known as "chips" like in England) with choice of either eggs or chicken (a traditional dish here), but we were voted down. Once a week we eat dinner at one of the little shacks on the university campus (our house is on campus) -- Monika, Petro (our Maasai nightwatchman), and me. The guys always get the same (with their fill of meat) and the gals always get the same (rice, spinach, and beans -- like baked beans, but not sweet). I think we eat for under 3 or 4 euros in total!

Class of September 2009 - March 2010

2010-04-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

23 of our students graduated on April 2nd proudly accepting their certificates. Give a Heart To Africa will assist 3 of its students to start a business over the next 2 months as well as we were able to find a job for two of our graduates. We wish them all the best

"Happy & Neema Coffee Company"

2010-02-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

Give a Heart To Africa is very proud to share with you that thanks to a very generous donation from the US, two of our students, Happy and Neema, were able to start their own coffee business. Both Happy and Neema are single mothers studying and working very hard to support their children so owning their own business is truly a dream come true for them as it will ensure that their children will always be provided for. We are now in the process of assisting them with their new business venture to ensure their financial records are accurate and properly kept and that their sales and marketing strategies are successful.
Thank you so much for all your support!!!!!!!!

Marie Claire Magazine Interview

2010-02-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

Give a Heart to Africa was featured in an on-line publication of Marie Claire Fashion Magazine this week. We are very thankful for the opportunity so big thank you to Marie Claire and specifically to Sally and Christina for helping us set up the interview.
We can't wait to show it to our students today, especially to Happy and Neema whose picture is included with the article.
Thank you!
http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/opinion/give-a-heart-to-africa

Ali arrives at GHTA!

2010-01-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

I have just finished my first week of volunteering with GHTA and it has been amazing! The people in the class are SO nice, and they are so happy to see me each day. We have classes Monday to Thursday and I found that on Friday, when we didn’t have class, I missed the students! I’m teaching English and it’s so interesting to think about and learn the best way to teach your native language to others – especially in a way that is relevant to them and their lives.

Some of the students are just so amazing and so inspiring. It’s humbling to see how desperate many of them are to learn, and to think of how much we take education for granted at home. The students are so helpful as well. One of them took me into town and spent an afternoon with me, helping me to do many errands. And, next week, a couple of the girls are taking me to get my toes painted! They are so sweet. I had my first home visit on Friday, and the family was so hospitable. It is so interesting to see where and how a student lives and to understand their family environment and dynamics.

Monika, who founded and runs the charity, is absolutely incredible. She cares about the students so much and is so dedicated to them. She is passionate about helping them – but not blindly so. She expects them to work hard and doesn’t tolerate laziness. She takes a lot of time to select her students carefully (the current class of 32 was picked from 80 applicants) and she makes sure she really understands their personal situations and their business plans. She won’t help students financially until she’s sure they will use the money responsibly. I have so much respect for her. She is also such a fun and nice person, so living in the house with her always means lots of laughs.

Overall, I’m incredibly impressed so far. I researched over 50 options for volunteering and I’m so glad that I chose GHTA. I really believe my presence here is making a difference in people’s lives. I already know that a month here won’t be enough!

You must be joking...?!

2009-11-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

If someone had said to me four months ago, you’re going to spend November in Africa teaching English in a little school at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, I would have laughed at them and then called for the men in the white coats. But it’s November, and here I am, working as a volunteer for a small organisation called Give a Heart to Africa, teaching English.
It is so far removed from anything that I have ever done before, and is comfortably the most rewarding experience I have ever had.

Give a Heart to Africa is an organisation run by Monika, a successful and talented business woman, which aims to empower local women and men, by giving them English, Business and Computer skills which they would not otherwise have access to. There are around 30 students in the beginners class and ten who have moved on to study at an intermediate level, with a 60/40 split between women and men, and ages which range from 16-42.

Unlike other volunteer programmes, when you work with Monika, you are able to contribute from day one, and never feel that you are living in a ‘protected western oasis’. On the contrary, the experience is very real, and through contact with both the students, and Tanzanian friends which Monika has made here, you are immersed in the Tanzanian culture and way of life, and your experience is the richer for that.

An average day for me, is to get up around 7am, shower, have breakfast, check my lesson plan for the day – I teach English – and pack up the laptops to take down to the classroom. There are only 8 laptops, several of which are on their last legs, and students have to share and take turns, which means that their learning is hindered due to lack of equipment. [So frustrating when perfectly good laptops are discarded at home just because they are not the latest model.] Having set up the laptops in one of the three small classrooms, Monika and I then take our respective classes – business and English – swapping the groups after 90 minutes so that all of the students have received the same teaching.
After lunch, the intermediates arrive for either business or English, while the beginners have the opportunity to have extra practice time on the computers. There is also a programme for a small number of local children, who arrive eager for playtime with colouring books, lego and puzzles, or for a lesson in basic English.

I love the satisfaction of teaching the students, and watching as the light bulbs go on around the classroom, as what I am teaching them clicks, and they fully understand. Their beaming smiles and the appreciation they clearly feel for what I am doing, will always stay with me as treasured memories.

You give a fair amount of yourself in terms of both time, and on occasion emotion working for Give a Heart… but trust me, you get back so much more than you could ever hope to give, and you leave knowing that you have helped to enrich the lives of these people who are financially very poor, but enormously rich in spirit, determination and support for each other. I have never met people like them and I feel humbled by their generosity of spirit and amazingly positive attitude to their often difficult lives.

Being a small organisation, Give a Heart to Africa suffers from lack of the publicity that other large volunteer organisations have money to pay for, and as a result Monika can never feel fully confident that she will have the volunteers she needs to keep the school open. So if you are reading this blog, and you know someone who is looking to volunteer in Africa, or maybe you are looking to volunteer yourself and want to experience the pleasure of helping others in this way, please contact Monika at www.Giveahearttoafrica.org

Sandy's GHTA Experience

2009-11-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

I never thought that one person, in such a small timeframe, could do so much! When I went to GHTA I was amazed with the work that Monika had already achieved! Her passion for perfection, her untiring spirit, and her selfless devotion to the community left me speechless.

So how could I compete with a person who sleeps and wakes up with the goal of achieving her dream? Who agonizes endlessly whether and how she could help her students? Who spent her weekends drawing up lesson plans for the next week?

My experience with GHTA was an eye opener. I worked as a teacher’s assistant in computer classes, even though computers are not something that usually appeal to me. But one goes to Africa not to choose to do what they want, but to offer whatever help they can. You don’t have a choice when you see all the adult students want to learn as much as they can; you have to help them because they too have dreams and goals, and the only thing that is missing is the education and knowledge to achieve them. And if you offer them all these, they show their appreciation by accepting you into their small world with open arms.

My experience in the afternoons was different. Teaching the area’s children English, I really saw how forgotten they are, even from God. Starving, dirty, they came to our school to learn, to play, to see a movie while eating the peanut butter sandwiches we made them, to wash their hands with wet naps because they smelled nice. Always with a smile on their face, waiting in the yard and running to my arms because they knew that I always had something to give them, we would always do an interesting project with arts and crafts, because they knew they would always learn something that would make them proud when the finally figured out what they had learned. I loved every minute of it and I miss them.

Every Thursday, the adult classes would have English conversation. Yet another great idea from Monika to try and help her students to improve their English. While talking together in the class, I came face to face with the problems they met in reality, their dreams, and their thirst to learn what was going on in the rest of the world. Their thirst for every small tidbit of information about how stuff works—like the Russian mafia or how the youth of Greece overthrew the Junta after 7 years of rule. They wanted to learn everything and their questions came like rain.

I cannot forget to write about ‘home visits.’ Every Friday, with Monika and Ima—who worked as a translator and has helped us very much in the whole project—and the rest of the volunteers, we visited the houses of our students in the attempt to include some of them in the ‘Adopt a Family’ program—those that really had a need. Their families, even with their paucity, offered us as much as they could to show us their hospitality and their thanks that we took their children, and sometimes themselves, at our school for free, to thank us for the opportunity we gave them to educate themselves. I spelt such honor going into these humble homes—even if they did not have a lot, they had something that is missing from a lot of Western homes—their smiles and their love which they gave happily, without expecting anything back.

As much as possible, every day we participated in a ‘debate’ organized by another organization at a school in Sweto. Yet another unforgettable experience. Young people from Moshi, who wanted to practice their English, would get together to debate different social issues. Their uncertainty in how they could help their community, the best way to deal with certain social issues, how we, as foreigners, could help them to help themselves, these were some of the issues that we discussed.

I misss the experiences that I gained through volunteering at GHTA. I would strongly recommend it to anyone. I miss the warmth I experienced from all of our students and their families. I miss that at every moment, I was made to feel like I was part of their family, and not a MZUNGU.

A Dream come true

2009-11-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

All my life I've wanted to go to Africa and volunteer in some capacity. It was fate when one day I saw the posting for volunteer services needed in Tanzania with "Give a Heart to Africa". This organization is helping Tanzanian adults by teaching them basic life skills to survive in a country that is so rife with poverty. My students ranged in age from 17 to 46. I taught them English and everyday was a new adventure for us all. They enjoyed learning just as much as I enjoyed teaching them. Besides English they also attended classes in Business and Computers.

They were so eager to learn, some of them walked for over an hour to come to school. What impressed me the most was the pride these individuals have. You would never know to look at them that some of them came from very poor neighborhoods and slums and lived in corrugated shacks. They would wear their one good shirt and pair of trousers and be neat and presentable ready for their class every day. It was very gratifying to be in a situation where you can help better the lives of others less fortunate than yourself.

I stayed in Moshi for just over five weeks and every minute of it was utilized. My day would start with walking to the school and having two classes with 16 students in each class for an hour and half of solid English tuition and practice. This was followed by a quick walk home for lunch then a quick return to the school to look after young children in an after school program. It was a highlight for the children when we hooked up a laptop and had them sit down and watch a Disney movie. I’ll never forget the time I introduced them to "water color" paints. They couldn't understand how the little palettes of paint mixed with water actually turned the brush into a "crayon". The children ranged from 3 to 12 years old and they had never seen such a wonder. It was a joy to see real enthusiasm for the little things in life which we take so much for granted in our materialistic world.

I gave my Heart to Africa and it gave me a great deal in return. I am returning to my world a humbler individual cognizant of what I have around me and aware of how grateful one should be that one has had the privilege of being born in a different continent.

If you have just started reading this blog, I encourage you to catch up on previous blogs by other volunteers who have written about their own experiences.

Please find it in your hearts to donate to this organization and help us in our mission. Do tell your friends about us because as the saying goes "word of mouth is the best form of advertising.” Our website is www.Giveahearttoafrica.org and is filled with detailed information regarding our program.

An Amazing Two Months

2009-11-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

I will never forget my two months at GHTA where I had the privilege of teaching IT skills to a group of amazing individuals.

Having already been in Tanzania a month I had, by that time, visited several voluntary projects. To be honest with you, my opinion of them wasn’t great. Both in the way they used volunteers and how donations were spent.

As soon as I met Monika however I was struck by her sheer professionalism and dedication. As a previous volunteer on an alternative project, Monika had returned to Tanzania where, through her own funds, she had established GHTA. Monika does not pay herself a salary. Indeed, any money left from the programme fees (after food and rent has been paid) goes directly back into the school or helps to set up and maintain the students’ business projects (the majority of Tanzanians being self employed).

It’s hard to believe GHTA has only been running since June. Already the school has a dedicated group of intermediate students (from the previous terms) who willingly give their time to help the new pupils.

As for the students themselves I was struck by their joie de vie. They possessed the most beautiful smiles, and laughter could always be heard throughout the day.

On Fridays we had the opportunity to visit the students’ homes. In Western terms they had so little. Often four people could live in one room and share bathroom facilities with the neighbouring community. Yet in real terms they had so much. Even the most hardened individual would melt under the warmth and hospitality they showed us.

All in all I feel blessed to have been a part of this amazing project which, in such a small length of time, is already making huge differences to people's lives

Volunteer in Tanzania

2009-09-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Give a Heart To Africa is in search of volunteers to teach English, Business or Computers, as well as to work in our after school program.
If you, or anybody you know may be interested in this opportunity and/or would like to receive more information, please, contact us at info@giveahearttoafrica.org
Thank you so much for your help, our students will benefit from your support tremendously!
Monika

Please, pass on this message

Second Semester

2009-09-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

Give a Heart To Africa began its second semester. We were signing up new students the first week of September when we interviewed over 70 hopeful students and of those we selected 32. We still maintained an even split of 60/40 between women and men and I must admit that this time around the women are outperforming the men thus far.
Those students who completed the last semester are now attending our intermediate class. Their first business assignment was to work in a team, purchase fruits and vegetables in a local market and sell them in two hours. They were marked on team participation, leadership, creativity, business acumen and ROI.
We also purchased each intermediate student a library card so they can continue to learn and read. Each library card was 10,0000 Tsh which is absolutely insane in a country where minimum wage is 50,000 Tsh/month, a policy that is not followed as many of our students earn only 30,000 Tsh/month.
I would like to thank Stephanie, Ave and Janice for sending us calculators as it is making our business classes go much faster. And also very special thanks to Ave, Molly and Colgate University for sending us additional laptops. The novelty is that those computers have longer lasting batteries than the once we had previously so even on those days when we are without power (which seem to be more and more frequent) we can still continue to teach computers.
Thank you for your continuous support, I am amazed by everyone's generosity!

2009-09-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

My plan was to stay 4 weeks in Moshi..... But in the end I stayed almost for 3 months. What can I say? I really fell in love with the students, the school, Moshi, just everything!!

Saying that everything was always perfect would be truly lying. Beginning of July, Monika and I thought that we would have to close the school, because we didn't have enough teachers or translators. We already were very attached to our students and Monika fought for the survival of the school. Everything somehow worked out. Katy Mackenzie found our flyer in the tourist office in Arusha and was a great help!! In the same week, two Tanzanians, Emmanuel and Herson, visited the school and stayed as translators. They also were great help, not only did they translate during class, but accompanied us on home visits and on weekends, they often helped to translate lesson plans, the exams, speeches. We could really not have done it without them!! Asante sana!!
I would also like to thank our other Tanzanian volunteers (Gidion, our accountant teacher, Masoud our computer fundi and translator). I was impressed by their great generosity! Our volunteers were lucky to have secondary education and want to help their people. Stephanie Milluccini stayed with Monika for 3 weeks and straight away was very attached to our students and the students to her. She was a great help and wants to help further, advertising in Toronto.
In the beginning it wasn't easy to adapt a good pace in class. Not only that some students haven’t been in school for more than 20 years, but the school system in Tanzania is different from back home. The students are not used to thinking on their own, but are used to copying and repeating everything. In my class, many had never used a computer before and it took some of them 6 weeks to be able to shut down a computer properly. Therefore we are really proud of what our students have achieved!! Happy, for example didn't understand any English in the beginning, took really long to sympathize with the laptop and had a hard time with the business lessons. Half way through the semester, she suddenly started to catch up and in the end, she graduated with honors... Congratulations Happy!! I really believe that she will accomplish her dream of opening up a great coffee business with her friends Veronica and Neema.

Home visits
The home visits bounded us to our students. We saw their slums, their children and listened to their often very sad life stories. And often we faced surprises: Students whom we thought to be better off, had bad family situations, very happy students had devastating stories to tell. We were very lucky to visit one of our Massai students in his village near KIA (Kilimanjaro International Airport).(Stephanie posted a summary earlier with some pictures.) It was very hard to go back to our nice neighborhood, our house with ( at least most of the time) running water and electricity. These home visits really helped to confirm that Give a Heart to Africa is helping the right people and is doing a great job!

Graduation
One week before my departure, Give a Heart to Africa celebrated it's first graduation. It was a really funny and emotional ceremony. You could see how proud all of our students were, while holding their certificate. More then once, Monika, Stephanie, Katy and I had to hold back tears. Our mamas wrote a thank you song and Siyanga and his Massai friends performed a traditional dance. It was great to see the different tribes and cultures enjoying themselves so much.

2 years ago, I worked for a organization in South Africa. The money I invested in that organization helped finance the swimming pool, cars etc of the director instead of reaching the people who need it. After this experience, I was really skeptical towards help organizations. Give a Heart to Africa showed me that there are still good organizations out there. All the money is invested in the students.
Many might wonder why you have to pay to do voluntary help, but don't forget, that it's a free school, the classroom rent, school supplies (benches, black boards, desks, pencils, pens, notepads) and other things like library cards (our students should start to read and study more) have to be paid for.

My students have found a special place in my heart. I will never forget them and hope to see them again real soon.
I truly believe that my 3 month stay in Moshi didn't only help the students. Before going to Moshi, it was my dream to do humanitarian aid when finished with my medical studies. I now know, that it is really what I want to do in the future.

Thank you so much Give a Heart to Africa!

GHTA's First Graduation:)

2009-09-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

It is with great pride that we celebrated the graduation of our first group of students.

Though we were a bit sceptical whether the weather would cooperate, it turned out to be a beautiful day. Family and friends gathered to support the achievements of our hard-working graduates. We were very lucky to have over 30 Massai warriors in attendance on behalf of Siyanga who entertained us with their singing and dancing. Our beautiful mammas also performed an original song in our honour. Everyone had a great time!

We are so proud of our students, especially those who succeeded despite the numerous setbacks they have endured. After being out of school for 24 years, Happy graduated with honours. She struggles everyday to provide for her three daughters. She has and continues to endure such hardships but she refuses to give up. Happy dedicated so much time and effort to study and understand the material. Her achievement alone stands as a testament to the power of the soul and heart to triumph and succeed. She has an unshakable positive attitude and relentless drive. Happy is an inspiration to all.

We are also thankful for the endless contributions of our Tanzanian volunteers. This past session would not have been possible without their help, especially translating during class and the exams.

It was truly a momentous day for all. We truly hope that our graduates will continue to excel and are able to apply what they have learned to better their lives and the lives of their families.

Though we had a great time celebrating graduation, it is back to school for all of us at GHTA. Our second session of classes will begin next week and we have been busy recruiting new students. Our graduates will also be returning to partake in our intermediate level classes in the afternoon. We hope that this session will be as successful as the last.

Home Visit to a Massai Village

2009-08-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

This week’s student home visit was exceptionally unique. Siyanga is 21 and one of our brightest students at Give a Heart to Africa. He is also a Massai. He lives in town with some friends so that he can attend school, but his family still lives in their traditional Massai home. We took a surprisingly comfortable dala-dala ride out near KIA and then had to walk out about 20 minutes to reach the village. Another one of our students and Siyanga’s good friend, Herman, came along as he had never been to visit Siyanga’s family either. I don’t think any of us knew what to expect but it was definitely an incredible experience for all of us and one of the greatest days of my stay in Tanzania thus far.

Siyanga’s family is beautiful as you can see in the pictures. For the Massai, cattle are their livelihood. In order for Siyanga to attend secondary school, his father had to several cows. Though it is financially difficult for their family, we were happy to see that they encourage Siyanga’s studies and recognize how important education is for him to be successful in the future. We could see how appreciative they were that Siyanga is able to attend our school without having to pay school fees.

Siyanga’s family has so little yet their generosity is endless and we were overwhelmed by their hospitality. Since they knew that we would be unable to eat their traditionally prepared foods, one of Siyanga’s cousins bought us lunch. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing a meal together and learning about Siyanga’s heritage. It was so nice to see Siyanga in his traditional Massai dress, since at school he wears “mzungu” clothes. He is so proud of his culture and loved introducing us to all of his family members. We were honoured.

The Massai are polygamous so as Siyanga explained, his father has two wives, one of which is his mother. Understanding polygamous dynamics was difficult at first. I just couldn’t relate. But as Monika explained, their concept of marriage is very different from our own. In the West, we understand marriage as an emotional and exclusive commitment between two people. Rather, for the Massai, marriage is a form of financial security. For these women, “sharing” the same husband means having a place to live and food to eat. Likewise, for the father, having many children translates into wealth and a form of security during difficult times, like in drought.

Our day was filled with lots of Massai singing and dancing and Herman, Monika, Celine and I couldn’t help but join in. We had a great time. Siyanga’s family speaks Massai so communication was a bit difficult at times. But it was incredible how music was able to connect us all together even though words and language were unable to. Siyanga’s father loves listening to the radio, though he can’t understand English or Swahili. I must admit it was completely surreal to be in his home and listen to Michael Jackson play in the background!

I am privileged to have been given an intimate look at Siyanga’s family. I have seen how much they struggle to make ends meet and also how much they sacrifice in order to provide a better life for their son. Unfortunately, they were unable to fully cover the costs of secondary school so Siyanga still has two more years remaining before he can graduate. This poses a significant problem to him attending university and realizing his dream of becoming a judge. For more information about Siyanga and his family you can directly reach him at his newly established email siyangamsibe@yahoo.com or on Facebook. :)

Neema Paul

2009-08-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

With great, great sadness we would like to inform you all that one of our students, Mrs. Neema Paul, passed away of Typhoid late last night. We have long suspected she was very ill as her body was quite frail but none of us imagined her death to be quite so imminent.
She did her best to come to our school, surely knowing she was dying but still hoping to learn. She often kept to herself but as she was starting to get to know us better she grabbed Anna by her arm one day saying "Kwaheri" (goodbye) in her very deep raspy voice. Another time she brought a few dresses and very large underwear to school hoping we would buy some. And she was the reason why I asked some of you to ship us eye glasses as she could not see the black board even when she sat in the front row. She was a tough mama and I am certain none of us could even begin to imagine her daily struggles.
She leaves behind a husband and two children
Kwaheri Neema

Home visits/ Future plans for the school

2009-08-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

As you have maybe read from Monika’s entries, we do home visits every week. On Fridays, we visit 2 of our students at home. This gives us the chance to hear their stories and understand better where they come from. These visits are often very heartbreaking for us. Most of our students are really happy and smiling all the time at school, but have really hard lives!!!

We had one big question after the first home visits: Where are the men?!?

Neema, is a 32 year old mother of 3 children, one of them is albino. Her husband left her for another woman and does not support her. Her albino son, Dickson, lives with a relative, because he would be mistreated and even mutilated, if he stayed with his mom in the slum. The last few days, Dickson came to school with his mom and he is an adorable little boy!! He smiles a lot and our students appreciate him. Neema lives with 2 of her children in a ca. 14 square meter big room in a slum called Pasua. Her mother lives next door and takes care of 8 grandchildren. 6 of them are children from Neemas siblings who ran away and since Neema doesn’t have a job, her mother feeds her children, too. This whole family relies only on the money Neema’s mother earns while selling food at a market…… What a tough Mama!

Happy is a lady in her mid/end thirties, mother of 3 and is an unbelievably strong lady!! Her husband left her, because she only gave birth to girls. Now, she has to take care of her 3 children on her own, without any support of the father of her kids and her family. The four live in a tiny room in Njoro. Happy collects firewood with another student, “big” Veronika, 2 or 3 times a week. If they get caught by the police, they have to pay high fees and sometimes even get hit. Helen, Happy’s first born daughter, is 14 years old and can’t continue school. She was sick for a few month, did not pass her final exams of primary school and is not allowed to repeat. That is really horrible! She could go to a private secondary school, but is way too expensive!
It is just unfair, that in a country where there are so many poor inhabitants, you have to pay school fees!
When Happy then told us, how much her heart ached to see her daughter without education or job and how Helen was being bullied by the neighbors, the whole family started to cry. Monika, Katy, our 2 translators and I lost or almost lost the fight against the tears….. The sad story did not end here. Because Happy could not pay the school fees (20.000 TSH, less than 20 USD) for her 11 year old daughter, she was not allowed to attend school anymore. And now imagine that you and I for example probably spend more than 15 USD a week for only groceries. It is just so unfair, that we were born in other countries, with richer parents….. Monika gave Happy the 20.000 TSH for school fees and she was really touched. Helen and her youngest sister, Sharon, come to our afternoon school program and they are so lovely!! Sharon has her mother’s fantastic, huge smile! Helen is now learning to type with our typing program. It makes us really happy to see both of them forgetting about their hard life!!

“Big” Veronika (we have two Vernikas: one is 14 and this Mama is in her end thirties) is taking care of 6 kids , 3 of her own. Her job is to collect and sell firewood. Her husband died a few years ago and she doesn’t get any support, neither from the government or her family.

The big problem of our Mamas is that they do not know their rights! A law says that if a man is officially with a lady for more than 2 years, he has to support his children if he leaves them. Happy and Neema and their children would have a much better life, if they found about these rights earlier. Last week, Aginatha, a human rights servant, came to our school to introduce our students to their rights. She will come back and we hope that we can make some individual appointments for our Mamas. We really want to help improve their quality of life.

When we visited our 14 year old “little” Veronika, we saw the same thing we don’t understand: disappearing men. Her dad doesn’t live with her, her mother and 3 sisters. The room they live in was full of children and the father’s of these children do not help financially or in their father role.

I really think that our students learn a lot at our school. Not only in the 3 subject (English, Business and Computers), but also things that are important to improve their lives. It is really great to see how our students come out of their shell. Shy little fourteen year old Sheila, for example, would not speak at all at the beginning of this semester and now, she loves participating, coming to the black board. All our Mamas are trying really hard to understand us and to catch on.

We hope that we can give intermediate courses for our 12 best and/or most motivated students. They would stay for another semester at our school and would be divided in 2 groups: the best 6 would learn more advanced things and the other group (with hopefully our Mamas) would learn on a slower pace. But this is only possible, if we have enough volunteers!! So please try to come help our students, and if you can’t then advertise for Give a Heart to Africa! Our students are really loving the education they get with us and we want to be able to offer them more, especially since they were our first class and we had a whole lot of learning to do during these 3 months.

We also hope to be able to give some of our students a second chance. Some of them had a hard time to start to study and think on their own. You have to know that the education style is not the same as in the US for example. The students are taught to think, but to copy. Teachers don’t care if their students copy. Unfortunately many pass their exams, but haven’t learned anything. At the end of their education they know as much as at the beginning. But again, we need enough teachers.

(And Monika said I was only allowed to leave here if I find replacement…. I have to be back in France in September, so please, please help me…. ;-) )

Veronica

2009-08-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

Three best friends, Neema, Happy and Veronica

Veronica is a single a 36 year old mother of 3 boys; 18 year old twins Omar and Shabani and 11 year old Emanuel. Her husband passed away in 1998 of typhoid and she has been raising her sons on her own ever since. It is a customary in Tanzania for the late husband’s family to offer his widow another family member as a husband. However, should she refuse she is left alone without any family support, which is precisely what Veronica chose to do. Not only is Veronica taking care of her sons, she is also taking care of her late brother’s 7 year old son and her mentally challenged cousin’s daughter. She has many mouths to feed and her only source of income is collecting firewood with her close friend Happy. Her dream is to own a small maze business for which she needs enough capital to purchase two 120 kg bags of maze.

When we visited Happy and Veronica we offered them both to bring their children to our after school program. For the last two weeks 2 of Happy’s daughter’s, Helena and Sharon and Veronica’s cousin’s daughter Biana have been walking for an hour and a half to our school every afternoon to play with the other children, playing with toys, laughing and having a chance to forget about the life to which they return every evening.

Every afternoon we leave our 6 laptops behind now for our students to practice typing and their newly acquired MS Word skills and Helena has been joining them in learning how to type which will hopefully boost her self confidence.

Helena

2009-08-02T10:37:00.001-07:00

Helena is a 30 year old single mother of a 7 year old boy Daniel who is absolutely adorable and clearly her pride and joy. Her ‘husband’ is present but does not live with them and as Helena said, Daniel is the only child she will ever have. Helena works in a local soft drinks store which is adjacent to the complex in which she lives. She is evidently better off than Happy and Neema, the room in which her and her son live has electricity and their neighbours are quite friendly and helpful. Helena has only primary education and struggles to learn, however, she hopes to start her own business some day.

Katy's experience so far

2009-07-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

I have been working with Give a Heart to Africa for just over a week now. I came across the oranisation rather randomly a few weeks ago during my first few days in Tanzania. I was perusing the range of walks to waterfalls and far off vilages on the notice board in Arusha tourist office when Monika’s craftily placed flyer caught my eye! I gave her an email to see if I could be of any use and arrived in Moshi a week or so later.
Strangely enough as I sat waiting for Monika and Celine at the bus stand in Moshi I got talking to a local man who turned out to be John- someone who comes in to translate at the school for a few days a week! It was a such a strange coincidence. When the girls arrived they teased him for trying to steal their volunteers to take them on safari. (He’s a safari guide as well).
The reception at the house was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed an evening of hearing about how the organisation began, its goals for the future and what had happened in the school term so far. I love that the school is geared towards a specific purpose rather than simply having classes for the sake of learning. As the three subjects are Computing, Business Studies and English the students will gain a solid background knowledge should they wish to go on and start their own businesses after graduation. Many of the pupils have little choice but to work for themselves due to education levels and the pressures of raising a family alone. The younger students in the school will also benefit immensely as they doubtlessly face competition for a limited number of jobs from others who have had the funding to finish secondary school and perhaps evenuniversity. Generally speaking, in the western culture education is taken as given and rarely appreciated- here it’s considered priceless.
Although the first day of teaching English was extremely scary the students couldn’t have been nicer to me! Despite the fact I was nervous and perhaps not making as much sense as I’d have liked to during the first few lessons the pupils remained enthusiastic and keen to learn. By the end of the week I was thoroughly enjoying going to school every morning which was a new experience in itself!
I’m so glad I came across that flyer as I truly believe this is a worthwhile project and the fact that all the funds go directly to the organisation sets it aside from many other NGO’s. I’m staying here a few more weeks but hope to continue fundraising and helping out when I eventually return to Scotland. It’s a great organisation and the local people involved truly appreciate everything it hopes to and has already achieved.

2009-07-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I will be travelling to Tanzania August 12th to volunteer with Give a Heart to Africa for three weeks. As a recent graduate of International Development and African Studies, I am excited to finally visit East Africa and witness and experience local dynamics and cultures first hand- knowledge that no textbook can provide.

I am overwhelmed by the support has been extended from family, friends and colleagues to myself and GHTA. My collection of donated school supplies continues to grow and I know they will be greatly appreciated.

I encourage Canadian volunteers to register with the Foreign Affairs Department. It enables the governemnt to contact and support you should an emergency situation develop while you are in a foreign country. For more information and to register online, visit: http://www.voyage.gc.ca/
(For volunteers from other countries, I suggest you contact your respective Foreign Affairs Department to benefit from their assistance).

I am counting down the days till I arrive in Moshi...I look forward to posting pictures and reporting on my experiences in Tanzania:)

Happy

2009-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Happy is 38 years old mother of 3 girls, Helen (14), Evan (11) and Sharon (5). Her husband left them for another woman when her last daughter was born because he wanted to have a son. Since then, Happy has been struggling to support her daughters on her own. They live in a tiny room in the slums of Njoro which has barely enough room to walk around their tiny bed, modest couch and table. They don’t have electricity or running water, cook outside, share a common toilet with their neighbours whom Happy described as being mean because they recently stole the little money she left for her daughters to buy food for the day.

Helen was very ill in her last year of elementary school so she was unable to pass her exams nor was she given a second chance. As a result of it, she cannot attend a government run high school and a private high school is 200,000 Tsh/year. Evan was unable to complete this year’s exams because Happy did not have the exam fee, 20,000 Tsh. Even though government elementary schools are ‘free’ they still have a registration fee of 10,000 Tsh and an annual exam fee. Government high schools start at 70,000 Tsh/year and get more expensive with each year. This leaves a large Tanzanian population with only grade 7 education!!!

As Happy was telling us her story, Helen broke into tears feeling hopeless and desperate especially when she hears her neighbours call her stupid and verbally abuse her. Evan and Sharon burst into tears also, as did Happy who is usually the most cheerful student we have. She shared with us how much it pains her as a mother to see her daughters not to have the future she hoped for.

To support her children, Happy goes to the forest 3 times a week to collect firewood. She does so after school, walks 20 kms to the forest, 20 kms back home, and carries the firewood on her head through some very dangerous areas. She gets home after 9pm on those days and the next day, or along the way home, she sells the firewood to her neighbours. Helen is then left to take care of her younger siblings.

When I asked Happy how she manages to get through the day and smile as much as she does, she said it is a choice, being positive helps her forget about her difficult life and pretend that everything is wonderful. She certainly personifies her name, Happy.

A few stories from Tanzania

2009-07-11T02:38:00.000-07:00

1/3 of Fibi's gift

Bus ride to Arusha

El Ranchos while power outage

Scruffy

Avocados

One of our students, named Fibi, appreciates a lot the help she gets from Give a Heart to Africa. She always brings her a few months old baby to class and everyone takes care of little Ruthy. Her 2 year old daughter Abigail comes to our afternoon kids program. So, one Tuesday, she gives a bag full of really delicious avocados to Anna, on Wednesday Monika gets a bag full of avocados and on Thursday it’s my turn. In the end, we had approximately 40 avocados!! Then one day while taking a shower I looked through the window and realized that there was a mango hanging off one of the trees in our back yard….. The result after checking our trees for fruits: We have a few avocado trees with a lot of avocados, one banana tree, a few mango trees and some trees of fruits we don’t know. If somebody like avocados, please do come visit us and enjoy loads of avocados!!!

Dala - dala Safari to Arusha

One Friday Monika and I wanted to go to Arusha, a bigger town a one hour drive from Moshi. We decided to take a bus, which was a bit bigger than a dala - dala (daladalas are the public transportation here, mostly a few people hang out of the door. And it is not rare to see these buses stop, a man get out peeing on the side of the street and then getting back in the bus.) Getting on the bus, we were really happy that it was quite empty and that we got a seat in the back row, at the window. What I didn’t know is that the bus doesn’t leave till the it’s packed. And I really mean packed! The seats that can be unfolded in the middle were occupied by 2 people, we were 5 people in the 4 seats in the back. So in the end we were over 30 people in medium sized bus. But I really enjoyed the ride, the landscape was breath taking!

On the way back, it was quite an adventure to find a bus to Moshi, which we wanted to embark and which would take us:
Bus # 1 : The bus was totally packed and the bus driver wanted to move some people so that we mzungos (whites) would have better seats. We didn’t feel comfortable with that and decided to look for another one.
Bus # 2 : The bus was almost empty and the bus driver said they were leaving soon. But we guessed that it wasn’t true since the driver don’t leave till all seats of the bus are occupied.
Bus # 3 : We agreed on a price with a man helping the driver, get in, but then want to be sure that the bus leaves soon. So we went to talk with the driver. When he gets on the bus, Monika and I immediately smell alcohol, the driver was drunk. So the search went on.
Bus # 4 : This time we want to see the driver before getting on the bus. He doesn’t show up after 10 or 15 minutes, but decide to still embark. But his helper just shuts the doors in front of our faces, we don’t know why and continue our search.
Bus # 5: The bus is way to crowed. We would have probably been standing an hour.
Bus # 6: We finally find a good bus, nice driver, seats and don’t wait long till the bus starts. But something strange happened before leaving: Suddenly a police officer was inside the bus, making the people which were standing leave. (Knowing that usually some people hang out of the bus and the police doesn’t care, this was an awkward situation.) About 200 meters later, the people who had to leave, got back on the bus. Then, suddenly all standing people, including an old man with obvious articulation problem, crouched on the floor…. They were hiding from police…. The ride was pleasant, with music from Bob Marley playing over and over.

Safari to Zanzibar

Check-in: I was up first at the check in counter; the lady at the counter quickly opened my passport and looking at the flight ticket asked me which person was traveling with me. Monika came to the counter, didn’t have to show her passport or her flight ticket…. We could have only bought one ticket!!!
The way back from Zanzibar was not very different, this time the check-in lady looked at neither passport!

Power outage

My second day of teaching ( 3 weeks ago) started really “well”: After plugging in our 6 laptops, the power went out…… How to teach computer without laptops?!? My students had to go to the 2 other classes. ( Same problem the second week of teaching: no electricity on Tuesday morning.)
The Saturday before Anna left, we had dinner with a friend at El Ranchos (Anna’s favorite restaurant here). Just a few minutes after arrival, the power went out. Like most restaurants and hotels, El Ranchos has a power generator for exactly these situations. But this time, we had a candle light dinner, because their generator was broken….. It was really, really romantic. ;-)
In Zanzibar, Monika and I realized how lucky we were that our power outage was only for a few hours. When we arrived in Stone Town, Zanzibar, the power had been out already for 2 days!! Now imagine that many people make their living from their tourist shops! And these shops were so dark, that we couldn’t see a thing, and of course their profit was way too low. We really felt sorry for them.
Something I really didn’t expect: the power even went out at the Kilimanjaro airport. The generator (s) was (were) probably working too hard and the airport went black for a few seconds. What a nice welcoming gift! 

Scruffy

On Monday, Monika invited a few friends to our house for dinner. When the guests were gone, we realized that we had another, not human guest in our back yard: a dog. That night we gave him toast which he ate immediately. The next day, we couldn’t chase him out of the yard and Monika decided to keep him, and named him Scruffy.

Neema

2009-07-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

Neema is 32 years old, her oldest son Grason is 16, Daniel is 8 and Dixon is 5. Her husband left her a few years ago to live with another woman so Neema now struggles to support her family on her own. She has only a primary education and is unemployed. Her youngest son lives with her brother as he may face being killed or mutilated where Neema lives now because he is albino. Neema’s mother is taking care of Neema, her 2 sons, and 6 other grandchildren who were left behind by their parents. Not all of them go to school as she cannot afford to pay their tuition by selling vegetables a few times a week. Their home does not have electricity or running water, it is simply built made of brick and mud with a tin roof that has several holes in it. Despite their hardship, they are a very vivacious and hospitable family. Neema’s mom made us ugali with a vegetable sauce and water. She was thrilled when we took pictures of her, giggling like a little girl when we played her photos back to her. Neema, same as Evelyn, walks for over an hour to our school but said she loves going to school and she especially enjoys our business and accounting class because she would like to own a business of her own some day.

Evelyn

2009-07-10T07:55:00.001-07:00

Evelyn is 20 years old and lives in a lovely, tidy but a small room next to her sister’s house. Her mother died in 2008 which is when Evelyn stopped going to school as her sister could not afford to pay her tuition. Evelyn spoke very fondly of her sister who is now her primary care taker. She hopes to some day obtain her high school certificate which represents one more year of school and 70,000 Shillings (approximately $55 US). It takes her over an hour to walk to our school but she told us that she loves going to school and learning something new

Home Visits

2009-07-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

In order to get to know our students better, learn about their lives, families, struggles and hopes for the future, we offered to visit 2 students each Friday. With the help of our friend John we shared our plan with them and they began clapping with excitement, writing their names on the schedule I posted on the wall of our business class.
Offering free classes is just the first step in GHTA’s long term plan, I really hope that soon we will be able to help some of our students start their own business by assisting them with writing a business plan, analyzing which type of business would be best suited for them as well as its location, and hopefully by providing them with a micro loan. Another long term goal is to start a women’s shelter as many women here are abused or left behind by their husbands, struggling to support their children.
All of these are long term plans as we need time to build up funds but I know we will get there.
We will introduce our students to you one by one so you too have an opportunity to get to know them better.

Our work

2009-06-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

My first week of teaching is now behind me and I really enjoyed it a lot!

You might be wondering what this organization is about. We want to give education to poor people here in Moshi, and this to help them find a job, enough money to buy food for their family. Majority of our pupils were chosen because they are poor and don’t have any secondary education. For many of them our school is the first they are attending in their life. You have to know that there is a school fee ranging from 40.000 (31 USD) to 70000 Shillings (55 USD) a year in the government school. And a private school is 500000 (388 USD)to 1500000 Shillings per month(1172).(A regular salary is 100000 Shillings (78 USD) per month). Now imagine that in average most couples have 3 to 5 children. There is not enough money to send every child to school and still have enough money for food.

The first class started school 3 weeks ago and the semester is 3 months long. The education we offer consists of 3 classes: Business, English and Computers. The business class should help them calculate profits, expenses and everything necessary to open up their own shop or other business. We now have 6 laptops, donations from friends (thank you all a million!). For most pupils it’s the first time using computers, so want to teach them the basics: typing, using word, excel and internet. English is quite a problem for some of our students. But luckily they developed a good team spirit and so the better ones would help translate. In business for example, Monika reads exercises in English, have one of the good students stand at our new black boards (thank you so much for the donations! They are a big hit!) and have the class translate the text into Swahili and write it at the black board. The class would discuss the exercise in Swahili and translate it back into English. It is really impressive and touching to see their development!!

With more volunteers, we could improve our classes:
-We could take more students, now we’re limited to 25.
-We could offer tutoring for those who have troubles keeping up. Now, we have some good students but most do not have even primary education,so they have a real hard time. It is difficult to find a happy medium for teaching. Monika is holding a basic match class on Tuesday afternoons for students who cannot multiply and divide but we would like to hold reading and writing classes too and give more individual attention to students during regular class.
-Monika wouldn’t have to teach every day and could expand the help offered by the organization. (Some ideas: offering micro loans to the best students, helping some of the women start their own business when they graduate from our school, defending women rights, medical aid)

In the afternoon, we take care of poor kids of the neighborhood, we give them toys, crayons, books, stickers, all things they do not have at home. And they seem to really love it! Thursday was movie day; the kids watched the little mermaid and we gave them some milk. At first, they were holding their cups of milk, sipping it slowly but when they realized we give them more, they started drinking real fast and some had 5 cups. Most children here don’t get milk because their parents don’t own a fridge. They were really happy!

First experiences in Moshi

2009-06-21T02:54:00.000-07:00

The carpenter

The carpenter shop

How many men does it take to transport 2 black boards?

The house

Front porch

Family room

kitchen

One of the bedrooms

Here’s a resume of my first days and experiences in Moshi:

My arrival – Thursday 17.06
Arriving at Kilimanjaro airport, I awaited a long procedure at the passport control, since I had quite some troubles getting my visa at the embassy in Berlin. But I was wrong, everything went fast and my greeting committee (Monika and Anna – Molly left with same plane I arrived in, didn’t get the chance to meet her.) was waiting…. Perfect!
The 40 minutes drive to the house was great fun and I was warned about surprises awaiting me at home……
Surprise 1 : The neighbourhood is filled with big, nice houses with watchmen, our gate seemed to be hiding just one of these wonderful houses…. And it was true! I was really amassed by the appearance of my home for the next 4 weeks.
Surprise 2: We need at least 2 minutes to get into the house because of all the locks… Nice and safe! Inside I was speechless …. What a nice living room! I really didn’t expect so much! We have a big kitchen, a dining room, 4 rooms equipped with mosquito nets (very important!), good bathrooms.
Surprise 3: We have internet at home!! But it’s not the same system as in Europe or America, we don’t pay the time spent using it, but we pay the size of the transferred documents. This means that we have to be careful using Skype and uploading documents like photos.
Surprise 4: The girls put on music from slum dog millionaire and did some kind of stretching….. ??????.... This was followed by a really rhythmic and synchronic (or not) dance: the welcome dance

Attention to all volunteers: You will be welcomed by this welcome dance, but you have to perform it, too. ;-)
We’re still working on a farewell ritual.

After the long journey I was happy to go to bed. The girls had told me that something strange could happen in my room. And there it was: I switched on the lights and the doorbell went off! How funny is that?

Day 1 – Friday 19.06
Passing by the classrooms (5 minute walk from the house), Monika and I went into town, which is approximately a 20 minute walk. We wanted to get some black boards constructed. My first impression of Moshi: crazy driving, many shops, a lot of friendly people in the streets. We were looking for the carpenter making the black boards when Monika ran into Eddy. He’s a guy Monika met in the streets, he helped her get some other supplies. He accompanied us to the carpenter and helped translate and negotiate a price. We ordered 2 black boards, 30.000 shillings each (25 dollars), which would be finished the following day. On the way home we passed by the market. What a great melange of wonderful smells and fruits! We took a cab home. Anna stayed home, was waiting on the fundy (handyman) and the owner of the house. They were supposed to fix our toilet, but didn’t come…. Yes, that’s common here, things don’t always happen as planned….
Dinner was in a restaurant called El Rancho, which is not far from our house. You think it’s Hispanic? … Well you’re wrong… it’s a really good Indian restaurant.

Day 2 – Saturday 20.06
We started the day with some cleaning, singing, dancing, goofing around… Then we headed down town to pick up the black boards. Arriving at the shop, we already saw them outside, looked great! We waited for the owner to come, paid the rest.

The money for these black boards was raised by my friends in France! Thank you guys so much for supporting this organization!

Monika asked him to make a table and bench for the classroom, gave him the measures and showed photos. As usual here, other men appeared and were helping translate or just watching the discussion. The price was good 90.000 Tanzanian shillings (75 dollars).
(They will be paid with the money my friends collected. Thank you so much!)
Monika had texted our cab driver Mnene to pick us up, but describing our location wasn’t easy, because there are not many street names here. After quite some time he found it and 5 men tried to put these 1,5 meter wide black board in the trunk... Anna, Monika and I stood there and were wondering what they were doing. They finally fixated the boards with a rope and we drove off…. 5 meters… then the boards fell, we girls screamed …. Mnene managed to find a second rope, tied the boards from both sides, it really seemed safe. The following 15 minutes were soo nerve wrecking for us. But the boards did arrive in one peace at the classrooms.
At home, Monika started to Skype with a potential future volunteer when the electricity went off. That happens quite often here. Every Friday, the electricity is shut off for 4 hours. That Friday, we did have electricity, so we guess they delayed the electricity shut down on Saturday. We cooked with flash lights and had a nice candle light dinner.
For future volunteers: don’t forget your flash lights!

New volunteer

2009-06-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

hi!
I'm Céline, med student from France and am going to volunteer from june 18th till july 17th.
Last week-end, I had a party to collect donations from my friends. It was a full success! They were really generous, donated money and class supplies. We hope to find a good use for the money.
I'll be reporting on my work in Moshi! Can't wait to get started!

Sign Up Week

2009-06-10T02:39:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning, Molly and Anna trekked to the Baptist Church and prepared to begin student sign-ups. A few adults passed through and signed up at first (including the pastor) and then a group of kids came through the gates and all began filling out applications excitedly. As the language barrier between us lessened with increased babble, we realized that they were on a small school break and thus could not fulfill the three month commitment for our class. This disappointed them greatly and they attempted to convince us to change it so that they could attend our class after they went to school. We couldn't do that- all of our advertisement was geared towards a morning class- but they were understanding and happy that we wrote their names down for a potential future class. As the teenagers began leaning over the desk and chatting more animatedly, friendly but claustrophobia-inducing, Anna felt ill and had to retreat to the cave-like bathroom. Both of us exclaimed afterwards about the willingness of the teenagers to take class after class during the day. Education is so highly valued here.
The next three days were jam packed with action. A number of adults came by with the names of their children and their neighbors' children scribbled on half sheets of paper to sign them up for the after school program. The adults who came to sign themselves up ranged from shoeless mamas who had walked from poor neighborhoods to the Baptist Church members who live behind our classrooms. On our final day of sign ups, a crowd of people arrived and clustered in the small room where we'd taken refuge from the sun. The numbers started increasing rapidly- we had fifty plus adults wanting to register for this three month class and forty eight children! The word of a free school moves apparently quickly and so many people are interested. Give a Heart to Africa now has reserves of students interested in taking our classes!

Local Market

2009-05-27T05:26:00.000-07:00

One of our daily rituals includes going to the market in Moshi to barter for our staple foods: green beans, avocados, bananas, tomatoes, cucumbers, rice, and recently (and questionably) eggplant. Upon entering the market, the eyes are greeted with a variety of colors and smells. With every step, the smells of the market seem to shift-- some pleasant and some (I suspect the meat) not so pleasant. As we walk past various stands of food, vendors call us "dada" (sister) and invite us over by their food in an attempt to get us to purchase something.

We've made it a goal to find the vendors who offer fair prices so that we can buy from them in the future (Molly seems to have a knack for convincing people to lower their prices or throw in an extra piece of fruit). It's not always easy to tell who's giving you a fair price, though. I thought I'd made a friend at the market when one of the women beckoned me over, offering up a hearty bunch of bananas and a few mangoes. When I hesitated, she even threw in an extra mango. I happily paid the beaming woman and proudly added the purchases to our growing bag of food. Later, we found out that I had been tricked into paying much more than I should have.

That being said, most of the people at the market are really nice. They welcome you and offer up their best fruit, handpicking the largest carrots and the ripest tomatoes. It's a nice experience overall.

Afterward, we bring our food home and attempt to find a creative way to turn it into our dinner for the night. I'll eagerly start chopping carrots or skinning tomatoes and Monika will glance over at me and proceed to start laughing uncontrollably. Apparently my cooking methods are so hilarious, she can't contain herself. Other times, she'll just stare at me in utter disbelief, unable to understand where I acquired such caveman-like techniques.

So...it's a process, and we're learning (both about the market and about how to prepare our food). I'm getting better at it-- one properly peeled carrot at a time.

New Address

2009-05-26T02:47:00.001-07:00

In order to register Give a Heart To Africa as an NGO in Tanzania, we had to apply for a new PO Box. Our new address is:
PO Box 1853, Moshi, Tanzania
Please, write :-)

A Morning at Church

2009-05-25T02:54:00.000-07:00

Early Sunday morning, we headed to the Baptist church adjacent to our three classrooms. We got there a bit early and so were able to secure seats on the women's side of the gender-separated congregation (we can thank Monika's intelligence for this foresight..or, ahem, luck).
When the service started, we were the lone occupants of the back bench and anticipating a Swahili-dominated service. However, we met a friendly young woman named Ruth who assisted us in obtaining English bibles and Swahili hymnbooks. As the service continued, the church elder included us in his prayer (we caught the word "mzungu"). Ruth moved from the bench in front of us to the front of the church and began to lead the congregation in song. We were just a tad off key (understatement). Luckily the strong voices of the rest of the congregation carried (some might say "drowned") ours.
About an hour into the service, the church elder called on us to introduce ourselves to the congregation. Monika explained what we are planning on doing, welcoming everyone to participate in the classes once we have begun. I introduced myself and then proceeded to wave at the congregation. Some minor titters ensued. I choose to believe that those who were laughing appreciated the humor of the situation and were not remarking on my idiocy or the abnormal length of my arms.
Several children made their way to the bench as the service continued. Monika made a couple of small friends to her right side, while a small boy fell asleep on my left shoulder. The service culminated in song. Everyone filed outside, forming a semicircle and shaking hands.
Afterwards, we got to meet the church elder and officially meet his tottering toddler Baracka, who had gone rogue during Pastor Onesti's sermon and explored the far reaches of the church. The church elder told us his son's name means "blessing" in Swahili. He then praised Barack Obama, and with that happy ending we trekked home.

Furniture Shopping for Our Classrooms

2009-05-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

There is a bit of furniture in the classrooms already, as visible in the previous pictures. However, we encountered classrooms with insufficient and uncomfortable seating on our previous trips and know that this is not conducive to any sort of learning environment. Thus, our furniture shopping trip was decided upon and ensued.
John, a Moshi native and friend, picked us up in town and we all went to the "furniture store" to examine and order desks and chairs. We pulled up into a dusty yard full of a wide range of ages of people who were sanding, cutting, and hammering. We were greeted by a man who- John explained- is the same contact John had used when estimating furniture prices for us via email pre-departure.
Business then began. We decided upon purchasing six benches and six desks. The pairs will hopefully fit about four students each.
While waiting for the transaction to complete, we flipped through the "furniture catalog"- a small photo album filled with photos of furniture. While in the process of this flippage, we glimpsed 1) the cover- which displayed a large photo of star crossed Titanic lovers Rose and Jack, and 2) a model-like pose of Masuki the furniture man reclining on a bed in a bright blue track suit. Minor excerpt, worthy notation of humor.
After Masuki wrote the receipt, we exited, with the promise of returning with the pre-payment. John took us to another furniture place to ensure that we were able to get a good idea of price range. The prices were much higher, however.
We went to the bank, returned to Furniture Store Number One, and completed the deal- an exciting purchase that we'll get to see in fifteen days!

Dinner with a Maasai

2009-05-22T04:37:00.003-07:00

On Thursday night we decided to experiment and cook with a fresh coconut. However, the first arduous task was to crack the darn coconut open. It somehow seemed like a good idea to me to take a butcher knife to it which clearly proved to be plain stupid. Our security guard, Baraka, is a Maasai and definitely has far more experience with mother nature than the 3 of us combined so I interrupted his conversation with his fellow Maasai security guards and asked him to open our coconut. He immediately speared it on the fence and in no time put a hole in it for the coconut syrup to run out. He then bashed the coconut against the floor until it cracked open. Obviously, no need for utensils. We invited Baraka to have dinner with us and he seemed to have enjoyed our company. He jumped in the kitchen to the sounds of a Maasai music coming from his cell phone (jumping very high is a part of a traditional Maasai dance) and then he shook his shoulders at a speed we did not think was possible to one of Rihanna’s songs. Anna was kind enough to pretend to eat my coconut invention which consisted of some kind of an unidentifiable leaf, carrots and coconut, but as I was giving her dirty looks Molly polished it off. I am not sure whom I should be concerned about the most. J Oddly, Baraka ate all the potatoes and the coconut but left most of the green beans.

There seems to be an interesting mix (or clash) of the modern and the tribal world. On one hand Baraka is clothed in a traditional Maasai garb and jewellery and speaks of returning to his village some day when it is time for him to marry, where we can only assume he will live in a traditional Maasai mud house called Boma. On the other hand he is always on his cell phone and we saw him at the internet café today checking his Facebook account.

The way a Mzungu cracks open a coconut
The Maasai way

Molly, Anna and Baraka

Registering NGO in Tanzania

2009-05-22T04:03:00.000-07:00

Even though Give a Heart to Africa is a registered non-profit organization in Canada, we need to undergo the same registration process here in Tanzania. I met with an 'officer' from the local government who was very courteous and helpful. However, it took him quite a while to find the necessary paperwork for me to fill out among his stashes of paper and no computer to be found. I have a meeting with him on Tuesday morning to submit our final documentation and for him to write me a letter of recommendation, which turns out I will then have to take to Dar es Salaam. I must admit I am not looking forward to the 9 hour bus ride and an overnight stay somewhere in Dar.
Before I left, I asked the officer if it would be possible for me to take a picture of him (can't even imagine thinking of doing it back home), he took his glasses off and struck a pose. Vogue!

The struggle of receiving education

2009-04-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

Raising awareness about the struggles of those who are less fortunate is key to making our world a better place. If nobody understands what sort of help is needed and what help is available, we will never move forward.

Please, strive to learn more.......

Here is an article published on www.tanzaniatoday.com on April 28th, 2009

In the last year, Americans and Europeans have bought fewer cars. This has led to job losses among the migrant workers of Malawi who work in South African mines, where the materials for car parts are found. And one of the first responses of these workers has been to withdraw their children from school and send them to earn money, the charity ActionAid says.

An important study, shown to international economists in Washington last weekend and seen by Education Guardian, concludes that the prospect of world leaders fulfilling their promise to educate the 75 million children out of school by 2015 is looking "increasingly remote". The target was set in Senegal in 2000 as part of the Education for All goals. It is also the second of the millennium development goals.

No one denies that dramatic progress has been made - 25 million more children are in school than were in 2000. But the onset of a global recession has sparked fears that "progress may be stalled", the Global Campaign for Education's (GCE) study - Education on the Brink - argues.

This is despite last week's budget, which confirmed that the UK would not be cutting its international aid supply this year or next, and President Obama's promise to double US aid to $50bn (£34bn) in his first term of office. The problem, as the GCE sees it, lies predominantly with the International Monetary Fund, which tries to help countries achieve economic stability.

As the effects of the global economic crisis start to impact on the poorest countries, more of them will go to the IMF for loans. But these loans come with conditions. The IMF pushes countries to bring down their inflation to a single digit, limits fiscal deficits and government borrowing, and encourages the build-up of foreign currency reserves. All of which leaves little room for a low-income country to invest in its education, says the GCE.

Dire need

"From the IMF's perspective, spending on education is like pouring money down the drain," David Archer, one of the study's co-authors and the head of education at ActionAid, says.

"The dire needs of education systems in low-income countries are an essential investment that, in the context of the financial crisis, will also reap immediate short-term gains by generating employment and building a skilled and educated labour force," the study argues. "It makes sense to invest more in education now in order to reap returns in the future, but tight deficit targets make this impossible."

In remote villages, investment in schools stimulates economic activity in a way that would otherwise be hard to achieve, the GCE says. But the report's authors see few signs that the IMF is trying to reform.

At the G20 London summit this month, the fund became more powerful. The G20 leaders agreed to treble the size of the IMF's available resources from $250bn to potentially $750bn. But they did not make this on the condition that the IMF was reformed.

Archer says: "In the build-up to the G20 meeting, the IMF claimed it was perfectly placed to be given the responsibility to help poor countries deal with the recession. It claimed that it had changed and no longer imposed unreasonable conditions that prevented countries investing in education. But our report proves conclusively that in the past six months it has not changed. It is still imposing conditions to this very day and these conditions continue to block spending on education."

The effect of this, charities such as ActionAid say, is the withdrawal of pupils from school - and a restriction on the number of teachers being trained and recruited across the world. This is at a time when the world needs 18 million extra teachers by 2015, charities say.

We have an "education emergency" on our hands, says Kevin Watkins, director of Unesco's Education for All Global Monitoring report. "While the IMF has a key role to play in the financial crisis, it is not the most effective source of support for key social sector budgets," he says. "Its loans are far less concessional than those of the World Bank and they come with more loan conditions attached than strings on the average marionette. Poverty reduction is not the IMF's core business - and it doesn't do it well."

Our classrooms

2009-04-25T14:22:00.001-07:00

Our school is adjacent to the Kilimanjaro Baptist Church in Shanty Town, just outside of Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. We are renting 3 classrooms to accommodate all of our students and various teaching subjects. The church grounds provide a wonderful place for the children to play after school.

Volunteer in Africa

2009-03-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Give a Heart To Africa is a non-profit organization located in Moshi, Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Our aim is to improve the lives of women and children of the Chagga tribe via education and an after school program provided by our volunteers.
We are currently seeking volunteers who are interested in teaching English, computers, business, home education etc... as well as playing sports, games, practice reading and writing and teaching math to children.
Should you be interested in participating in a different subject, we will try to accommodate your request.
www.giveahearttoafrica.org
info@giveahearttoafrica.org