First things first, this placement is AMAZING!
The first thing to mention is if you are going on your own do not be afraid. I was really scared before going however there is usually a lot of volunteers there that you will be able to join in with. When you first arrive, Geoffrey will pick you up from the airport in Dar Es Salaam and will either allow you to stop at his with him, his wife and family, or take you to a hotel. When you are ready to leave Dar, Geoffrey will take you to the coach station and make sure you buy the correct ticket and get on the correct coach. Once arriving in Iringa, Willhard (project coordinator) will meet you at the coach station and take you to the volunteer house. Another person you will be introduced to is Ino, Willhard's friend who helps to show volunteers around the projects. All 3 of these have very good English, but strong African accents so be patient! Once arriving in Irigina, Willhard or Ino will take you to immigration to pick up your volunteer permit and then you are pretty much set to go.
Before going to Tanzania, Original Volunteers will give you a pack on everything you need to know before going such as how to get your visa (and the form to do it) and your volunteer permit so if I have missed something vital out, you will get all the information before going anyway. If you have any questions do not be afraid to ring Original Volunteers or email them as they are very friendly.
Right onto the projects! When I was in Tanzania (Iringa), I did many of the different projects as you don't particularly have to stick to just one. Whilst there I went to the baby orphanage which is around 45 minutes away on a Dala Dala, and the babies there are aged from 0 to around 3? Maybe? But either way they are absolutely gorgeous and as soon as they see you they come running (if they can) up to you because they love touching your skin and they are fascinated by the way you feel. Whilst here you feed the babies, look after them and play with them. For some people this can be quite boring so people tend to go to this project in a morning or afternoon.
Across from the baby orphanage there is a school or orphans and they are gorgeous. They continually touch you and if you get a camera out, they have the biggest grins for their photos (see photo for these gorgeous smiles). When I went to this school, there wasn't any adults per-se there, it was mainly the nuns from the baby orphanage that came over. Within these two projects, the nuns speak a tiny bit of English, but there is a 'head nun' that speaks better English and can help you if needed.
The other project I attended was a school called Faraha, where the children appreciated the volunteers teaching them. The children are so gorgeous, they stand at the front of the class and sing songs such as 'wind the bobbin up' and a song I have never heard before but is really catchy. Whilst at this school you teach them the alphabet by going round the classroom and pointing to the letter (it has a picture with it, e.g. B for Ball). Within this time, they learn Kiswahili (their language) which volunteers can teach too even if you do not know any Swahili. You teach them the sounds such as 'Ka, Ka, Ka' etc. I donated some pencils to this school as many of the children didn't have them and couldn't complete their work so any school supplies you want to fetch would be great. Within this school also is corporal punishment so do not be alarmed if you see the teacher (NOT volunteers) 'punish' them. There is a couple of the teachers that speak English but they may not understand you completely.
FISCH is another of the projects I attended. Here you have (can't remember his name) who speaks amazing English. If you need anything he can help you easily. This project is for the street children of Iringa and through the week there isn't much interaction with the children, however there is a lot of refurbishment that needs doing to make it inviting, but also there is admin that a lot of volunteers handle as the people there do not know how to. If you want to make a difference and see it (through paintings and taking pictures) then this is the project for you. At FISCH, there is also a Saturday club where the street children come and the volunteers play games on the football pitch them. Volunteers also help to prepare food and serve it to the children.
There are other projects that you can get stuck into whilst being here, however some of them prefer you to be staying a longer time in order to be fully dedicated to the project. There is the HIV clinic and another orphanage called Saba Saba. Moreover, if you decided to go for a substantial amount of time, you could set up your own project. If you need any help or guidance then ask Willhard as he is so helpful and lives in the house (Mikimbizi house, the one I stayed at) so he is accessible a lot of the time.
All of the projects in Irigina are amazing and if you can, try to visit all of them to be able to choose what best suits you. You are required to go to a project Monday-Friday, however the Saturday club at FISCH is optional. If you are religious, there is a Church that Willhard or Ino will be able to take you to, and also a Mosque but I don't know much about that.
When I first arrived in Dar Es Salaam, I stayed with Geoffrey for the night as it was too late to get a coach to Iringa. This is an option for your first night (or however long you want) if Geoffrey offers it to you. If not, he will take you to a hotel that is safe so you needn't worry about finding somewhere to stop. Once in Irigina, there are 3 volunteer houses (when I was there) which were Mikimbizi (where I stayed), the town house and the new house. I didn't go to the town or new house so I have no idea what the accommodation is like. I will say one thing, do not expect to live in luxury. At Geoffrey's, he has a simple concrete house with a living room and a bedroom. There isn't drawers or anything like that, just your basic things. The toilet at Geoffrey's is outside, same as the shower (which is a bucket of water for the shower and a hole in the ground for the toilet). In Mikimbizi, you have a living room with a coffee table and settees, a toilet and a shower, a kitchen with a basic travel hob (no oven, microwave, kettle etc) and you share a bedroom with 3 (usually) other people. This all may sound really daunting but it is such a great experience. I want to mention also that in this house, Willhard has chickens which were little babies when I was there and I suspect that when someone else goes in 2014, he will either have older chickens or some more babies.
Things to do, things not to do
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.