After a dodgy start to the volunteer work in Dar es Salaam I moved to Arusha in the north of Tanzania and there could not be a bigger contrast. My time has been spent working with two organisations; Teaching computer skills to trainee teachers at a teacher training college and secondly with WEMA, a small Tanzanian NGO who work with women living or caring for those with HIV/AIDS - with very few resources they do a fantastic job and Dr Asteria, Founder and Managing Director has been an inspiration.
My time at WEMA has been spent helping with future planning, budgeting, fund raising and sorting out their marketing materials but my main role and probably the most satisfying has been working with their Micro-financing programme (an area which I've become facinated in for its ability to allow people to bring themeselves out of poverty). They currently have 52 women in the scheme each paying back a $25 small business loan. Visiting some of the businesses (selling fruit in the market, collecting firewood, small shop, baking and selling small cakes) has been truly eye opening and seeing what a difference just $25 can make to a woman's life and that of her family. Whilst there I also ran a Business Skills course for 20 women which was truly moving - and rather different from business skills sessions I've run with companies in the UK!!!
Saying goodbye to the women at WEMA was one of the most emotional days of my travels thus far, not only did they cook an amazing meal and bring me farewell gifts but also invited a female member of the Tanzanian government (and Board member of WEMA) to officially invite me to become a member of their Board of Directors. It was incredibly moving to witness their acceptance of me an outsider with only a couple of months working with them and it didn't take long into my acceptance speech before the tears were too much. WEMA is a Swahili word and means caring - well these people have certainly showed that, to each other, to me and to their community.
After a few days of Safari doing the "Northern Circuit" and seeing so many lions and so close to the truck...I've headed back to Zanzibar to relax and try to make sense of my experiences over the last few months - and what better place to relax than this paradise island..... not so much of a paradise when my Rucksack came flying off the top of the Dala Dala this morning on the way back to Stone Town causing a commotion, the sudden breaking and then the truck heading back in the opposite direction at break neck speed to recover said item!!! But, body and mind are now sufficiently relaxed to start what I suppose is the home leg.
The remaining journey:
Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Morocco, Spain, France and home sweet home :-)
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"The home leg"
I bet you have mixed feeling about that! It must be strange to start thinking about coming home. I just wanted to say that you may feel strange about it but there are people here who cannot wait to have you back. It will be so nice to see you again. I know we didn't see much of each other when you were here but it has felt like a long year!
Come home safe :)
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