CRCL Tanzania Trip 2018

Today was our Katumba Music Day – our last time at Katumba. We arrived and realised it hadn't quite gone to plan, because the band and food wasn't organised like we thought it would be. So instead, Nathan played his guitar, and we all had a go with the drums to make up for the band not being there! We also managed to hand out a gift bag with toothpaste, a toothbrush, etc. to every student that boards at Katumba. To go along with the gift bags, we'd made some printed fabric designs for each student to keep as a present, which they could personalise. We had lunch and soda at Katumba after the band had arrived, and then headed off to Kasitu's BBQ. Kasitu's BBQ and garden party was really fun! He put on loads of food for us, as well as all his neighbours and neighbours' children who were there. It was also really hot, so a great day for us to be able to sit outside – it was an amazing end to the day.   Aoife   Virus-free. www.avg.com ...

On Monday (6 th August) we travelled to two of the local primary schools the link supports. The journey there was interesting as there was no smooth road which made a short distance take a long time and definitely tested Lulu's suspension! The first primary school we visited was Bugoba primary school where we were greeted by very excited primary school children who couldn't wait to see the wazungus! It was really interesting to look round the school as it was one of the first schools the Link ever supported when it began in 1987, so to see the progress that has been made felt very special. We were also able to see one of the projects we are currently supporting which is the building of a new toilet block for the students as their old one is now full. At Bugoba we were also treated to a performance by the students of dancing and singing which we all got involved with, although somehow we never manage to look as graceful as the Tanzanians, even when they are in primary school! W...

After such a big day with plenty to do, a 'chill day' was warmly welcome. Breakfast didn't start until 9am and therefore we weren't required to awaken until 8.59am, and even then, many did not stir. For those of us who did, it was a very quiet one which ended with almost everyone returning to bed.   Thankfully, today came as a perfect opportunity to catch up on the washing too – I know for me personally I was running low on clean clothes and by looking around me it became obvious that I wasn't the only one. The washing lines were completely full by 4pm when we prepared for Ano's workshop on how the fabrics are made.   For those who weren't aware, this happens in 3 different ways: tie dye, bleaching and printing. We received a long explanation on how tie dye works and the different patterns that can be created – the samosa, the banana leaves, and then any random pattern you tried. Next was my favourite – the bleaching. It appeared as though the lady helping j...

On the day of the RCCL election, in the morning, the students and leaders had time to relax and catch up on the mountain of washing there was still to do as the election commenced at 10am. It was clear how some were incredibly nervous, especially amongst the Tanzanians, as next year's inward group was being decided as well as roles amongst the RCCL. Around 1pm the election had finally finished and the students were informed that Tuma, Vale and Vero are coming to England next year! There was tears of excitement and pure joy as these specific Tanzanians have been with us since we arrived here and are now our new kaka's (brothers) and dada (sister. After an eventful morning we were all on a high as we made our way to Lutengano high school for sports day. This started at 2pm and was so much fun for both us and the Tanzanians. We competed in 4 teams with and equal number of Tanzanians and the British in each group, the teams were blue, purple, green and yellow. We competed in many ...

Welcome day at Lutengano, they clearly didn't know we were coming but they put all the students into their hall which meant that the singing was great. We did some pretty awful dancing at the front for a laugh. The "scouts" then ruined the floor by smashing bricks over each other whist pouring buckets of water over each other making the floor look like a building site. After Lutengano because was a sweaty day we then had a large water fight in the quad which was absolutely awesome but came at the cost of Ano's jeans and a flooded bathroom. Ano's homestay- was a fantastic experience. When we turned up we had a very large meal which we were surprised to find out was only a snack to be followed by an even larger meal, however both of us did our very best and almost finished all the food because we are fatties. We learned Ano's life-story and then marvelled at the night sky with minimal light pollution which meant that we were surprised by the amount of stars and ...

We started the day with breakfast made by cook team 3 which consisted of fried bread and fried eggs. This was definitely one of the best breakfasts of the trip so far! After arriving at Lubala 40 minutes late (thanks to Lulu), we were separated into the classes that we would be teaching. Each group taught a different subject, including health, feminism and human trafficking. My group taught Form 5 first about the benefits of a balanced diet, the effects of salt and sexual health. We then had a break where we were offered noodles, chapatis and tea. After this we moved onto teaching Form 4 which ended up being a class of about 130 students. The students were sometimes reluctant to ask questions but were eager to learn if the facts they had previously been taught were true (some of which weren't). We then taught another 40 minute lesson to Form 6. Although these students were some of the oldest at the school, they had a lot of questions to ask on the topic of sexual health. This made ...

We arrived at Katumba in the morning after Lulu dropped us off and the rest of the group went to Lubala for the Welcome Day. The First thing we done was walk around Katumba, I especially wanted to do this as I had only visited the school once prior and only for a short time. On our way of having  a general look round, we greeted children and helped some of the children in wheelchairs  get to and from the toilets. The toilets were disgusting and the smell emitting from them, was even worse. Some of the children chose to urinate outside, even those in wheelchairs which was of great difficulty to them. We then went back to Sharon's treatment room where the children had already began filtering in. While Sharon performed the first massages on the children, my job was to entertain the others waiting on the floor with the toys we had. They were all playful despite whatever disabilities they had, there was one girl called Vanessa who had mental issues as well as physical issues as her...

Meeting Isaya To begin with Nathan and I did not have a clue what was happening until Sharon just came over to us and said that we were going to see Isaya. We set off immediately to get a taxi with Tuma and us three. We did not know the extent of the drive to Oswe Boys Secondary School, and in the end, it was two hours long. Just to even get there. The car was very hot and cramped with Nathan, Sharon and I in the back so we started to contemplate if it was fully worth the hardship to see Isaya knowing full well that it wasn't going to be a long visit because he had an exam that afternoon. This was made particularly potent when the taxi driver was pulled over for speeding even though he wasn't. In the end he was fined 30,000 TSH by the corrupt Tanzanian Police. The school was very nice and it looked like a good place for Isaya to study and live. We then spoke to the head of the school and got him to go and get Isaya. It was an unreal experience because he was just as overwhelmed...

My day began at 6:30am when I realised that I was half an hour late to start cooking breakfast as it was my teams turn to do breakfast. Fortunately, the other members including the leader in my team had slept in so we all rushed up to the kitchen and began to make eggy bread as it was the quickest meal we could think of with our ingredients. After the late start the morning didn't get any easier with having no lights, being down 2 members, no fire, off eggs and the pan taking a while to heat up. Once we got started we were on a roll serving pineapple, watermelon and enough eggy bread to feed the hole of Tanzania. The breakfast must have gone down well with some people having 10 triangles of eggy bread! The original plan was to go to on a tea tour and God's bridge however we decided to prioritise Katumba so as a group we travelled a couple of hours to Mbeya to purchase items for Katumba with the money Sharon fundraised. When arriving in Mbeya we split into a few groups so that w...

On the 30 th August (Monday) myself and Amy were invited to stay at the home of Devota, one of our Tanzanian leaders. To reach her house we took a dalla dalla which is the equivalent of a Tanzanian public bus, but slightly chaotic! As the bus was driving people would open the doors and jump on and one passenger was even carrying a live chicken! We then walked to Devota's house which is part of a cluster of houses where around 10 other families live. This meant that we were greeted by a group of her neighbour's children who were very excited to meet mzungu (white people)! Living with Devota are her two children- Alfonz and Gertrude- along with her younger sister, Halema. Her house was very cosy and we sat in the main room to enjoy a tea of rice and a common Tanzanian dish of tomatoes, peas and a vegetable similar to green peppers- it was delicious. All the neighbouring children also ate with us, although they were very shy! I really enjoyed the evening as it was truly like a ...

The first primary school we visited was Itula, there we handed out stationary to the students before teaching them maths, English as well as nursery rhymes. It was a very unique experience and the children thoroughly appreciated it, they also provided us with a snack of bread, eggs, tea and nuts. Shortly after that we took the bus over to Masebe where we were introduced to all the staff who made us feel warmly welcome. After the formalities we headed out onto the green and watched a talent show where the kids performed acrobatics, traditional dances and scout acts including brick breaking and karate. We then joined in with the sack race and played football against the teachers where we drew 1-1. We then danced amongst the children underneath a tree. We then had lunch which consisted of chicken, rice, potatoes and vegetables. We then shook the hands of the standard 7 kids (Year 6) as we didn't get to meet them earlier in the day. We then travelled back to the Bible centre.   Daniel ...

Hello all, Well today started like any other at Kisondela, a long but picturesque walk. This morning walk often dragged in, however this morning was different. A buzz could be felt… well, with me at least, because today was teaching day. This was our opportunity as students to have a real, direct impact on the students of Kisondela. We could further their knowledge on often forgotten or even taboo subjects. As a group we taught 3 lessons; Feminism and the suitability of women in leadership roles, human trafficking and how to avoid it, and finally how to maintain a healthy lifestyle including STD prevention and reducing slat in the diet (some Tanzanians role entire hard-boiled eggs in salt). With some people at Katumba 2, my group consisted of merely 3 members, myself, Olivia and Laura, however we didn't let this hinder our lesson. We taught the life of the average British woman and how both socially and legally they are equal to their male counterparts, with the students mesmerised...

Arriving at Kisondela we did not know what to expect as it was our first official school visit. The hour walk was very different for us; however, many students have to travel even further, which only motivated us to embark on the walk with a positive mindset. Once we reached the school, our expectations from stories told by the leaders did not match the full effect of being there. The grounds of the school were large and the buildings were nothing like we have back home. We walked around first seeing many students in lessons and actually looking in classrooms ourselves. The classrooms were full of old desks and the chalkboards were full of work, seeing this was more of a shock as obviously at home, our facilities are very different, despite this the students were all eager to learn and motivated towards their education. Once the welcome day actually commenced, we were met on the field by the whole school, teachers included. As we are accustomed to classic Tanzanian meetings, we danced ...