Volunteer Africa Alumni

2007-01-24T13:43:00.000-08:00

Volunteer Africa T-Shirts Coming Soon

2006-12-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

In the very near future we will be beging selling some Volunteer Africa T-Shirts. Profits from the T-Shirts will benefit Volunteer Africa and the Tanzanian NGOs it works with. We will soon attach some sample designs for the shirts. If you have any design idea feel free to send them to us.

Kimbwi 2005

2006-09-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

A year ago today, I would have just arrived in Singida from Dar es Salaam on a very long, bumpy and nauseating jeep journey. I would have been feeling overwhelmed, but giddy to finally begin my volunteering.

The weather in Toronto is beginning to get chilly and I can't help but feel a little bit melacholy now whenever I think of my wonderful 2 1/2 months in Tanzania. Reading posts on this forum has really lifted my spirits.

Here's a funny little story from Kimbwi that pops to mind:

I remember teaching one afternoon in Standard 1 with Rachael, Lacey, Ruth and Joan. We were teaching the students to sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." The kids couldn't really grasp the verses _ their English wasn't quite that good yet _ but whenever it came to the "e-i-e-i-o" part, the kids would belt it out with gusto.

We had these little pictures of different barnyard animals. In order to help us teach the song we'd show them a picture and ask them to make that animal's sound. Simple enough, right?

In North America, kids are taught that pigs go "oink," dogs go "woof" and ducks go "quack." Not so in Tanzania apparently. The students' renditions of animal sounds had us laughing hysterically.

When we showed the students a picture of a duck (we think it was a duck...), we were shocked to hear about 90 kids simultaneously hyperventalate ...or have asthma attacks... or go into labour...None of us are sure what sound they were trying to make -- but it certainly wasn't "quacking." Apparently all ducks in Tanzania have respiratory problems.

I loved watching in the kids _ with their shaved heads and ratty blue and white uniforms _ sing their off-key version of the ABC's. Especially ending, in true Swahili fashion, with "x..y...zed-ee!"

Then there was the "Bah cheki cha ... " hand clapping song, which I still know by heart. I remember being swarmed by little girls with their dusty hands outstretched, imploring us to sing "Bah checki cha" with them. No matter how many times we sang that song, it never got boring.

That's all I have for now. Hope everyone's doing OK!

Lauren Krugel
Kimbwi -- Fall 2005

Africa Notes

2006-09-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

When sitting down and trying to write about the last two months or so that I spend in and around the amazing people of Tanzania, the realization that such a task bordered on impossible didn't stray far from my thoughts. For me, this is like trying to write about a million perfect moments all wrapped up into one. Like trying to photograph a thousand children, bright eyed and smiling, in a single frame; beautifully perfect yet still impossible; to simplistically preserve justice in such a moment to the moment itself…But nonetheless, one of the more pleasant challenges to bare when thinking about the rest of life; for while the rest of the world in essentially falling apart all around us, it was more then wonderful to find myself, be it ever so brief, nestled into a little part of the world that wasn't so concerned about oil prices or corporate shareholdings, instead, troubles were just making it to the next day with thoughts of a full stomach and bits and pieces of a smile on their face.

When we think of generosity, the essence of the noun itself, our hearts usually grow a little warmer. While the true consciousness of giving is a fabled topic through the halls of religion and philosophy, the idea of capturing what it is to be truly generous? What is it to truly have a heart that is open at any moment? To be infinitely liberal with every ounce of one's existence, to truly give one's self completely…in every single second of every single day…this is a quality that eludes the masses throughout the western world. And it is at this point, at this thin line where the western powers and the third world, in my eyes, quietly change guard. Where perspective shifts, so too does truth.

If I was reduced to one defining characteristic that IS Africa, it would be nothing more then a simple summation of truth. Truth itself… And in a world plagued by dishonestly and falsification, where governments deal in shadows and slander becomes news…where every single day begins to merit the discussion of the fate and hope (or lack thereof) of the world; we must sit and simply stop. Stop everything we're doing, hold the discussions and diplomacy of our selfish, hopeless existence and look at what's happening all around us. We must seize these precious moments. The blueprint for social stability and hope isn't in some millionaire politician's D.C. office. It's quite tangible, alive, and well thriving in the heart of a forgotten continent. The answers this world seeks for hope are tangled in the very fibers of the death and poverty that define Africa today.

Africa; the cradle of humanity, where our existence intimately took shape millions of years ago is where we now must turn to find hope for that very existence to continue to prosperity. I believe this world is at a painful breaking point, a point where billions are at the mercy of hundreds…Where it is truly maddening to learn of the daily death and destruction that has become so much of our world...And I find that this world and this life holds to the infinite creed that the foundation of history itself is planted in its repetition. However, though we may be a slave to this history through time, this history is our own creation. Many hold the conception that we are "doomed" to repeat history; however, this distress is a result of a history that we fear. And if we simply seize the present day and inject a distinct and relevant change into this so called condemnation, then perhaps the way we hope to live and love our lives can become a truth once again…Then perhaps we have a chance to make our actions today echo into our children's future, and perhaps maybe, just maybe, fears of repeating history will turn to anticipation and hope…Hope for the future of the human race.

This future is a continuous birth we take part in every day. I was lucky enough to witness this birth from a perspective I had never imagined, a perspective that not very many people in the world will ever have the opportunity to see, that of the indigenous people of rural central Africa. A people that haven't been breached by the stronghold of Western humanity, a people that spend their lives actually practicing their beliefs then discussing them in courtrooms and imposing them on the masses. A generous people, a grateful people, a considerate people, and above all…a selfless people.

When I found myself dropped off in the village of Nkunikana, I was alone for no more then a few seconds when a new family embraced me. The people of this village welcomed my fellow volunteers and I with extended arms and unburdened smiles. This was a feeling that ballooned high above anything I could have expected. Expectations hold little value in a space such as this, they more then often heed to something much more powerful that the satisfying of an expectation or the fulfillment of a presupposed understanding. We were truly in a place that would rip apart everything that made our selves whole and build our beliefs back up in an inspirational way. They taught us how to live a life in a way we could never learn through reading in books or watching TV. A hands and hearts on experience that showed a small group of volunteers how to be a stronger group of people.

A world of individuals, we had made our way to this tiny place from every corner of the Earth; England, Ireland, China, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and Canada for one purpose. We all came to help some of the poorest human beings in the world and to learn everything we could along the way. What many of us didn't realize is how much these people would end up helping us…

I believe teaching lies at the heart of giving. At its most innate level, without passing on the values of giving and true generosity, the gift is lost. What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give. And it is here, in the eyes and hearts of children where we found this truly innate, amazing natural generosity every single day. When a child owns nothing but the clothes on his back and a few toys he's made from putting together bits and pieces of the wilderness around him, you would think he would understand that he is poor. That he, in the grandest scheme of human civilization, literally has nothing. However, he does not. He may look poor through the eyes of splendidly spoiled Americans, but the fact is that he is in fact a very wealthy individual. He has more character in his heart then a million rich Americans put together. This is my belief. This child bears within him a culture that his family and his village instill in him everyday. He is a perfect reflection of everything his people value and believe in.

That value is to always invest every ounce of yourself in others. There is no I. There is no tomorrow for so many of these weathered souls, there are no second chances. No second chances to become something greater, no second chances to avenge mistakes…For these forgotten masses, there is simply today. Simply the hope that truth will strengthen their bonds, truth will bring them closer to one another, and it is truth alone that shall judge them. We cannot hide from truth. She follows us in every step we take, she lives in every exhaled breath, she swims in every tear, and she, in the end, is what shall set us free. Free from everything that we wish we were not. Free from the shackles of language and measurable time. Free to be alone with our conscious thoughts. This freedom that is truth is what fills the days in Africa.

These days our lives lay littered with variables beyond anything we could ever dream to have control over. We are at the mercy of our lives, of our truth, and we must accept this before we can evolve within it. Why are we all trying to figure out what we want to do with our lives? Why do map out the future? Why do we stay in touch? We do because these moments, these people of our lives are our truth. They define us. We are nothing more then choices we make and the company we keep. This belief holds truth whether we are living in a high rise in Manhattan or in a Masai village on the rim of Ngorongoro. We are all bonded by the human element. And through my travels I believe that the foundation of this human element is indeed truth itself, but more specifically, I believe it is selfless truth. The true heart of our humanity is in the giving of one's self.

Do not dwell on the past nor dream of the future but instead, concentrate with every nerve on the present moment. The truth is there are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. For these moments shall become our past and define our future, and if we can focus with utmost respect our energy on always giving ourselves to one another in the immediacy of the present, then there is still hope. So please live, learn, love, and embrace all that is your present moment and forge through with the conscious belief that we must be the change we wish to see in the world. This world is indeed at a breaking point….but it is far from broken, far from lost.

Your life is your message.

Nimit Pathak
Nkunikana 2006

Mampando '04

2006-08-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

I was in Singida (Mampando) Summer 2004. I just wanted to tell you that I think it's great you are starting this blog. Here is a picture of my group of volunteers: Emily, Lisa, Caleb, Nick, Troy, (Hey guys!)and our Swahili teacher Musa.

Octavio
Mampando, 2004

Kimbwi '05

2006-08-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

It amazes me that it has already been a year since I returned from Tanzania. I find it equally amazing the effect of those three months I spent there volunteering and traveling. I was in the initial group of volunteers to arrive in Kimbwi in 2005 which in itself was special. Being the first volunteers to arrive, the village was full of curiosity and excitement with our mere presence. It was almost like Beatlemania except when we approached the children they ran away instead of fainting. Originally we were a group of 6 representing the US, Canada, UK and Australia and a wide range of ages, but by the time I left we had a full camp of 11 volunteers. The Kimbwi project was building a duplex to house the teachers in Kimbwi. Once completed the buildings were to house 6 teachers. Our group was fortunate because we got to physically see the fruits of our labor. On the day of our arrival the houses were a couple of feet above ground with the foundations complete and our last morning in camp we finished putting on the roofs. Watching the fundis nail down the roof was a very satisfying way to end my time in Kimbwi, but even more satisfying were the relationships we developed with the villagers. Over the two months of living and working side by side with everyone in Kimbwi we really became part of the village. I got to know our guards pretty well (Timoty, Basili and Laurent), the teachers and many of the workers. Though some of my relationships with the workers revolved around them asking for my shoes and me telling them tomorrow, I really felt a legitimate bond was made. Occasionally as I walked through the village some of the elderly ladies would stop me and make me buy some pombe or ugali to the delight of the rest of the villagers. Above all my favorite group was our afternoon soccer players who stopped by every day to play with us.

After my time in Kimbwi I left from Singida on what turned out to be a 24 hour bus ride to Mwanza en route to Rwanda. My travels took me from Rwanda up through Uganda before looping back through Kenya to Arusha then Zanzibar. Each stop along my way was full of breath-taking views and memorable conversations. Some photos from folks in Kimbwi 2005 can be found here.

Since I have returned I have done my best to spread the word about VA. I loved my time there and continue to strongly believe in what and how VA is accomplishing. I have actively been part of the interviewing and recruiting process speaking with perspective volunteers from all over the States including a few from Brazil. Living in Washington D.C. I have tried to publicize VA on the campuses of our 5 universities.

My main goal for VA remains the incorporation of a VA USA branch. Simon, Moya and I have been discussing it for some time figuring out how to best align a US branch to take advantage of the legal and tax benefits without over burdening VA or adding administrative duties and costs. My law firm has agreed to work with us on a pro bono basis so when the timing and planning is ready we should be able to act.

Thad
Washington D.C.
Kimbwi 2005

Welcome

2006-08-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

With the inaugural post I would first like to start off with a brief mission statement for this blog. My hope is that this blog can be a central location for returned volunteers to interact, share their stories, ideas and most importantly stay involved. I encourage all the past volunteers to post a story about your trip, share your photos and tell everyone what you've been doing since your trip to promote VA's mission. To share your story and/or photos click on the link on the right sidebar.