Tanzania Course
PAST TRIPS

Students' Photographs and Reflections on the

Summer 2003 Trip

One of the goals of the four classes at Teachers College was to learn some of the Swahili greetings and vocabulary that we would need in Tanzania. We also read and discussed ethnographic studies from the Kilimanjaro Region and policy documents in different social service sectors.

Students practicing a Swahili dialogue

Zaina: Habari za mchana?
How are you (how is your news this afternoon)?

Susie: Nzuri. Habari za nyumbani?
Fine. How is your family/household?

Zaina: Nzuri. Je, wewe umetoka wapi?
Fine. Hey/By the way, where are you from?

Susie: Nimetoka Marikani. Wewe umetoka Tanzania?
I’m from America/USA. Are you from Tanzania?

Zaina: Ndiyo. Mimi ni Mtanzania. Yes, I’m Tanzanian.

Susie: Ulizaliwa Kilimanjaro? Were you born in Kilimanjaro?

Zaina: Hapana. Nilizaliwa Dar es Salaam. No, I was born in Dar es Salaam.

Susie: Wewe ni Mchagga? Are you Chagga?

Zaina: Hapana. Mimi ni Mpare. No, I am Pare.

Arrival in Moshi

“Well, I made it. The YMCA is really nice—kind of resort-like. Well, all things are relative, given that more than 50% of the population lives below the poverty line.”

“We walked around the town of Moshi in a group . . . Surprised to find many internet cafes—even open on Sundays. Not too many English signs on the streets and stores—nice to see that they keep the Swahili culture, although they study all subjects in English from high school.”

“Although Moshi is known for its coffee, our breakfast was instant Nescafe. It is ironic that I found ‘Kilimanjaro coffee—seasonal’ in Starbucks in New York City before my departure.”

The Moshi YMCA, our ‘home’ for most of the trip

Transporting cooking bananas, the staple of the Chagga diet

A vegetable stand at the market

Visit with the Regional Education Officer for the Kilimanjaro Region

“We went this morning to see the REO for Kilimanjaro and her assistant. What an intriguing and enlightening experience. We all asked a lot of questions. Some answers were almost shocking, like the ‘policy’ about pregnant school girls being sent home . . . We also spoke about coffee and falling prices and the other woman turned to me and said that I should go to New York City to talk about this injustice with coffee. It must be such a problem—catastrophic!”

Visit to Kolila Secondary School

“Today something amazing happened. We met with local secondary school teachers who asked us questions. Hearing the answers from our group opened my eyes to the US structure of education. Our group is really great. The level of maturity, intelligence, sophistication, and tactfulness is truly remarkable, I think, and I’m learning so much from everyone.”

“At Kolila, it was so nice to hear about what we have studied on the local/practical level.”

“It is interesting to see mixed views and explanations on parental involvement [in school governance]. The primary role seems to be fund-raising, but in a more positive sense—decisions on fund allocation . . . Discipline seemed to be another role of the PTA—which was unexpected.”

Hiking to Kisaseni and Mdawi Primary Schools

“The scenery along the hike was beautiful—a lot of tropical vegetation and many hills. The muddy road made me think of the difficulty for the children to get to school. It was amazing to see how people use every part of the hilly land—coffee trees under banana trees.”

Students greeting the TC group

Reception at Kisaseni Primary School

Students singing about being “teenagers” and about HIV/AIDS

“The children’s greeting was so moving—I cried. How beautiful, and many teachers hugged me. I have been so touched. The headmaster said, “Why does Dr. Frances love it here?” or something like that—I know!”

Inside a classroom at Mdawi Primary School

Primary school teachers who shared tea with us

“First of all, I don’t feel much like writing because I honestly feel there are no words to describe what we saw today. Things are so different here, yet the human spirit is rich. The people are so kind and generous.”

Mwereni Primary School, where blind students are integrated into the classroom

“I was very impressed with the way the school is committed to integrating blind students. But the headmaster mentioned the difficulty of teachers having to work with extra kids and not having many special textbooks. This reflected the difficulty of implementing the ‘integration policy’ at the school level . . . Another point that the headmaster emphasized was that the sighted students learn how to help the blind students. I thought this was very important.”

Community Health nurses at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC)

“The discussion with the community health department was interesting. All medical school students get training in this field. They emphasized that learning socio-cultural factors was the key in entering the community, and that they emphasize this in their training.”

Children who live near the Mkombozi Vocational Training Centre

Gee Short of the Mkombozi Youth Group singing “Vero” as heard on Tanzanian national radio

Tonya Homan of TC singing at the Mkombozi Vocational Training Centre

“Listening to Mama Mshana’s story of how she started the center was very inspiring. Her emphasis on the problems of unemployment and looking at the poverty situation around the center reminded me of [Meredith] Turshen’s article. The economic situation cannot be forgotten in looking at the issue of AIDS.”

“The use of drama to illustrate HIV was quite hilarious and appears to be very effective in educating peers about this devastating illness. The performances by the youth really struck me.”

Meeting with members of KIWAKKUKI (Kilimanjaro Women Against HIV/AIDS)

‘AIDS Kills’ sign at a local secondary school

Children at the Mkombozi Centre for Street Children

“Visiting the Mkombozi Centre for Street Children yesterday was really incredible. We met the boys, who were very happy to see us, and incredibly well-behaved . . . I thought an important point that many of the articles seem to be stressing is the involvement at the most basic level. In other words, it seems that involvement of street children in shaping their own policy is essential.”

“As I am reading about street children, I keep thinking about the overwhelming numbers of boys who are living on the streets. Which is the lesser of two evils: to have a home but be a domestic servant (girl child) or to not have any property because of inheritance laws, etc., and no employment opportunities. . . These issues are very complex and troubling.”

Olimo Primary School students teach TC student Andria Wisler a new game

Mr. Foya of Olimo Primary School explaining the school’s biogas project to us

The tree nursery at Olimo Primary School
(in conjunction with the Tanzania Environmental Action Association)

“Their use of toilet waste to create biogas for cooking is amazing. I have really been surprised with how people make use of land and resources here. This project was great in showing how one key person can be influential. Because the headmaster was concerned with environmental issues, he linked the school with NGOs, got a field officer to teach at the school, etc. I really felt a strong sense of ‘agency’ and ‘imagination’.”

“Mr. Foya is so resourceful—the landless farming and the human and animal waste that was converted into usable gas for cooking left quite an impression. What if we did this in New York City?”

Mud and stick houses that are inexpensive but contribute to deforestation

Witnessing far more destructive deforestation through commercial logging

Meeting with the headmaster of the Moshi International School

“The campus was beautiful, and the curriculum seemed ideal—lots of emphasis on creativity and profound knowledge. The class size maximum was 25, in contrast to an average of 80 in urban and 40 in rural schools as far as we’ve seen.”

Lecture hall at the College of African Wildlife Management-Mweka

“It was interesting that the student body was very international—many surrounding African countries . . .”

Winding down

Dinner and ‘class’ at the YMCA

Final dinner between TC and Tanzanian friends.

“I am so glad I got the chance to come here and take this course. It has been an invaluable experience in so many ways . . . Coming to Tanzania has helped me not to be so afraid of things in the world.”