Ngaramtoni Day Trip

I had the opportunity to visit a little village outside Arusha last week called Ngaramtoni. There are three Mondochallenge volunteers who teach English to the primary school students there. Two other volunteers run an HIV / AIDS grant program called the Hope Trust. I'm looking forward to learning more about this program soon.

We visited three different primary schools and the kids were all very cute. The students in their bright uniforms with cool little sweaters would follow us around with the boys wanting to give us the rock and the girls hoping to get their picture snapped. Most of their uniforms were quite tattered and dirty from all the wear and tear as well as dust that is inescapable around here. I heard some schools required kids to keep the whites very white but I wonder how this can be possible as most families have to hand scrub all their washing.

One of the volunteers who reside from just outside Toronto had just finished up her three months volunteering and was heading home shortly. The kids and teachers threw her a nice goodbye with singing, dancing, and heartfelt speeches. It’s nice to see how well the kids and teachers appreciate the volunteers. I think the schools would prefer it if volunteers could stay longer in order to make a bigger impact but at this time they are happy to get whatever help they can.

Of course these volunteer opportunities aren’t as perfect as they may seem. Some of the problems volunteers face are local teachers who prefer drinking tea and taking breaks rather then teaching, teachers who take up the stick much too quickly to handle unruly kids, and those who just don’t want a western teachers point of view or experience. But hey, it’s Africa, and if it were easy, I guess there would be no need for any of us to be here.

On a side note – I’ve made plans to go on Safari next week. A five day trip to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tangire national parks. I can’t wait!