Back in Tz

We are back in Arusha and busy making plans for the next 9 - 12 months.  It will be a mix of work, less than before, and travelling - there is such a lot of East Africa we are still to see and many places we want to revisit.

Our Australian Volunteer Program assignments were terminated in April and final reports on those have been done.  Now we are free agents and not committed to nine to five, five days a week.  I do intend to continue working at Olkokola Centre for the Physically Handicapped at least a couple of days each week and have been thinking about what I can achieve there.

Task one will be getting to know the new students and teachers.  We have a new teacher in Masonry and a new teaching assistant in Tailoring.  I will really miss the ones who have gone, they had been such a support to me.

 

We have 38 new students.  One of them I know I have met.  I talked with her first in her village - a remote and isolated place up near the Kenya border.  She had become paralysed below the waist as well as developing a fistula as a result of the protracted birth of her second daughter. Either condition is tragic, to have both is catastrophic.  She is lucky to have a family who have supported her and looked after her.  Together with the local Catholic priest we were able to get a wheelchair for her and organise surgery to repair her fistula - this was in August last year - and now she is learning tailoring on a hand operated sewing machine.  Her family is looking after her daughters while she is at OCPH.

This was taken August last year  - it is the 'road' to her village.

There will be another 37 stories to learn about and 37 bright and optimistic people to get to know.

Task 2 will be updating the website, here if you’ve not seen it.  I need some pictures of our new students and teachers. I’ll want pictures of them in my education resource room reading the books and practising their mathematics skills.  I’ll want pictures of them proud of the skills they are learning and the independence they are gaining.

Tasks 3 to infinity are yet to be determined.  A lot of conversations need to be had to work out what is possible and what is desirable.  There will be the inevitable confusion, frustration and misunderstanding - that goes with the territory - but fun and laughter will be had, relationships will be strengthened and small, sustainable steps will be made in the right direction.

I look forward to sharing it all with you through this blog, and I leave you with some giraffes just because I can!

Love from Jenny