In September, eight volunteers packed their bags and headed to Tanzania to visit our OA projects. Six of us were from the U.S., and the other two were from Argentina and Brazil; three volunteers had never been to Africa before. Working in equatorial Africa is a unique experience for anyone but can be overwhelming for newcomers. The only thing that you can expect with certainty is the unexpected.
It took three days for people to get to know one another, and another two for us to bond as a team. Maybe we bonded during the two day bus trip across Tanzania when we broke down and had to stop for repairs that stretched into hours and an overnight stay. Maybe it was while driving through the Mikume National Park the next morning and oohing and aahing over the elephants, giraffes, water buffalo, antelope, boar, and baboons. But I think our real bonding experience was when we finally arrived in the remote mountain village of Bujela. It was late and we were exhausted. We bumped along the rutted road, our headlights barely cutting through the darkness. A jungle of banana trees loomed to either side, leaves swiping the sides of the bus. Then, up ahead, we saw something. As we drew near, we realized it was the entire village waiting for us. Hundreds of men, women, and children. As we drove slowly through the crowd, windows open, villagers waved and smiled, jumped with joy, and cried, “Karibuni! Karibuni!” — “Welcome! Welcome!” It was a moment that will live in our hearts forever.
After our arrival in Bujela, our work began in earnest. Pablo taught science classes at the Mwaji Secondary School, introducing students to such subjects as microbiology, static electricity, botany, and water sanitation. Paige and Leslie taught feminine hygiene and handed out washable, reusable kits assembled by Days For Girls and our own OA volunteers. Dave not only taught a calculator class, but he worked on the water well with Paige, eventually reinforcing it with a concrete superstructure. Monica took photographs of everything and even provided a photo display for villagers to come see. Meanwhile, Michele, Liza, and I (along with some of our volunteers) toured the school and new land and met with village leaders, teachers, and government officials, in an effort to continue construction and to get the school registered with the government. Of course we also handed out supplies given by OA donors: school supplies, blankets, shoes, clothing, and more!
But the Mwaji Secondary School in Bujela is only one of our school projects. We have three, and we visited and worked at all three projects. Whew! Needless to say, there’s too much news and work accomplished to list it all here. (Please visit the “News” section of our website to see full updates.) Our trip was an experience of a lifetime. At the end of three weeks of dusty travel, no running water or electricity, and near constant labor at our project sites, I asked our volunteers if they would do it again. I’ll sum up their answers by saying, “In a heartbeat.” Thank you to our volunteers for their amazing work! And thank you to OA donors for making all our good work possible.
Carl Gann, President, Co-Founder
