Experience report from a preschool in Tanzania

The first days of my volunteer work in Iringa

At the beginning of September it was time to say goodbye to my family and friends and then my trip to Tanzania started, where I wanted to gain new experiences after my Abitur before my studies. In Dar es Salaam you were picked up directly from the airport, taken to the Student House and welcomed. On the first day after my arrival, I had my orientation program together with other volunteers who happened to have arrived on the same day.

You drive for the first time with a Daladala, the small buses that are typical for Tanzania, you get a SIM card and you can change money or withdraw money. In my first week in Tanzania, I didn't go straight to Iringa, but first to the beautiful island of Zanzibar. I had booked the RGV trip and spent five really great days with fantastic excursions on the island. A visit is really recommended during his stay.

Iringa: accommodation, excursion possibilities and surroundings

Then I went to Iringa and after a 12-hour bus ride, in quite comfortable coaches, I reached my home for the next 11 weeks. Shedrack, the contact person in Iringa, picked you up from the bus station and took you to the student house on a Bajaji, a three-wheeled motorbike, which is about 20 minutes from the center. It is very large and can accommodate up to 12 volunteers.

You live with Shedrack and his wife Linda who take care of you and are there to answer any questions. I felt very comfortable right from the start and I really liked Iringa straight away. The city is rather small, but has a very nice center with a park, nice cafes and restaurants, a market and all kinds of other shops. All around there are also other nice excursions, activities and enough mountains for hiking, so that you don't get bored at the weekend with all the other volunteers you get to know.

Working in a primary and primary school in Tanzania

Unfortunately, there were initially difficulties with my project placement, since the Tanzanian authorities in the Iringa area no longer recognized the volunteer visa I received in Germany. From now on, a business visa had to be applied for locally, which took about a week. You mustn't forget that you are in Africa and the bureaucracy there is different from ours in Europe.

Something like that can just happen from one day to the next. Shedrack and also RGV in Munich and Lukas as a contact person in Tanzania took care of the problem directly and after a week I was able to start my really great project work in a preschool and elementary school that was 5 minutes walk from our student house.

From the beginning I was warmly welcomed by my colleagues and the children and they were all very interested in talking to me and exchanging ideas. The school teaches entirely in English, which is why I was able to help right from the start without any major language barriers. I was assigned to a 1st grade class with 80 children. With this large number of children, it was not always easy to assert oneself, but since we were usually 2-3 teachers in the classroom, since there were something like assistant teachers (Tanzanian student teachers), it usually went quite well.

In the beginning I watched more and always only taught smaller things, because I wanted to get to know the normal lessons first in order to orient myself. But over time it developed in such a way that I taught two subjects, including the preparation of the lessons, and was therefore able to take on a certain amount of responsibility. It was really interesting to get to know a different school system and to teach in a completely different environment. As a volunteer in a primary school, RGV prepares you for the fact that the children are still being beaten at school.

But of course you should think about it yourself. When it actually happens, it still takes some getting used to. I myself just tried to set a good example and of course I didn't hit the children and I was happy to talk to my colleagues there about other methods if they asked. Over time, I really grew fond of the children and the school, and it was difficult for me to say goodbye.

My conclusion

During the 12 weeks I was able to really get to know the Tanzanian culture in a way that you might not be able to as a pure tourist, I was able to find real friends in the other volunteers and gain a small new home. I felt very comfortable in Tanzania and especially Iringa and I firmly resolved to come back to see more of this beautiful country and until then to try to keep in touch with all the lovely people I was able to meet in Tanzania.

Report from a pre-school in Tanzania, by Amelie A., 18.01.18