Sabbatical in kindergarten in Tanzania field report

It has been a dream of mine for a long time - "To support a project and to support children who do not have the opportunity to grow up as well as we do!" However, in order to make this dream come true, I always thought that I would have to take a long time off or quit my job. In addition, I always told myself: "That's only for students or pupils after school - you're too old for that!"

Both turned out to be clear misinformation. However, this misinformation had so far prevented me from tackling the topic further. At the beginning of the year, an acquaintance told me that there were projects that could be covered with just 4 weeks of vacation.

And so I rummaged on the Internet and came across RGV relatively quickly. In addition to many other providers I noticed RGV very positive, because they have "all ages" addressed and also worked very professional. 

From dream to reality: the planning

After I read up on the homepage, had the information material sent to me by RGV and also called the organization personally, it was clear to me: I can make my dream come true here. Luckily, my bosses didn't think twice and immediately agreed to my request for unpaid leave.

Thus, the way was clear and everything went quickly.

Due to the great organization of the RGV team was my destination and my desire "with children to work together" fixed, booked my flights and I provided with the most important advance information.

The first days on site

On 10.6. then it started. The first days in Zanzibar were due to Ramadan and the generally more relaxed African mentality - "a little quieter". Nevertheless, I was able to drop by the kindergarten/school and get in touch with the director. And then it quickly became clear – there is a lot to do here!

So we started the very next day: making plans about what could be changed, buying paint to make the rooms more child-friendly, organizing helpers to help us redesign the garden, launching an appeal for donations to organizing the money for doors and windows, plastering, paint, garden tools and a kitchen...

Work in kindergarten

In the following 5 weeks we were able to move a lot and time flew by. From 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. I was allowed to help with the other volunteers to organize the lessons.

In the kindergarten, which you have to imagine as a kind of preschool, they don't play like we do in the kindergartens, because there simply isn't enough space and there aren't enough toys. Here we tend to sing and speak after the teacher in a chorus, but English and math are also taught. 

If we couldn't help with anything in class, we helped to cook the daily porridge, which for many children was often the only warm meal of the day, or used our manual skills to paint the rooms and make everything a little nicer and more child-friendly.

It was really nice to see how satisfied and happy the children are with no things and the way I treated the children gave me a lot of pleasure.

Accommodation in host family

During my stay, I lived with a local family that RGV put me in touch with. I just wanted to get to know "normal everyday life" and therefore decided against the student house. However, I still had contact with the other volunteers in the student house and was able to do a lot with them in my free time.

In the evenings and at weekends, I also enjoyed talking to my family and being involved in their lives.

Of course, the living situation cannot be compared to European standards, and you have to accept this "simple life". However, you also get a different perspective on everything and are also rewarded with endless hospitality from the locals.

In conclusion, I can only say:

I would recommend it to anyone who wants to take a break and combine it with a meaningful project. This kind of time-out not only brings back a lot of experience, but also a lot for the heart and infinite satisfaction. The different perspective that I got there makes it much easier for me in everyday life, because I see many things more calmly. And yes - you learn to appreciate how good you are.

Sabbatical in Kindergarten in Tanzania Experience report, by Sandra H., January 2019