Antonia Schimmer - Tanzania visit
After graduating from Rossall last year I decided to take a gap year and spent 10 weeks volunteering with children in Arusha, Tanzania. I am beyond grateful for every moment of this adventure, since it allowed me to learn so much about the lives and the culture of the people there. It was truly the most eye opening and at the same time most challenging experience of my life.
I will never forget how each morning after opening the school’s gate all of the children came up running to me with their open arms and how their bright smiles screamed my name. They inspired me every day with their positive energy, gratefulness and especially their joy of life. My role was to teach the alphabet, numbers, or parts of the body - depending on the day of the week. (Fridays were always extra fun as we listened to music and danced or drew together) Once the morning lessons were over the children got their porridge and their outside playtime started. After using the last of my energy by running around, carrying children or playing any type of game, me and the teacher started cooking the lunch for the children which was always either ugali, rice, beans, chapati and vegetables. Some of the children decided to leave before lunch, some after lunch, some returned back to the school after going home and some even stayed until around 7pm. The school was a place with an open door, where every child of that area felt welcomed and if they were bored they just came by to share their joy.
However, it was really challenging to witness the result of poverty, especially as the teacher told me many stories about the lives of the children. Many of them lost their parents, either because they died or because they moved away in search of work. As a result they either live with their grandparents, relatives or their neighbors or friends. If you asked some of the children where their parents are they just answered “I don’t know” as it was the most normal thing to ask a child aged around three. It was also heartbreaking to see that most of the children came with the same tattered clothes for weeks and often without having eaten anything. Seeing how some children were secretly searching in the school bags of their friends looking for food or clean water and not exactly knowing whether to stop them or just looking away was the hardest thing for me.
This was the point where I set up a Go Fund Me campaign and I was able to raise over 2000€. I used that money to buy lots of clothes and shoes for the children, provide food supplies which would last for a long time for families in the community and sponsor some tuition fees. Furthermore, I was really thankful that I got the help of some friends to build a second classroom for the school in order to create more space for learning, safety and hope.
Volunteering really taught me a lot about life and emphasised the importance of teamwork. Therefore, I want to encourage anyone whether it is local charity work or volunteering somewhere else to go and take that step. Even small contributions can have a big impact and the perspective you gain in return is truly the most rewarding thing!
