Time to say goodbyes

Saying goodbyes for parents in Tambukareli.

My two and half months with Ni Hekima Pekee has now gone. It's time to say goodbyes and return home. I feel happy to go back Finland and see my family and friends again, but at the same time I feel little bit melancholic to leave Tanzania. I hope to come back Tanzania, and Mwanza too, but when it'll happen, is something I don't know yet.

What I do know, is that I've had great 10 weeks with NIHEP! I think I've learned a lot. I've seen and experienced many, many things that I couldn't have ever experienced at home. Hopefully I've also managed to share something with other volunteers of NIHEP. And what's the most important, hopefully I've managed to help NIHEP and its beneficiaries, even little bit.

I can recommend NIHEP also for other volunteers. NIHEP is young and developing NGO, so they can offer many kind of tasks for volunteers with different skills. At this moment social workers or students who study social work / social services are needed most, though. Doing internship in Tanzania is a good choice, if you are not afraid of challenges and if you are willing to share your knowledge and views. In my opinion, challenging myself like this was a priceless experience, something I'll never regret! Asanteni sana na tutaonana tena, NIHEP na Tanzania! (Thank you very much and see you again, NIHEP and Tanzania!)

Greetings, Saara

The importance of information and informing

Hi, it is volunteer Saara writing here again. I have now passed half of my time with Ni Hekima Pekee. Five weeks has gone and five weeks is still left. It's amazing how fast days go by when you have interesting and inspiring work to do!

As an volunteer I'm interested about social questions: how to reduce poverty and social exclusion in the world. These are crucial issues also in Finnish society which I'm coming from. In my home country I study social services now, but formerly I worked as a writer and photographer. So, concerning to this, I think information, informing and story telling are good ways to improve things and make the world little bit better place.

For organisation like Ni Hekima Pekee information and informing are also very essential issues. Lately we have been developing these things. Now we have our own Facebook page and also this blog has experienced some changes. For example upcoming volunteers can now find updated information and photos of the accommodation. Furthermore, on Facebook we have group page for friends of Ni Hekima Pekee.

I still have some assignments to do for NIHEP. For example I am planning to do brochure for the organisation. Also basic work, family support in the community is one of my tasks for the rest of the time. With local volunteers I will visit families in Tambukareli and Kambarage. We still have many follow up discussions to do in these streets.

My weeks in Mwanza

Primary school in Iseni.

Time has been flying so fast. I have already been here over three weeks and I will go back to Finland on Friday. My name is Madeleine Sandström and I am studying to become a teacher. My subject is special education and I have one year left of my studies.

My journey to Tanzania started the 18th of April. First I went to Iringa. There I did a teaching practice for five weeks. The 25th of May I arrived to Mwanza and I have been volunteering for Ni Hekima Pekee. I have been in the primary school Iseni and also visiting families. Me and Saara (she introduced her self earlier) have also been trying to think how we can develop the current system within Ni Hekima Pekee. So we have also been doing some office work.

The school Iseni is a government school and the also have an unit within special education. I spent my time at the school in that class. I learned a lot from the teacher Kristina, mostly about deafness. Teaching deaf pupils was something new for me and very interesting. We both shared ideas concerning education and we talked about challenges in both Finland and Tanzania.

The pupils got vacation the 7th of June so then I started with new tasks. The two last week I have been visiting families in the area Tambuka Reli and Kambarage. Ni Hekima Pekee is supporting families in the areas and the goal is that the families would get money to start some small business so that they can support them self. Some families have already got the support but some families are still waiting. For the moment we need more sponsors to be able to help all the families.

Preparing cards to teach sign language.

Ni Hekima Pekee is also arranging support meetings within the families. They meet once a week and discuss different problems that can accure within a family and they try to solve them together and support each other. Some of the families have a child with some kind of disability. In Tanzania there is a big shame for the whole family if a family member has a disability. Many children stay at home and they never get the opportunity to go to school. Ni Hekima Pekee tries to change these attitudes and I have been visiting some of the families and trying to support them concerning their child's disability. I have also been teaching sign language to one family.

I can't believe my time here is already almost over. I have really enjoyed my time here!

Greetings, Madeleine