A visit to Tanzania isn’t complete without climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! We didn’t get the chance to climb the mountain though, so we’ll have to come back. Instead, we climbed a hill at the base of Mount Meru, the second tallest mountain, and visited the Ngiresi village which is close by.
The School
The first place we went to in the village was the primary school where the students were 4 to 13 years old. The grade 7/8 class we went into had about 60 kids with only one teacher to teach them all! Usually our classes at home have 20-30 students maximum, so this was huge! The desks have 2-3 students at each one and they look just like the ones at Pickering Village Museum at home.
At the schools in Tanzania, uniforms are mandatory so if a student doesn’t have one, they can’t go to the school. The primary schools are free like public schools in Canada, but the parents must buy the uniforms and exercise books. Each school has a different uniform, and we saw quite a few.
We got a chance to talk to the students in the class. We talked about our trip and what our school is like, and asked them questions. We found out they like to play soccer and netball, and on the radio, they listen to gospel, hot funk, and Beyonce. It was interesting to find out they haven’t heard of Justin Bieber!
We also got the chance to visit a secondary school, where the students are 14 to 18 years old. The students get to sit at their own desks, and still have to wear a uniform. The secondary school has less students than the primary one, 640 students, because parents need to pay fees and would rather have their children at home to help with chores and work.
In this school, there were separate classrooms for chemistry, biology, and physics. Recently, these rooms received sinks and gas for experiments so now these are functioning school labs. It was really great to see this because it shows how the schools are starting to advance and improve their resources for teaching.
Seeing these schools made me realize I’m so lucky to be able to go to a good school every day and get a good education. The students here would jump at the chance to have schools like we do. Since the uniforms and secondary school cost money which could be used for other things, all the students who attend want to be there to learn because if they didn’t, the parents would keep them home to help around the house.
Village Home
The next eye-opening experience was going inside a home in the village. There are 5 people who live in the house: the mother, a young girl, 2 little boys, and a newborn. The father lives in a hut nearby on the property because in their culture, they can have more than one wife, and this man had two.
The outside of the house is made out of a mixture of clay, mud, and cow patties. The roof is usually made of sheets of tin in different sizes. Other houses have roofs made out of grass. There are small holes in the roof to let light into the house, but when it rains, the inside of the house gets wet and the dirt floor turns into mud.
Inside the house there is a sitting area, the kitchen, the bed, and a space for the family cow. The cow is brought inside every night to make sure it isn’t taken and to warm up the house. The “kitchen” is a fire and a metal pot, where a stew and corn were being cooked. It was very smoky because of the fire. They have no electricity so they rely on other things to light the house.
Bio Gas
For some of the other houses in the village, they use bio gas to power their stoves. This gas is made from things readily available in the village: cow dung and urine. First, the dung and urine are collected every morning in a bucket and poured into a big tank. It sits inside until it creates methane gas, which is collected. This gas is used for stoves and it doesn’t even smell bad!
You’re probably thinking, “Wow, that’s great, but doesn’t all that bathroom waste accumulate?” Yes, it does, so the owners of the tanks have a brilliant solution to this problem. They cut a channel out of the tank leading into their fields, so there is fertilizer ready for use. This form of energy is new and the equipment is expensive, so only 6 houses in the village have this installed. Hopefully in the future, more homes will be able to use this technology.
The Medical Clinic
The last building we visited was a medical clinic. It was small, not very well equipped, and there was only one nurse in the building while we were visiting. There were three rooms for patients, with another room being requested for the vaccinations of newborn babies. According to the nurse, they had been trying to get a fridge installed to properly store the vaccinations, but were unable to get one, due to the sudden absence of the main doctor. If there are illnesses or injuries the clinic can’t treat, the patients have to go to a hospital in Arusha. I think this clinic is a good start, but there are definitely ways it can be improved to better help those in need.
Overall, visiting this village really showed me how good we have it in Canada. I know people are constantly telling me this, but I never really understood what they meant until we went to this village. Here are more people I want to help, but I know it will take a few generations to change the situation there. This was an incredible experience and I feel I have learned a lot just from the one day.
Comments
18 responses to “Climbing Mount Kili…. Or Not!”
Hi Mikhaila,
Thank you for sharing this eye-opening blog! We really are very blessed and fortunate to enjoy life the way we do. We must appreciate what we have and never take it for granted. I’m happy to know that you will think of ways to help! Love, Baba
Hi Baba,
Visiting these types of places has made me realize how much help is needed from First World countries. There is so much we can do to help others but we don’t always think about that. This trip has made me see I can do things to help those in need.
Thank you Mikhaila for sharing your village visit with us. I am always very interested to see how education is delivered all over the world. It is the future generations who will be able to make a difference, given a chance. I hope are enjoying your latest leg of your trip! Travel safely. Love Teta Doreen xoxox
Hello Teta Doreen,
When we visited the schools, we learned the schools are investing money and energy into science. There is a real focus on educating people to become teachers and doctors because these professions are needed in the country.
Where are you staying while you are here? How did your parents organize the school visit? The home visit? You were very very lucky! Some times they ( the Africans) are very proud to show their homes and schools, but other times they do not like ‘nosey whites’ looking into their lives. You obviously made a very good impression on them! I am keen to learn more about these days.
Hi Herta,
We learned each village has a chairman, and the chairman of this village opened it up for a cultural awareness program. This has led to tourists and outside organizations investing in the village, which is why the methane gas system is in place. The chairman is a smart man as he recognizes awareness of his village’s situation can help to make the lives of those who live there better.
Thank you for your reply!
You said it best, Mikhaila — an eye-opening experience, no doubt. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. I, too, feel very lucky here in Canada.
Hello Ms. Little,
Seeing how the people live in this village shows how good we have it. Many people take it for granted, but don’t realize how lucky they truly are. I didn’t really understand this until we visited Ngiresi village!
I was very moved by this blog Mikhaila. The visit to this village, and perhaps many more like it, is making you aware of how most people around the world are living. I noticed that the students in the photographs are all boys…do the girls go to school?
Hi Aunt Mary,
There were girls and boys in the class; however, the girls shave their heads to prevent lice and it’s expensive to take care of long hair. The only way we could tell the difference between the girls and boys was because the girls wore skirts as a part of their uniforms.
Yet another problem they are facing! The girls probably envied you and Zoe for having long hair; although, yours is shorter now…looks great, by the way! Glad to hear that the girls also have the opportunity to go to school! Who knows? Maybe one day you will be going back to Tanzania as an English teacher; or a doctor; or a missionary. This global field trip is definitely setting the path to your future.
Thank you, Mikhaila, for sharing this! How students are treated and what their education is like is always interesting to me! I agree with Doreen that the future generations are important as you young people are our future and can and will make a difference!! Hopefully other young people will as positive a one as I know you and Zoe are going to make!!!
Ginny
Hello Ginny,
I’m not sure who wrote this, but i found this quote which I would like to use to answer your comment:
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
Hi, Mikhaila, Opa and I found your posting very informative. We think it’s important that you were able to visit with the people and see the way they live and work in other countries. I agree with you that it shows what a great country we live in and we all have to appreciate it. Thank you for your thoughtful reporting and also the photos. which underline your message that a lot of time will pass before all the changes are coming for everybody. Thank you for a touching post. XOXOXO’s to all
Hi Oma,
I think everyone should have this experience so that they can truly appreciate what they have. Change can come, but it will probably take some time for this to happen.
dear Mikhaila, really nice to read your stories; and yes, as I keep telling my children, it does matter where in the world your cradle was, and we are so lucky that we have all the luxury of going to school properly, live in a house with all kind of facilities, ….
Thanks for reminding us.
Have a great time everywhere you go !
lots of warm friendship, Ingrid (Loenhout)
Hello Ingrid,
It’s really nice to hear from you and I’m glad you’re enjoying our posts! 🙂 It really does make a difference where you are born, live, and go to school because this influences your future and success in life. We are truly blessed with all we have and should always remember this!