My Volunteer Experience in Tanzania
Mary O’Driscoll is from Ovens in Co. Cork. Having just finished her Higher Diploma in teaching in the summer of 1971, Mary and her class mates were making plans for the year ahead. One of Mary’s class mates was an OLA Sister, who suggested the idea of going volunteering in Nigeria. Mary did not need any convincing and in January 1972 she arrived in Kakuri, Nigeria where she would spend the next 18 months. Since then, Mary has volunteered her time and skills across Africa, Asia and South America. We caught up with Mary recently, ahead of her next volunteer mission with the OLA Sisters in Tanzania this coming January. Here, Mary shares a little about her previous experiences of life in Tanzania.
Mary O'Driscoll at a volunteer gathering in Cork last August
In recent times I have volunteered at the OLA second level school in Mwamapalala, Tanzania. I will go there this January for two months where I will assist Sr. Anne Cahill in the classroom teaching English using the method of ‘Team Teaching’ – which has been in use here ever before it was used in Ireland! There will probably be 50-60 students in the classroom, it can be hard for students to stay focused with one teacher up the front for a double class (one and a half hours). Those who get good results go on to complete their A Levels elsewhere – that is if your parents are willing to let you go as finance is a big issue and sending them straight to work can be a more attractive option.
Life in Mwamapalala is simple. The electricity poles have gone up over the years but there are no wires yet. A minority of shops have electricity. Life is daylight. People generally walk or cycle. The area is sprinkled with many bicycle repair shops as punctures are common. Up until recently there was a bicycle taxi which had a soft cushion on the carrier and it would ferry people to Mwamapalala on market day (Friday). Now there are a few motorcycle taxis.
I remember one time when I was out cycling when i came across two young boys out minding sheep. They had never seen a white person before. They fled for their lives and darted across an area full of thorny scrub. I called out ‘pepe’ - which is the local word for sweet – and left them down before continuing on my way. The next day different children came up to me calling ‘pepe’. Word obviously had gone around and I guess it is educational. The idiosyncrasies of our world are evident here too when you see a man come out of his mud which was no electricity and running water yet he has a smart phone which he needs to bring to Mwamapalala where he pays to get it charged.
Some of the local people are great entrepreneurs. There is a man in the town of Mwamapalala with a little shop/kiosk. He built a lean-to on the side of it and opened a cinema which consists of a 14 inch portable tv, some plastic chairs and a few videos of grainy quality. One day I looked in and there were four people sitting down watching a movie!
Click here to read part one of Mary's article which focuses on he first volunteer experience in Nigeria.
