From Tulrahan to Tanzania
Mary Mullarkey from the townland of Tulrahan, not far from Claremorris in Co. Mayo made the journey from Tulrahan to Tanzania on 18th January last. She was joined by another long-standing OLA volunteer, Mary O’Driscoll. Both are currently volunteering in the OLA mission areas of Mwamapalala and Bugisi. Two more volunteers are expected to arrive in the next number of weeks. Mary was recently in touch to share some of her thoughts from her first weeks of her Tanzanian volunteer mission.
Mary pictured with children from the Bugisi community in Tanzania.
Greetings from Bugisi, Tanzania!
Today is Thursday, 23rd February. I can’t believe I am here in Tanzania five weeks today! Mary O’Driscoll and I departed Dublin on Wednesday 18th January. We had a good flight and arrived in Mwanza on the morning of Thursday 19th January. Sr. Ann Cahill met us in the airport. My first impressions of Mwanza is that it is such a beautiful city, situated in the north of Tanzania. The city overlooks Lake Victoria. A very busy city with many people and vehicles.
After two enjoyable days in Mwanza, we took the three hour car journey to the OLA mission in Mwamapalala where Mary O’Driscoll, a qualified teacher, would be volunteering in the local school over the next few months ahead. The principal road is tarred. Then it is a sandy road from that main road to Mwamapalala - a very rough terrain with potholes. Only jeeps and bicycles are able to travel on it. The road trip was a lovely experience for me; one can see young boys herding oxen or goats at the side of the road. Also, many people, both young and old, are walking for miles to search for water. You pass by so many mud-brick houses with galvanise or thatched roofs. Poverty is prevalent in Tanzania and it can be hard to witness at times.
We were teaching in the secondary schools in Mwamapalala, this was a wonderful experience for me. The students are so warm, welcoming and so eager to learn. Education is absolutely vital for the people here.
'Friendly and welcoming'
Many Tanzanians have very little to live on and employment can be hard come by. Ugali, made from maize, is the most common food here in Tanzania. Many often work in maize and rice fields; they sell fish and vegetables on market days, such as Didia market pictured below, to provide an income for their families. Some families may not have the basic essentials in their homes such as electricity and running water. In saying this, the people are so friendly and welcoming.
After five days in Mwamapalala, I was brought to Bugisi where I was introduced to Sr. Rita, Sr. Teresa and Sr. Yvette. They are wonderful people and have done so much for the people of Bugisi.
Daily routine
Bugisi is quite a big village with a church, convent, two primary schools (one ran by the government and the other by the OLA Sisters), vocational training school, healthcare centre (both run by the Sisters) and block houses with galvanized roofs. On a daily basis, I am teaching English, numbers and some French from nursery 1 (pictured below) to class 3 in the OLA primary school. It’s a pleasure teaching the children, they are lovely and welcoming towards me. They greet me every morning with “Good Morning Teacher Mary”. The age range of the students is from four up to ten years of age, or in Ireland from junior infants to third class. They are over 170 students in the school with an average of about 28-30 students per class. The school day is from Monday to Friday 8am until 1pm. I work from 8am until midday. In the afternoon, I help out in the healthcare centre by giving physiotherapy sessions to some patients and I give tutorials from 4pm-5pm with the boarding school children.
Powerful experience
One of the students that I have been helping is a girl who suffers from kyphosis. We play ball together and have a good time. She always has a smile on her face when she sees me. She appreciates the time and interaction I think. If I achieved nothing else during my time here, this single experience alone has made it completely worthwhile.
The official language in Tanzania is Swahili. English is taught in primary and secondary schools. ‘Hello’ in Swahili is ‘Harbari’ while ‘goodbye’ is ‘Kwaheri’. The younger generation would be more knowledgeable of the English language compared to the older generation as they would have learnt it going to school.
The biggest difference is the climate; the weather here is so warm here - thirty two degrees most days. It gets extremely hot between the hours of 11am and 2pm. The sun rises early. It is usually bright at 6:30am and it gets dark at 7:30pm. We don’t have electricity all the time, we could have a power cut for a few hours most evenings, it due to the weather. The lifestyle is different also with children farming and people commuting on bicycles. I have seen very few cars since I arrived in here over a month ago.
'Hive of activity'
The OLA Mission area in Bugisi is a hive of activity these days! Two buildings are under construction in the healthcare area (pictured below): one will be an operating theatre and the other will house the Outpatient’s Department. A short distance away, they are also building a cafeteria for the students in the primary school.
With all the building going on, it is clear that the OLA’s have done so much work for the people of Bugisi in terms of education and healthcare. It’s a credit to them. They have built schools so children can make a better life for themselves. They have been looking after me very well too!
I am enjoying my time here and plan to stay until Easter. It is so different to Ireland in terms of climate, culture and environment. It is a wonderful experience for me and I am so glad I’ve been given the opportunity to do it. I am really looking forward to the weeks that lie ahead.
- Mary Mullarkey
.
Support Groups for Returned Overseas Volunteers & Lay Missionaries
Have you ever volunteered overseas in any kind of profession or have worked as a lay missionary in Africa, Asia or South America? Would you like to meet up with like-minded people? Support and action groups are being set up across the country. If you are interested, please contact Jim, coordinator of a network (LMUI) for overseas volunteers/lay missionaries at jim.farrell@amri.ie or phone/text 083 8422468.
