Arusha Project

Jason, taking in the view.

So after the safari, we found ourselves in the tourist hot-spot of Tanzania – Arusha. Based also in the north of the country, this place is rather pretty with lots of greenery and the second highest mountain in TZ – Mount Meru overlooking the town, (approx 3 day climb to the peak). Arusha attracts a lot of foreigners due to its proximity to the some of the main National Parks and the climate being hot but bearable with cool winds.



Mount Meru overlooks the town



There is generally more to do in this town then in all the towns we have visited so far. Attractions such as several museums to visit, it’s own national park, the Uhuru monument (set up to commemorate the socialist experiment of 1967 by the founding father Julius Nyerere), the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Massai Market with over 200 shops to name a few sights attractions.

The Uhuru Monument

The annoyance with it being so touristy is that everything is overpriced and the fly catchers and touts are out in force. You walk down the road saying ‘pana asante’ (no thank you) about a hundred times!!...Im waiting for Jason’s patience to snap, LOL




Volunteering



We stayed a couple of days in the busy town centre near the clock-tower roundabout before moving to Suye (about 5km out of the town but still in Arusha) and into a shared house for volunteers as part of an organisation called ‘Art in Tanzania’ who provide volunteers placements in local schools and orphanages.

Jason and I had high expectations for this organisation as they presented themselves well through their website and seemed to be a professional outfit, not to mention they were charging a higher amount of money then other voluntary projects. However sadly, the reality fell short..

We stayed near the Clocktower roundabout, the heart of the town.

Our experience in the shared house alone was disappointing as we were not getting value for money, (which after being in TZ for weeks we understand). There was no hot water, basic, basic food, smaller living quarters including bunk beds – I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had to sleep in bunkbeds!! And the staff, although polite pretty much kept to themselves not as friendly as you’d hope being a volunteers house and there were water cuts practically the whole time we were there!  

However the really sad note and deal-breaker for use, which meant this was our shortest project - was that the local schools and orphanages attached to the organisation were seeing hardly/if any, money given by the volunteers paying to be there. As a result this places pressure on the volunteers from their placement, to give additional money. We heard so many stories of how the teachers, even children in some cases manipulate the volunteers to give them money. You can hardly blame them when most orphanages and schools are run from one rented room, or even someone’s home, who themselves are living under the poverty line and additionally trying to care for other children, which some children have desperate situations such as being homeless and are vulnerable street children.

As Babu Bob our friend from Kilimanjaro had told us, this was the problem with many NGO’s, that they receive a lot of money from volunteers abroad and do not distribute the money fairly.

B.O.S.I

During our time here, Jason and I were attached to Baraa Orphanage Support Initiative (B.O.S.I) run by a lady named Anna and a dude called Ernest.

This woman is remarkable and greatly moved us.  

Her story is that she sadly lost her husband to AIDS in 2003 which then, she made the startling discovery that she was HIV positive. She was faced with having to bury her husband while fighting a legal battle against her in-laws who wanted to take her property from her (a common fight) while caring for her 6 children and having to confront the ridicule and stigma the virus opens you up to from her local community who would literally point their finger at her and talk negatively about her. As some still believe you contract it through being bad or some magical form of karma.

Fast forward to the present and Anna now takes care of several children who are HIV positive or orphaned as a result of losing their parents to AIDS or vulnerable street children. She cares for them in her own home where she also runs a day care school in the morning from 9am – 12pm. She sits on the board for vulnerable children in the community and self educates herself on the latest medical developments with her illness so that she can support her self and others, as she also holds an adult support group every Friday in her home to support those also affected by it and living with the associated stigma or to encourage those to come forward who have it and scared of admitting it.

Ernest lost his wife to AIDS and also suffers with HIV, he was at the point of committing suicide when Anna and him became friends and Ernest decided to live with Anna to help.

Anna also confirmed to us that the manager of Art in Tanzania in Arusha had not provided her money even when volunteers had sponsored her children. However she dare not say anything to him as this may ‘rock the boat’ and she could lose the volunteers altogether.

However I still enjoyed the short time I was there with the children J