Day 1: Day Camp

I flew into Tanzania yesterday from Nairobi. My first impressions on the drive from Kilimanjaro airport were the lush green of the well manicured garden hedges, the bright reds and pinks of the flowers, and the tall maize and sun flower plants swaying in the wind outside Arusha. I am told that June to August are the Tanzanian winter and the time rain falls – thus central to the wealth of the farmers for the rest of the year. This may be, but I do feel that rain, wind and cold in Tanzania is a breach of trade descriptions. I had to wear two cardigans last night and feel somewhat cheated. 

I have rarely been in a country for such a short time and felt so completely at ease. Arusha is a tourist town, due to its proximity to Kilimanjaro (which I haven’t yet seen because of the cloud). They are therefore accustomed to foreigners, yet the gentleness and courtesy with which I have been welcomed have been overwhelming. 

I spent today at our partner CASEC’s Youth Centre, where they were holding a Day Camp for students from the 14 secondary schools in Arusha they work with on health issues as part of their HIV/AIDS programme.

Today’s camp trained 4 students from each school in the factors which influence our behaviour, both biological and social. The programme aims to prepare young people for the vulnerable situations they may, perhaps already have, found themselves in. These students will then go back to their schools and train other students in what they have learned. 

CASEC has worked with these secondary schools to set up Health Clubs, opted into by the children from across all age groups, where they have a safe environment to discuss and learn about reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other such challenges. They use song, dance and drama as well as debate and the input of external speakers. 

The impact on the children is clear. Boys and girls are confident about speaking in front of others, including adults, on issues which I’m not sure I would have done at the age of 13. Their Health Clubs are not 15 kids at break; they are 250-300 students of all ages.

I spent some time talking to those teachers who had accompanied their students. Many of the schools are newly built, part of a Tanzanian government programme to enable all children to access secondary education. As such they vary in size from 200 (the school has opened this year) to 1400. The clubs are both well established and newly formed but already the impact is plain. One teacher, whose club has been in place for 4 years talks about the increase in the confidence of the students who now train the other teachers in the school as well as their peers. For him the club “has given students responsibility” and shown them how, whatever their age they “are responsible for their community” and have the ability to make a difference. In his school the students have to buy lunch and not all can afford it. He went to his club and asked what they were going to do about it. The kids went out and dug a garden. 

The power the clubs give to their individual members was brought home by a small 13 year old girl at the end of the day. The facilitator posed the question “What would you do if your boyfriend/girlfriend came up to you and wanted to have sex?” She said “I’d tell him that now I have self-awareness. The girl’s in control.”

 

Val Bishop

Head of Communications