Coming back to Tanzania for a second time I expected some things to be the same and wondered if I would see any differences. Soon after arriving I immediately recalled Tanzanians quick paced style of driving; frequently using their horns to make other drivers aware of their need to get into the weaving flow of traffic. I recalled that there was always plenty of action to see while driving through the city. People are selling fruit, clothing and even cassette tapes at the side of the road packed with people traveling by foot, bicycle, bus and even motorcycle to and from their homes and work.
During distribution, many memories came back to me as well. The excitement of the children when we arrived, the shy glances of the children as they walk by the 6 women from Canada and the smiles and a quiet “thank-you” when passing out the bed kit.
News of our arrival travels very quickly in the area we are visiting. By mid-afternoon there are many, many children that have come to the school to see if they will receive a bedkit today. Many do, but sadly many go home without a bedkit. This reaffirms that although we are doing a great thing for these children there is still such a high need for the items we are distributing.
During our first two days of distribution I have noticed one small difference from my last visit. More and more children are wearing laced-up running shoes and socks. On my last visit almost all of the children wore flip-flops or sometimes no shoes at all. I can only speculate that the reasons for this change could be because running shoes have become more available to Tanzanians living in the villages of Dar es Salaam or perhaps the need for proper footwear has been recognized and running shoes have been donated to the children. Either way, it’s great to see the children dressed in suitable footwear for running through the schoolyard with less risk of hurting their feet.
The hard work of the first two days of distribution has left me longing for sleep, but at the same time looking forward to distributions in the next few days. The children are still beautiful, have the most brilliant smiles, and are appreciative of our donors’ gifts.
Katie Sandiford for the SCAW 2007 Tanzania travelling team.Leave a comment here.
