Tanzania: Conversations!!

As a SCAW group of travelling volunteers there are a number of activities we do beyond distributing the bedkits to the children. There are home visits to meet prior year recipients, reviews of financial records of our volunteer partners, writing these blogs, checking and re-checking the photos to make sure they are complete and accurate, etc.

One other activity that each of us gets to do is to engage in “conversations” with parents, guardians, and/or teachers of the current year’s children. Today was my day for these conversations. Some guideline questions are as follows:

Normally the conversation will go down a path where the adult is most comfortable, and not all questions will get addressed, but we usually get some very good and thoughtful insight into how our efforts will likely impact the home life of the children.

The conversations are facilitated by one of our local partner representatives, who help with translation, and who also benefit from the feedback that we receive. Mama’s son, Benjamin, has been helping us with our conversations throughout this distribution. 

My two conversations today were both with single mothers who each have 4 children at home. In both homes there are at least two people sharing each bed/mat, and a good night’s sleep is a challenge because of the cold and cramped conditions.

In reviewing the various responses received by team members during their conversations, there are some consistent themes that arise:

• all are extremely grateful for the bedkits and indicate that it will definitely improve their living conditions and the children’s school opportunity for learning.
• school supplies are expensive and many children go without.
• the water bottles are a big hit (thanks, Raymond James!).
• most parents are reluctant to “rank” the items in the bedkit. Our sense is that everything is cherished and they don’t want us to think some things are not valued.

My biggest takeaway from these conversations is that, if we think the children are excited with their new possessions, the parents are ecstatic!!!

Signing off on Day 8,
James C. for
Team Tanzania 2019
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