Off to Tengeru

Welcome to the new blog!

Thought I should get writing now there's only a week to go before I head off. Though I'm not ready in any way as yet! Not sure I'm really prepared for Tanzania, though Cross-Cultural Solutions have done a good job filling me in on cultural norms, what to wear, what it's going to be like ... And although I've been trying to learn some basic Kiswahili, I just don't seem to be able to remember any of the words!

What I do know is that I'm going to be in a village called Tengeru, and there will be a Home Base to stay in - it's in a compound on the edge of the village surrounded by banana and coffee plantations apparently!

And I've just found out what my work placement is going to be - teaching English in the nursery/primary section of a school called 'Vision English Training Center and Adult Education' (doesn't dound very child-orientated, does it?!) - it's a 10-minute walk from the Home Base in another village called Patandi. When I filled in the CCS forms about what work I could do, I said I was willing to work fairly unsupervised so it's no surprise (though making me a wee bit nervous now) to find that I'm going to be taking whole classes on my own. Though there are two other volunteers working at the same school, which will be nice.

I don't have a lot of information to go on, and have been told that's how it is, and that it'll become clearer very slowly once I get there! Sounds like pace of life is going to be even slower and more laid-back than Peru ...

This is the information that CCS has sent me, and I'll let you know what it's really like once I'm settled in!

VOLUNTEER WORK PLACEMENT
Country: Arusha, Tanzania
Name of Partner Organization: Vision English Training Center and Adult Education
Head of Institution: Mr. Eminiel Mungure
Institution Mentors and Head Teachers: Mr. Danny Mtanga and Mr. Mbilizi

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PARTNER ORGANIZATION

Goals and Objectives of school:
1. Provide comprehensive education in a variety of subjects to both children and adults.
2. Provide education and counseling services pertaining to HIV and AIDS.
3. Provide children and youth with sporting activities, games, and crafts.
4. Provide job training skills such as computer skills and training for adults.

The school is located within a 10-minute walk from the CCS Tanzania Home-Base in Patandi village and is about 300 meters from the main road in Tengeru and past the Arumeru District Hospital. The Staff is composed of 8 members, 6 men and 2 women. There are around 40 children and over 50 adults (12-50 yrs old) who attend Vision English Training Center and Adult Education.

Danny and Mbilizi are very warm in their acceptance of volunteers and will make volunteers feel right at home. Students are eager to learn and pay close attention to lessons. Plan to arrive at placement between 7:30 and 8:00 am. English classes usually begin around 9:00 a.m. so there is time in the morning to finalize preparations for class. Each day a break is taken at 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. for tea and breakfast. The break is a great time to talk with the mentors about the day’s lessons or plans for future lessons.

Duties:
CCS volunteers will be involved heavily at this placement with the task of English education. Emphasis is placed on parts of speech, increasing vocabulary, the use of prepositions, and various conversational aspects of the English language such as slang and pronunciation. Volunteers will have almost complete control of at least 2 classes which are formatted for discussion and writing exercises. Students at the school range in age from 5-50 but are divided according to their level of English comprehension and age. Classes are in session twice each day. The first session begins at 8 a.m. and ends at Noon. The second session begins at 2:00 p.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. (Our volunteers are involved in the early session.) Volunteers should be prepared to conduct full lessons each day and provide attention to students who might be struggling in certain areas.

Classes vary in size but are usually no more than 20 students. While the school hopes to expand into the areas of computer education, HIV/AIDS education, and counseling; volunteer efforts will largely be concentrated in the area of English education. Volunteers with experience in teaching sciences such as chemistry, physics, and biology or math, civics, or geography may find those skills greatly appreciated as well. Even though some of the students are adults or even seniors, they enjoy singing and love to see pictures of your family, home and daily life.

Useful Supplies:
Please note – It is not required that you bring these supplies to your placement. Just know that many of the placements are not equipped with a large supply of resources. These supplies have been used or suggested by past volunteers, and have proven useful in doing work at this placement. Supplies are for use at your placement, but are not to be left there.

* English Teaching Aids - English books ranging in levels from beginner to about third or fourth grade (For example, books with lists of prepositions, conjunctions etc. and example sentences would help you immensely during class.)
* Picture books to use as teaching aids
* Pictures from home of family, friends, and daily activities and surroundings that students find very interesting as descriptions of life outside of Tanzania
* Boom box with kids tapes or CDs
* Newspapers, Magazines, books (useful in increasing vocabulary and reading comprehension)
craft supplies
* Red pens for marking
* A notebook for yourself to keep track of lessons
activities for children such as coloring, painting, songs, rhymes, and games that teach English

Work Attire:
Please plan to dress according to the recommendations found in your Volunteer Handbook. Women – long skirts and modest tops. Men – trousers and button down, or casual tops. Comfortable good walking shoes like canvas or tennis shoes are fine.

Desired Attributes:
* Flexibility
* Desire to empower others
* Willingness to be creative
* Ability to be proactive
* Comfort teaching and leading
* Patience