Thursday July 26, 2007

My final day of volunteer placement was yesterday, and it is quite interesting to see the effect it has had on me in the short six weeks I have been here. I will always be connected to the children and staff of Kaole Primary School in the Bagamoyo District of Tanzania. As is often said with these types of endeavors, I believe I have learned more from them than I could have ever imparted as a teacher. I learned quickly about the stoicism that even young children can possess in the face of obstacles that, to western people, might seen preventive to the continuity of education. Also, I have learned that even when a subsistence level of living is in question, human nature will seek to rise above the squalor and grasp onto hope for a better tomorrow. The children that I came into contact with are the next generation for a community that has little reason to expect upward mobility in their living conditions. The one ray of light in all of this is that the people are ready to rise up if someone is willing to extend their hand down. I saw firsthand how warmly I was welcomed, providing whatever small support I could, and I believe that once the first tiny push of momentum is started in the region, it will only be a matter of time before there are new signs of progress. As renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs postulated, all it takes is getting these people on the first rung for them to be able to climb the ladder themselves. These are the lessons I will take back home with me to Canada.