Parties, Celebrations, Graduations Galore

Wk of 12/11-12/18


This week has been full of ceremonies and celebrations. On Friday the 11th, Jackie invited me to a graduation ceremony at ECOLI-the pre-school she has worked with for the past 6mo. These children will be moving on to primary school starting in late January. The school year here is Jan-Dec, with a few holiday breaks throughout. I was optimistic in thinking I was merely attending the ceremony as an audience member; of course I would be a ‘guest of honor’ and required to sit at the head table along with the District Ward Officer, a ECOLI board member, the assistant director of the school and Jackie. The ceremony was quite formal, with readings by the District Ward Officer and another guest of honor who preached the importance of education—to preschoolers, mind you. and not in a tone you’d usually address 5 yr olds… The children as usual were cute as could be. They marched into the ceremony singing and doing a little dance step.The families were very excited for their babies to be receiving recognition of moving on in their education, each mama or family member providing a lay and a gift to the child as their name was read for their ‘diploma.’ Despite the meager resources, ECOLI provided a light lunch for all which included samosa, sausage, potatoes, chipati (Indian style flat bread), fruit, and a soda.

The following Monday, Jackie organized a party for all the children of ECOLI-not just the graduates-at a local playground.
Many of these children (and their parents as well) have never left the neighborhood of Unga Limited. Unga=flour. The neighborhood is in an industrial part of town where the flour mills are located. As in the states, usually the neighborhoods closest to the industrial zones are quite poor. This field trip across town was quite an event for these children! When they first arrived at the playground, it was evident they were unsure what to do. But with some encouragement and a few demonstrations, they went wild! The kids ran from the slide to the swings to the merry-go-round. As I pushed kids on swings, blew bubbles, and played chase, I imagined myself as a ‘recess duty attendants’ at Lincoln Elementary School. I did not however, blow my whistle or make badly behaved kids stand on the brick wall for the recess period.

Later in the week I was invited to another party at the other site Jackie volunteers at, Shika. It just so happens that my other two roommates, Kala and Asa, work at Shika as well. I thought I would attend the party as a visitor, play with a few kids, help pass out lunch, however when Friday rolled around, Jackie ended up very sick and Kala was just out of town with a flat tire. Asa (pronounced O-sa) was desperate for help. Together we lugged 30 kilos of frozen chicken, a gift from Meat King, to the center that would be prepared for the kids’ lunch. Once there I was thrown into the mix painting faces, organizing ball games, and directing the parachute games. It was quite chaotic! (This school center is quite different from ECOLI in that it is sponsored and run by a British group that brings in many volunteers. The kids are used to seeing Westerners for about 2wks at a time and being showered with gifts and resources for the center. My social work background in a therapeutic preschool tells me this is not the ideal set up for children who are vulnerable and have attachment issues with adults. But I guess that’s my perspective.)

Despite my concerns about how the center runs the children are still children and deserve as much fun as they can get. The face paint was a hit! After painting all the kids, it was my turn. The kids turned their brushes on me and went to town. Even though I thought I had washed my face thoroughly, I realized after an entire afternoon of walking around town I had an orange tinted moustache.
Thanks kids!


Both school centers, and all Tz schools for that matter, are now on holiday break until about the 2nd week or so of January. So I get a little reprieve from parties and ceremonies. However, I’m gearing up for the arrival of my first shipment of school text books from Books for Africa! The container is due to arrive in Dar es Salaam around Jan 12th. From there the container will be shipped up by semi truck to Arusha were we will begin the sorting and distribution process.