Tanzania

I had the privilege of spending the Summer of 2006 volunteering in the East African country of Tanzania. Tanzania is a beautiful country - home to Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Masai Tribe, and the Serengeti. It is a country that has been relatively stable for the past decade. It was one of President Bush's stops when creating PEPFAR and Wisconsin's own Mark Green recently finished his service as the country's Ambassador. Unfortunately, Tanzania is facing similar crises as other countries in the sub-Saharan Africa region. HIV/AIDS is rampant, there is lack of clean drinking water, the number of orphans continues to rise, and too many children go without an education. In 2007, there were an estimated 1.5 million people in the country living with HIV/AIDS,with nearly 150,000 dying from the disease each year. It is estimated that there are 2 million orphans due to the disease in Tanzania alone. One in six children will die before their fifth birthday. Tanzania's economy ranks in the bottom 10 percent globally in terms of per capita income and depends primarily on Agriculture for more than 40% of its GDP and 85% of its exports. More than 50% of the country is below the poverty level. Tanzania still hosts more than a half-million refugees, more than any other African country, mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the international community's efforts at repatriation. These statistics sound familiar, right? Unfortunately, they are the reality of many developing nations, especially those in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Despite these grim statistics, the people of Tanzania are amazingly happy, generous, loving people. They have so much to give and give they do! They are open to sharing their struggles and honest about their needs. They are intelligent people, most dreaming of receiving an education. I fell in love with this country the minute I stepped off the airplane. The smell, the scenery, the language, the music, the people - I loved, and continue to love, it all.

My favorite part of Tanzania was the simple way of life. "Pole pole" the locals would say to us Americans. "Slowly, slowly" they were telling us. They would laugh as we would rush from place to place. Or complain about hunger, or lack of transportation. They reminded us ever-so-nicely that we needed to slow down. Somedays I whisper "pole pole" to myself still. I was amazed at how people with so little could be so giving. Every house I entered I was offered tea (the best Chai in fact!). Goats were slaughtered in our honor and beds were spared for us to sleep on. Kids wanted to share their English-speaking skills with us, greeting us with "Hello Teacher" or the ever-so-famous Swahili, "Muzungu, muzungu" (white person). They would touch our skin and giggle at their finger imprints. They would run from the hills to greet us with their smiles and hugs. Tanzania is truly a beautiful, beautiful country. It is also a country that changed me forever. Before I went on my first mission trip to Central America, I was told, "Be prepared to be ruined". I didn't truly understand that phrase until I set foot in Africa. Africa ruined me in the best way possible.

There's the background on the beautiful country I've grown to love. Tomorrow I'll be sharing about my experiences at the Nkoaranga Orphan Center, the reason why I choose Tanzania and the reason I am so passionate about orphan care!