update!

School of Dreams is going well and now has 45 students, which doesn't include the daycare program that I run on Thursdays. This week, girls are learning more about past tense, present tense and future tense in English. Some students want help with math, so I have agreed to help them with math after English classes. Bracelet making to generate some more money for our project is underway, so please contact me if interested in purchasing some~
Asante (Thank you)
_Elisha

More information

This week I did a lot of traveling. Dar is a very big area and it can take over 3 hours to get from one side of the city to the other. Anyway, when I was in Mwenge earlier this week, my host father arranged me to meet with a social worker who does a lot of HIV/AIDS work. He gave me lots of information about the HIV issue, especially in Dar. There are many myths about AIDS here and it is very clear that even though there are AIDS awareness organizations that do a lot of outreach, the information doesn't get into the villages enough. Many people go to witch doctors to cure HIV instead of going to a clinic. Many people with HIV or AIDS gets treated bad from other people, especailly the kids in school. I met one boy in Bagamoyo who told me about how the kids don't let him play with them. I am starting to teach English in Mbagala and Tandika in August. Hopefully, I can teach a computer course once we get computers.

July 6

Each day, I'm feeling like I am getting to know Dar more and more, although Dar is a huge city and it takes while to get from one of Dar to another. Besides that, been doing research and making contact with people who are doing a similar thing. Going to the school site tomorrow to prepare it more, I will also take pictures of the site from the beginning to when it is ready to serve the students.

Update June 19th

Hi,
Sorry I have not updated sooner. I was in the Southern region of Tanzania in a town called Ndanda and didn't have internet access. Ndanda is a beautiful area with a waterfall.
I'm getting anxious for my work to start. I keep on thinking of new ideas to help School of Dreams, but I really can't wait to see the actual property and meet the girls. I met my host family last week and they are wonderful.
IMUMA is doing good, though still struggling. I spend more time there this week and I really want to establish a plan to help one of the older girls there. It would be great if she could attend School of Dreams, but School of Dreams won't be overnight for a while and she lives in Bagamoyo...so I am going to look into other options for her. Right now, she is at risk...not at IMUMA but her home life. She is 14 and she is being used for sex.
I am so excited to start working at the school. Karibu Tanzania if anyone wants to visit!
-Elisha

Update

Today I am writing from an internet cafe in Bagamoyo, and it is faster than usual, so I am happy about that. I went to IMUMA and worked this morning and talked to the directors more about getting bikes for the kids who walk over a hour each way to secondary school. We are waiting for the money to come in from Reach 4 Tomorrow (reach4tomorrow.info) to assist with this, but things take a while in Africa. I went to the secondary school last week that some of the IMUMA kids go to and that is when I realized that it is really far away.
This weekend, I went to Kigamboni with the rest of the group and it was relaxing and fun. I got to go to my friend Durban's shop and swim in the ocean there.
One of the big problems at IMUMA is that many of the little kids hit each other very hard and it is very difficult to control them and teach them not to do that. Many of of the children also have been abused, either physically or sexually and I have noticed that there is not enough education around that...so I had an idea. I am planning to make a hand book about good and bad touching and I suggested to the directors at IMUMA that they should have a sexual education seminar once a week and use the hand book for that. I hope to be able to make copies of this book and give it to other places like IMUMA>
My internet time is pretty much over and I still have my second shift of work today at Uhuru Center, so I must go.
Thanks,
Elisha

Tanzania Tatu

Things are going well in Bagamoyo. IMUMA is great and so is UHURU. IMUMA now has even more children. The children were very happy to get clothes and we had fun with them at the beach yesterday. At Uhuru, I am teaching a very talented girl guitar.
Sorry this is short. Will write more next time.

Welcome to my blog

Thank you for visiting my blog!
I will be volunteering at both IMUMA Center for Orphans and Vulnerable Children and Uhuru Center for African Arts in Bagamoyo, Tanzania from May to June of 2010 with others from Champlain College. This will be my third trip to Tanzania.
After the Champlain trip, I will be relocating to Dar es Salaam where I will be working for School of Dreams OutReach, International.