My life changing vacation in Tanzania

This synchronization of values reached new heights just a few weeks ago when I embarked on an experience of a lifetime to make a difference in my own personal capacity, separate from my day job.

Preparing For My Dream Vacation

After years of hard work, I was ready for a vacation. As one who finds relaxation in adventure, the only question was what it would look like. I found my answer in a program which sends delegations of volunteers from Israel to Africa to work for 2 weeks, helping to improve living conditions. 

Our destination? A small village in Tanzania called Hamo, 2 hours from the Kilimanjaro airport. 

Our mission? Teaching in and making physical improvements to the local school. 

With 2 months to prepare, the 40 delegation members quickly came up with a plan and divided into committees in order to conquer. I chose to be on the renovations committee, taking responsibility for overhauling the water situation in the school. In addition to gathering materials and equipment to bring, I consulted with Netafim reps in Tanzania and arranged to meet with them at the school.

After 2 months of determined work, we were ready for our mission.

The Stark and Dry Reality

We were greeted at the school with a most festive welcome by the 800 students! Despite obvious language barriers, we were moved by their songs, their faces, and their palpable appreciation for our visit.

It didn’t take me long to assess the existing water infrastructure in the school; there was one faucet. One faucet, provided by the government, for 800 students plus teaching staff. One faucet, connected to one water tank, which was filled only 3 times a week from the well. One faucet that was locked and only opened in the afternoons – to be greeted by long lines and, at some point, went dry. As I later learned, the one tank to which the one faucet was attached had a leak, causing a significant percentage of the coveted water to go to waste, seeping into the dry, vegetation-less ground. 

At our hotel, the water situation was only a bit better. Every morning, each guest was handed 2 bottles of 3 liters to last the day – for drinking, cooking, cleaning. In comparison to the situation in the school, however, this almost seemed luxurious.

Learning goes both ways

We started our mornings at the school, teaching a pre-planned lesson to students. My topic of choice was sustainability, focusing specifically on, you guessed it, water! I showed them the globe and its composition of dry land versus water and explained how much of that water is drinkable. These visuals drove home the point that without water there cannot be life and emphasized the importance of optimizing every drop.

Each lesson also included an activity to reinforce the message of sustainability. As disposable bottles are a rare commodity in the village, I had saved the delegation’s daily water bottles to use as materials to teach about plant drip irrigation. The idea was for the students to cut the bottles, put in dirt and seeds, and use drops of water to help the plants grow. 

Well, it seems that I was particularly successful in making my message of sustainability relevant, rather than using the drip irrigation models to grow plants, the students dripped water into their mouths. In a place where water is a scarce resource, they did indeed use the drip for sustainability - to keep themselves hydrated!