Updated 13th June 2024

Saturday 8th June

We woke up on Saturday morning a little bit disappointed that we were not going back to our worksites, but we were happy to be able to spend the day as a whole group. It was an early rise so we had to be up, ready and down for breakfast by no later than 8am. The breakfast contained pancakes, toast and fruit, we then all packed our lunch box with chicken, mango juice, an orange and a crepe.

We were taking part in a Climate Change activity and had a few Tanzanian students arriving to work with us on the activity. The activities contained a discussion around different impacts that climate change is having in Scotland and Tanzania. We were able to find some similarities and differences, and overall it was great to work with the Tanzanian students to get their perspective on such an important topic. We were split into three groups and had to give presentations to everyone on the impacts of Climate Change and what we can do as individuals and a wider global community to make a difference in the world. Shortly after the presentations at around 10:30am we all got on a bus and travelled to a remote location where would be taking part in a Climate Action activity - tree planting with a local school. These trees would provide valuable shade and fruit for the children for years to come. We had five trees per member of the team to plant, so 105 trees in total! To plant the trees we used two tools: a metal hoe and a metal rake. It was very difficult to begin, as the ground was very hard and not anything like our worksite soil. Together with the local children we watered the newly planted trees, and made sure they got a really good soak!

We had lunch under the shelter of a tree and realised why it was so important to plant these trees for the primary school. It was the hottest day yet in Tanzania and out of the shelter we could feel the heat on our skin, so getting some relief under the shade was so good! We had some bajjis for lunch along with fruit and some fruit juice - the bajjis were great and the fruit and juice was good as always. We got back to work and were joined again by the children from the school, who started dancing with us and we played some music to show them our dance moves. Chloe brought her violin and played a few tunes for everyone, and then let the school children try playing her violin.

We finished for the day and headed back to Berea and had dinner before we got ready for our Talent Show - Berea’s Got Talent! Everyone did an amazing job and we had to have a dance off to determine the winner, but the Berea Belles won in the end!!

We are having an amazing time and looking forward to getting back to the worksites on Monday.

Beinn and Tyler

            

 

Sunday 9th June

It was another early rise today, as we had to be up and ready for church. We all woke up at 6:30am to the surprise of rain and the shock of quite a cold morning. Everyone made sure to wear their nicest clothes for the upcoming service. Including dresses and skirts from the girls and shirts from the boys. We were all down for breakfast at 7:00am, still tired but looking forward to the delicious usual breakfast of pancakes and fresh fruit including tasty pineapple and watermelon. The bus arrived at roughly 8:45am to take us to the church. It was a short ride over and once we arrived we were greeted by the beautiful voices of the local choir. The rest of the service consisted of lots more singing, dancing and prayers. We all loved the service as you could really feel the passion coming from everyone involved. The service ended around 10:00am and we got back on the bus to go back to Berea for the other upcoming excitements of the day.

We had a quick turnover as we had to leave at 11:00am to set off on our journey to our tour of the Chaga caves, where the Chaga tribe used to live and coffee plantations that surrounded it. So we all got our lunches packed and got on the bus for our long journey ahead. It took around an hour and a half to arrive, but it went by quick as we were all distracted by the amazing views and the good choice of tunes. As we arrived, we were greeted by the locals who were also our tour guides for the day. We started with an interesting talk from the main guide who taught us in depth all about the Chaga tribe. We then got split into two groups, one which would be exploring the caves which were used for defence and the other group were looking at the houses that the tribes used to live in. It was a tight squeeze in the cave, but it was fascinating to see how the caves were laid out to ensure maximum protection, and in the houses we saw beds where the tribes slept and the cattle that were kept in the houses, as it was too humid for the cattle to stay outside. Once we finished with the tour, the guide showed us how they make their delicious local coffee, with some help from some other locals. She started off by giving us all a few freshly picked coffee beans, but by surprise they didn’t look anything like the coffee beans we are used to. We were then told to peel the beans and they were then added to a big pot where they were ground up, as we all took turns having a go. The beans were then separated from the shell and the coffee beans were added to the roasting pot. Over time, the beans started to look like a traditional coffee bean. During this experience, we were entertained by the ladies singing their local songs. Once the coffee beans had been roasted, they were crushed and taken away to make our fresh coffee. We all sat together and enjoyed our packed lunches and freshly made coffee. We ended the tour with an obligatory trip to the gift shop.

After this amazing trip we headed home where many people were very tired and we were able to get some funny pictures. We stopped at a superstore where we all stocked up on snacks. Once we got back, we waited for our later than usual dinner at 8:00pm, but we easily filled in this time by making bracelets and throwing the frisbee. The dinner was well worth the wait as it was a traditional Chaga style meal of banana stew and banana fritters. We are now finishing our evening by making more bracelets and talking about our wonderful day.

Hannah and Rowan

 

Tanzania is absolutely fabulous in my opinion - the weather is glorious and I have found the activities riveting.

Lots of love, LozzaMur

 

      

 

 

Monday 10th June

Today was a very early start! The alarm went off at 6:30am, but I thought it was 7am so I rushed to get ready, just to find out that everyone was still asleep. After everyone got dressed 4 minutes before breakfast, we all went down to scran a new selection of yummy bites, eggy bread, sausages, un-sugared donuts, water melon, eggs with carrots and papaya. Then after our delightful scran we packed our lunchboxes ready for the hard day’s work at the worksites.

After a quick safety briefing, we got onto the bus to go to the worksite around 9am. Normally we would have two small buses that would take us to the worksite, but today we had a massive bus for the whole group. When we got to the worksite we did a quick warm-up and a toilet break.

We started at the worksites by levelling out the foundation of the house, so the fundis can build structures to support the house. Whilst we dug up the dirt, in between dance breaks with mama Messi and mama Margret (TAWREF workers), Grace’s new best friends. After digging we went to finish our previous job from Friday, which was shovelling sand into a huge pile. We stopped for a quick lunch, which included a roll and carrots, a potato fritter, banana and a tropical juice. After everyone munched down and gave food to the fundis, we were greeted by the village children which we played games and bubbles with them and supplied them with Mrs Playfair’s secret bag of sweets. We gave Amena books which she adored and never put down for the rest of the day.

After our break we went back to work moving the bricks from the neighbour’s house to the worksite in what we call a chain, which the village children help fill the gaps. Following the hilarious argument between mama Messi and mama Margret about going pole pole (slowly) or harka harka (fast) our day on the worksite had come to an end.

After the worksite we all said our goodbyes and then went back on the bus to a fun ride home. We had to RUN for the showers since there is only five and everyone was really smelly, sweaty and dirty after a hard day’s work. Thankfully I had all my shower things ready, so I was the first one in the showers!

Then after the showers, we all chilled for a wee while, we did our daily chores, for example washing our clothes, tidying my room and making sure there was no arguments. We got changed for our nice dinner out at Deli Chez. Which was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend. I got some curry and some other people got sizzle plates, which include steak, chicken and others. After all the children had two highly sugared sodas, a game of Uno and lively conversation. We all got back onto the bus high on sugar and sang at the top of our voices all the way home.

Looking forward to another exciting day tomorrow.

Lots of love,

Graces

 

Monday 10th June

This morning we woke at a very early time for 7:30am. We were all still very tired, but we were pleased to see a change in the breakfast selection, including French toast, hole-less donuts, sausages and very fresh and juicy watermelon. We then packed our lunchbox in a bit of a hurry, as we thought we needed to get to the worksites earlier, but we were abruptly reminded of Tanzania time.

The bus journey contained many bangers of universally appreciated music taste. I, however, would not know because I was sleeping for half the ride.

At the worksite, there were many watoto (aka children!) although there was less than in the previous visits. We noticed that the fundis were wearing the high-vis jackets we had given last week, and that the house had massively progressed while we were away. The foundations being complete and the bricks being laid into a wall, almost fully done. We passed the bricks in a chain gang, moving them efficiently one-by-one as a team. All of the watoto at the site joined in with the chain gang, and we were all happy to include them in our process. One of the watoto loved Alex’s speaker so much he held on to it for the whole duration. After lunch we retrieved a pack of bubbles to hand out to the watoto. They loved using them and it provided happiness for all.

After lunch, we were moving buckets of sand and two of the kids started to teach me and Tadd some Swahili. Although it was challenging to communicate with non-English speakers without a translator on hand at the time, we persevered and learned ndizi (banana) and parachichi (avocado). After a long but fun day of work, we sadly had to wave goodbye to the children, heading back to Berea.

Later in the day we went on the big bus to Deli Chez for a meal. People mainly went for pizza, sizzler plates, curry and some decided to go for the local cuisine. The food was excellent and everyone enjoyed the food greatly. We all had a fun time talking to each other, as well as contacting our loved ones with the WiFi there. We almost all drank two bottles of soda such as Fanta there, meaning that everyone was hyper on the way back home singing deafeningly loud on the bus.

We love working for the families and experiencing Tanzania.

Leon and Tadd

         

 

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Updated 12th June 2024

Mushi Family Worksite

The day began with a hearty breakfast of pancakes and fresh fruit, before we packed our lunchboxes and prepared for the day. Following this, we hopped on the minibus to venture out to the worksite. The journey was around 30 minutes - but after all the singing and karaoke we lost track of time - through the jungle and bumpy roads, which aren’t actually that different to the state of our Scottish roads!! On arrival, we were greeted with the smiling faces of the Mushi family and kids from the surrounding community. Our first job of the day was to move boulders across the site, we did this by making a human conveyor belt, passing the boulder from person to person. All of the kids got involved, carrying boulders that we were struggling to carry, they are such hard workers which helps us stay motivated. After moving most of the boulders we had our first maji (water) break, where the kids really warmed up to us, since meeting them yesterday. We were holding hand in circles with the kids, playing pat-a-cake and getting big hugs. In the middle of the day we began moving bricks. Similarly, to the boulders, we made a human conveyor belt moving the matofali (bricks) from the dirt road to the worksite, again with all of the children helping. Then it was time to play! We took bubbles and balls for the kids to play with, and they were overjoyed! It was the sweetest time, watching the excited kids with huge smiles on their faces blowing bubbles to their friends, and their friends laughing and popping the bubbles. Next up, simenti (which you can probably guess is cement). This consisted of 30 buckets of gravel, 6 buckets of sand- a 5:1 ratio if we are making this ‘mathsy’- and then 2 bags of cement powder. We used our shovels to mix the big pile of cement mix then added water to make… cement!! Shortly after, while still mixing cement so it doesn’t dry, we added the cement into buckets, and yet again, formed a human conveyor belt to move these heavy buckets to the fundi to pour into the foundations. The fundis filled the foundations quickly, while we transported buckets to them, all the while listening to music. After lunch, we continued to create cement and play with the kids, some of them teaching new Swahili words to us. We finished the day at the worksite, and journeyed home to the sound of 2000’s party music before getting ready for dinner, which was at the Blossoms Café. Our meals were pre-ordered, ensuring we didn’t have to wait hungry for long. We finished the night back at Berea, playing card games and relaxing after a long day’s work.

My highlight of the day (Niamh) was the sweet young girl in the Mushi family bonding with me, then speaking Swahili with her, and her asking to be picked up for a cuddle resulting with her falling asleep on my shoulder. It was a really wholesome experience and I can’t wait to see her and her friends on Monday.

My highlight of the day (Mia) was learning new Swahili words and phrases (although I’m sure they were teaching me the wrong words), being taught by the children while we worked and sang to the music.

Overall, we had a fabulous day and are thrilled to be back on Monday!!!

 

Calvin and Amina Worksite

Today was an early rise for everyone but nobody minded as they were really excited for a full day on the worksites! Breakfast started with an amazing coffee like usual (Mr Young and I love starting our Moshi mornings with a Tanzanian coffee) and then an ace breakfast of eggs and sausages. We all then made our packed lunches and today we had a Paddington Bear style piece - a marmalade sandwich.

We then embarked on our epic voyage to our worksite but stopped to pick up our “Fundi” (professional builder) and TAWREF volunteers Margaret and Mama Messi, along with some sweets and fizzy juice that would be considered rocket fuel at home due to the sugar content. Turning off the main road we received what our TAWREF leader named a ‘Tanzanian Massage’, courtesy of the bumpy road. As the distance to the worksite decreased, the anticipation rose. Stepping out the bus with the equatorial sun shining down upon us we were greeted by smiling faces and moods were high, all motivated to get started. Some of the local children, who were curious to see so many “muzungo” (white people), were there to greet us off the bus and we all embraced them with the ‘Jambo’ song and some high-fives! We brought some games and sweeties for the children to enjoy throughout our day on site. After a safety briefing and some stretching to warm up it was time to start.

The Fundi gave us our first task – moving a pile of rocks that at the time looked comparable to Mount Kilimanjaro. Forming a line, from pupil to fundi to local children the rocks were passed towards the freshly built foundation (or ‘msingi’) trenches. With “Come on Eileen” blaring from the speaker, rocks were passed with the occasional dance move thrown in. Friendships were formed in our working line and despite a language barrier we were able to communicate and dance as we steadily seemed to be winning with the movement of the rocks. The Fundi asked if anyone would like to use the sledge hammer to break up the huge boulders into moveable rock sizes to be able to pass down the line. We kitted up in our safety gear to take on another challenge that would enable us to move forward with our day. Six of our young people took a turn at breaking up the boulders, some with great success. It then came the turn of Nico, AKA Nico Hammer, and he was so super strong that when he swung the hammer he broke it! He never even knew he had super strength until today! And with that it was decided that we then had to have lunch. We sat round the back of the worksite and were joined by 4 chickens and 2 puppies! They were curious as to what we were all eating and despite being tempted to share with them, everyone ate their packed lunches to conserve their energy for what waited for us on the worksite after lunch.

Throughout the day some of the group were playing the parachute game and ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ with some of the local children. We all enjoyed some lollipops and to our surprise there was some bubble-gum in the middle of the lollies! Some of the children were delighted and blowing bubbles with their chewing gum. After playing some games they decided they wanted to be like the big girls and boys and help on the worksite!

That’s just a taste of what happened on our first full day on site!

 

 

 

 

 

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Updated 7th June 2024

Travel Day

My, oh, my what an early rise!! We woke at 2:20am and set off at 3am. However, some stayed at the hotel nearby where they gained a group talking wooden spoon that has now come along with us. We all arrived at different times at the airport, but we all shared the same excitement and nerves about the adventure that awaited us all. The first flight flew by, but the second one sure felt looooooooooooooooooooooong, even after a quick stop in the Amsterdam McDonalds to check out their menu, where we were all surprised and curious as to what frites sauce was.

Started the flight with watching all the good block buster movies, then quickly got bored and resorted to stuffing our faces with salt and vinegar chip sticks which were meant to be kept for later on in the expedition. The chicken pasta was questionable, but the macaroni was super tasty.

As we stepped off the plane the smell and the heat hit us straight in the face. Then we stood in the organised chaos of a queue where our passports got handed around different people. Not to mention Phoebe and Hannah were the only ones who got their finger prints scanned. Hats off to us only one person lost her suit case, but it didn’t just carry on to Dar es Salaam, it’s still in Amsterdam, so she is wearing an array of people’s clothing.

After an exciting bus journey to the Bible College, with many party songs sung including Waka Waka and the Lion King soundtrack, we arrived to a lovely cooked meal of fried chicken and chips as well as culture shock as to the bathrooms and toilets. After zonking out on the bunk beds we woke up feeling refreshed and stunned that we were in Tanzania, which still hasn’t sunk in.

 

Day 1

Breakfast was amazing!!!!!! It consisted of pancakes and veggie omelettes. Between the breakfast and the market we spent a lot of time as a group getting to know each other better. As we were leaving for the market we were stunned and amazed to see the peak of Kilimanjaro straight through the big metal gates, one girl even confused the snow for the clouds. It really wowed me, especially how you’ve seen it online but never thought you’d see it in person.

After a very hot bus journey we swiftly trekked through the market, which was quite overwhelming and over stimulating because of all the piles of their precious goods and people trying to chat to you, as well as trying to remember the bits of Swahili you learned. Being recommended to avoid purchasing produce made you want it even more, especially after seeing the huge piles of delicious watermelons.

When we got back most of us were desperate for showers to stop us from feeling so sticky. As we were waiting for our dinner we gave the local children some stilts and balls to play with. Their faces glowed with happiness as they played with the toys, and hearing them laugh and have fun gave us joy.

Before dinner we all sat on the grass under the stars and chatted with one another, where we played never have I ever and sevens with our feet. Safe to say we know each other better and more than we needed to.

By Phoebe, Olivia and Lauren

 

Day 2 - Site 1

Wow, what a day. We started with an early rise at 7am where we went down for some delicious breakfast, consisting of pancakes, omelettes and fresh fruit (it was delicious!). We were welcomed at TAWREF by smiling faces and cheery songs. The board of TAWREF were extremely grateful we were there, and we were delighted to meet them all. They produced an interesting presentation, and afterwards we got to take a look in their charity shop – where everyone bought elephant trousers and Tanzania football tops!

We took the ‘party bus’ to the worksites where we met the family we would be working with, the fundis and LOADS of local children. The mother of the Moshi family greeted us with handshakes, and her children gave us warm hugs. They then gave us a tour of their house, a small building consisting of one broken bed, clothes on the floor and holes in the roof. This made us realise how truly fortunate we are and gave us determination to make them a new home.

Work time! We set to work by digging the foundation, using pickaxes and shovels. This was exhausting, but we had help and support from the locals. We then decided to stop for a quick half hour to freshen up and get something to eat.

So many bricks!!! They are on one side of the worksite, but we needed them on the other side. So to safely move them, we created a long line and passed the bricks one by one across the worksite. While doing this we danced to tunes and connected with people through our love of music and excitement.

After a long hard day working we then stopped at the highway supermarket to get some drinks and snacks and drove the busy roads back to the Berea Bible College for some very very refreshing showers. We then went down and had a lovely dinner of pasta, rice, chips and beef skewers. We finished the day with an entertaining Swahili lesson from the brilliant Elly Kimaro.

By Chloe, Iona and Beth

 

Day 2 - Site 2

We left Berea Bible College at around 9:30am Tanzania time to make our way to TAWREF in our ‘party bus’. We listened to music and had fun all the way to TAWREF, while Grace and anyone listening got a Swahili lesson from Nico. After arriving at TAWREF and getting a wonderful greeting of songs and dances, we made our way into the building and got a presentation about their organisation. Dafrosa gave us the lovely presentation while we were given cold water and biscuits by some of the people there and we then made our way to the charity shop. Everyone decided to buy some elephant pants and some bought a Tanzania football top, as the money we spent was going towards the education of the children.

After our visit to TAWREF, we hopped on the buses again and made our way out to the worksite. The bumpy ride and the music was the most memorable thing for our first journey out to where we were helping. On the way, there was a lot of traffic and this held the suspense for the surprise of what we were about to do. We got to the worksite, and we were greeted by smiley and waving children. Everyone was lovely and we met Calvin, Amina and their Grandmother and introduced ourselves. We started digging for the foundation and we were working with the fundis to get as much done as possible. Some of us then stopped for lunch in 15 minute intervals each, while others kept working and helping everyone. We handed out some bracelets to the children and befriended some of them whilst working, and after a while they were helping us and giving us high fives. We finally left the worksite at 3pm and we started our bumpy journey to go to the shop.

We made it to the shop and everyone bought a cold drink or some food to snack on later on in the day. We then drove back to Berea where most of us showered and got ready for dinner. We played frisbee with some of the children and made paper airplanes with them until dinner was ready. We were called over for dinner and we had some chips, beef skewers and some pasta. It was delicious!!!

After dinner, we went into the classroom and had a Swahili lesson with Elly. We were all really interested in the lesson and after learning all of the words for the worksite, we learned a new song and sang them. Elly started singing and dancing in the middle of our circle and we joined in, singing and dancing to the Jambo song. Free time arrived and we all played duck, duck goose and other games so we could get to know each other.

By Disney and Fergus