Tanzania

 Through links with the Irish Embassy in Dar es Saalam a partnership was established with a Tanzanian NGO called TanzEd (www.tanzed.org). In 2009, UCDVO sent a group of volunteers to Morogoro, Tanzania for the first time. Since then volunteers have continued to work on computer education programmes, classroom refurbishments, distribution of books and educational resources, as well as the construction of a basketball court at Kihonda secondary school. UCDVO partner with Camara (www.camara.ie) for the collection and transport of computers from Ireland.    Tanzania Projects

• Since 2009, ten schools in the Morogoro region of Tanzania have received support via computer education programmes.

UCDVO's local partners TanzEd identify and select schools for UCDVO's projects. Each school must allocate one room for a computer laboratory which are renovated according to the Camara computer room specifications.  Key Achievements:

• 100 teachers well trained in computer basics
• Approximately 5000 school children aware of computers within an educational setting with an average of  pupils 2000 receiving computer classes
• A strong relationship with the partner organisation TanzEd and the host community
• Channeling the skills and expertise of ten of Irish volunteers into wider efforts to improve access and knowledge of computers in Tanzanian education system

 Tanzania 2009 Student Testimonial - by Peter WeldonAs a first time volunteer with UCDVO my personal experience of the project in Tanzania was an extremely positive one. Except for myself and one other volunteer, the group chosen to go on this project had all been on previous volunteer work either in Haiti, Delhi, or Nicaragua, however this specific project differed from previous projects as it revolved mainly around computer teaching, which was a new challenge for all the volunteers. My first night in the city of Dar es Salaam was a bit of a culture shock in terms of the food, drink temperature and mosquitoes! I remember drowning myself in insect repellent as I was so paranoid about the mozzies! However the atmosphere and the local people were extremely positive and welcoming towards our group, which made things a lot easier. When talking to the locals I inquired had they ever heard of a band named U2, unsurprisingly they had not but unfortunately they had heard of Chris de Burgh’s “Lady in Red” and also, Robbie Keane as the English Premiership is quite popular over there.We arrived in the town of Morogoro the next day and the first thing that strikes you about this town is the height and steepness of the mountains surrounding the area. Unbelievable! The next week we traveled to our assigned schools and got to meet the teachers. Personally I was quite taken aback at how good their standard of English was. This made teaching computer studies much easier over the duration of my stay. I was aware that I was a student, who was teaching teachers and I was wary of being in any way condescending or patronising. However the teachers knew that we had better expertise and experience in this area and were eager to learn. The installation of a new computer room in Kihonda Secondary School turned out to be a great success and by the third week the teachers had already organized the first classes. Some of the real highlights of this trip for me personally, were firstly, a football match organized between students and teachers of our school, the students hammered us ,as they were a lot fitter then any of us, and they trained! Secondly, the safari to Mikumi National park where we were up close and personal with elephants, lions, crocodiles, hippos and many more animals! I did make an attempt to communicate with a warthog by snorting out the window of the bus but unfortunately I spooked it and it ran away. Another memorable highlight was the trip to Zanzibar in the final weekend. We were taken out to a deserted sandbar and we snorkeled around coral reefs teeming with tropical fish, Both the coral reefs and the safari were a totally jaw dropping experience for me as I had studied zoology in college. Overall my trip to Tanzania was, for me, an extremely unforgettable and positive experience, and something I would definitely wish to do again.Peter returned to Tanzania as a Student Leader in 2011. He graduated with a Degree in Zoology and a Master's Degree in Environmental Science at UCD.