Passion, Inspiration and Dedication in Tanzania

Our past two days have differed significantly from what we have experienced so far in Tanzania. Thanks to three bright young minds that have flourished because of Orkeeswa, we are beginning to learn how passion, inspiration, and dedication can change the lives for members of underserved communities.
 
Yesterday, after another delicious breakfast consisting of an omelette, two mini pancakes, fruit, and mango juice, we left the lodge to visit the Primetel headquarters. In Tanzania, most Tanzanians do not own a smartphone. Instead, they own a feature phone, which can only be used to make calls and send text messages. Because of the limited abilities of this feature phone, most Tanzanians do not have access to virtual healthcare. They cannot book appointments, schedule well visits, or receive diagnoses for untreated illnesses. Primetel is a telehealth company that allows its users to access virtual healthcare from these feature phones, widening access for Tanzanians to receive the help they need. This service, in addition to helping treat physical illnesses, also plays a part in destigmatizing mental health issues as well. Suicide is a leading cause of death in Tanzania, but because of Primetel, more people can get treatment for their mental health issues, and lessen the stigma that accompanies the disease. With a commitment fee of only $2 USD, Tanzanians now have access to affordable healthcare. Its founder Emmanuel, a former Groton exchange student and Orkeeswa alum, ended his presentation on Primetel by saying, “In Tanzania, why is it that you can buy a Coke anywhere, but not healthcare? Healthcare should be as easy to access as a bottle of Coke.” It was an honor to meet Emmanuel. After his presentation ended, we visited another site where Primetel serves its community, and seeing the line of mothers holding their young children in their arms seeking assistance for their children’s ailments, we got to see firsthand the impact that Primetel has on this vibrant community. 

After going to Primetel, we visited the beehives of another Orkeeswa alum named Burreke. Burreke is a beekeeper, selling honey from his various beehives to serve in his community. The honey was delicious! His passion for beekeeping had been present since he was young, and it was so powerful to see that his entrepreneurship dreams came true. Then, we left the beehives, arriving back at Orkeeswa just in time for a lunch consisting of rice, beans, and noodles. During lunch, we delegated ourselves into groups for afternoon activities. My group chose to do boxing in the afternoon, so we headed off to the basketball courts to engage in some vigorous boxing. The sun was at its strongest, and I had never boxed before, so I did not have much faith that I would do well. However, I held my own, sparring with champions and improving my form along the way. One of my boxing partners told me, “Sage, you talk like an American, but you box like an African.” That comment was the highlight of my life. After boxing, I headed over to a classroom, where my upcoming dance class would take place. I spent the next block attempting to perform traditional Maasai dance, but mostly failing at this endeavor. Still, I had the best time, and I cannot wait to perform a choreographed dance with my dance class at Assembly during lunch. After boxing, we climbed onto the bus, and headed back to the lodge to enjoy a delicious dinner of peppercorn steak and a well-earned sleep. 

Well, my well-earned sleep failed me this morning because I overslept, but I still had time to eat my breakfast omelette before climbing on the bus and embarking on our new journey for the day. Today, we learned all about Women’s Agri-Enviro Vision, also known as WAEV. An Orkeeswa alum named Saingorie founded WAEV, and this company is centered around three programs: environment conservation, women’s economic empowerment, and WASH (Water and Sanitation Hygiene). Environment conservation starts by providing lessons to women on how to care for trees, and once these women are proven able to grow and tend a tree, WAEV will provide the women 30 trees to plant, given that they have enough land for these trees. The goal is for these women to plant and grow one thousand trees. Women’s economic empowerment gives women lessons on how to start and support their own businesses, providing practice with saving money, financial literacy, investment loans, and even tailoring. After the women finish these lessons, WAEV will provide them with loans to start their own businesses. The women then have three months to pay back these loans. The WASH program gives free water tanks to women engaged in the other two programs. These women suffer from a lack of access to both clean water and the means to hold whatever water they can find. Women use these water tanks to collect rainwater, and this rainwater can be used for many purposes, such as bathing, drinking, and cleaning. 

To experience firsthand how much of a positive impact WAEV is making on this community, the GEO group, along with a handful of Orkeeswa students, traveled to the boma house of a woman who participates in the WAEV program. We saw how dry the dirt surrounding the home was, and we witnessed just how beneficial it is for women to help their environment by planting trees. Then, we visited a primary school named Landikenya. Most secondary schools do not have enough funding to serve lunches to their students, but WAEV has been providing lunches to this school for two years, furthering the impact that WAEV has on its community. The school also had a permiculture garden, where many fruits, vegetables, and other miscellaneous plants were grown. We saw mothers at the school who had been learning to sew through the WAEV program as well. It was truly magical to see women learning to be self-sufficient. Then, we left the school and arrived at a small food business that was started with one of WAEV’s investment loans, and I was astounded to see that one of the mothers I had previously seen sewing owned the business. I had to support the newfound autonomy that came with this business, so I purchased a passionfruit Fanta and chocolate biscuits, both of which were delicious. Then, we loaded back onto the bus and went to the WAEV headquarters, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of rice, beans, chicken, and veggies. Saingorie held a Q&A session for us, where we learned more details about his company. That is where our journey ended for the day, so we said goodbye to Saingorie, his workers, and the Orkeeswa students, and headed back to the lodge for a cozy night in.