Visiting Two of the students at home

How welcoming someone can be when they have so little..

17.04.2011 31 °C

Fridays are home visit day, we go and visit the students at their homes to understand more about who they are, where they come from and meet their family. It turns out it is quite a privelage to have "mzungo" white people in your home.

We met Flora one of my struggling English students at the disused railway station to be taken to her house, Flora tries so hard at school she smiles a lot and is one of the first ones to put up her hand in class.

Dis-used railway in Moshi

Flora took us to her small room within a mud hut, it was pretty shocking turning the corner and seeing this mud hut with gaps in the walls and corregated sheet for a roof, I didn't get any pictures outside as it really didin't feel appropriate... The room inside was very cosy 2 double beds 3 chairs and a very small table, there was 6 of us and it was a tight squueze for us all to fit in. Flora told us that her 4 girls live there with her. Her husband died recently and her 3 boys live away with other relatives.

Flora and her family

Flora served us lunch, which was pretty humbeling when she has nothing - kidney beans in a cocunut sauce and chapati - it was lovely! We talked but her English was very bad so most of it was through the inturpreter Herman. Flora told us she makes donuts and sells them at the local supermarkets. We told her she should bring some to school so it will be interesting to see if she is motivated to do it.

Inside Flora's house with some of the volunteers

At Flora's house with Monika and Herman

This was such a shocking sight for me..

We bid out Asante sana's (goodbye and thank you very much in Swahili) and headed to our second students home - Hidijya - she picked us up with her one year old baby and took us to her house - slightly more upmarket area with more established houses than Flora's mud hut

On route to hidijya's

Hadijya's street

Hidijia is 23 years old and in the top class for English and is very good in class - she is a keen student and always smiling. She lives with her mother and brother - there was no mention of a husband so we didn't ask - being a single mother is very common in Tanzania. She immediately went and bought us fizzy drinks - there is no diet options here. Coke Cola is all over Tanzania - however did there marketing did a very good job but its such a shame to see people wasting there money on these sugary drinks..

Hadijya a single mum of 23 years old hoping to be an accountant

While talking to Hadijya the local children from all around gathered sitting at her front door - it felt like we were VIP's. They all loved there photos taken and there was smiles all round.

The children outside the house loving their photo being taken!