My Experience in Tanzania

I just returned from an absolutely amazing journey!  For the past month, I have been teaching pre-school in rural Tanzania. Let's just say, I have an entirely new appreciation for pre-school teachers and love & devotion for my career. The patience, persistence and energy needed to run a pre-school class is incredible.

However, I'm proud of the progress we made with the class throughout May. The children learned all the names of the letters in the alphabet, can write inside the lines, are grasping the concept of writing words vs. individual letters, and much much more!

Additionally, I was a house volunteer to 11 boys and girls aged 4-9 years old.  I helped prepare their meals, got them ready for the day (a few socks always seemed to be missing each morning), walked them to school and read them stories before bed.

Needless to say, this past month has been very far removed from my every day, but it was an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience that I will remember for the rest of my life!  I feel very lucky to have worked with an incredible organization like the Tanzanian Children's Fund.

TCF is an wonderful brand. It is truly devoted to helping develop Tanzania's future through its youth. Beyond the incredible orphanage, which provides an amazing foundation and genuine home for very deserving children, every program they're involved in, from improving the community's school, providing medical clinics, scholarships, etc., all stems from the passion to enrich Tanzania's youth helping them become contributing citizens in the future.  All of this happens instinctually because the brand purpose in seared into their minds, and their hearts, making brand growth and expansion simple.

The strength of the passion behind TCF's brand purpose creates incredible motivation among its volunteers, but more importantly, for its full-time staff, who are working by 5:30am everyday in a remote area in Tanzania with a smile on their face. In fact, one staff member said they wouldn't be as willing to be at work this early if they were back in the US. But she said it's all for the kids, which makes it worth it.

It's statements like these that prove more organizations need to instil genuine purpose to the core of their business to get the best out their people and, therefore, the best out of the brand!  I feel very privileged to have helped such a passionate organization make meaning this past month.

As for Tanzania - WOW - what a naturally breathtaking country, and its people make it even more spectacular. I have never felt so welcomed in any other country. It was magnificent. Sadly, the country is plagued with fundamental challenges of a lack of medical resources, access to education/information and limited exposure to opportunities, especially in rural Tanzania, which stunt the nation's progress forward.  However, Tanzania is filled with opportunity waiting to be tapped, and I believe the innovative thinking to unleash its potential resides in Tanzania.

I say this because of the way they approach using new technologies. Peter, the co-founder of the Children's Village, was explaining Tanzanians' fear towards new technology, as the leaps forward are always so massive.  Essentially, they go from never having a phone to getting one, but then turning around to a mobile phone only a short period after. Or going straight to computers with internet having never seen a typewriter.  This leaves Tanzanians with huge adoption curves, as there is no natural evolution of technology like in developed nations.

This presents something interesting.  Developed nations, who experience the gradual evolution of technologies, tend to think of new technologies in old ways, which slows the process of developing innovative ways to use these new devices/services.  Whereas Tanzanians see the new technology having no old habits, which, I think, makes them more innovative when developing ways to use these technologies. Just look at how they use mobile devices -- with the most basic phones, they see the opportunity in mobility and phone credit, so now they also use their mobile phones as payment devices, which is something that seems to be taking forever to adopt in some developed nations.  So if I wanted to find new ways to maximise my technology I would take it to places like Tanzania to realise its potential.

Additionally, I couldn't help but be amazed how well they come up with ideas to work around their limitations, like recycling (i.e. using Coca-Cola bottles from forever ago to making paper beads to make jewellery) to using solar power, etc. I find their limitations have created a culture looking for function and practicality over wants.  Even with my running, people were amazed I was running for me and not to go somewhere.

So, I believe, it's thinking without old frameworks, while still working within given limitations that create strong innovative thinkers, who could really harness the potential of Tanzania. But like Peter said, "We first need to walk the kids to school".  I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to do that for the past month, and to have experienced an amazing country with beautiful people and incredible potential.