TUPO PAMOJA! (My theme cheer-"We are together")
"Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else can. It speaks to people in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where there was once despair. It's an instrument for peace, even more powerful than governments. It breaks down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all kinds of discrimination..." -Nelson Mandela
I would add that sport also has the power to bridge the gap between women and men, girls and boys. Girls can play, too. It was powerful for these girls; they were ecstatic to be included in all the soccer matches-something never done. They are usually separated, moved to a smaller side field to play netball only. Soccer is for boys here. But not in our camp. It was for everyone...
Sitting with Emma, my dog, and boxes of soccer balls her church generously mailed from North Carolina. When we presented the balls to the Headmaster for the school's use, I thought he was going to cry:)Thank you Pullen! Thank you Cheryl! Thank you Gretchen! Manga is grateful. SANA.
Life Skills led by Onesmo, our Femina rep and facilitator extraordinaire, me and Emma Jones, Health PCV-Katesh
The women's day career panel was also a success, with 2 women from town taxi-ing up to the beautiful Mahongole Secondary. Happiness, a banker at Makambako's NMB bank, talked about her role model, her father, and his unceasing support of her educational pursuits-something all too rare in this culture.
The other speaker was my counterpart, Kaduma, the star of Makambako (pictured above). I have never met a woman as empowered as she is. The girls felt this too. She shared about her personal experiences being pressured by men to have sex, to accept sexual favors for money or school supplies, etc. She stressed never to fall into such traps-omnipresent for girls. She encouraged them to keep on keeping on, not losing sight of their goals for the future. Furthermore, she emphasized the importance of not keeping things inside, but to express to others how you're feeling, what your struggles may be; perhaps then others may be able to help you, especially your female teachers (don't feel like you have to go to the male faculty).
The girls' (students) questions amazed me:
1.What do I do if I really want to study, but my parents just want to marry me off for a dowry and have already initiated arrangements to do so?
2.What do I do when I'm required to pay the Form#2 (Sophomore) exam fee and don't have the money to take it and/or my dad/parental guardian is unable to afford it or is not interested in supporting me to do so?
3.What if I go to a teacher for help and he demands sexual favors in return?
Can you imagine asking such ?s in the US? I got the chills even thinking about being burdened with such concerns. Why are we so blessed back in the States as girls, women? I'm grateful and more inspired to empower girls here...
Dancing with the girls
Love and hope,
Tait
3 comments:
Hello Tait,
It's great to see so much information on your Peace Corps experience - I am overwhelmed by how many there are for your country and how many are cross-referenced. I am currently a PCV in Morocco with the Environment sector, wrapping up my 27 months and I have been feeling the allure of sub-Saharan Africa. I was hoping to visit Tanzania around June-July and wanted to get in contact with some current volunteers. If you get the chance, email me at michaelptoomey@gmail.com, I'd love to talk and hear your advice and maybe even get linked with the "underground railroad" as I sometimes call it.
Take care,
Michael Toomey
Morocco '05-'07
Tait, I just returned from Kidugala. Was in Mvumi and Dodoma before going to Kidugala. Met Chris Erickson from Masage there & he came to visit for 3 days. What a wonderful time with him. He said he had to leave & go to a friends going-away party. I said "who - Tait?" he wanted to know how I knew. I told him I had been following the PCV blogs for a year now. Oh I can only imagine how exciting to be doing something new but also how difficult to leave where you were in your village. I cried to leave & cried even more when the others cried. I didn't spend 2 yrs or more there like you but I did tell family, before I returned home, I am not the same person returning that went there. You are correct, you will never be the same person you were in that village, you Tait are actually more. We all feel we are going there to TZ to give something - but TZ gives back so much more in ways that some people will never understand. Something about coming home & having carpet under my feet, running water, a shower & a flush toilet was nice but still left me quite displaced when I returned home. The fruit here in Iowa just looks like - well you know - yuk! I mean avocados the size of a small apple! please! I've been home for 3 weeks & cannot tolerate the rich foods here at home. People ask if I had any "stomach problems" while there. Well, no - only 1 day - more problems after coming home! I wish you the best of luck and fulfillment at your new location. I will continue to follow your work. Two people from Kidugala came back with us & just left yesterday to return home. I miss them already and I need someone to talk that beautiful sing-song blend of swahili & kibena! I have written Lisa & Russ - since I was gone their blogspot changed slightly & I also lost their e-mail address from my address book. Also, in my travels back home, I still have Chris' box # in Njombe but have lost his e-mail address. He says he does get kind of lonesome when he travels all the way to Njombe to check e-mail & doesn't see anything personal. I would like to write him if you please could send me his e-mail address.
Hi! My name is Shelly, and I'm in Kibondo, TZ for the year working for the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service. I don't know if your town is close to Kibondo or not, but if it is, perhaps we can meet up at some point! I'm also keeping a blog: http://shellyintz.blogspot.com. Feel free to check it out!
God Bless,
Shelly
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