On Saturday, May 13, 2023, it was time for me to hop on a plane for my first ever international assignment to the country of Tanzania in Africa with about 29 other people. After two separate seven hour flights and a taxi drive we touched down in Nairobi, Kenya. From there it was another eight hour drive before we got to our final destination to the village of Shirati, Tanzania.
Along this great journey, we happen to come cross one of the many beautiful scenes in Kenya, the Great Rift Valley. While at this lively scenic area, we came across a few convenience stores. This area was home to local vendors of street corn, clothes and other accessories. Although, some choose to spend leisure time to talk to those that come by or even just look at the vivacious land that stretches from northern Syria all the way to central East Africa.
One of the main destinations since arriving to this country was the schools. Throughout this trip I, along with many other groups that traveled with me, observed and interacted with various teachers and students at schools in the villages of Roche, Burere and Nyambogo. During these discussions we talked about the struggles, the hopes, the dreams, the aspirations and worries of both students and faculty. There were talks about the concern for health and nutrition since many of these students only had the chance of eating lunch once a day three days a week. Healthcare and nutrition of the students are always at the top list of priorities for the teachers. They find it an essential element to the student body in order for them to be successful and be at top performance for their academics.
As another main focus, talks of maternal health care and water access were held in the village of Nyambogo with midwives. As of right now the people access water through three giant tanks and a water pipe they have to walk to and pay for. Sometimes there's a faulty in the tank system that puts the water at risk for contamination, which makes the obtaining of water difficult and more harmful to the people. These kinds of talks excite the villagers so much that children run up to the gate and listen in on council meetings with midwives, elders and other village members.
Although this country has much more room for development ahead of them they still find ways to preserve their culture and land. A new maternity ward is being built right near the Roche Health Clinic to help improve the health care of villagers. Local villagers thrive off of fishing in Lake Victoria and other various ways of obtaining food and profit such as scaling trees and rock formations on Mt. Embroche Hill. A tourist economy is also a main source of income for the country hence why safaris are important here. But places like the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Nairobi Elephant Orphanage and the Maasai Mara National Reserve don't exist solely for the money. They exist to protect nature but also create an interactive and cohesive relationship between nature and people.
Check out more published photos + video below: