Tanzania - What's it Like?

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Like Abby said in her last post, trying to explain why we’re going to Tanzania for five weeks is hard, but if you’ve seen the video (from her last post), you can hopefully understand the why a little better.  Besides the “why” question, we also get the “what’s it like” question, so I thought I’d give a quick geography/demographic lesson about Tanzania, as well as a little about what our day-to-day lives will look like while at LIA.

Tanzania is an African country located along equator and the East coast.  Their main tourist attractions are the Serengeti National Wildlife Park and Mt. Kilimanjaro.  The country is technically a tropical climate, but as Light in Africa is located at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro (bit of a higher altitude), it is closer to a desert in my opinion.  It is hot hot hot and dry during the day, and cools significantly at night.  There are technically two rainy seasons, but with the recent droughts, they have made much of an impact.

Tanzania has more than 100 different tribes throughout the country, but everyone speaks Swahili.  We were told by one local, the reason his country doesn’t have all the political unrest/tribe wars like many other African countries is that everyone speaks the same language.  He knew he had brothers all over the country if he ever needed anything. 

Almost half of the Tanzanian population is under 15 years old, and the leading cause of death in its population is malaria, followed by pneumonia and rotavirus (diarrhea).  The HIV/AIDS epidemic is still a serious problem in the country, as there are estimated 1.4 million people (out of almost 47 million) in the country living with the disease.  Without Light in Africa’s support of the health clinic in Mirerani, the multiple heath dispensaries funded by LIA volunteers for the Maasai, and the countless medical bills Light in Africa has covered – the area would be severely worse off. 

Looking back on how our time was spent the last time we were at Light in Africa, our days were generally pretty different.  We did get into a bit of a routine, but we had our tasks to take care of, and when they were done (or if we could push them off), we’d spend the time hanging out with the kids.  I’m assuming this round, our time will be spent pretty similarly, except this time – we’ll be there for Christmas.  We’ve been told we’ll help make sure each kid at Tudor Village (around 200) will get a Christmas gift, (which knowing how things go in Tanzania – those simple shopping trips will generate numerous challenges and ridiculous  stories to share), as well as making Christmas gifts for the kids in Mirerani.  The kids in Mirerani generally receive a school book (schools require they provide their own), some candy, and pencils.

As much as both of us love Christmas with our friends and family, we’re excited to be a part of an African Christmas, not only because I know there will be no Hallmark BS to swallow, but also, because spending the holiday with the ones you love is important, and we love those kids.