Volunteer Blogs! (Warren and Clare Hopley)

Warren says:

Everyday is full of surprises and there are always millions of things to do. As Purchasing Officer I drop into town (Arusha) most days for picking up building supplies and everyday shopping items. It has been very rewarding to free up the two builders in order for them to do what they do best. AND their best is astounding! Most morning I drop off the builder and water supplies to our Children’s Village and in the afternoon pick up the teachers and our nurse from the Village.

The trip into Arusha is only 7 Km but it takes 25 minutes. First and second gear can only be used because the road is full of pot holes and is very dusty. It is used more as a pedestrian area than a road. The trip consists of lots of greetings and giving locals a lift.
In between running around with the ute this week, I also helped to move one of the mamas and her 3 children from a very poor one room home to a newly built 2 bedroom house on a small farm. Other odd jobs included :reconstruct the chook pen, paint window grates, build a gravel path, help build a B-B-Q, make two blackboards, spread soil and spent a few hours with the children’s education sessions.


Clare says:


“You put your arm in, you put your arm out, you put your arm in and you shake it all about. You do the ………….” Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be singing the ‘Hokey Pokey’ on a Tanzanian plateau, with beautiful children under a warm afternoon sun.

The Mamas program consists of me, along with 2 other volunteers, Lily and Janelle, the Tanzanian interpreter, Lucas and sometimes my husband, Warren teaching and playing games with the children while, the nurse, Heather, who is here for 12 months, takes the Mamas into a nearby Lutheran church for their health classes – they cover topics such as ‘washing hands minimizes disease’ and ’our skeleton’. It is held from 2pm to 5 pm each Monday to Thursday.

As a break in the health class, the Mamas join the children in a game. The aim is to help develop the Mama’s skills in English and provide opportunities for them to interact and play with their children.

For the afternoon break at 3.45pm everyone washes their hands, is given a drink of water and a serving of salad (usually cabbage, capsicum, tomato, mango). It is served on a cleaned banana leaf. Over the afternoon, several children join us from surrounding homes. They thoroughly enjoy the food that is served and join in our activities. It has been satisfying to see how many activities we have come up with despite very limited resources.

Life is an amazing journey. I am privileged to have had this turn in the road.