I wanted to do something for others

You might already have spotted them, and maybe you have wondered who they are and why they have come to Tanzania to work for free? MS Tanzania receives more than 50 Danish volunteers every year. One of them is Jonas Tofte who has worked for three months as a volunteer in a nursery school in Kwa Mattias.

During the combined English and Mathematics lesson Jonas is teaching the children the names of the colors.

Before going abroad Jonas thought a lot about what it would be like to live in a foreign country. ‘I wanted to work as a volunteer because I think one has to do something for others. For me it doesn’t matter where you come from. We are all citizens of the world and we have a joint responsibility to take care of those who are less well off’, explains Jonas.

Mzungu!

The Danish volunteers live with local families, and in the small village Kwa Mattias, which is scattered along the Dar-Morogoro highway, Jonas distinguishes himself by his skin color. The children are curious and call ‘mzungu!’ when they see him. He has also noticed that people greet each other more frequently than in Denmark. When moving to Kwa Mattias there was a lot of other things he had to get used to.

‘I think I had a relatively realistic picture of how it was to live in an African village. I imagined that water wouldn’t be easily accessible, that food was scarce and that the toilet facilities probably wouldn’t be like I was used to.

In the evenings, the family Jonas stays with, usually watches television. As it is in Swahili, Jonas prefers to read in his room, which the family finds strange. Jonas explains; ‘In Tanzania  people do not expect you to want to be alone.’

Working at the school

Jonas works in a nursery school for the poorest children in the area. Before he started, Jonas did not exactly know what he was expected to do, but slowly he has made a plan for his daily work. Everyday between 8 AM and 10 AM he teaches English, Mathematics and Science. In the afternoons, Jonas helps the organisation which is responsible for the school to raise funds for other projects.

During the combined English and Mathematics lesson Jonas is teaching the children the names of the colors. ‘Yellow’, the children shout when he points at the yellow square on the blackboard. Other times they shout ‘red’ when he points at the yellow square, and then Jonas brings the kids to the blackboard one by one to repeat it.

‘The children are not used to teachers giving them this much attention, but they enjoy it. If one of the children doesn't know the right answer they are often slapped by the teacher. I handle that very differently and I hope that my way will serve as inspiration’.

A young pupil.

A different attitude

Every day Jonas has dinner with the family he stays with. ‘Sometimes I do feel like I am about to choke on the ugali’, Jonas jokes, knowing very well that the ugali is among the Tanzanians’ favorites. ‘However, I know I will miss the attitude people have towards food in Tanzania. Here food is meant to make you full. It doesn't have to be an experience every time you eat. In Denmark you say ‘Oh well, at least we are full’ to indicate that the food was not that good. Being full is not nearly as important as the experience of the meal. In Tanzania food is something you need.’

Jonas continues; ‘In Denmark we often think about the fact that there are people starving, but we also distance ourselves with the conclusion that it is way down in Africa!’ When you live in a small village in Tanzania it might as well be your neighbour starving, and hence you cannot distance yourself in the same way as you can in Denmark.’

Taking home experience

To Jonas it has been an insightful experience, and it has made him reflect a lot on what he will take with him back home. ‘It is really hard to travel like this’, he says. ‘In Denmark I have lived in the same place all of my life and everything was safe and sound.’ Particularly the first month was hard, but Jonas did not give up. Jonas’ advice to other young people who consider becoming a volunteer, is that you should have some previous experience with being on your own. ‘I have learnt a lot about being alone, which I will profit from later in life.

Before I left home, I thought I wanted to be a volunteer in order to do something for others, but I also realise now that this is just as much for my own benefit’, Jonas concludes.