If you were growing up in Tanzania instead of the United States, your life would be VERY different. Some people live in a big city, but many live in small towns or even smaller villages. Most families live without the many things we have in our American homes, that we just take for granted – electricity and plumbing for example, or furniture and toys.
We drove through several towns that looked like the one in my photo. Most families don't own a car. Most people get around by walking. Some men ride bicycles.
One day we visited the little village of Ilkidinga. We were told that it was a typical village in Tanzania. Each family had a small house. Several families grouped together, owning a plot of land where they could grow their crops, like bananas, coffee, and corn. They keep some for themselves, but most are sold to earn money for the family.
Many houses are made out of sticks and cow dung. The sticks were put close together. Then the cow dung was spread over it to fill in the cracks. Once it dries, it doesn't smell bad at all. Since cows eat only grass, it just has a bit of a grassy smell. It keeps the rain out of the house and the heat inside.
There is no electricity in these houses, and no furniture. Pieces of cloth are hung as doors. There is also no plumbing. That means no water faucets, no shower, no toilet. Buckets of water are gathered from a stream, a well, or from a water pipe in town if there is one. People in the village share a pit toilet.
The families have many children. There are not enough schools and not enough teachers, so the classrooms are very crowded. Some classes have over one hundred children in them!
The day I visited, I read Click, Clack, Moo to some of the children. They were fascinated! They were not used to having someone read to them. Their school does not have books. Since their first language is Swahili, the teacher translated the story for them. I would read a few sentences in English, and then wait while the teacher said it in Swahili.
What do you notice about their classroom?
Although all children are supposed to go to school, not everyone does. Sometimes parents allow only some of their children to attend school. The others are needed at home to do chores, like gather water, or herd the cows. These children will grow up to have a life similar to their parents. Without education, they can do nothing else. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea?
You can click here to see videos about Tanzania made by one of the high schools with the help of an aid organization.