A day in the life at Kili Kids

 

 

 

Mount Kilimanjaro view from Kili Kids

 

Volunteering at Kili Kids is a very rewarding and enjoyable experience.  Our day begins with a 10 minute walk to catch the Dala Dala (the local transportation).  A 15 minute ride on the Dala Dala takes us to the Mila Sita village area where we walk for about 30 minutes to the Kili Kids orphanage.

  

 

 

                                        Waiting for and traveling on the Dala Dala

 

Along the way we see many people in the community....

 

 

 

Mila Sita medical center  / a local pruning a tree / local farmers moving their sheep and cattle

 

 

 

Field along our walk / a local child greeting McKenna / children in the community walking to school

 

                               

 

Some of the children from Kilikids on their way to school.

 

                                

 

Kilikids Orphanage 

 

  

 

The kitchen / home made Tanzanian cooking / palm oil tree

  

 

 

 

Emily, Alberte, Sarah collecting water at the spring / separating sunflower seeds

 

 

 

Preparing the land for seeding / planting maize (corn) / me after falling while crossing the river

Planting the maize (corn) and covering it with mulch

 

Plantain tree / maize field / the maize plants are out of the ground within a week

 

 

 

Transplanting banana trees / group photos

 

  

 

New baby goats / cows / some of the employees posing with their farming tools

  

 

 

 Learning from and participating in activities with the children 

  

Giselle, Greta / Amy, Giselle, McKenna / Giselle, Greta

 

 

 

 Mount Kilimanjaro hiding in the clouds

 

If you want to support my mission of bringing love, hope and joy to to children and their families in Moshi please contribute via the following link: http://gogetfunding.com/project/volunteer-tanzania-1.

 

Connecting with the Locals

A big part of my experience while traveling in Tanzania has been taking the time to connect with the locals; learning about them, their life and their culture. 

 Mama Greta - she is a beautiful soul.  A strong woman who works with the children at Kili Kids.  She has taught me so much about life, about Tanzania and their culture.  She has taught me about the importance of uniting as a community and love.  She is a dear friend whom I will always remember!

 

The above pictures are people in the villages whom I pass by while walking to my project each day.  They are very friendly and welcoming.


  Beautiful Mary - is one of the Hostel managers here at Hostel Hoff.  I have spent hours chatting with her about her life, the people and culture of Tanzania.  She is a beautiful lady and a dear friend.

  Bahati - he is one of my favorite taxi drivers in Moshi.  He helps me with my Swahili as I help him with his English.  *You  are guaranteed to laugh in his company.

 

 

 

The above pictures are children in the villages surrounding Kilikids.  The boys on the left are grazing the cows and goats, the boy and girl in the middle are fetching water from the local spring and the girls on the right greeted us as we walked to our project.  The children are typically very friendly, happy to see us and curious about us. 

 

  Happy Wanderer - unfortunately I forget his name, however this cheerful local sold me jewelry on the beach in Zanzibar.  He was a friendly chap and even sang and danced for me.   

  

Captain Joseph - regretfully I didn't take a picture of Captain Joseph, however we had a couple of nice conversations on the beach at Kendwa Rocks in Zanzibar.   He taught me a lot about their culture and the dynamics of relationships and marriage.

 

 

 Said - whom I met in Zanzibar has become a friend of mine.  We have chatted about the culture and he has helped me with my Swahili.

 

I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know each of these new friends amongst many others.  I feel deeply connected to the people and culture of Tanzania.  I know in my heart I will be back here again!