Since Bagamoyo we have spent a lot of time working with the students from Kilakala girls’ boarding school, Mzumbe boys’ boarding school, and Morogoro Secondary school. At Kilakala we are building a garden that will serve to demonstrate drip irrigation (any irrigation at all here is extremely rare) and raise money through sale of produce in the future. Mzumbe’s GSE club project is a large chicken “banda” where the boys will raise poultry to sell eggs as profit that will be used to buy stationery and other school materials. At Morogoro Secondary, we have been conducting workshops that include students from all three schools, focusing on youth leadership and community problems here in Morogoro which the students want to address. All of these projects are designed with a focus on sustainability: after GSE California has left these students and a few teachers will take on full control of GSE activities here.
Throughout this process I have gotten to know the people and culture of Morogoro much better. These people are extremely kind; they pride themselves in being peaceful. They have a lot of character and laugh easily. It is very very rare to see an angry Tanzanian. I commented at the beginning of this trip that Morogoro is almost a cultural wasteland, but its culture took its time in exposing itself to me. I didn’t really get to see it until I spent more time one on one with the individuals.
There is a pervasive unifying element of hope and faith here. Everyone is religious here; when I mention I do not know if I believe in God they always ask “why?” flat out. They believe in miracles, and believe that anything can be achieved with the right combination of support from God and personal determination. It is really inspiring to see so many people with so much ambition. Every student here wants to be an engineer, a pilot, a doctor; they are determined. Morogoro is really a perfect place to plant GSE’s messages of leadership and motivation.