- Volunteering at Meserani Secondary School -
We are a retired couple of lecturers from Finland, and have just completed 2 weeks of volunteer teaching at Meserani Secondary School, located about 10 km outside the small town of Duka Bovu on the main road from Arusha to Dodoma. Our time there was divided between teaching English to first-year students and immersing ourselves in the local community.
Teaching English in a Tanzanian Classroom
In Tanzania, primary education is in Swahili, but this changes to English in secondary schools with just a 6-week transition period for 1st formers. We were helping Madame Joyce, the English teacher, by taking the 1st form classes. She lent us the textbook used for the transition period and we agreed with her which lessons we would cover.
The school has projectors, screens and laptops, donated by the Meserani Project based in the UK. This facility is not common in Tanzanian schools, and it is usual for teachers to write everything on the blackboard and the students copy it into their notebooks. We also gave a workshop for the staff on using the OpenOffice version of Powerpoint for teaching, which was well received.
The classes were large (about 50 in each) and we taught the classes together. We used small group activities (10 groups of 5) to stimulate discussion. For example, each group had to think of a question where the word on a card that they were given was the answer, they wrote the question on the board and the other groups had to guess the answer.
Teaching English to large classes where many students abilities are limited is challenging but great fun. The students were great to work with, highly motivated to learn and focused on the lessons. We enjoyed working with them enormously.
Living in Meserani and Duka Bovu
During the first week, we stayed in a teachers house in the school. We had our own bedroom and bathroom, and shared a communal dining area with Minase, another teacher. This gave a great opportunity to get to know the school, the other teachers and the local environment.
The countryside was great to walk in, with herds of cows and goats being moved around by young village boys. There were no dangerous wild animals although it apparently common to see elephants during the dry season, who come looking for water.
In the second week, we moved into Duka Bovu to get a feel for living in the local small town. Tuesday is a market day and well worth experiencing. We spent half of the time in a lodge and half in a homestay living with Madame Aisha and her grand daughter organised by Joy and Hope.
Reflections on Our Experience
Our time in Meserani was deeply rewarding, both in the classroom and in the community. From teaching enthusiastic students to sharing meals with locals, riding boda-bodas, and watching the town come alive on market day, we felt truly immersed in Tanzanian life. It was an experience we will cherish and one that strengthened our appreciation for education and cultural exchange.
Aulikki and Howell
Volunteering from:
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Tampere, Finland
