On October 2nd, Nicole and Monique traveled to Dar es Salaam. They went ahead to visit previous projects, including Kituo Cha Baba Oreste, Green Pastures Orphanage, HOPAC, and the Kontainer School. Additionally, they visited Changomoto to pick up the ordered clothing hooks.
From Dar es Salaam, they traveled with Kabora to Giruama. There, Kabora is constructing a guesthouse. In this village, there is also a school that needs refurbishment. They assessed the possibilities on-site for a project in 2024.
Afterwards, they traveled to Mokicco in Marangu to make preparations for our arrival. In September, we had already instructed the local contractor (fundi) to commence the school renovation. This renovation included replacing roof sheets, re-plastering and painting walls, re-pouring floors, and more—a complete overhaul of 7 classrooms and 2 office spaces. The preparations were already underway, and we flew in to create wall paintings, hang clothing hooks, replace planters, etc.
This year’s team, alongside Nicole, Monique, and Branko, included David and Francesca (clients of Pameijer), Clavin (client of Syndion), and Twieb (volunteer from Apeldoorn). The rest of the team joined on October 12th and spent the first weekend acclimating to the country and its temperature, which was consistently warm at an average of 37 degrees Celsius. Sunday included visiting 3 church services as the local community wanted to express gratitude for our previous efforts.
On Monday, we started the basics of the wall paintings. Monique and Twieb spent the first two days repairing children’s clothing. After a week of hard work, the weekend was dedicated to relaxation. We visited a Maasai village, went on safari in Arusha National Park, and relaxed in the hot springs.
The second week saw the completion of all tasks, including additional improvements at Mokicco. Friday was a festive day at the school, organized by us. The children had prepared songs, dances, and performances, and we provided a delightful lunch. The school, which had not seen maintenance since 1975, now looks beautiful.
All donated clothing, toys, musical instruments, football gear, and school supplies found their intended recipients. We extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed.
Tired but fulfilled and with gratitude from the local community in our hearts, we landed back in the Netherlands on October 29th.
