Volunteer teachers sought for Tanzania

KILMIHIL couple, Michael and Maureen Mescall are looking for four teachers to help with their charitable work in Tanzania from next January.
The couple run a registered charity, Tanzania Village Renewal, which carries out small jobs in villages in Tanzania, mainly in regard to educational matters. In November 2010, 16 builders travelled to Tanzania for two weeks and built an extension to a school in a village called Suji, which is situated in the Paré Mountains. It is about an hour from the airport at Kilimanjaro and near to the Serengeti and Ngorogoro game parks. The team of builders was led by John Clancy from Corofin and they were assisted by locals from Suji.
“Five graduates of NUI Galway also accompanied us and have been teaching in Suji Malindi secondary school and will remain there until December 2011,” Maureen Mescall told The Clare Champion.
“Prior to their arrival, the school had two teachers for the 450 pupils. These teachers have been a wonderful addition to the school, where they taught science, mathematics, English, geography and history, as well as teaching English to the villagers.
“All subjects are taught through the medium of English in Tanzania. Many former students who had left education returned to the school as a direct result of these teachers from Ireland,” Maureen added.
Áine Staunton, who is one of the teachers currently in Tanzania with the charity, says she has enjoyed her sojourn there. “We are enjoying a wonderful year here in Suji. Our surroundings here in the Paré Mountains are beautiful, the people and pupils appreciate our work and we have gained teaching experience as well as a life experience, which we will never forget,” she said.
Maureen explained, “We are now looking for four more teachers to replace the four who are returning to Ireland in December. The school year has two terms, January to May and July to December so our requirements are for January 2012.
“Tanzanian Village Renewal will support the teachers with a stipend each month, which is more than adequate for living expenses. The people of the village supply free accommodation in a house located on the school grounds and the food is locally grown and wonderful.”
The Mescalls first travelled to Tanzania in 1999 on holiday and at the end of the trip stayed for a few days with Dr Margaret Hogan from Killimer, who has worked as a clinical psychologist in Dar es Salaam for over 35 years. Margaret is also a member of the Medical Missionaries of Mary.
The Mescalls were very impressed by the work being carried out by Margaret and her colleagues. Maureen returned to Dar es Salaam as a volunteer for the next four summers and taught the staff of the main hospital, Muhimbili, how to use computers. This resulted in the hospital becoming computerised.
While volunteering there Maureen was asked if she would be in a position to find funding and men to carry out some work in Vikrouti, which is a psychiatric village/farm outside Dar es Salaam, where patients from Muhimbili go to recuperate and integrate into society following their treatment. Michael and Maureen set about sourcing funds in Ireland and set up Tanzanian Village Renewal, which is registered with the Revenue Commissioners.
Following a lot of hard work, monies were raised and 15 plumbers and electricians were sourced who were prepared to travel to Tanzania, which they did in March 2008. They wired houses, offices, outbuildings and workshops in Vikrouti, sank a well and repaired the existing well, which was not working.
This work has resulted in the patients having light in their houses, toilet and shower facilities, access to television and radio as well as being able to grow their own vegetables once they had a good supply of water. The charity also purchased 1,500 chickens for the farm, so they have eggs and chicken for the patients and they are in a position to sell the surplus to the hospital in Muhimbili.
The men wired a primary school in a village called Rombo, as well as supplying the children with a computer and printer, copy books and pens. All the wiring and plumbing material was sourced in Tanzania, while local men were trained to carry out repairs following the departure of the Irish men.
For more information about the teachers in Tanzania, go to nuigalwaysujiteachers.blogspot.com. Anyone interested should contact Maureen Mescall at mpmescall@gmail.com.