In 28th on January, the debriefing session of volunteer activity was held by Yuto Yoshida who participated volunteer program of Raleigh Tanzania in Autumn in 2016. In the event, there are 50 audiences including alumnus of Operation Raleigh and Yuto’s friends. The presentation was great opportunity not only learning about life and culture of Tanzania but also thinking what is “richness” in our life.
▲there are 50 participants with various backgrounds
During 1 hour presentation, participants enjoyed colorful pictures of Tanzania which gave them the impression as if they were in Tanzania. He introduced three projects (WASH project: teaching hygiene knowledge to Children and constructing toilet, trekking: walking more than 250 km in hills and mountains in Tanzania and Natural Resource Management: conducting tree nursery and building rocket stoves). During the presentation, he introduced what he could learn throughout many difficulties and joys in experiences in Tanzania where everything is different from Japan.
▲He showed the base camp where he stayed
Water is serious issue in Tanzania where more than 30% of population cannot access to clean water. During SWASH project, when he conducted household interview, he experienced the “most shocking” experience in the expedition. He took an door to door interview with households and he encountered one mother. She said to him “so how could you help us?”. He couldn’t answer clearly what he can do to her and he realized how useless I am. However, he was very inspired by passionate attitude of other participants and realized that “even if what I can do is small, the only thing that I can do is to do my best what I have to do now”.
Difficulties are carried on in trekking phase. He said that the trekking was the toughest event in his life. The physical burden with 30kg backpack and mental burden with difficulty to talk English lied on him during trekking. Although these difficulties, he was encouraged by active ventures and beautiful sceneries of Tanzania and managed to finish trekking.
Overcoming various difficulties, he concluded that the biggest thing that he could get is “friends from all over the world”.
▲The best part of expedition is the encounter of international friends
“Friends who I met during the expedition work hard in some place in the world. I am always encouraged by thinking about them. The friends who I met in the expedition I is my biggest treasure.”
We could see that encounter with friends and experiences in Raleigh become a nourishment for his life and it will open his future.
▲The toilet in elementary school which was painted by Yuto. This toilet was constructed by previous volunteers and he noticed that how raleigh’s history has been created by many volunteers.
