Aaron and Kelsi’s Center for Kids Who Can’t Talk Good and Want to Learn to do Other Stuff Good too

 When I first arrived in Arusha with the second wave in mid June, I was offered the responsibility of teaching a group of students how to use the computer.  I thought it was just an errand, rather than a full fledged project.  It has been a memorable adventure though.  I teach immediately after English class is done at a small school house a little way down the dirt road from the Madhukani daladala stop.  It is one of the more picturesque parts of Arusha, with ample greenery, banana and coffee farms, steep hillsides, and on clear days, breathtaking views of Mount Meru's craggy peaks. 

I remember I was more or less winging it the first day.  We did not have access to the internet, so after a rather lengthy time showing them around Microsoft Word, I was at a loss of what else to teach them.  I showed them how to use the calculator function and MS Paint.  I made sure to have a better idea of what to teach them by the next class.  I continued to teach them word processing skills, as well as simple skills such as how to start up, restart, and shut down the computer and how to save and open a file.  Our primary focus however has been word processing and typing.  In those early days, my biggest challenge was finding a partner to come with me to the class, as we are bound by a strict "buddy system" policy.  Everybody already had their own projects that needed work, and I felt the vibe that going with me to teach computers was somewhat of a chore.  It is understandable though.  I teach the students the basic concepts, and they more or less help each other figure it out in Swahili.  It is really effective, but it leaves my partner with very little to do.  As the students became more and more proficient in word processing, my mind was racing for a way to get them connected to the internet so I could teach them how to use Email. 

With the end of the second wave, Lex and Mary, who were in charge of teaching English, went home.  I volunteered to take over English classes in their place.  Coinciding with Lex and Mary's departure was Kelsi's arrival, the final addition to our help team.  Kelsi agreed to join me in teaching both English and computers on a regular basis with these kids, which means I no longer have to scramble to find somebody to reluctantly agree to go with me each day.  Having one consistent partner allows us to bounce ideas off of each other, and merging the English class with the computer class allows for continuity between the students' assignments.  We often assign them to practice typing concepts that we taught them in English class.  One interesting way in which we were able to blend the computer class with the English class was our use of pen pals.  After we introduced the kids to the internet, I recruited a number of my friends in the English speaking world who were interested in being pen pals for these kids.  This way, they could practice conversing with people in English while practicing their typing skills.  On top of that, it is sustainable!  They can continue to practice English even after we leave! 

The kids seem to really enjoy it, but they appear to be dis-enthralled with how long the process takes.  We usually only have one internet stick, and the internet is notoriously slow at the school, so it is a very long process.  If nothing else, I hope these kids will frequent internet cafes after we leave to visit with their friends in America.  It would be an experience that not many Tanzanian youths get to take advantage of.  The difficulty is making this project sustainable and able to perpetuate after we go back to the Sates.  Ultimately it will be up to the students to go to an internet cafe to practice typing and communicating with their American pen pals.  I already can tell that many of the students don't have the drive or interest to do this, but it is a principle across the world that success comes to those who are most ambitious and hardworking.  We are giving these students a great opportunity.  From here on out it will be entirely up to them whether they will take advantage of it.