The gorgeous view from our balcony
Last week I was in Mwanza, right on the shore of Lake Victoria, for the preparation of our very first arrivals for the new programme!
This was my second trip to Mwanza and it was great to see that the construction of the house had finished on time (phew!), our partner hospitals were getting excited about welcoming international students and Baptista, our country director for Tanzania, had trained up a brand new team of Work the World staff. Leading the programme is James. He joined us in the spring and has been heavily involved in the preparation for the opening and is really excited about the students arriving. He is supported by Diana, our amazing cook and Bosco, our friendly housekeeper!
I joined James for the airport pickups and the very important orientation to familiarise everybody with the city. What I love about Mwanza is that wherever you are in the city, you can always see the lake. We took the students to my favourite part, the vibrant central market. It’s hectic and colourful and you can pretty much buy all your essentials there. The people of Mwanza are relatively unaffected by tourism so we felt like mini-celebrities walking around – locals were shouting “Jambo!” (hello in Swahili) from everywhere, welcoming us to their country. The students loved it!
The first Lake Victoria students!
On Monday night when all our pioneers had safely arrived, we had our first BBQ to celebrate the launch of the Lake Victoria programme. Diana made a delicious feast of tilapia fish, chicken, goat, Russian salad, home-made vegetable samosas, fried rice, nuts and chips! We got some cold beers in from the ‘Containers Pub’, just a minute walk from the house. Overlooking the beautiful lake from our house in the rocky hills, and having a BBQ with eight of the most friendliest students (from Newcastle and Sheffield) was one of the nicest evenings I have ever experienced at a Work the World house.
On Tuesday morning, seven students were introduced to their placements at Sekou Toure Regional Hospital and one student went to SDA clinic to experience primary healthcare. From July, we will be sending students to Bugando Hospital too, which is one of the highest referral hospital in Tanzania and we’ll be able to arrange some amazing placements there.
Swahili classes are already up and running twice a week at the house. Unfortunately, I was in the office catching up with my e-mails when the first class took place, but I heard lots of laughter coming from the living room and the teacher was an instant hit with the students! The house has most certainly warmed up for the busy summer season and I hope that it will see many new friendships and good times in the years to come.
Check out our Lake Victoria programme and get involved!
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Tags: Add new tag, medical placement, Tanzania medical elective, Work the World house