Jasmine Knihniski of Preeceville never dreamed that her vision for helping others would lead her to Tanzania, Africa.
Her journey began when she left Preeceville on July 31 and headed to the Saskatoon airport where she was to fly to Toronto.
“In Toronto I met up with the group that were to travel to Tanzania together," said Knihniski. "We continued our journey together as we flew to Paris, Nairobi and Kilimanjaro airport. We were driven from the airport to a small camp near the community of Engutukoiti. We settled into canvas tents for our first night.
"The next day we headed out to begin our volunteer work. We were responsible for helping to refurbish the Engutukoiti Primary School. It was a very physical and emotional experience for me.
“For the most part of our two-week trip we chipped paint, broke up the floor by pick axe and repainted the interior and exterior walls and floors. We also helped to refurbish some of the huts of the teachers who lived on the school property," she said.
"The best part for me was the bond that I built with the children. The language barrier was a little challenging but we took Swahili lessons to help communicate a little better. Some of the older children knew some English but the younger ones just laughed at our attempts.
“The opportunity to see how the village people live was huge for me. I spent a day with some of the women of the village and was in awe of all the things they have to do for daily chores. It included walking two kilometres with a 20-kilogram water jug on our backs.
“We also got up early one morning and went goat herding and another day we did beading with the mothers. When we walked with the water jugs on our backs, the jugs were attached to our backs with a rope support on our heads. They make this trek every day," said Knihniski.
"In their community, many marry by the age of 14 and have children. The huts they live in are made of dirt, water, ashes and donkey poop. The roof is made up of hay. It is very dark inside and they have no electricity. Their beds are a hard board cushioned with animals skins. They cook over an open fire in the hut.
"As part of our group’s duties we were responsible to collect donkey poop in the field that was mixed with water to rub on the hut, filling holes in the walls.
“Another part of the journey was to spend a day in the life of the villagers. We had to get up really early and eat a native porridge, which was made from corn meal and was called “uji.” The supper was called “ugali” (made from corn meal and water) and was served with bitter green stewed vegetables. It was very bitter but we had to eat it as we went out to spend the day as a villager would.
“We journaled all our experiences and shared that with the group. A game was played with coloured pieces of paper that signified monetary detonations from different countries. We learned how each country compares to each other. We had to work for our money doing chores and at the end we used what money we made to trade for supper.
“I realized quickly that Canada is a very fortunate country compared to other countries," she said.
While in Tanzania the group attended a market in Arusha.
"We were given groups and scenarios. My group’s scenario was that there were seven people in my family and on the way to school one of our water cans broke so we had to buy enough food for seven people and a new water jug. We had to do this by bargaining down prices in Swahili! That is where the language barrier really kicked in but it was a really fun and embarrassing experience.
“We were allowed to donate clothes to the school children at the end of the trip so I left quite a few clothing articles and a pair of shoes."
Knihniski and her group also went on a safari tour through the Tarangire National Park, also known as The Home of the Elephants.
She arrived home on August 18, tired but very grateful for having the opportunity to have been selected to experience the journey.
Her action plan for the future is to help provide dental care for others less fortunate overseas. Her last day was very emotional with saying goodbye to her family with which she had bonded. Her next volunteer trip will be to India from July 21 to August 7, 2017.
Tanzania is an East African country known for its vast wilderness areas, which includes the plains of Serengeti National Park, a safari mecca populated by the “big five” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino), and Kilimanjaro National Park, home to Africa’s highest mountain. Offshore lie the tropical islands of Zanzibar, with Arabic influences, and Mafia, with a marine park home to whale sharks and coral reefs.
Parts of Tanzania are in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south; and by the Indian Ocean to the east. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania.
Tanzania's population of 51.82 million is diverse and is composed of several ethnic, linguistic and religious groups.
Tanzania is a presidential constitutional republic, and since 1996, its official capital city has been Dodoma, where the President's Office, the National Assembly, and some government ministries are located.
European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa, which gave way to British rule following the First World War. The mainland was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
At 947,303 square kilometres (365,756 sq mi), Tanzania is the 13th largest country in Africa and the 31st largest in the world, ranked between the larger Egypt and smaller Nigeria. Tanzania is located on the eastern coast of Africa and has an Indian Ocean coastline approximately 800 kilometres (500 miles long).
