Peace Matunda orphanage and primary school in Tengeru

We checked out from the complacent and slow and expensive l'Oasis Lodge we were staying at this morning. What felt so peaceful and nice there when we arrived last week now just felt frustratingly slow. 


We walked with our bags to the main road, past Sanawari, the AICC and into the tourist board on Boma Road. There we booked another cultural tourism program, this time to the orphanage/school "Peace Matunda" near Tengeru. 


To get to the orphanage we walked to the local bus station in Arusha, squeezed into a local bus (dala dala) and got off at Tengeru (ok so we missed the stop the first time and had to get off and go back!). At Tengeru we got a taxi to the orphanage for 7000 shillings. We were well-recieved and shown around the grounds. It is lovely to see a project that seems to be properly functioning. The school has small classes with max 35 children in each, some only 14. All classes are taught in English. The classrooms are colourful, there are books for everyone and theres a library. The children get snack
and lunch (in government schools they go hungry!).

There are volunteers, between 10 and 14 of them, who stay on the grounds for 3-6 months. 


In the orphanage the children each have a bed and a cupboard for personal things. They have access to computers. Everything seems very well organised. Compared to our experience at Sekei, it seems as
if the volunteers here could actually make long-lasting contributions to the childrens opportunies and futures. 


After a lunch of mashed potatoes, we were given a demonstration of coffee-making from bush to cup by three very humble young men from the local village. We then embarked on yet another village walk with one of the young men, stopping to look at various plants and being introduced to various cultural customs. Already possesing most of this information, it was a little wearisome for us to not be able to go beyond the guide's basic protocol, this was due to the language barrier. However, it was a pleasant walk. 


Now were in the garden listening to the voluntees play with the children from the orphange, hoping to get some dinner, and looking forward to some cycling (!) tomorrow.