“I cried less than expected to be honest; but as soon as I got home and everything was familiar, the first evening back, I cried myself sleep. I was tired and it was a long day; and I thought, what have I just experienced? What have I just left behind?”
Helena had just left behind Tanzania. She joined MIS’s 34th trip to Tanzania this past summer. The trip included visits to organizations that MIS has been working with for many years - even for decades, such as Hope Primary, Upendo Orphanage, HADEA Project, and Shanga.
Helena grew up in Germany and Austria. As a child, she loved art, learning piano, riding horses, and was always open to new experiences. Educated in Vienna from 5th to 8th grade, she joined MIS in 9th grade and will graduate this year. Helena’s motivation to join the Tanzania trip began in childhood. My mother was on the Board of a children’s aid organization called Plan International.
Through Plan International, her mother traveled to areas of the world supported by the organization, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. “I was too young to be involved in her trips, but I would get to see the photos and hear her stories when she came back. I’ve grown up with those stories, and I’ve always been a person who likes to help out. When I heard about the Tanzania trip in the 9th grade, I said to myself I’m gonna go!” To be able to finally help people who needed it most was a child's wish coming true.
“My mom also made photo books of her trips and I said, I want to do this too!”
During the trip, Helena kept a journal and added items such as her boarding pass, a handmade bracelet, coins from Tanzania, pictures, brochures, and more. Looking back into her journal/scrapbook of the trip, “I tried to capture the memories and the value of this trip in this journal. I couldn’t. The experience is too big and just not made to be explained in words. It’s one thing to help raise money for Tanzania and to be educated about the situation for many people in this area of the world, but it’s another thing to experience it for yourself. It’s not mind-blowing, it’s mind-opening. It’s not mind-blowing because we know that life is hard. We see photos on the internet of poverty and hardship, but once you get there, you also feel their happiness and excitement. Like the food, the dances, and the singing - people were so happy when we joined in.”
When asked if Helena saw the impact of MIS’s Tanzania Project fundraising, her answer is a resounding “Yes”. She cites the school renovation projects as excellent examples of visible impact. MIS students spent four days painting and pouring concrete to help renovate classrooms at Tuamani Primary School. “When we got there, you could see the renovation projects in progress and you could see where the money is going to. We also visited schools where the renovations had been completed and they looked fresh and brighter than the older classrooms.” Helena lists another example of visible impact is the sterile medical equipment the group delivers to the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre. “We are the witnesses that the donations have an impact. We can see children with polio using wheelchairs that were donated two years ago.”
As Helena begins her senior at MIS, she is already committed to going back to Tanzania: “After I graduate, I want to go back. Probably for a much longer time – maybe in the form of providing English education, because education is the foundation for a better life.” Helena’s biggest takeaway from the Tanzania trip was the impact of education: “These children are bringing their full energy to us, showing us how grateful they are to go to school - while we are often complaining about going to school. That just makes me feel that I should cherish something that I take for granted – and that is getting an education.”
If you’d like to read more about Trip 2024 through the eyes of MIS trip participants, visit the MIS Tanzania Projects Trip 2024 blog. Enter the password “tanzania2024”.