Tuk Tuk Adventures by Austin Willhoft

For the last day in Arusha, Professor Buske orchestrated for students to take the local form of taxis to town. Taxis, known locally as Tuk Tuks, are an affordable and convenient form of transportation in metropolitan areas in Tanzania. Professor Buske decided to make this excursion interesting by putting us on a scavenger hunt. With a list of 12 objectives, we set out. We met with our driver, Bhullah, outside our hotel who took us to the ATM to prepare for our adventure. Once we were settled with our withdrawals, a group of Tanzanian hustlers tried selling us goods. We noticed that one objective on the scavenger hunt list included purchasing Tanzanian-flag colored bracelets. At that point, the haggling started. After being in Tanzania for about two weeks, our group has learned that the hustlers will lower the price once we start departing the location. Within seconds, we achieved our first objective by negotiating three bracelets with the color of the Tanzanian-flag for $5 USD.

From there, we spent the next three hours at the Maasai Mama’s market. Instead of tackling objectives on the scavenger hunt, our group decided to shop until we drop. We purchased a number of different gifts for friends and family back home. What makes the market such an interesting experience are the comments hustlers and shop owners make to customers.

“Excuse me, brother, you look like someone I have seen in a movie. Please come over here and see my store.”

“Let me tell you, brother, come in my shop and we’ll discuss because my price is a business secret.”

After three hours of haggling, I was mentally exhausted. Haggling for a fair price is not an easy process as most hustlers have the preconceived notion that because we are foreigners, we must be loaded with money. Most hustlers balked at my first offer, while some continued working with me until we arrived at a fair and reasonable price. As a group, we then decided to work on the scavenger hunt. One of our objectives involved taking a picture in front of “the Arusha monument.” Without any clarification from our professors, we had to determine what monument were they referring to. Luckily, when we told Bhullah to take us to “the Arusha monument,” he took us to the right spot. After taking the picture, we knocked out the remaining objectives: purchasing a pineapple, raw egg, and roasted corn from a roadside vendor. Our last two objectives required us to ask a Tanzanian to teach us how to count to ten in Swahili and a local dance. Before heading back to our hotel, some young Tanzanians taught us how to count to ten in Swahili. Our video posted along with this blog post displays their enthusiasm teaching us. Knowing the solid relationship I have built with the hotel staff, we decided that having them teach us a dance would be wise. Turns out that it was an awesome experience seeing the joy of one of the hotel staff, Narovil, teach us some dance moves. The connection a traveler forms with locals is one of pure bliss.

While we did not achieve all the objectives, the entire experience made us feel like we were on the “Amazing Race.” We traveled throughout Arusha in a go-cart-like vehicle communicating with locals who spoke and understood little English. It was an unforgettable adventure. An experience that each of us will remember and share with others for our days to come.

Discovery, Debate, & Dinner by Francisco Luzania

 Every trip has a moment. A moment where time no longer matters. Faces blur. Sounds are silent. A moment of fleeting solitude where it’s just you. Like all of us on this trip, I was lucky enough to have had a moment. The only difference for me was my moment happened to be standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people.

 

This study abroad program stretched us, exposed us, and taught us. We saw things we’d gone our entire lives never even contemplating. We heard things we’d never even considered. We went places most of us never thought we’d ever see. Orphanages, schools, jails, courts, safaris; all of these had become so commonplace during our trip that foreign seemed domestic. For American law students, going to visit a Tanzanian law school seemed like fitting a belt in a buckle. We spend hours at our school. Classrooms, libraries, common areas. This visit would pale in comparison to the foreign places we had seen the last few weeks. But in its usual TIA approach, this beautiful continent kept me and my classmates surprised and wanting more.

Now, I love me a good argument. I love a vivacious debate. And I surely love a competition. As a law student, I have a good sense that litigation is a road well worth traveling. When Professor Buske mentioned a joint international moot court debate with our school and the Tumaini University Makumira, I’m pretty sure I asked for a time and place before she finished her sentence. I knew, of all things, this was going to be something I wanted to participate in. Sure enough, me and one of my classmate and I, ended up volunteering for the debate.

Once we arrived, we were able to sit and watch a moot court competition between their students. But about 15 minutes in, Professor Buske ushered Allysa and I to the lobby, introduced us to our partners, and told us we were on stage in 30 minutes. What was gonna be a few hours of preparation for a debate on the implementation of The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption of 1993 and possible amendments to Tanzania’s residency requirement for international adoption(I know, riveting topics for any audience), turned into a half hour. To be fair, during our class before traveling and throughout the trip I would read about The Hague and intercountry adoption in Tanzania, and the topic is going to be my ICR paper. Sometimes fate just does that.

What we were told was that there was expected to a little over a dozen people in attendance for our debate. Was there a dozen? Nope. Walking onto the stage, in advocate robes, we saw the expanse of the reality of there being closer to 500 students and faculty in the crowd. I’ve spoken to crowds before. Professionally and academically. I’ve never been that hesitant to public speak. But that was personally the single largest crowd I had ever spoken in front of, much less debate in front of. We all have elements. This was mine. That moment I mentioned where time, voices, faces, and places don’t really exist was happening for me. For 40 minutes we debated, listened, and I even spoke a little Swahili to the applause and enjoyment of the crowd.  The deliberations by panel of three judges, two Tanzanian students and one American, really took the longest for me. The eternal wait was worth it though when me and my Tanzanian partner were declared winners.

 

After the debate, I don’t think I’ve ever taken so many pictures with different people and shaken so many hands. Many Tanzanian law students came up to introduce themselves, compliment my ability, congratulate me and take a photo. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I find this a little exhilarating.  We were then paired to with Tanzanian students for discussions and a tour of the university. If you’ve ever wanted to attend college in what looks and feels like a jungle, then this was the place. But even for students studying the same topic, the difference was striking. Packed classrooms, no textbooks, shotty electricity, and no A/C. But at the same time, the similarities could not be more comforting. Friend groups, “gunners” in classes who answer every question, and a general sense of passion for the study of law. I grinned as much as a I questioned.

 

We ended with a group as we had every day of our trip. This time we had the pleasure having some Tanzanian law students and faculty join us. I sat solo from my classmates and ‘held court’, as the hilarious Professor Cook put it, with five of the students. That where the veil was fully removed. I got to know them not just as fellow law students, but as a former runway model, a practicing priest, a lifelong human rights volunteer, a farmer who had never been more than an hour outside of his hometown before coming to university. Stories so different from us, but journeys all the familiar. The exchange of stories was more like a exchange of kindred spirits. Looking around and seeing tables filled with reflections of the same people was what this trip showed me. People from different countries, cultures, and cities. But people with similar issues, concerns, and passions. This day was the high of my trip. It’s a mistake for us in the United States to think we are the only ones with solutions. There are people all over the world as well prepared to fight the battles and empty the worlds ocean of problems with teacups, just like us.

 

Tanzania kwanza, Tanzania milele

Tanzania today, Tanzania forever

Growing and Stretching by Allysa Browne

If you would have asked me 2 years ago that I would be where I am right now and have voluntarily chosen to go and do a moot court competition, I would have said you were crazy. I made the decision when I decided to go to law school to put myself out there and try things that scared me. Public speaking definitely scares me!

We started out our day at the Tumaini University Makumira Law School. We received a brief tour of their law building and then made our trek to the Moot Court Classroom. Unlike the states, Moot Court is an actual class that students take here in Tanzania. When we walked into the classroom we could see close to 400 very well-dressed law students staring at us.

The panic began to set in and I could instantly feel regret for volunteering to speak in front of that many people, but there was no way of backing out. We had been under the impression we would have all day to prepare our argument so I was trying to remain hopeful that I would be more comfortable later in the day to speak in front of all of those students.

Like everything else here, TIA. Francisco and I were pulled out of the classroom and told we had 30 minutes to prepare with two Tanzanian students and then we were up in front of all of those 400+ students. Then the panic really set in. I used every last second preparing my argument with my partner Matthew, who was the student I was paired with. Right before we were to go on stage we had to dress up in the traditional Tanzanian court room robes so that we would get the full experience. 

During the argument we had to continue going with the flow and organically change our arguments in the moment. Matthew and I were the proposers for Tanzania to ratify the Hague Convention and dispose of the 3 year in country living requirement for intercountry adoptions. Matthew and I came in second place but had given it our best effort.

After the argument, our class broke off into small groups with a handful of Tanzanian Law Students and received a tour of the campus, the living quarters, and sat in on a criminal law class. For my group we saw many offices, classrooms, the two libraries, the hostels, and some old Maasai homes that students used to live in on campus, but they are no longer in use. Throughout the campus you could hear students playing a variety of instruments as the university had a large music program.

When we left the university we had invited the students who hosted us and some of the faculty to join us for dinner. At dinner we all compared the differences in the Law schools in Tanzania and in the United States.

Nearly all of the Tanzanian students were interested in attending school and/or practicing law in the United States. It was shocking to me when I had a conversation with Tumaini University Makumira students, John and Mike, that last year out of 600+ law students, only 23 had become lawyers. No wonder so many students want to come to the United States! We think our passage rate is bad sometimes, but to Tanzanians it is amazing.

I was very appreciative of the opportunity to see the law school and work alongside some of their students today. The growing and stretching that took place today was good. I definitely went outside my comfort zone but felt so welcomed and supported by the Tanzanian students that it made the anxiety very minimal. Matthew was a great partner and really went with the flow with me as we made our points of our argument on the spot. 

Allysa Browne

Kids in Jail by Rylin Smith

On Monday we were able to visit the juvenile jail in Arusha which holds children ages 13 to 17 while they are either awaiting going to trial if their charges are either not bailable or their family cannot afford to post bail, or if they are appealing their case. The jail was established in 1974 and, although Prof. Buske has been to this jail before and said that there were over 100 children, at this time the jail only had 5 boys. When asked about the reduction in the amount of children, the manager explained that it was due to communities becoming more knowledgeable about the consequences of crime. The model of the jail is not to punish the children, but rather to help them by teaching them how to escape the type of environment that got them there in the first place. It was explained that the majority of children that come through are there due to poverty. Poverty here can lead children to commit crimes often as a means of making money, but it also forces the child's parents to work and be away from taking care of their children making the parents unable to assure that their child is going to school. We were told that children will even commit crimes just to come back because at least they are provided three meals a day which they are not always promised in their day to day life.

Walking around inside of the jail it wasn't like how you would picture American jails. There are no matching uniforms that the children wear. The boys were just sitting outside when we arrived. It was hard to tell who were the boys apart from other employees and the construction workers who were there. This was something that I believe was a positive thing. It helps to keep the children feeling like a real person rather than just another inmate.

I think it is good to go into a situation like this with a healthy amount of skepticism for what was being told to us. As a group of American outsiders it is important to remember that of course the jail wanta to look as of they don't have serious issues, everything runs smoothly, and that they handle problems in a fair and just way. When we were having our discussion with the social welfare officer who is also the manager of the jail he made it seem like the children are here really for their protection and that they focus providing an education to the children to help them get out of the environment that resulted in them being arrested in the first place. The more we spoke though I started to notice little holes in his story. For example there is not always a teacher available because the Tanzanian government already doesn't pay enough to provide teachers in government schools, so providing a teacher to children in jail is very low on the governments priority list. Additionally, when looking at the room where the children sleep the manager pointed out a small door with a lock on the outside and explained that this is the solitary confinement room. Children can be put here for fighting or disobedience such as not cleaning when they are supposed to. Children can be locked in this room for up to three days at a time and they are provided no mattress and only a bucket to function as a toilet. I asked if they corporal punishment at the jail and while the manager denied this he did say that the children can be forced to do manual labor at the farm. He even said that they must be hard on the children and cannot be easy or forgiving because they need to learn how to behave and listen. I thought it would be interesting to talk to the children who were there to hear their perspective, obviously that was not an option, but if this facility was as great as they tried to make it sounds I would want to hear in what areas they think the jail is working successfully and where the jail could improve.

I think the things that the manager was saying were right- that this is not a place that children come to be punished, that many of the children come with serious trauma and that the jail can function as a form of protection for some, but I also think that jail shouldn't have to be a place where children are protected and children shouldn't have to turn to crime for survival but this is just an example of how important social services can be to preventing crime and to creating a productive society.

 

Next, we went to the Amani home for street children located in Arusha. Only the women in our group attended this meeting because there seemed to be higher number of girls who were victims of sexual violence at this location compared to the Amani we visited in Moshi. This location was surrounded by a big wall preventing outsiders from being able to look over and communicate with the children inside and we learned that it was built because often families would come and convince the child to leave to come back home. We sat down and learned more about Amani and specifically this house from Naomi who is one of the coordinators there. She explained that all of the children that live there have active court cases and at the time we visited they had 7 boys and 16 girls living there. They also have part of the property open to other street children who can come get breakfast, see a counselor, take showers, and wash their clothes but these children are separated from those who live there. Amani has a counselor who meets with each child for individual sessions as well as group sessions and they have one teacher who teaches all grade levels in one room. We were given a tour of the property and it was a beautiful home! The walls were pained bright colors and the rooms felt spacious and clean. The dorm rooms were limited to 2 sets of bunk beds per room which felt like a nice size of not overcrowding the children. After the tour we got to meet the children and they sang us two songs. I think something that many of us in the group have struggled with is going to these places and when the children sing it feels like they are put on display to perform to us. It was explained that the children do sing for every guest that comes to visit I know that the organization most likely just wants to thank the guest and wants them to feel special, but I wish this was something that organizations working with children who have trauma who rely on the organization would considering stopping this practice. One thing Amani did that was different is that we got to introduce ourselves and each child got to tell us their name and what they want to be when they grow up. We heard doctors and pilots and teachers galore and even a shoe maker! It was nice to see the more personal connection but you could tell many of the children were shy or uncomfortable speaking to us. Looking at the faces of these children was hard. You could see the pain and suffering that many of them had gone through. The older ones especially seemed to have a pain about them. We were told that two of the girls were currently pregnant and were in the processes of either trying to get their cases wrapped up so they could leave to take care of their baby after they give birth or would need to find someone they trust to take care of the baby while they finish their case. The younger ones seemed happy but although children are so resilient that doesn't take away from the pain and trauma that they have gone through. Naomi told us that 13 of the children living there were victims of sexual violence including the youngest who looked like they couldn't have been more than 6 years old. It was a hard experience but the work Amani is doing to get children off the street and away from abuse while providing a safe environment is creating such a positive impact on communities and especially on the children.

 

Myself and two others (Rachel and Tavis) were lucky enough to get our names drawn to be able accompany Naomi and two other street outreach coordinators on a night walk to check in on street children and learn about any new arrivals. Going into this expierence I felt a little nervous for my safety as we stick out and draw a lot of attention and I didn’t  want to inhibit the workers from being able to connect with children and do the job that they came out to do. The children's lives who are put of the street are much more important than me having this one expierence. Our driver Ernest was scared for us. He really wanted to make sure it was safe for us to be there but he trusted that Prof. Buske knew what she was doing and that the street outreacher workers were confident that they could keep us safe. We met at the Amani office at 7:30 to pick up Naomi and then drove to what is the equivalent of their downtown and stood on the side of the busy road where we waited for the other two to meet us. We were already getting looks when Ali arrived who has been doing this work for 15 years and his trainee who had just started in the last month. They made a plan to have us follow Naomi and Ali and the third man followed us from behind. I was amazed to see how they worked- while I was busy carefully watching every step to make sure I didn't trip over the bumpy road or step on the litter I could see Ali scanning the streets, looking to a familiar face. Within the first five minutes of walking he saw someone behind a dark bush on the other side of the road. Ali went over first and explained to the boys who we were before giving us the thumbs up to come join him. The two boys were rummaging through a pile of trash that had had been thrown off a bus. They were looking for food as they hadn't eaten since early that morning. Naomi explained that these were once Amani kids who had gone through a year of mechanics training, but went back to the streets. As we left Ali told then that they would come by later in the night and buy them dinner. Next we walked over to the big bus area that brings people from other regions. This is a busy area where a lot of children will take their first steps in Arusha. We found a group of boys who had almost been Amani kids and they now have jobs cleaning the busses that come in. It was amazing to see Alis connection with them. They looked like old friends. Ali threw his arms around them and even grabbed cup out of a boys hands and took a drink out of it. 

These boys were a success in Amani's eyes- they had jobs, they were all renting a room together, and one even had a smart phone. Although Ali was not impressed to see him spending what little money he had on an expensive phone, Ali did give the boy his phone number and shook his finger at him to not call him after midnight. As we walked away Ali explained the importance of having mutual trust- the Amani employees need to trust that the children can make good choices on their own and the children need to trust that the employees do have their best interests at heart and are looking out for them. Amani relies on the older kids to introduce them to the new and younger ones which is a major way of how Amani is able to reach street children. Naomi explained that we were next going to walk down a path that is for commercial sex work. She told us that the women stand outside and we wouldn't see children but to know that they are in a back room waiting somewhere and all a "customer" has to do is ask. This was a very jarring walk- seeing the women literally lined up against the wall in a very 'take your pick' kind of way but also knowing that there is more young children behind the scenes that you can't see was hard. We ended up in another busy bus area where we met a woman who makes food for those coming off of the bus. Naomi told us that the woman acts in a helpful way for them to reach new arrivals of street children because when they get off the bus the children are hungry and they know to get food from her. We were told that they would go back before the end of the night to see if any had arrived. Later, came across a big group of kids. The youngest couldn't have been more than 7 and the oldest maybe 14 years old.  We continued to walk around and the same types of interactions would occur- Ali would be friendly with them, ask how they are doing, ask if they had seen any new street children and where we could find them, and then always make sure that the child knew they could come to Amani if they needed anything.

I left the street outreach feeling invigorated and motivated. I never felt like I was in danger because I had some of the most well know and good natured people watching out for me. They spoke to us about the struggles they face, especially that of children knowing the different resources they could get from different organizations which causes them to move around and makes it more difficult for Amani to keep track of the children. This is the type of work that someone has to be built for. It is not easy, there are long days, and not all of the children are willing to accept the help that is offered, but seeing those who did come out as a success story and knowing the faces of children who need help makes the hard work all worth it. This expierence made me feel more comfortable with being able to back home to Portland and do similar work there.

Hospital Visit by Danita Chapin

Continuing on our journey to learn about children’s care, today we visited Selian Lutheran Hospital in Arusha. Our first stop was on the outskirts of town where we were quickly told that we were in the wrong place. Apparently this particular hospital has more than one location and the doctor we were meeting was at the hospital located in town. So, back we went into the city to find the right place. Our driver found the right place without any trouble, and we met the pediatrician and hospital secretary who would give us a tour.

 

We started the tour in the pediatrics ward where children up to the age of 14 receive medical care. The pediatrics ward has 16 beds, but only 6 were occupied on this particular day. According to the pediatrician the main cause of hospitalization for children is malnutrition. Of the three children we saw on our tour, two of them were being treated for malnourishment and the other had a respiratory issue. All three children (and their mothers) were staying in one room together and there was room for another patient in that same room,  if needed. Unlike the hospitals I have stayed in in the United States, this hospital (and many others in Africa) only provide medical care. This means that family members must stay with the children while they are in the hospital to provide their daily care, bring their own linens from home for the patient, and also provide their own food. Add to this that most people in this community have no health insurance and it is not surprising that many people do not seek medical care for themselves or their children. Quite often, the children that are brought to the hospital are there because hospital social workers, through their community outreach program, have come across malnourished children and encouraged their parents to bring the child to the hospital for medical care. For those parents that do bring their children to the hospital for care, often it is too late, and the doctors are unable to help the child. This is not because the parents do not want their child to receive medical care, but because the costs associated with hospital visits are not affordable. So, parents are likely to try to treat illnesses by purchasing medicine at a pharmacy instead of going to a doctor or hospital.

The next stop on our tour was the obstetrics ward. For a woman that gives birth at this hospital, without any complications, the hospital stay will be about 24 hours and the cost is 26,000 TSH ( or $10). For a more complicated birth, such as a c-section, the stay is three days and costs 104,000 TSH ( or $40). While the hospital has an ultrasound and CT machine, it does not have a ventilator or MRI capabilities. If a patient in obstetrics, or any other ward, needs that kind of care they are sent to a larger hospital somewhere else. Again, because of the costs of going to a hospital, it is common for women to give birth at home with the assistance of a midwife. While home births are helpful for saving on medical costs, there are additional issues created because home births are not always recorded and this means a child does not have a birth certificate. Obviously this can complicate things for the child later on in life, but also makes it difficult to compile any reliable data about birth statistics, population, and many other things.

 

Overall, the hospital tour and the information shared by our tour guides was eye opening. Living in a country where it is commonplace to go to a doctor for even non serious illnesses, it was heart wrenching for me to realize that medical care is not available to many people here in Tanzania. This is something that I am sure you can read about if you are inclined to research it, but being here and seeing the real people in this community that are affected by a lack of access to medical care has much more impact and makes me wonder why we can’t do better.

One Problem, Two Solutions by Abby Cohen

 Jambo!

Today we visited two centers for children that address the issue of poverty in different ways. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, there are two ways to address ongoing issues: downriver and upriver. Since our arrival, we have been to various schools, NGO’s, centers for children, and governmental institutions. During our intersession class, we also learned that some organizations and programs actually perpetuate ongoing issues pertaining to children’s rights. This is partially due to these organizations taking a down river approach among other things.

In the morning, we headed to Moshi. We first visited Amani center for street children. Amani focuses on creating a safe space for children living on the street and aims to reunify the kids with their families. Additionally, Amani provides financial assistance for the kids up through university or other vocational programs.

The Amani director gave us a tour of the facility. Inside were the dorms, classrooms, and counseling offices. Every child living at Amani voluntarily goes there. Once they arrive, they receive counseling services and attend classes in house until they are ready to go to a local school. This was the first organization we visited that provided full counseling services to help the children through their trauma.

While we toured the indoor area, we encountered someone laying on the floor upstairs. Initially I thought the person was a child, but the director informed us that the person was 25 man that’s lived at Amani since it was established in the early 2000’s. We learned that he was abandoned as a toddler likely because he’s autistic. Fortunately, Amani is a safe space for him to live.

The outdoor area was amazing! The kids had a lot of space to play and socialize. We had a pretty intense soccer tournament where professor Cook made a goal twice! I was never a gifted athlete, so I played one-on-one soccer with a young child for most of the play time. I loved watching all the kid play together and just be kids.

Overall, I really enjoyed learning about Amani’s mission and ongoing impact on street children in Tanzania. I love that Amani takes the kids as they are with their trauma and gives them the tools to unpack their experiences and learn how to be children again.

We went to lunch at Blossoms Cafe in the afternoon with Amani’s director. The lunch was lovely, but as I’ve quickly learned, Tanzanian dining takes exponentially longer than American dining. We had a great time chatting, eating good food, and hanging out with a local kitty!

After lunch, we went to Neema International. Neema takes a slightly different approach to address poverty than Amani. Neema primarily focuses on children coming from low income homes to provide education. Their ultimate goal is to break the cycle of poverty. Additionally, Neema provides housing for children that are determined to have no family. About 250 students attend Neema in which 50 live there full time. Their classroom size is capped at 20 students which is entirely different than the 100 or more average class sizes we observed at the public schools.

I asked the director at Neema if there is a reunification program similar to Amani. He responded that social workers and the local government have determined that the 50 children living at Neema have no families to go home to. It’s safe to say that I’m slightly skeptical about that answer.

Our experience with the kids at Neema was quite a bit different than at Amani. At Amani, we just went out and played with the kids whereas the kids at Neema were told to come to us and answer our questions. I felt awkward in the moment because I could tell that all the kids wanted to do was play. I talked with a boy in his early teens who told me he’d been living at Neema since he was in kindergarten. One of my highlights from that day was talking with him and learning about his experience there. In turn, he attempted to teach me some cool tricks with a basketball. I’d like to believe that I was an enthusiastic student, but I was not nearly as skilled as him.

One thing that really struck me during my conversation with the Neema student was that he asked me if we were coming back the next day. I had a hard time answering that question because I know that many children who grow up in an institution even like Neema often develop attachment/detachment issues. Although I’m enjoying our time here going to all sort of places, the guilt I feel being a transient in these kids’ lives is impossible to mitigate.

Overall, I thought that the different approaches to a similar underlying issue was quite interesting. Amani focuses on street kids and reunification with their families whereas Neema focuses on education for children whether or not they have a home to go to. Quite honestly, I’m not sure which approach is better. Nonetheless, I think that trying different approaches to address the effect of poverty on children’s rights is crucial to eventually find what works. I hope that we find that answer sooner rather than later.

////Abby Cohen

Courts and Cocktails by Alondra Duran

At the beginning of planning for this trip, we were told to bring a business casual outfit. I struggle with that concept still in finding the happy medium between casual and business, so my compromise was bring a suit and figure it out there.

Today was the day to figure that out, so once I got it together, off we were to visit the High Court in Arusha, Tanzania, and the African Court of Human Rights!

The High Court was a more tedious process, we needed to be accompanied by representatives of Inherit Your Rights to be able to enter the facility. The building itself was very nice, we waited for quite a bit, but once we were greeted by a staff member, we learned that many levels of the judicial system were in that building, from the lower level to the high level and appeals court. We got the opportunity to see inside an empty courtroom as well! We learned that there were proceedings happening at the moment that were not open to the public, and timing constraints prevented us from sitting in on the public ones that were available later on, so we were unable to see the court in action. We were waiting on the call to head over to the next destination as well, the African Court of Human Rights!

Here, we were greeted by Emmanuel Niyonkuru. From the get go, he seemed excited to have us and to tell us about the work the court does. He started off by telling us about the judges that we’re currently sitting in the court, of which five out of the twelve were women! We got to see the library and public hearing room, and got to ask many questions. This visit was by far my favorite, and I have a new bucket list wish of visiting the other two human rights court in the world, one in France for Europe, and one in Costa Rica for the Americas.

Some afterthoughts of these visits is how the in country courts have barriers to successfully prosecuting crimes, whether it be from witness intimidation, to people simply not coming forward with information. At the external courts like that or the human rights court, they struggle with the enforcement of judgments, as countries don’t want to be told what to do by other entities. That is not to say that no countries enforce any judgment rendered by the human rights court, but very few do, and those that do not, rather opt out of the agreement entirely to be in the court of human rights. I do not have the answer to any of these issues, as in addition to it being an issue of sovereignty, it is also a see cultural issue that is hard to change in any community.

After we had our visits, we went to debrief at the Blue Heron. It was a beautiful sight with mountains and the sunset in the backdrop. It was also the first place I found a margarita, so of course I got one. I got a margarita pizza too because might as well. We went around to give out highs for the days and mine was definitely seeing the court of human rights. It was a dream of mine to visit the one in Costa Rica, but thought that might have been too far fetched of a goal, let alone any of the other ones. But now that I am here in Africa, seeing this one, I have no excuse but to visit the other two, it is possible, and with the career that I’m building on, it just makes sense.

 

Asante Sana!

 

////Alondra Duran

That's a gecko! No, it's a chameleon by Tavis Crocker

Will a gecko recognize a good life when

it passes by, or with certainty will it declare, “that’s a bad life!

It does not look like mine.”

No, it’s a chameleon.

A good but different life.

 

This afternoon, in the shade of trees hundreds of years old, surrounded by trimmed hedges and the remaining rows of a coffee plantation, we met Sherman. A wonderful, thoughtful and informative individual. As a third generation Tanzanian, Sherman, grew up in Dar es Salaam, attended an international school and completed her undergraduate studies and Masters of Social Work in the United States, she has worked with street children in Tanzania for 25 years.

Our discussion focused on the reality of how victims and street children are treated in Tanzania. One major point was addressing the myth that children are running away to live on the street for handouts. This myth fails to acknowledge that no child would risk the real dangers of living on the street, if they had a safe and stable situation at home. Given this reality, it raises questions about the continued practice of sweeping of children using exclusion laws from the 1930’s and giving them bus fare back to their home does nothing to solve the problem. A simple lack of bus fare is not what prevents these children from returning home.

We also talked about gaps in the current governmental system, in which national social workers serve as the legal representative of domestic and child abuse victims. However these workers do not have any formal legal training. While NGO’s fill some of this gap it is few and far between, that a lawyer can be made available to advocate for the victim’s rights.

We discussed that within the current system 9 out 10 children in orphanages are not true orphans. They have known family and are in the orphanages partly to increase numbers and for funding. Sherman spoke about how UNICEF is seeking to eradicate institutionalization of children due to the immense harm it causes the children. We discussed how it is an easy downstream solution and if you build one it will fill quickly.

Sherman spoke of three of the street children, now adults, that she used to work with. One is now a Dala Dala driver and soon expecting kids. The second a fruit seller, who told of a child who is not well and asked for money, the money given was based on trust built that truth was told. The third a high strung individual remains upon the street, when asked he says his child brain and bad choice squandered opportunities and aid.  This time he asked for money to buy bags for porter work, she left him with the funds to purchase some smaller bags that with work could raise the fund for larger ones. She told him to show her he was willing to work to better himself.

Each of these stories addressed the difficult reality within charity and aid programs. It is easy to give money and walk away feeling good, it is much more difficult to give the time and effort to seek the root of the problem.

So here we are miles from home grappling with our own understanding of this world and learning to dig deeper.

//// Tavis Crocker

“Thinking Outside the Box” by Austin Willhoft

 A few weeks before leaving for Tanzania, my mother told me to prepare for a different environment and setting. She lived in South Africa for 12 years and wanted me to understand how my experience may be different than how it was for me in Taiwan and China. So far, our trip to Tanzania has been both joyful and eventful. Joyful in the sense that we have two amazing guides, in Ernest and Eki, who have translated and advised from the moment we landed In Kilimanjaro. Eventful in the sense that some arrangements do not plan out accordingly. But this is Africa (TIA), we are told. As such, our group has been as flexible as band-aids when it comes to finding alternatives to what is scheduled on our itinerary.

Today, we visited with government social workers to understand the world through their eyes. Victoria, a lawyer from Inherit Your Rights, offered to translate from Swahili to English. Shijia, a social welfare officer, took time out of his day to explain the role of social workers in Tanzania. Unfortunately, Shijia stated that he could not answer most of our questions because of the lack of data, confidentiality issues, along with questions beings outside the scope of his duties. He started out by stating that Tanzania is not a welfare state. For instance, if relatives fail to take care of an elderly or disabled individual in their family, then the government will step in to assist. Otherwise, the government encourages families to care for each other.

Shija explained that social workers focus on a variety of issues, including domestic violence, mental health of the children (such as education or daily wellbeing), adoption of a child, and people with disabilities. When it comes to adoption, it is mandated that a “home study” period occur in which social welfare officers visit the home. At this point, a “home study” period will occur in which social welfare officers will do their due diligence to conduct a background check on the foreigner. The process and timeframe is not clear-cut and depends on the cooperation of the foreigner’s country willingness to share information. If you are a foreigner adopting a Tanzanian child, you must prove residency in the country for a minimum of three years. Shija stressed that while the residency requirement may sound stringent it is important as the country must ensure that the foreigner adopting the child demonstrates experience of raising a child, along with the challenges associated with adopting a child.

In cases of abuse, Shija explained that social welfare officers conduct home visits to understand the situation. Based on the information they gather, it is shared with the court to act as a neutral-third party. Similar to Western countries, Shija discussed the importance of the national hotline. It empowers people to dial 116 in times of crisis. 116 is known as chatline for Tanzanians. When people call the number, the person answering the phone will redirect the call to the proper authority, such as the police. Once chatline has the information, officials go to community leaders where the concerned individual lives to address the issue. Chatline does not disclose the identity of the individual in order to protect them from any form of retribution from the community leaders. The number is automatically loaded as a contact in a new phone when purchased through pre-installed information on a SIM card. 

For challenges, social welfare officers stress the lack of cooperation from the community. In cases of abuse, most people do not show up to court or want to participate as a witness. At the same time, community leaders have influence on individuals to prevent or force them to testify as a witness in a court case. Victoria shared an instance where she collected every possible evidence. The victim was the primary witness, but they did not show up to court. Victoria understood that if the victim showed up to court, community leaders would kill her. Victoria stressed community customs triumph over justice in the law, and as such, there remains a disconnect between customary and statutory rights.

I’ll end with a story Eki shared with us. A long time ago, as he stated, Eki applied for a job at an American company. He went in for the first interview and did so well that he was invited to come back the next day for another interview. The interviewer told him to “think outside the box” for tomorrow. Eki spent the rest of the day figuring out what outside the box means, including speaking to his wife about it. “Do they mean a metal box, paper box, or styrofoam box?” His wife told him to arrive a hour early for the interview to see what kind of box would be by the office. The interview was at 8:00 am, so Eki arrived at 7:00 am. Eki looked through the gates, but before he could find any box, someone at the office spotted him. Thinking that he was caught, Eki began giving up on the possibility of getting the job. At 8:00 am, Eki was called in for the second part of the interview. Then the good news came: Eki got the job. Because he arrived an hour early for the interview, the interviewer told him that he was thinking outside the box. Eki, still shocked about getting the job, asked “so where’s the box?”

//// Austin Willhoft

Hard Truths Pt. 2 by Danita Chapin

 For our afternoon activity we were scheduled to go to a privately funded orphanage in Arusha. Before taking Professor Buske’s International Children’s Rights class I assumed orphanages were not only necessary, but good. After all, without orphanages there wouldn’t be anywhere for orphans or abandoned children to go. However, after learning more about the system of orphanages I now understand that the entire idea of orphanages is much more complicated than I originally thought.

What I have learned, and is the case for the orphanage we are visiting today, is that most of the children housed in this and other facilities are not truly orphans. Children come to this facility for many different reasons, among them are abandonment, families lacking financial resources, the need for the mother to work outside the home, or maybe even because their mother has passed away and their father does not want to bring the child into a new marriage. But, many of these children do have families. Families that are allowed to visit as frequently as they would like, and at this facility are required to visit at least once a month. So, as I explain a bit later, the knowledge that most of these children have families they are not living with, created an internal conflict for me that forced me to look at my visit to this orphanage in a new light.

I’m not sure what I was expecting the orphanage to look like exactly, but was surprised when we pulled up to the gate to see how well the grounds and buildings were maintained. The grounds looked professionally landscaped with green grass and plenty of shade trees. The buildings were constructed of something resembling pink stucco. The overall setting was beautiful and peaceful. We met with the Director and started our tour in the nursery. The nursery is home to about 15 babies right now that range in age from newborn to about nine months old. The babies are mostly boys, with only three girls among them.

As soon as we walked into the nursery, we met a little boy named Andrew. Andrew seemed happy to see us and immediately engaged with our group. We found out later in our visit that the day we visited was Andrew’s last day in the orphanage because he would be adopted the very next day and move to his new home. Hopefully this would be a new beginning for Andrew and would lead to a strong family relationship for him. Looking around the nursery, I was particularly drawn to a baby named Yusuf, that I thought was about three weeks old. I asked the staff about Yusuf and was told that he was actually eight weeks old, but was born prematurely to a mother that was malnourished, which is why he was so small.

Being a mother myself, I think it is instinctive to want to hold and nurture babies that are without their families or loved ones. So that is what I did. I held Yusuf and rubbed his tummy for almost the entire time we were there and when I laid him back down, he immediately drifted off to sleep, looking very peaceful and content as though I had made a difference in his day. But was that really the case, or is that just what I wanted to believe? Given that I know it is likely Yusuf may have a family outside of this facility, this is a question I am still struggling with as I write this blog almost two days later.

Ultimately where I have landed is that while I initially thought visiting the orphanage, holding the babies and playing with the toddlers was wonderful, I feel differently now. Don’t get me wrong, at the time, the visit was wonderful for me, but what about the kids? Was it really helpful for these children who have families and should be bonding with their families to have strangers stopping by and picking them up for a few minutes and then leaving again? Probably not. Would I encourage my own children or grandchildren to interact with strangers in that way? I can unequivocally say, absolutely not. 

So, as much as I instinctively wanted to hold and comfort these small children who are without their families, I realized that what I was doing was comforting myself, not them. As grateful as I am to have met these children and see this orphanage first hand, after what I have learned about the overall system, I do not plan to participate in this kind of tour again. As natural as it may be to want to comfort a child, it is more important to consider who is actually benefiting from that temporary comfort (likely it’s not the child) and whether it is actually detrimental to the children and their ability to form meaningful attachments in the long run.

////Danita Chapin

Hard Truths by Allysa Brown

Today was the first day that I feel like we were all confronted with an internal battle in one way or another. We started out our morning at the police station talking about how the police in Tanzania work and what they do for victims of crimes. When first walking into the police station you couldn’t help but notice the state of the building. The walls were crumbling, the chairs and desks were tattered, the floors were muddy and chipped. Nothing about the police station seemed very welcoming. There were no decorations or posters on the walls to help make the place feel a little bit more comfortable. All I could imagine was how that experience of being in that building would feel if you were a victim of a crime.

The officers themselves were very welcoming to us (future lawyers), but I can only hope that the treatment would be the same for the victims of crimes that enter that building. We were greeted outside by the Regional Police Inspector. As we entered there was a plain clothed woman who we were told was a detective that did not speak any English. The inspector had told us that she was there to interview women and children who were victims of crimes. She joined us briefly as we asked our questions to the inspector about how the police structure works in Tanzania, but unfortunately she wasn’t able to understand our questions and provide us her insights.

During our discussion with the Inspector, we learned about how the police officers are assigned to work in the 77 districts in Arusha and that there is one officer for each district in charge of all the crimes in that area. The inspector emphasized the importance of their approach to community education being the reason for the reduction in sexual crimes in Tanzania. The inspector had stated that they are teaching people how to protect themselves, not walk down a dark alley, know that they can say no, as well as many other approaches. Alarmingly, there was very little discussion on the education to the offenders other than telling them that “rape is wrong”.

In the states, we have so far to go when it comes to helping victims of sexual crimes, and it is frightening that it could be worse. In Tanzania, according to Article 130, it is illegal for a man to have sex with a woman under the age of 18, but if she is married then he can have sex with her at 15. Tanzania does not recognize marital rape like we do in the states. If someone experiences a “true” rape (meaning outside of marriage) then the victim is to contact the police. They then are questioned by an officer of their same gender (hopefully), and examined to determine if there was a rape and need to go to the hospital. I did not press further on what the examination looked like but I can only imagine that it is looking at the victim’s body and intimate areas to determine if something happened. If the officer determines that a sexual crime was potentially committed against the victim reporting, they then are taken to a hospital where they would be met by a doctor to complete a forensic exam.

 

Through my own online research they try to place female victims with a female doctor, but if one is not available they try to use a male doctor with a female nurse present. The inspector told us that they gather a victim’s underwear for evidence but did not specify any other DNA related evidence available that they used. I continued pressing on what procedures that doctors would provide these victims and the Inspector had stated that they would provide HIV medication. However, when in some of the states, if not all, when you receive HIV treatment it requires follow up testing for months after. There was no discussion of any follow up testing available to victims. And when I asked about emergency contraceptives, even our own guide on the trip, was shocked to learn that Plan B was a thing available to women in the US. Birth control in Tanzania is not illegal, however, abortion is. As of now I am still unclear of what the country would categorize Plan B under. Through other research I had done, I did find out that tourists that are a victim of a crime do have the opportunity for these sorts of contraceptives, but like everything else during the entire forensic examination, you have to pay yourself.

After a forensic exam, the police ask the victim to identify who their attacker was. From what I understood, they provide them 72 hours to say who it was, or who they think it was. If they can identify who then the person is brought in for a line up to have the victim identify them, then they repeat the process so that they have to identify them twice. I am sure from what we know in the States, this can leave a lot of room for error. If the victim cannot identify who it was, then the case is dropped. This all may seem alarming, but like the title says, today was about hard truths. Here the community is so close knit and everybody kind of knows everybody so it would be rare not to know or have an idea of who the perpetrator was. And according to the Inspector, every rape case that the prosecutors go forward with, they win.

Now I’ll let you make your own conclusions on what that means, but let’s just say that is not always a good thing. I will say that if you are one of the unfortunate many that understand the impact of sex crimes on a person and how the courts in the United States deal with that, then you are probably just as alarmed as I am with how this country deals with victims experiencing similar crimes. Tanzania is not perfect, but we are not either, and something needs to be done about that. Here as a woman thinking about reporting this type of crime in this country would already be extremely frustrating, and I can only imagine how much more difficult it must be for the children that report the same crimes. This is reality here! This is the hard truth! We need change!

////Allysa Browne

Don’t Touch, That’s My Body! by Abby Cohen

Jambo!

After almost a week in Africa, it’s safe to say that just about everyone has acclimated to the time and environment change. Safari was a blast, but I’m excited to explore children’s rights in Tanzania.

During our inter session class on international children’s rights, Professor Buske explained to us that with every issue, there are two categories of solutions. The first is a down river solution which provides a fix to the immediate problem. Although this may seem effective, down river solutions generally act as a bandaid to a deeper issue. The second type of solution is up river which address the larger issue at hand. These solutions take much longer to come into effect and are more complex in nature. Even so, this type approach is most effective.

In Tanzania, women have practically no inheritance rights. If their husband passes, all the property passes to his son or another male relative rather than the widow. One solution to this issue is will creation. The problem is that either Tanzanians don’t know what a will is or believe that creating a will places a curse on them. This begs the question: what rights are there for a woman to inherit if they are not recognized to inherit anything?

Today was our second curriculum based day in Arusha. We visited the NGO Inherit Your Rights and Kakute. Inherit Your Rights works to address the larger issue through a predominantly upriver approach. They provide legal aid to women and work to educate the community on women and children’s rights.

We first attended a meeting led by the NGO staff. They presented their mission and various issues regarding inheritance rights for widows as well as prevailing inequalities women and girls face both in the rural and urban areas of Tanzania. One of my biggest highlights from this meeting was the discussion of conflicting customary, statutory, and religious laws within Tanzania and how it affects proper establishment and enforcement of a uniform rule. 80% of Tanzanians follow some sort of customary law!

I have two big takeaways from this discussion. My first takeaway is that while tension among laws may seem like strange and distant idea, the United States is similar because there is tension between common law and statutory law. My second takeaway is that most Americans are unaware of the diversity of African countries. Prior to coming here, I wasn’t nearly as familiar as I already am of just how diverse Tanzania is. It is truly a shame that many Americans are so unaware of African history and culture.

After the meeting, I went with a small group to lunch at a shopping center. There were all sorts of businesses at the center including various restaurants, electronic stores, pet stores, and even a Regalz Cinema! My favorite store was the “Pet Smart”, although the theatre is a close second. It might be fun to watch The Little Mermaid in Swahili!

As we entered the food area, waiters from at least three restaurants hurried to give us their menus. The competitive nature among the workers was fun to watch. America is quite different, restaurants back home wait for you to come to them!

Later, I went with a group of students and some of the NGO staff to a local public school. I noticed several differences between this school and the Maasai school we previously visited. Here, there were tile floors, desks in every room, students with less distressed uniforms, proper backpacks, and smaller class sizes. Some of the NGO staff informed us that this school was in a relatively middle class area where the parents fundraised to build it and continue to provide support.

At the school, I went into a classroom of ninety students with a classmate and the NGO director. The director spoke with the students about what their rights are and about domestic violence. I enjoyed watching how interactive the students were with us and noticed that their reactions to uncomfortable topics is akin to students in the States. I spoke to the students about how domestic violence is addressed to children in the States and how to act if they are being harmed or fear harm.

My favorite part of the school presentation was song that the NGO staff sang with the kids. The staff sang “don’t touch “ in English and the students responded “that’s my body” in Swahili. Watching the students engage with such enthusiasm for a song with an incredibly impactful message was truly heartwarming. Plus, it was extremely catchy!

We went to Khan’s BBQ “Chicken on a Bonnet” for dinner. The restaurant is a multifaceted business; by day it’s a mechanic shop and by night it closes up shop to serve delicious barbecue! As we sat outside, we observed Arusha night life and listened to Islamic prayer calls. It was fun to see the local night life and eat some great food!

Today was packed with so much activity, excitement, and enlightenment. Learning about issues on children’s rights in a classroom is wildly different than actually observing it. I look forward to what the next couple weeks bring!

Abby Cohen

5/30/2023