Autism Awareness Centre and AAPC Sponsor 2 Week Training Project in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Maureen Bennie, Director

In May 2007 at our annual conference in Birmingham, UK, we met two teachers from a school in Tanzania. The women asked us if we could somehow help them with their school in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. They had very little money for teacher training and no one would come to them to give training at the school. Vicki and I felt we had to do something. At dinner that evening with Kari Dunn Buron, author of The Incredible 5 Point Scale and our speaker at the Birmingham conference, we asked her if she would be willing to give a two-week training in May 2008 for the school. She enthusiastically agreed to do it. Our first International Outreach project had officially begun.

A letter from Kari Dunn Buron

Our experience in Tanzania began when Maureen Bennie of the Autism Awareness Centre in Canada asked me if I would be interested in traveling to Dar es Salaam to work in a school for children with autism. I have a background in volunteerism and spend a week every year in Trinidad and Tobago West Indies where I work with a group of parents through the Autistic Society of Trinidad and Tobago. I agreed without hesitation and suggested that my formidable colleague, Joyce Santo, go too. Joyce has worked with me in Trinidad and the two of us bring unique and needed skills and information to the training table.

Jambo!

We arrived safe and sound after a long and tiring flight. It is the end of the rainy season so there are major puddles on the dirt road in front of our hotel. On Sunday Kari and I walked to the Mwenga Village Museum (think Murphy's landing), a living museum demonstrating tribal village life from different areas around the country. We saw wonderful dancing, artists and crafts. Very charming.

Habari 

Last night we went to the Slipway, a shopping district along the coast. Watched the Dhows sail along in the sunset, beautiful! We had barbeque for dinner and, unfortunately, the shrimp Kari had did not agree with her. She is out of commission for the day and for the night so I am on my own. There is an internet non cafe just a block down from our hotel so that is where I am. There is quite a bit of life on the street around here. Food being cooked on the sidewalk and offers for sailing, music, or just hanging out. It is hard to tell where the street ends and the "sometimes" sidewalk begins. The street our hotel is on is not paved and I don’t think they even ever grade it. One does not drive in a straight line and navigating the ruts is, I believe, an art. Things do quiet down by about 11. At 4:45 a.m. a vehicle with a loud speaker announces the call for prayers. That is followed shortly by the roosters and barking dogs. Other things are less predictable, like if the water in the shower is going to be warm or even come out of the faucet or if the electricity is going to stay on. The main street just a block down is paved and there is a lot of action there.

Jambo!

I forgot to tell you about the school. The program is housed in a residential neighborhood just down the road from our hotel. Mr. Chanadu meets us at our hotel as we are finishing our breakfast (peanut butter and jelly sandwich, coffee and a banana) and escorts us as we walk to school, dodging the puddles and passing school children, vendors selling fried donut-type balls and a woodworking shop. We greet Babu (honored grandfather), the old man who guards the school gate, and enter the grounds. The children are driven to school by parents or family drivers. We have started schedules so the children now check in by moving their photograph to the In School board, hang up their things, take the playground symbol and head to the play yard. The school was once a private residence. It is a large concrete building, tiled in marble throughout. There is a central hall, dining room and kitchen off to one side. Mr. C's office and a LARGE entirely padded sensory room are also on the main floor. Poor Mr. C - the teachers (and us) have entirely taken over his office making materials, symbols, laminating and he doesn't seem to know what to do with himself. 

Habari! 

Wow, this week has flown by. We have been practicing, practicing, practicing all week. Thankfully the children are responding to the strategies which we hope will fuel the teachers for the hard work ahead of them. We will make work tasks tomorrow afternoon then meet with the teachers. On Friday we do a wrap-up.

Greetings!

Jambo,

Did I ever mention that the Dadas (teacher assistants) don't speak English? Two of the new teachers don’t speak much either and do not let us know when they are not understanding what we are saying. They are wonderful people and very good with the children. The teachers help translate but we definitely have had some communication breakdowns. We sent them home on Wednesday with an assignment - think of an idea for a work task, which we were going to make on Thurs. They all came the next day with homemade toys. The toys are wonderful! I took a picture of everyone with the toy they made to show you when I get back. On Thursday all of the staff circulated through to see how Ava and Alia were teaching work systems. They were impressed that their most challenging students were in one spot for the whole 20 minute time period (we combined work with PECS and some 1 to 1). After school, everyone got to work on making tasks and 16 were made by the time we shoved them out the door at 5:30.  

Joyce

Saturday morning we packed up, bid Ibra good bye and the driver took us to the "Luxury" bus to Lushoto we thought we had tickets on. As in Alice's Wonderland, nothing is as you think it will be. Fortunately it was a rather cool day and the sky was overcast because we were packed in like sardines for the 7 hour trip that was suppose to take 5. The "express" bus stopped 6 times to take on vendors to sell snacks. The last 20 K the express bus turned into a city bus. We were picked up in town by the Lodge driver, loaded up and started up the hill. Uh-oh, a rather large delivery truck was hung up on a concrete bank blocking the road to the hotel. A crowd gathered and soon the driver had plenty of advice and support from the community. The truck was unloaded, a wrench was rounded up and with much cranking, pushing, yelling and laughing the truck got unstuck and off to one side to be reloaded.  

Oh oh, slight change in plans

What happened was, we went to the bus station at 8:30 on Wed. morning to catch our 9:00 bus. After much discussion between our cab driver and the ticket office staff, they tracked down a young man who explained to us that the 9:00 bus left at 8:00. We had missed it. He suggested we take the non-express bus that left at 9. We bought tickets and got on the bus filled with people, produce, livestock and luggage. I asked the driver how long the trip would take. When he told me 10 hours (which I have learned would really be 12), we changed our minds and decided to go the next day on the express bus.

Jambo

We left for Bagomoyo this morning on the express bus and arrived at the Livingston Hotel where we are treating ourselves to a night and day at this lovely beach resort. William used to work here and recommended it to us. It is lovely and has high speed internet. I might even be able to send you some photos tomorrow! The other day at the internet non-cafe (which had three old Compaq computers on a dial up service), I met a young woman who was in the Peace Corp teaching Science at a Secondary school in Soni. We got to chatting and it turns out she and I went to the same high school (just thirty years difference in time).  Pretty funny! We saw only 5 other white people during the 5 days we were in Lushoto. Oh, another funny sight walking along the road to Lushoto, a Masai dressed in traditional garb, carrying a long spear as a staff, wearing white plastic sandals and talking on a cell phone. Will sign off for now but will try and write one more note tomorrow after we explore Bagomoyo.