Can a Tanzanian Law student volunteer?

My name is Kapwani Kavenuke, but I’m more  commonly known as Jasmine. I am 21 years old and have currently finished a Diploma in Law at St. Augustine University, Tanzania and am looking forward to commencing a bachelor’s law degree in November 2018.

Jasmine volunteered with Cedar Tanzania in her university break. Thank you Jasmine!

What inspired you to volunteer with Cedar Tanzania?

After hearing about what Cedar Tanzania is all about from a friend, I was inspired to volunteer with them because I wanted to be a part of such a good cause. The passion that Cedar Tanzania shows towards achieving their goals in helping out the citizens of Kamanga, is absolutely inspiring and I just thought it would be nice to think about other people other than oneself for a while!

What is your role at Cedar Tanzania?

I am volunteering as an assistant project manager; this means I help out in a few projects, for example in the Clean Kamanga project. Right now I am helping out with the planning of Global Hand Washing day which will be on the 15th of October 2018.

How long is your volunteer placement?

I started volunteering with Cedar Tanzania in August 2018 and I shall be with them until the end of October 2018.

What things have you found surprising?

One of the things that really surprised me is the lack of water stations in the village of Kamanga and the fact that around 30 children suffer from diarrhea every month. To me this is a clear indication for the need to help the community in the area of WASH and safe waste management, which hopefully the development of the Clean Kamanga Project will help towards addressing these issues.

What things have you enjoyed?

I have enjoyed a lot of things whilst volunteering with Cedar Tanzania. One of my highlights is getting onto the ferry to Kamanga. If it wasn’t for Cedar Tanzania I guess I would have never got onto the ferry. It was frightening at first but absolutely fun later on. Secondly, I enjoyed my tour of Kamanga village with field officer Abduli. I have enjoyed working with the rest of the Cedar Tanzania team too, they are really friendly and welcoming and ready to help whenever I’ve needed it.

What things have challenged you so far?

I have had some challenges but they were not anything that I couldn’t handle; mostly just trying to remember certain formalities and protocols in the village or in the office was a problem in the beginning, but I soon got used to the new procedures.

Would you recommend this volunteer scheme to others?

I would strongly recommend other people to volunteer with Cedar Tanzania because in my experience I have learnt a lot of things, seen a lot of things and life is all about learning. I have become more competent in skills I already had and I have developed new skills too.

What would you say to anyone who said that they could not volunteer because they didn’t have a skill to offer?

I would say that it shouldn’t really stop anyone from volunteering because when you are a volunteer you become open to any work that might come your way therefore at the end of the process you end up having more skills than you came with. I can say that you will gain much more than you think you will give; which is a win-win for everyone I think!

Can a nurse be a volunteer?

Hello Everyone!

My name is Lucia Melloni, I’m 26 years old and I’m originally from Italy. I studied nursing in Italy and after graduation, I moved to England to work. I have been living and working in the UK for four years now.  

How long was your volunteer placement?

I worked at Kamanga health Centre for nearly 3 months. From mid-January 2020 till the end of March 2020.

What was your volunteer role at Cedar Tanzania?

I was the first volunteer nurse at Kamanga Health Centre, before me only doctors had volunteered for Cedar Tanzania. During my time at Kamanga Health Centre, I mostly worked side by side with the nurses in the health centre helping improve their everyday practice. 

Please mention a couple of highlights of some of the activities that you were involved in whilst you worked for Cedar?

For three months, I have been working with the staff at Kamanga Health Centre and everyday was a highlight in my opinion.  What I most liked though, was that everyone in Kamanga was grateful for my efforts and time spent to help improving the running of the health centre. 

What things did you find challenging either in your work or living cross culturally?

Lucia Melloni, Volunteer Nurse

Our team 2020

Baby and toddler clinic

Families waiting to get their babies seen by our nurses.

Work and living within another culture can be challenging in many ways. What I found the most challenging was the language barrier. Working in healthcare and being able to communicate with your patient is essential. Not being able to communicate properly with my patients and particularly with the little ones was very frustrating.

What things have you found enjoyable or surprising about Tanzanian culture either socially or at work?

What I like the most of Tanzanian culture is the community living. Since the very first day I was in Tanzania, I felt welcomed. Same thing at the health centre, since the very beginning I have been welcomed as part of their family. I really felt home in Tanzania. 

What would you say to anyone considering a medical volunteer post with Cedar Tanzania?

I think it is a very good experience and a good starting point if you are interested in humanitarian medicine. It is also a chance for professional and personal growth.

How did the corona virus outbreak affect your time at Kamanga Health Centre?

The corona virus outbreak did not affect me that much to be honest because I was meant to come back home anyway. Two of my flights to come back to the UK were cancelled, but I managed to come back home in the end!

Find out more about volunteering with Australia for Cedar Tanzania here

"Supporting Globally Impacting Locally" - Nina Hjortlund featured on Wellthy Living

A real and unedited chat between Nina Hjortlund, Founding Director and CEO of Australia for Cedar Tanzania & ARTEFACTZ and Lisa Entwisle, Host and Founder of Wellthy Living.

Lisa and Nina met on Clubhouse, the audio-only platform, and from there the conversation grew. This conversation takes us through large parts of Nina’s journey, why she’s so passionate about Global Development and Tanzania but also talks about her personal life juggling CEO-life with being a single mum.

You can read more about Nina and her journey here: “Going on a 13-year long holiday” and here: “Am I an imposter”

If you want to contact Nina for an interview or as a speaker you can contact her here

The New Man Holding The Reins...

…is Amani George, Cedar Tanzania’s new Project Manager.

We asked him to introduce himself:

Am I an imposter?

I have just written an article for Women and Leadership Australia but since it is behind a membership wall I want to share it with you here.

Seeing myself as a leader didn’t come easy to me.

I still clearly remember the day I felt confident enough to sign my email with “Founding Director and CEO”. With my heart in my throat and fingers shaking I pressed send. Of course, no one noticed, and no one commented on it. They already saw me as the leader I am, and it was only a natural addition to my signature.

How come it was so hard for me to realise I was a leader? Had I fallen victim to the infamous imposter syndrome?

To feel like an imposter, you must first believe you are in a position you are not qualified for or that you haven’t earned (whether it is true or not). I never felt like an imposter; I never felt I was pretending to be something that I wasn’t.

That same week I had been at a gathering hosted by a very dear friend of mine. A rather relaxed affair and although I knew most of the people there were a few people I hadn’t met before. As I am an extrovert with a capital E and find no better way to soak up some energy, I was in my element.

My friend was introducing me to one of the other guests - and suddenly something clicked! He was using words that I had never thought of using to describe myself. Like “Entrepreneur”, “Leader” and “Founding Director”. Only then did I realise 'that is was what I am.'

Through this experience, I am now taking my leadership skills much more seriously. Evaluating my skills, identifying my strengths and weaknesses, becoming much clearer in my leadership.

To really extend my knowledge and to sharpen my skill set as a leader I have chosen to take a MicroMasters through the University of Queensland in Leadership in Global Development.

To continue to expand my knowledge and to actively participate in continued learning is important to drive and grow my business.

Doing business across continents and in developing countries definitely has its challenges but one of my greatest strengths is that I see it as just that: challenges. Challenges can be overcome and there is always a solution to be found.

My definition of success is when all the parts fits the puzzle.

When we see positive changes in the lives of our beneficiaries, when our team is performing at their best and is happy to come to work every day, and when our CSR partnerships benefit everyone involved.

That is also what drives my passion and why I wake up excited to work. This is what brings me joy. It also makes me happy to be a positive role model for my children. To show them that women can be leaders and entrepreneurs too.

Nina Hjortlund delivers with great insight and knowledge, the reasons why Africa matters and why Global Development has an impact on you and your business. Dedication, passion and enthusiasm drive her entrepreneurial personality, and she is a firm believer in creating opportunities rather than waiting for them.

Through her many years in Africa, and in Tanzania in particular, she has developed an understanding of the multifaceted issues people are facing on a daily basis in the developing world. Believing in continuous learning she is currently undertaking a MicroMasters at Queensland University in Leadership in Global Development. Nina is mother to four children of which two still are living at home. Her two eldest children are currently studying in Denmark.

Thinking Outside the (Cardboard) Box

When we talk about our community based rehabilitation outreach programme  for people with disabilities, we often mention the provision of Occupational Therapy services alongside medical services.

But what is Occupational Therapy exactly? In the words of our Occupational Therapist, Daniel: “Occupational Therapy is a client-centred approach which is focused on the promotion of the health and well-being through meaningful and purposeful activities that are age and gender appropriate as well as culturally accepted”.

Even in most Western countries, Occupational Therapy is not something that is widely known. Here in Tanzania, where many people don’t even have access to very basic healthcare services, you hardly find a person who has heard of Occupational Therapy let alone is familiar with the practice.

There is only one university in the whole country that offers studies to become an Occupational Therapist and in 2019, Daniel’s graduation year, there were only 30 students.

Apart from the service and its health benefits being rather unknown, another challenge Tanzanian Occupational Therapists struggle with is the procurement of specialised equipment. Not only is it hard to find, but once sourced, it can also be really expensive.

To bridge this gap, Daniel got creative! It is really impressive what you can do with a little cardboard and a utility knife – but see for yourself what he has crafted!

Occupational Therapist Daniel explains below his innovative use of everyday materials to aid patients regain movement.

The Puzzle

The beloved children’s game can function as OT equipment. Daniel is presenting us a puzzle made out of cardboard for his youngest patients. It improves the children’s shape identification and problem-solving skills and further enhances their motor and coordination skills.

The Range of motion Arc

This interesting looking therapeutic equipment uses a bio-mechanical approach. It promotes and improves the range of motion of the patient’s shoulder, elbow, wrist and joint and is used in all cases where the range of motion of the upper extremities is limited, for example due to a stroke, burn or head injury.

Lid Activity

The lids are used to practice and improve grasping skills, hand-eye coordination and range of motion by opening and closing the lid. It is used for all cases in which the patient shows a limited hand function and, with practice, helps them to perform activities of the daily life such as opening and closing windows and doors or – you guessed it – bottles.

In case you got curious and want to see more of the equipment Daniel and the team have crafted, check out how he created a device for mirror therapy .

Act now to support us further.

Thank you.

What Abduli Does

Abduli, Cedar Tanzania’s Field Officer, shares his important role in the village of Kamanga. He is part of the SASA! team that works to address the sensitive issues of gender based violence in communities and he leads our TackleAfrica project, which strives to educate young people about the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and sexual health.

Get to know Our Team

This is Daniel Samwel, our Occupational Therapist. Daniel is passionate about his job and we enjoy working with him. The people of Nyamatongo Ward benefits from his creative solutions to provide Occupation therapy that is accessible and affordable.

Mambo!* Adam from the UK here!

For a long while, I had been thinking about escaping London and doing some voluntary work abroad. Having reached and exceeded the ripe old age of 30, I figured now was a good-a-time as any to do so. I have absolutely zero regrets regarding the decision I made – I have really enjoyed myself out here! Prior to joining Cedar Tanzania, I worked as a consultant for a FinTech company in London, and, prior to that, I spent 8 years in glorious Bristol, studying a MSci and PhD in chemistry.

Adam Nunn - Volunteer at Cedar Tanzania Head Office in Mwanza, Tanzania

What inspired you to volunteer with Cedar Tanzania?  

An up-to-date website is a rare thing for NGOs in these parts. It was great to get a real-time feel for the amazing and inspirational work that Cedar Tanzania are doing here in Mwanza and in the Nyamatongo Ward. I had a chance to speak to Claire Michelotti, the Executive Director, who was a delight and very reassuring with regards to what I might be able to contribute to the team. The diversity of projects being run here was immediately appealing, as well as the clear vision that Cedar Tanzania sets out, which I also don't find with many other NGOs that I researched. In addition to that, I was quite keen to skip a cold, bleak, grey British winter for once.

How long is your volunteer placement?

Three and a half months.

What is your role at Cedar Tanzania? 

I'm helping transition the Cedar Tanzania Accounting Team from MS Excel to an off-the-shelf accounting software system, which will provide significant improvements to their accounting abilities as well as efficiency savings for accounting team and the NGO. I've also been involved in writing an application to a section of the Tanzanian Government and teaching some of the staff at the Kamanga Health Centre how to cook chilli con carne (which isn't strictly speaking in my job description, but it's been fun).

Can you mention highlights of some of the activities that you have been involved in whilst you have worked for Cedar?

Well, all of my colleagues are great, which is always a good start. It was immediately evident when I started working here that everyone is really passionate about their work and about delivering upon Cedar Tanzania's vision. I've been given a lot of autonomy over what I do, but with plenty of support when I've needed it. Accounting isn't a particularly glamorous job, but it's been really rewarding supporting an NGO and knowing that my small contribution helps the NGO operate more efficiently and continue to deliver their outstanding work within the Nyamatongo community.

What things have challenged you so far?

Navigating in the dark around the potholes in the pavements here. And not succumbing to the temptation of eating ‘chips mayai’* every day.

What things have you found enjoyable or surprising about Tanzanian culture either socially or at work?

I love the Tanzanian attitude to life. It's much more relaxed and friendlier than what I've experienced in the majority of Western Europe. Almost everyone here is keen to chat and seem to enjoy my very broken and limited attempts at speaking Kiswahili. No one seemed to enjoy that on the London Underground. Also, the food you find at the little hawkers dotted along the roads or in the villages is delicious, and almost everyone here is a great dancer. I'm not a great dancer, if you were wondering. But I've picked up some moves that I execute poorly.

What would you say to anyone who said that they could not volunteer because they didn't have a skill to offer?

If you are already interested in volunteering abroad, if you already have that desire to take yourself out of your comfort zone and do something different, if you want to immerse yourself in a totally different culture and give your time and energy to help others who live a very different and likely less fortunate lifestyle than yourself, then you already have what it takes to volunteer at Cedar Tanzania. There is no shortage of work to be done, no shortage of inspirational projects to get involved in, and I don't doubt that you'd have a great time volunteering here. I certainly have.

*Mambo - kiSwahili for ‘What’s up’, popular greeting amongst friends.

*Chips mayai – a Tanzanian dish of fried chips in an omelette.

By Adam Nunns
Volunteer - Admin and Office
Self-professed Chilli-Con-Carne Chef
Cedar Tanzania