Programming Part IV: Good Governance

The Program

YCI has developed 7 modules to train students in good governance. The modules deal with many different topics, including what good governance is and some problems that can affect a nations ability to be governed well. About 30 students are offered the chance to go through our training (which in this case is about 5-6 sessions and potentially one or two field trips) to get a certificate of attendance.

My Job

My job is twofold. Along with Melissa, I helped prepare a pre and post questionnaire, implement it and mark it to check if students learned a lot from our course. Luckily for us, previous volunteers with YCI had already done this and minimal modifications were made.

The second part of our job is to help teach the class. Godfrey is always present and offers help with translating when necessary, but many of the students speak English quite well and we have so far been able to understand most of what is being said. Our job is to deliver some information and lead the students through activities which will hopefully generate meaningful discussions and allow students to gain the confidence needed to actively participate in the way their town and country are run.

Challenges and Successes

The biggest challenge to this program was just getting permission to start it. Originally Godfrey had confirmed everything with the headmaster of the school. When we went after exams were finished to double check that the times were ok, we were sent to two other teachers who were very skeptical of our project and made us come back several times to make sure that we weren’t going to teach any bad things to their students. Eventually, though, they saw the modules we were going to be presenting and were very pleased with the material. I’m glad that this worked out and we were able to start, but it is a good example of how difficult it can be sometimes to do things here in Morogoro.

When we did start, the class went fairly well, if a bit rushed due to us starting late. Some of the students were very involved and loved to speak a lot. It’s nice to be able to discuss things like governance with young people who are willing and eager to participate in public discourse.

One challenge we came up against was that a lot of students recognized the problems their communities are facing, but many didn’t feel like they could do something about them now. When we asked what they could do many of the responses we got were about what they would do when they were older. I’d like to think that by the end of this class we will inspire a few of them to take action on issues that are important to them and to give them the confidence to feel like they can make a difference.

Below are pictures of the students performing skits.

Programming Part III: Street Side School English Class

The Program

Four days a week, Gasto teaches English at a school to help students catch up to their peers. It allows them to condense four years into two. Gasto teaches with very little resources, often just a chalkboard and chalk. The students range in age from about 10 to 16 or 17. Many are poor and often miss class because their parents need them to work to make money. Of about 45 students enrolled in the class, only 15-20 show up on a regular basis.

My Job

Since this is a long term project, my job (along with Nicole) is to assist Gasto in any way we can. We observe him in class twice a week and offer suggestions as to how to be a more effective teacher. We also spend some time talking to Gasto about his plans for teaching as well as help him make tests to give to the students. We are also going to be helping Gasto write a report for this project, which is essentially his and not ours.

Challenges and Successes

There have been many challenges facing Gasto and the class, besides the ones mentioned above. Gasto, though a very willing and enthusiastic volunteer has never been given the chance to learn from any teachers, thus he has a lot he can improve upon. He has, however, taken many of my suggestions and has even said that he feels like he is improving. Gasto has the right attitude and the patience to be a very good teacher. I hope that I am able to give

him a little push in the right direction.

A wide range of abilities of the students is also a big issue. Some students are able to read well, while others cannot read at all. Gasto has been working very hard with the whole class to improve these abilities.

We have noticed a large change in the classroom from day one, though there are still many ways in which things can go smoother. I hope that I am able to share with Gasto some of the things I have learned in my few short years of teaching. I also hope to learn from him, since I am a firm believer that everyone has something to offer (at least in the field of teaching) and that even the students often teach the teachers.

Meet the YCI Staff

Working with YCI in Morogoro, there are three main people that Melissa, Nicole and I work alongside. Two staff members and one volunteer.

Makho has been with YCI the longest of anyone here. Though there is no hierarchy, if there was a boss for Morogoro, he would be it. He does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for all of our projects and communicates with the YCI country manager (in Zanzibar) who in turn communicates with the Toronto head office. Makho is also involved directly in a few of our programs, mostly the HIV/AIDS outreach (he has twice been an MC). He also takes care of many other volunteer issues, such as making sure our families are feeding us properly and not having us make wallets that need to be on the streets of Beijing by 10 am next Tuesday.


Godfrey deals with us volunteers more often and helps us coordinate with our local contacts when doing programs. He is directly involved in several of our programs and often acts as a translator. He also deals extensively with our homestay families and in particular has been very active in dealing with the police and helping me find information about my case. Godfrey is relatively new to YCI but plays a big role in working with the volunteers.


Gasto is a fellow volunteer but is from Morogoro. He is involved in many of our programs, often in very important roles. He teaches an English Class that Nicole and I assist with. He helps us teach our computer class (by translating and offering help to our students who are always asking questions). Gasto is also a key member of the drama group whose practices we attend once a week and who are a big part of all of our outreach presentations.


With the help of these three (and many others who help us out from time to time), we are able to complete the tasks we are asked to do. Without their help we’d be fish out of water. Beyond what I described, they help with any number of issues that we may have living and working in Morogoro.

More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from my life in Morogoro. They are somewhat random and definitely not in any sort of order, chronological or otherwise. 1) Some strange mists coming off of the mountains (it rained shortly after I took this picture). 2) Peter, one of the little boys who lives at my homestay. He does not seem to like me very much. Usually when he sees me he cries or runs away as fast as he can. Notice that he is wearing a fleece. If the temperature drops below 25, it's apparently winter time here. 3) A lizard. 4) Gasto was mad at me because I didn't do his homework. Luckily, someone took the machete from him soon after they took this photo. 5) Some dark and ominous clouds slowly coming over the mountains. This was a few hours before the first rain of the season. 6) An inspirational t-shirt I saw someone wearing at one of our events. 7) Ants. 8) The mosquito net/bed in my homestay room. Notice how I am keeping many things nearby when I sleep.

Hope you enjoyed these pictures. More posts should be coming soon (loading pictures takes a long time, but I have a few posts ready to go).