Rhotia Valley Children's Home
On our last community service day, I was lucky enough to go to the Rhotia Valley Children’s Home. This home is slightly similar to an orphanage in the sense that most kids that are there no longer have parents. However, they also take in children whose parents can no longer financially provide for them. As tragic as both of these situations are, you will be happy to know that this home is quite beautiful. Immediately upon arriving I got the sense that it is a peaceful and safe place to grow up. I was really surprised by this situation, as I was expecting to arrive at a run down, over crowded home. I think this is a rather unique situation in Tanzania/Africa, as the home was built and is funded by either a foreign woman or couple. I wasn’t able to quite catch those details. The home itself sits on top of a hill overlooking the stunning Rhotia valley and is really its own little oasis. The kids live at the home as well as receive a full education while they are there. It was really great to see how such a wonderful project can make such a difference in the quality of life of many children.
When we first arrived we were brought to the classroom where kids from about the age of 4 all the way to about 18 greeted us by shaking our hands. I was very surprised to see that one of the chalkboards was covered in an organic chemistry lesson, for the older kids I’m sure! Then all of us split into tables with some books where we read in English to the kids for about an hour. I had two kids with me who I would guess were about 9 or 10. After I read a few books to them they were able to practice their English skills by reading to me some of the pages. It was really awesome to see the kids learning and doing relatively well with the language as it will do so much for them in their future. After about an hour everyone’s attention span was failing him or her so we went outside to play. Together we played duck duck goose, red-light/green-light, and soccer, which everyone seemed to really enjoy. I had a great conservation with one of the girls about how she wants to be a doctor one day and I thought it was so awesome that these kids still choose to dream big besides their circumstances. Overall, this was a really rewarding and fun experience.
The owner(s) of which I am not quite sure funds the home mostly from the tented safari lodge that sits a top the same hill as the home. After volunteering at the home, we were invited to the lodge for free tea/cookies as a thank you. At the time only one of the owners was there and I could not quite pick up her accent. Also, she had three wazungu (foreign) dogs, which means they have had their shots and we could pet them! I don’t think I have ever been so happy to pet a random person’s dog. She had three Rhodesian Ridgebacks named Jimmy, Moon, and Puppy, and for about 10 minutes I was in heaven. In Tanzania there are dogs everywhere you look but most are treated as strays so they really aren’t safe to pet.
The lodge itself was also stunning. I am not sure if any of you have ever seen pictures of/stayed at a tented lodge, but it has just about the coolest little mini homes you could see! It’s basically these massive tents that sit on top of a little bungalow type structure. A couple of us took it upon ourselves to find an empty tent to peak inside. Inside the tents are high ceilings with full beds and lots of space to move around. What confused me was that they each had a running shower, porcelain toilet, and vanity inside the tent! I think I just found my new future home. I am quite sure that I could live in one of these beautiful little tents a top a stunning African valley for the rest of my life and be very happy indeed! One day when I come back (and yes, I will be coming back!) I must stay in one of these fun contraptions!
