Long-awaited visitors transforming Karao

25-08-2022 Karao. A team of 36 volunteers landed in Tanzania to complete various projects at the Karao Adventist Primary School.

The school also welcomed a special group of first-time visitors from the German Burger-Roland Secondary Grammar School. Led by two teachers, Andrea Gohla and Ralf Sieber, seven students visited their Tanzanian partner school. They spent an entire week giving lectures, painting, playing music and singing for the local students who followed their new friends with awe. Thanks to the support of the Secondary Grammar School, the Masai children could improve their sports skills on a newly built volleyball pitch. One classroom has been decorated with a world map created by the German students, which can be used to illustrate the fauna of different places around the globe. 

A Polish team of 12 people purchased and installed solar panels on the roof of the newly built girls dormitory that can host up to 50 female students after its completion. Thanks for the donation, AIDSolar. In the evenings, they visited the nearby local homes called bomas to talk to the inhabitants, encourage them, and bring hope in the lives of families often living at the brink of despair. 

Two doctors, one medical student and one nurse treated patients every day. The news spread rapidly in the neighborhood, and queues of people in need welcomed the medical team each morning. Mothers with their babies, elderly women and men endured the heat under the shades of the few trees around the medical centre to meet the doctors. Several female patients had severe back pain, while others suffered from cataracts. Thus, there is a great need for an ophthalmologist who could perform eye surgeries as part of the medical team. The children’s eye inflammations are treated with high-quality eye drops and vitamins. Unfortunately, severe burns are also common as locals sleep next to open fires to keep themselves warm at night. Rare diseases also appear from time to time such as children having Down syndrome or babies born with severe deformities.

Another group worked tirelessly to complete the new buildings. They persevered under the heat of the sun to mix concrete, dig foundations, or replace broken windows. Their tireless work has transformed the surroundings of the school. 

Karao is located on a hillside, one-hour drive away from Longido. The dustroad leading up to the small community is challenging for both man and machine. Cars shake severely on the uneven road that crosses riverbeds multiple times. They often get stuck in dried up riverbeds or thick layers of sand. Thus, the delivery of building materials tests the endurance of the volunteering team. However, whenever a project is completed, it is pure joy for everyone.