In unfamilar surroundings, tangled in my mosquito net that hung over my bunk bed, I detangled myself and attempted to get ready for the day, without waking my roommate Teri. Not an easy task when our shower was actually in our bedroom rather than in the bathroom? I never did find out why this was the case, instead remained forever grateful that in the middle of Moshi, Tanzania we had access to running water.

Having arrived so late the night before, meant I missed out on meeting the team of local CCS staff. As I wandered out to the eating area, not only was I greeted in Kiswahili and beautiful smiles from the staff, there was a smorgasbord of breakfast options, including the best pineapple I’ve ever tasted!

Accompanied by my jetlag and a belly full of pineapple I was ready for orientation

I was intimidated by my new surroundings, missed home and started experiencing my first wave of self doubt.

What on earth was I going to be able to contribute? How was I going to make any kind of difference in these peoples lives? Will their expectations exceed my capabilities? My brain was fried.

Arriving at Kilimanjaro Airport although it was now very late was a breath of fresh air! A smaller, neater, less crowded airport than Dar Es Salaam. Best of all upon exiting immigration I was welcomed by Simon, the charismatic CCS driver, cheerfully holding up a sign with my name on it. FINALLY a sigh of relief knowing I had made it to my destination in one piece

Excuse my half glass empty moment, but before I could even finish my sigh of relief Simon informed me it was too long of a drive back to our safe house, which meant we would have to wait the few hours at the airport for the next lot of volunteers to arrive. We did so in the airport pub, just a short stroll down a dark road. Picture a rectangular building made of bessa bricks, with no actual windows except metal bars where glass should be, full of local men sipping their coca cola while eating a late meal and watching the news.

Imagine the jaw dropping, awkward silence that was so loud it was deafening when I entered the building with Simon. For the first time I experienced what it was like be of the minority.

Thankfully time flew by and before I knew it my fellow volunteers had landed. Simon packed our luggage up into the van, with the assistance of a kind Masai Warrior we came across in the car park, my first real indication I was far from home.

Due to sheer exhaustion, the motion of the van driving along on the unsealed road was enough to put me to sleep. This was until the van came to an abrupt stop at a check point made from two very rusty 20 gallon drums, with a man standing directly in front of the van holding the largest rifle I’ve ever seen!

It scared the living daylights out of me! Yet not enough to stop me from falling back asleep once the van started moving again, the bright side to some serious jetlag I guess?

We arrived at the CCS safe house where we were welcomed by Mama Grace. She gave us a brief tour of the facilities and showed us to our room. I was greeted by a lovely Canadian girl, Teri. We exchanged formalities and hit the sack in preparation of our first  full day in Moshi, Tanzania.

Albinos in Tanzania are being killed by members of their community, fuelled by the superstition that the body parts of an Albino will create prosperity when given to a Witch Doctor. The Tanzania Albino Centre in Arusha, in partnership with The Hands of Africa Foundation in the Netherlands, work tirelessly to provide ongoing support to the Albinos for all their education, health and day to day needs. It is their aim to improve quality of life for Tanzanian Albinos through creating awareness enabling the Albinos to live safely, becoming accepted members of society allowing them to seek an education and employment.

After learning of this tragedy and having already signed up to volunteer with Cross-Cultural Solutions in Tanzania, I reached out to The Tanzania Albino Centre as well as the Hands of Africa Foundation. In asking how I could be of assistance, both organisations expressed the need and lack of sun protection items for the Albinos under their care. Over the course of this year thanks to the support of my family, friends and members of the community I was able to collect hats and sunscreen which I will donate during my visit to The Tanzania Albino Centre in Arusha this November.

In addition to the donations of hats and sunscreen a t-shirt designed especially for creating awareness about this situation will be available for sale through Humanidee in the near future to assist the centre in raising much needed funds.