What I learned volunteering abroad in Tanzania with Sage Foundation

How can I share my volunteering abroad experience of a lifetime, to really capture everything I saw and learned while there? The best way I can think of is to describe it with deep reflection, humility and an awe-inspiring, renewed sense of what it means to be human. I was transformed in unimaginable ways this past week I spent volunteering in Tanzania with a group of twelve girls from difficult backgrounds and challenging circumstances, on behalf of Sage Foundation .

Gender inequality is an ongoing issue in Tanzania, with many girls facing tough situations in their everyday life. Domestic violence, homelessness and HIV/AIDS are all too common, and those who have to confront these challenges are often stigmatized by society. In addition, many girls are expected to take on the majority of unpaid labour for their families including cooking, cleaning and taking care of children; they also participate in the workforce at lower levels than men and are married and have children at younger ages than men.

I volunteered with Perfect Vision Women Tanzania, a nonprofit organization that teaches girls practical life skills like sewing to help them start a small business, as well as speaking and writing English and women's health, business and finance.

My time with these beautiful, brave and generous souls brought to the surface these three truths:

- Humans have more in common with each another than we do differences, no matter what country we call home, how much money we make, or what our friend and family structures look like. We all want to be happy, healthy and have enough resources for ourselves and our loved ones to live a good life that is meaningful, rewarding and fulfilling.

- A country's infrastructure and social support system (or lack thereof) deeply and negatively impacts the most vulnerable in society; women, children, those with mental health challenges, neurodiverse individuals and people with both visible and invisible disabilities.

- Small acts of kindness go a really long way in developing countries like Tanzania, where as little as CAD$40 dollars can feed a family of 5 for a week or more or cover the cost of rent for a few months.

Perfect Vision Women Tanzania's signature program serves two important purposes: to help the girls practice their sewing to set up a small business and using these same skills to sew and assemble reusable and washable sanitary pads to distribute to other girls in need in villages who can't afford them and who would otherwise stay home from school during their period.

The incredible week I spent with the girls began with fresh air yoga and light exercises in the morning in the inner courtyard, followed by two lessons led by me; one in the morning and another in the afternoon.

I'm grateful to the Program Directors at Perfect Vision Women Tanzania, who were so helpful with translating my lessons into Swahili in real-time, so the girls could understand what I had prepared for them.

Here's some of what I did with the girls last week:

- Positive affirmations and mantras to help the girls boost their self-confidence and wellbeing by adopting a healthier mindset.

- Self-help concepts like mindfulness and gratitude, simple mindfulness techniques and breathing exercises to help ease stress, worry and anxiety.

- English lessons (reading, phonics, vocabulary and pronunciation).

- "Design Your Ad" workshop which allowed the girls to express their creativity by choosing a unique business name and creating a visually-appealing ad they could photocopy to promote their small business in the local community (for e.g. at the market or posted in other business owners' stores).

- Weekly budget planning, cash flow projection and learning how to save for a rainy day, for something special or towards equipment or supplies for their small business. The girls don't have start-up financing and are mostly self-funded so this was the most challenging lesson for me to share in a relatable way.

I also participated in community outreach after my placement finished for the day, which included visiting 4 women and their families in their homes to provide groceries, and money for rent. In addition, I visited 2 daycares in need and donated new toys, school supplies and books for the children on behalf of Sage ; they especially loved the bubbles and stickers, jumping and laughing with joy at these simple childhood delights that we just take for granted! My heart melted.

All of the women I met during the community outreach visits were abandoned by their husbands and left to take care of young children and teenagers by themselves, with no government support. I was deeply moved and overcome with emotion at this realization. The women's neighbours were also in the same boat and it was extremely hard for me to witness the poverty all around me but I was also incredibly inspired by the women's resilience and seeing the children's innocent joy and playfulness. While it was heartbreaking to see the basic living conditions that the families call home (which as a mother myself, brought me to tears), I was very humbled by the privilege to be able to make their lives a bit easier on behalf of Sage Foundation, even for a period of time.

I would like to encourage every one of you who have been inspired by my journey volunteering abroad, that first and foremost, charity, goodwill and volunteerism begins at home. There is so much need, even right there in your local community, where unequal distribution of wealth, systemic oppression, stigmatization, discrimination and other structural "isms" exist in plain view. The injustice of it all can be jarring and there may be difficult emotions to navigate. But I invite each of you to dig deep, be courageous and think about how and where you would like to volunteer; at Sage, colleagues get 5 paid days per year to volunteer, which is very generous! The first step should be finding a reputable nonprofit or charity that speaks to your heart's desire to give back, and plan from there.

Once you do, I guarantee there will be no turning back and you will be forever changed by the experience, just like me. And you never know, you may just impact someone else's life in ways you'd never imagined, too.