Veerle Koops, Grade 12
UWCEA Arusha Campus
The Tanzanian society is consistent with many small businesses and self-employers. Payment and prices are relatively stable to most, and to some come with hardship. There are many developments growing, and Mama Samia is the current and first female president of Tanzania. Tanzania still struggles among other things with poverty and unemployment. The western societies, as a result, seem to have collectively decided that it needs volunteers as a solution for the stagnation in working opportunities of locals.
Tanzanian society is growing, and it is growing fast. In 2012 it consisted of about 45 million people. Today, 10 years later, it has grown towards 62 million people. The unemployment rate has als experienced a percentage increase, and is about 2.7% of those 62 million people. Even though the Tanzanian economy is growing every year consistently, almost half of the Tanzanian people live below the poverty line. And this is mainly caused by a lack of consistent earning employment.
In western societies, it is accepted and praised to volunteer in African countries. This can be very beneficial to these countries, when executed correctly. It is common for volunteering organisations to also cause harm.
Non Governmental Organisations are investing in flying over volunteers that don’t have the expertise for the tasks they will be working on, while this money could be used to pay the local population to do the tasks. This is, while on the other hand the sudden involvement of people who are entirely unfamiliar with the society they have landed in, and only disturb and disrupt systems that have already been set in place.
Another side to this issue is the manner of execution. There are many prejudices about the African continent, the first of which is to refer to any given country in Africa, as ‘Africa’. This develops the concept that all of Africa is the same, and ignores the diversities that exist within the continent. Especially the people who are coming to an African country to volunteer, which implies that they have some expertise that Africans do not have, to contribute to their societies, should be educated on the country they are coming to and their position of privilege. When they are staying in the countries they are trying to help, they should educate themselves on the local and national cultures, and verify that their actions are corresponding with these cultures: otherwise this help, that is meant to become part of this society, will be done from a place of ignorance.
The Tanzanian society is growing, and the development is further along than ever before. Still, Tanzania struggles with poverty as a result of a lack of well-paying jobs. A very good manner of helping is for NGOs to invest in ways to use Tanzanians as the workforce that is currently being looked for in other countries.
Tanzanian society is growing, and it is growing fast. In 2012 it consisted of about 45 million people. Today, 10 years later, it has grown towards 62 million people. The unemployment rate has als experienced a percentage increase, and is about 2.7% of those 62 million people. Even though the Tanzanian economy is growing every year consistently, almost half of the Tanzanian people live below the poverty line. And this is mainly caused by a lack of consistent earning employment.
In western societies, it is accepted and praised to volunteer in African countries. This can be very beneficial to these countries, when executed correctly. It is common for volunteering organisations to also cause harm.
Non Governmental Organisations are investing in flying over volunteers that don’t have the expertise for the tasks they will be working on, while this money could be used to pay the local population to do the tasks. This is, while on the other hand the sudden involvement of people who are entirely unfamiliar with the society they have landed in, and only disturb and disrupt systems that have already been set in place.
Another side to this issue is the manner of execution. There are many prejudices about the African continent, the first of which is to refer to any given country in Africa, as ‘Africa’. This develops the concept that all of Africa is the same, and ignores the diversities that exist within the continent. Especially the people who are coming to an African country to volunteer, which implies that they have some expertise that Africans do not have, to contribute to their societies, should be educated on the country they are coming to and their position of privilege. When they are staying in the countries they are trying to help, they should educate themselves on the local and national cultures, and verify that their actions are corresponding with these cultures: otherwise this help, that is meant to become part of this society, will be done from a place of ignorance.
The Tanzanian society is growing, and the development is further along than ever before. Still, Tanzania struggles with poverty as a result of a lack of well-paying jobs. A very good manner of helping is for NGOs to invest in ways to use Tanzanians as the workforce that is currently being looked for in other countries.
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