Kids will be Kids

On my way to Kigamboni, I spotted the cutest little girl in the ferry terminal. She was three or four and decked out in a tattered pink party dress with yellow and red beads around her neck and ruffled socks on her feet. She was contentedly dancing around when she spotted her brother. She skipped over and hit him on the head and poked him in the ribs.

This scene could have taken place anywhere in where in the world. I just happened to see it in Tanzania. Kids are kids everywhere. They dance and sing for their own entertainment, play in their dirt, and pick on their siblings.

Culture dictates some actions with children though some behaviors are universal. Playing with the kids at Tumamoyo led to some of the same games I play with my preschool class at home. Language isn’t’ necessary to play the “I got your nose” game or peek-a-boo around a tree. It’s comforting to be halfway around the world at still be able to interact with some of the people I find most dear – children. They have a special place in my heart.

Watching these kids and others it is easy to see that kids have similar behavior everywhere. Despite cultural conditioning and parental preferences, there is still the urge to pick on a sibling or pick their nose in public. Seeing this makes my heart believe in the human condition. We all start out innocent and good. It is the environment we are raised in as well as personal choice that shape who we become.

The kids in Tanzania are as special as kids anywhere. Though the longer I am here, the more I see the need for improvements regarding their security, education, and healthcare. The government is making big improvements in education though the rural areas need more schools. Even more than schools built, the schools that exist need teachers. The country has a teacher shortage of an imaginable magnitude. In terms of security, it is a matter of child rights. There are families that are too poor to send their children to school so they work usually doing things that are dangerous for their small size or expose them to toxins such as house cleaning. There is not a system in place to remove children from excessively abusive parents or relatives either. The government is hesitant to step in because it is still seen as somewhat of a family issue. Healthcare is guaranteed to be free up to age five but what happens after that? Not a lot unless the families can afford it.

Even though I’m not the biggest fan of the way the government in the States handles welfare and child programs, there is at least more access here. It is our responsibility as adults to safeguard children to the best of our ability everywhere. They are the ones who will be next to lead the country and care for us when we are old.
I look forward to watching how the Tanzanian government and social system change during the course of my lifetime to be better protectors and advocates of children.