When I was serving as the chaplain to the medical school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I had the opportunity to bring groups of students from La Salle University in Philadelphia to visit for the summer. The La Salle title for these trips was Project Mapendo (Project Love). They assisted in a program for street children named DogoDogo Center (Dogo means little ones).
La Salle has several service trips throughout the year, mostly to Mexico, where ordinarily students would spend time doing things like digging latrines and building houses. When I approached them about coming to East Africa, they were excited by the idea and asked what they could do there. I told them that Tanzanians can dig their own latrines and build their own houses. If they wished to come to Tanzania, the main purpose would be to share their lives with the Tanzanians and allow them to share their own lives with the La Salle students.
They began coming to Dar each summer for 3-week visits. And, fortunately it turned out just as I had expected. The Tanzanian children knew a few English words and I taught some Swahili to the La Salle students. While the conversations were simple, they had no trouble communicating. The Tanzanians looked forward to the La Salle students’ arrival. While the students offered some useful service to the street children, the real beneficiaries were the La Salle students whose lives were transformed by the encounter with the street children, giving them memories to last a lifetime.
In their evaluations, the La Salle students shared their highs and lows from the experience:
- The children. Seeing their eyes and their joy at us being there was impactful. I was expecting the children to be somewhat hardened by their experiences living on the streets, so I was surprised by their warm and welcome reception of us. Feeling that I was making a difference for them, but also knowing that I was learning so much from them throughout the trip, was a definite high.
- I also really liked the flexibility of the service. We could structure our time with the boys each day to include teaching, recreational games, and discussions; yet if the boys were particularly engaged in something one day we could give it the time it deserved and go with the flow. I really enjoyed the opportunity to eat lunch with the students every day. I enjoyed the down time at the center before most of the boys returned from school so that I could walk around the heart of the Kigogo village, and interact with boys from other classes at the center. Having a collective party for the boys with singing and snacks on our last day of service was also a high, and allowed for some closure. Each day’s experience included too many moments to recollect that I would consider “highs” from my service experience.
- The service taught me to be appreciative and thankful for everything I have in my life. It also showed me how happy children in Tanzania can be with such simple, everyday things.
- A low was...I just felt that I could not connect on the same level as some other students had….I wish I had managed to form more of a relationship with the students because I realize that’s what it’s all about.
During these trips, the La Salle students also got to meet the medical university students where I served as chaplain. Typically, they would first meet on a Sunday at morning Mass and afterwards the medical students would take the La Salle students around the university campus and national hospital. We would end by sharing a meal together. The medical students were fluent in English and just a few years older than the La Salle students, so they were able to easily share their life stories with each other. Often they’d meet again a second time near the end of the La Salle trip when I sponsored a barbecue on the roof of my apartment. They would dance as we played music, enjoy the meal, and genuinely have a good time amazed by how much both groups had in common regarding music, dance, and aspirations in life.
As one of the students noted,
One of my favorite days was when we went to mass at the University, and then took a tour of the Hospital with the University students. Not only did I learn so much from the students, it was my first true experience of the welcoming nature of the Tanzanian people. [I]t was nice to have a little interaction with people our own age studying like ourselves.
Pope Francis reminds us that the heart of missionary discipleship is the encounter at our peripheries. It is there that we meet God in new and exciting ways. Being able to bring the La Salle student together with the Tanzanian street children and medical students was a true blessing that I’ll never forget.
Fr. Mike Snyder coordinates Maryknoll’s Short Term Mission Programs. If you’re interested in a short term mission experience, you can reach him by email at msnyder@maryknoll.org or learn more at Volunteer Opportunities & Life-Enriching Experiences | Maryknoll