Reaching Childrens Potential


Some of you have asked for more details about the Reaching Children’s Potential (RCP) program, a program based here in Ipalamwa to address the fact that about half of the children born in this region suffer from stunting. Stunting is not only a problem for children, but also for families, communities, and Tanzania as a whole. RCP helps combat this problem by: housing a maternal health clinic here in Ipalamwa; providing dozens of Tanzanian women who go out into the villages to conduct maternal health visits; providing volunteer teachers in the severely underfunded and understaffed area schools; helping villagers with appropriate technologies (see the handwashing station, above); delivering educational workshops throughout the villages, and most recently, helping the community address mental health issues. 

Our work here has mostly focused on teaching English at the elementary level, teaching science at the secondary level, and helping with maternal health visits. 

Success in life here often depends on command of the English language, as higher education and most professional life is conducted in English. Steve and I have been spending our mornings teaching seven and eight-year-olds in the Makungu Village School. The children are so receptive, enthusiastic, and sweet! 

Jane teaching colors

 Steve teaching letters

In the afternoons, I have been heading out with the Tanzanian caregivers to talk with young mothers in their homes about issues like birth control, nutrition, sanitation, skin disease, even cancer. In the beginning, I was daunted to chime in, but soon I realized that, coming from the developed world, I could contribute valuable information. Today when we were talking about cervical cancer, I was able to relay my experience with Pap smears. I’ve probably had at least two dozen in my life, while most of these women haven’t had even one. 

Steve has been working with secondary school science teachers in the afternoons, figuring out where he can help enhance their science curriculum. The Tanzanian secondary school has a very rigid book-based curriculum without many extra resources, so Steve is hoping to help via demonstrations and materials that can reinforce the students’ learning. 

Tomorrow, we will both participate in mental health home visits, which I think will be really interesting! 

Lastly, over the weekend we went to Ruaha National Park, a wild and undeveloped piece of land in southern Tanzania almost as big as the state of Vermont! While not as dense in wildlife as the Masai Mara, the landscape was gorgeous and we saw some new animals we had never seen before. I will post pictures of a few, below. 

The Grey Crowned Crane - the Tanzanian national bird
Baboon families
The “Jurassic” looking Ruaha National Park

The bat-eared fox

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