Due to the success of previous “Development Perspectives” projects, a third edition took place from April – Nov 2008. In May 2008, 21 people came together from the North East of Ireland to start “Development Perspectives 3”.

Pre-departure phase
The first phase took place in Sonairte-the National Ecology centre, where we focused on team-building and promoting a basic awareness and understanding of some of the many development challenges and issues that face our world. The pre-departure workshops concentrated on issues such as Inequality, poverty, sustainability and resource management, dept and development, peace and conflict, systems thinking, interculturalism, development economics and environmental issues.

Overseas phase

Once again the overseas phase was held in the village of Mwanga, Tanzania. The strong links that had been made the previous year with UVIKUITA and individual development activists such as Alais Morindat and Simon Wachira proved extremely valuable.

Tanzania Tents

On arrival we were warmly welcomed by our partner organization and joined by three volunteers from UVIKUITA and one volunteer from Kenya, adding an East African perspective to our work and learning whilst also acting as translators. Participants were given an opportunity to live and work with the local community. An important facet of our project is self directed learning promoted by the use of a wide range of approaches and methodologies in an attempt to suit as many different learning styles as possible. The overseas phase was three fold. There was a continuation of theory based workshops on a daily basis; many facilitated by local experienced NGOs and development organisations. These workshops placed a focus on identifying some of the immediate issues or development obstacles that face the people of Tanzania. On a practical level we were involved with the community in building an outdoor netball court, which was identified by the local people of Mwanga as something that would be worthwhile and beneficial for the whole community but especially girls who wanted to be involved in sport. This hands-on work enabled the team to engage with local people, to share stories and to work along side one another.

Tanzania: At Work

Finally in Mwanga, we visited some of the local schools using sports, music and art as a way of interaction and reciprocal communication.
The last four nights in Tanzania allowed us the unique opportunity to camp at a Maasai homestead in the village of Arkaria, situated 40mins north of Arusha, where we got an insight into the lives of the indigenous pasturalist community and time shared in understanding some of the threats and challenges that they face in this ever changing world.

Final exhibition phase
On returning to Ireland the “Development Perspectives” team was asked to piece together an innovative and collective exhibition of their learning. The group used as many mediums as possible such as photography, video footage, installations, documented interviews, food and role-play as a way of communicating their message and their experience to the audience. This exhibition has become a resource to be used in the North East of Ireland in an attempt to bring about an awareness of some of the many challenges and issues we face on the road to a just and equal world.

Mwanga Sports Camp– 2008
The 2008 summer sports camp made a telling contribution to the small village of Mwanga, Tanzania. Starting in late June and lasting for two weeks, this camp most definitely grabbed the attention of the local children. There were 80 girls and boys from 6 different primary schools taking part. Two coaches from Ireland, Darren McGovern (Monaghan) and Paddy O’Connor (Longford) designed the programme in collaboration with their partner organisation in Tanzania, Uviukuta. The project idea was identified last year by Darren McGovern whilst participating as a leader on Development Perspectives flagship programme 2007. Darren has a degree in Community Sports Leadership and he envisaged a sports programme that would address gender inequality through the involvement of girls and boys playing together from the local schools.

Sports Camp
The chosen sports for the camp over the two weeks included soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball and at times GAA. An average day consisted of three hours of coaching each morning including a few very necessary water breaks. Lunch was provided on site, followed by an afternoon of league games. Working alongside Paddy and Darren were two Uviukuta volunteers, Joel and Edwin. According to Darren, “Without these two excellent coaches the camp would not have been the success it was”. Some of the local teachers also played an important part in supervising the children.

Sports Camp

Darren suggested some of the highlights of the camp included seeing the children playing daily with such enthusiasm and constantly with a smile on their face. Also, he mentioned that there was a clear and positive development in the ability of the girls and boys to play together. Previously it would not have been uncommon for girls to be excluded from games that were viewed as male dominated. However, it only really became obvious how much of an impact the sportcamp had made in the village of Mwanga during the closing ceremony. The whole community came out in support of the young people, there was singing and dancing to the sounds of drums beating as the children stood quite proud of themselves for their achievements.

Darren and Paddy have been asked to return on a yearly basis to Mwanga to facilitate similar projects on an on going basis.
Well done lads!!