Day 1
Saturday 26th October marked the first day of the 2024 Mission Possible deployment to Tanzania. For volunteers Mahjabeen Khan and Akeeb Satti, it was a humbling experience which left them in awe of the resilience of the villagers.
“We started the Mission with an exhausting, yet humbling experience. We went on a water trek today and boy was it hard!
We walked for almost 3km each way with a bike and buckets in the scorching heat. It really made me sympathise with the locals who do this journey at least 2-3 times a day. Even then,the water they have is filthy and a major risk to their health. Seeing children drink and wash in the dirty water did make me feel sad.
We then went on to interact with the local women about their experiences and suggestions. It is concerning to learn about the gender inequality in the community and the lack of a voice the women have.
It would be amazing for the women to be given fair opportunities and to be supported in their learning and financial independence.
On a happy note, I saw the cutest smiling babies, which just melted my heart!”
Mahjabeen Khan
“What were my expectations? Mission Possible was something I had wanted to do for many years but was always hesitant in signing up to. One day, I took the leap and decided to sign up and I knew it would be an amazing experience which would stay with me forever.
From watching previous years’ Mission videos, I expected it to be an emotional and life-changing experience.
The first day started with a welcome from the villagers that included songs and dance. The village elders, women and children all attended. It was beautiful to see the warm reception.
We then did a water trek on bikes. It was approx. 3km going. It was HARD! It was incrediblydifficult, with mud and rocky footpaths. But with help from the children who went with us from the village, I got to the water source.
I was shocked by what I saw. Essentially, it was dirty, muddy water from a pond. I watched the children who had helped me along the way wash their muddy feet and then take a drink from it. I instantly wanted to say ‘no, don’t do that’ but I couldn’t because this is all they have.
It was incredibly sad to see, an eye-opener already on just our first day. I was exhausted and,truthfully, unable to ride the bike back with the water tanks filled up. After I learnt that the women do this walk twice a day, I was in absolute awe of their strength.”
Shamama Begum