BY JASON
THOMPSON
About 25 people were at a farewell luncheon for a group of
African volunteers who have completed their placement programs
and are heading back home.
In August, Sylvester Shija and Ntimi Mwakosya from Tanzania,
and James Manyara and John Gitonga from Kenya, came to Sudbury
as volunteers through a program called Canada World Youth.
Mwakosya and Gitonga volunteered their time at Laurentian
International while Shija and Manyara were placed at the
Cooperative Freshwater Ecology Reserve.
"(They've) been sent by local organizations in Kenya and
Tanzania," said Michelle Belanger, manager of international
student recruitment and admissions.
"(Mwakosya and Gitonga have) been working in our office as
cultural ambassadors. They've helped us learn a little bit
about their culture and we've been helping them learn business
and office skills," she said.
Although the volunteer placement ended Oct. 30, the four
volunteers remained in Sudbury last week before going to
Toronto for a couple of days and then returning to Kenya where
they will complete the program.
Lee Haslam, a senior technician with the Cooperative
Freshwater Ecology Unit (CFEU), said Shija and Manyara have
helped out with a variety of aquatic work and have learned a
lot during their stay in Sudbury.
"They've been kept busy the whole time out in the field so they've developed numerous skills," said Haslam.
"Because we have so many different projects on the go . . .
with graduate students from the biology department and those
students come down and use our technical expertise. These guys
are helping with cutting-edge research on aquatic ecosystems."
For Shija and Manyara, working with the CFEU has provided
them with many new experiences.
"Working with the CFEU is very new thing for me. Driving a
boat is new to me. I've never done that. Collecting samples on
weeds and fish is also very new to me," said Shija, who spoke
in Swahili and needed Manyara's help to translate. Haslam
explained that English is not a common language in Tanzania,
unlike in Kenya, where Manyara learned some English in school.
"My language skills, grammar and English, have really
improved. They were really bad initially, now it's getting
better," said Manyara, adding he's also learned a lot about
cooking in Canada.
"Making food in Africa, we don't use a recipe, we have the
recipes in our head and you just know. But here, you have to
use a recipe so I learned to cook with a recipe."
Both volunteers say they've learned a lot and look forward
to applying those skills in their homelands. They both enjoyed
their time in Sudbury.
"He says he likes Sudbury," Manyara said, translating for
Shija.
"He likes how people are so friendly and hospitable and very co-operative and ready to help. He says if he gets a chance, he'll come back one day."
