LEARNING IN LIFE IS AN ENDLESS PROCESS

YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALIST TRAINEE {YET} had their second module II training in Arusha at MS TCDC {Danish}. The training took ten days, where by the Young Environmentalist Trainees were able to learn many things that are important like community mobilization, communication tools, speech preparation and presentations and writing articles. While we were in the training we also had a field visit in Ngarenaro Ward. The YETs visited a SET LIFE Environmental group which is found in the ward.

SET LIFE Environmental group is a Voluntary group which was established in 2009 with eleven founding members two of them being women and the rest are men.

The group was established with aim of protecting and conserving Environment at the ward. Their works includes cleaning areas around the river, collecting wastes from households, planting trees around the river and along the road.

The group has been operating for just one year yet it has managed to do a lot on Environmental cleaning activities at Ngarenaro ward. The SET LIFE group has ensured that the areas along the river are always clean by removing garbage and making sure people are not disposing wastes at the river and also planting trees, this is made sure by working at the river three days a week.

The SET LIFE group is facing various challenges like the shortage of working facilities, shortage of funds, poor enforcement of laws, pollution from waste disposal and waste water disposal to the river, destructive animals {destroying planted trees}. Despite these challenges they have managed to move forward and has made a continous effort to make the area along Ngarenaro river and the surrounding areas clean.



The field visit was very important since YET were able to learn the following lessons:

The importance of self commitment; in any work one does he she needs to be self committed. Taking example from the SET LIFE group that has been operating just for one life year but the work done by the group worth done for almost five years due to their self commitment.
Volunteerism; Changes can be brought up by few people who are willing and committed rather than a big group which is not willing. Taking example from the group we visited in Ngarenaro despite the ward having many residents the group has only eleven members but they have done a lot of work in the ward like planting trees, cleaning the areas around the river as well as collecting garbage from households.

The other thing that we learned was to make the most out of the little thing you have rather than thinking of doing the most out of something that you do not have. Like the group we visited, despite having few facilities hoes, spade and a wheelbarrow they have managed to do a lot of works.
Further more we learned that if you want to be helped you need to help yourself; this means you should have something and then other people can just add to what you have.
Finally; despite the challenges that the group is facing it has managed to make the areas surrounding the river to be clean. This teaches us that, challenges are there to make us learn and move forward and not to make us fallback or down.

By Aselina Mwenda