The Value of Inclusion

Hello!

My name is Frida, I am 24 years old, and I am studying social educator at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. From January to April, I spent my exchange period in Arusha, Tanzania. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to travel to this beautiful country through the organization NOREC, and to have met so many lovely people.

During the first week of our stay in Tanzania, we had a Swahili course. We learned the basics of the language, which was very helpful for communicating with the children, teachers, and locals who didn't speak English very well.

I was lucky to work with the youth at Patandi Secondary School in Arusha. We met many children and young people with different disabilities. Even we faced challenges with the language barrier, at the same time we experienced a strong sense of community among the students. The Swahili course we had at the beginning of our stay allowed me to have small conversations with many of the students, which made me feel like I could see and include more of them.

Many of the students at the school were deaf and used sign language. I had no experience with sign language, so this was challenging. The students were very helpful and patient, and they expressed a desire to teach me while I observed and tried to learn. I quickly discovered how powerful body language and visual communication can be.

Something that made a strong impression on me was the good sense of community among the students. They help each other with everything from translation, guiding the blind, to assisting wheelchair users, which touched me deeply. At this school, all the students learn sign language to be able to communicate with each other, regardless of the type of disability they have.

Personally, I had a wake-up call by experiencing how it feels not to understand what is being said around you, considering the language barrier we had. That feeling of being an outsider and helpless made me realize how important inclusion really is. This experience has given me a new perspective on my own work with inclusion back home.

I am left with so many new experiences, knowledge, friends and memories, and I really hope I am going to use my experiences from Tanzania to promote better inclusion at home in Norway.