| I began the week by returning the see the NIT doctor for a repeat test for malaria to ensure that the medication had provided a successful cure. Luckily after a short wait I was provided with the confirmation that the malaria parasites were no longer present in my blood. Over the next two weeks the National Institute of Transport (NIT) will be the host to multiple visitors from the UK; because of this a large proportion of my week has been spent helping to make the necessary preparations before their arrival. A key aspect of the support that Transaid provide at NIT is to help facilitate the training of driver trainers using volunteers from various logistics companies in the UK. Starting next week a trainer from the UK will be at NIT to train three HGV trainers for two weeks. The training of trainers is perceived as a huge privilege by everyone involved in the professional driver training programme here – the techniques and knowledge gained from these sessions provide an alternative approach to training compared to the standard Tanzanian training methods. Due to the limited numbers of trainers that can be trained, the senior management at NIT have to consider the potential trainers carefully to derive who will contribute the greatest benefit in the long term to the standards of driver training offered by NIT to students. One of the tasks that I have been asked to complete while I am here is to compile a clear record of all the NIT trainers who have received training from the UK; outlining which training they have received, when and for how long. This information is useful for the management at NIT to ensure that all the trainers have a varied skills matrix, so the training provided is consistently well delivered. Apart from the training input from the UK, Transaid has planned to produce a video showcasing the work that is being done in Tanzania. Last year a video was produced and was received really well – see the top of the left column, or click here. For the video to be filmed within the one week timescale that is available there are lots of aspects to be prepared in advance – which has been has occupied most of my week. On Saturday I went to the airport to meet the trainer from the UK and take him to his hotel. I realised on the way back from the airport how much I had accepted the road conditions as normal, as the reaction from the trainer was just like my initial shock at the lack of order on the roads. He was soon re-considering his training methods as the conditions of the road traffic are far from comparable to the conditions in the UK. On Sunday morning I met the trainer at his hotel, which is a short 15 minute work from NIT – we walked back to NIT so he had the option to walk on a morning with the confidence that he would know the route. When at NIT I gave him the grand tour, making the most of the quieter campus to show him where everything was and all the facilities available. Following our tour of NIT we took a taxi to the slipway for a late lunch and to see some more of Dar es Salaam. We had a very relaxing afternoon discussing the training that would take place in the upcoming two weeks and the challenges that were potentially going to be faced during this time. I'm looking forward to Neil returning next week as well as the arrival of other members of Transaid to produce the video, I think it is going to be a very exciting few weeks here. |