Nate Evans: Long-Term Volunteer
Nate Evans is a student at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He volunteered as a Health Assistant at Amani for 6 months in 2007.
“I learned about Amani from Dr. Nathan Thielman, who works for Duke University in Tanzania. He spoke at the kickoff for Duke’s Global Health Institute, and I was really interested in the work being done in Tanzania, especially in the area of HIV/AIDS. I contacted Dr. Thielman about ways to get involved in Tanzania, and he suggested Amani.
"Before starting medical school, I wanted to get a taste of life in Africa and the struggles going on there. I looked into several places to serve, but things really came together to spend six months at Amani. It looked like a place that wasn’t just talking about ways to make a difference, but was actually going out and serving the community.
"People were literally going to the streets to find children in need and then offering them a safe place to sleep, eat, play and go to school. I could tell that Amani was changing lives and I wanted to be a part of that.
"One of the most rewarding parts of being a volunteer at Amani was the whole experience of being exposed to how a lot of the world lives and how different that is from life in America. It gave me a much greater appreciation for my family and the opportunities I have had in life.
"Another rewarding aspect is that the kids really rub off on you, specifically their joy in life. Most of the kids of Amani had already been through a life’s worth of pain and suffering, yet you could never tell that by your interactions with them. They all seemed so happy with the new life and hope that Amani has given them. It has really put the problems in my life into perspective, and now it’s pretty hard to find things to complain about. Seeing the changes in the lives of the kids also really inspires you to do things in your life to help others, which is something all of us can do a better job of.
"I have a lot of fun memories at Amani. It was always fun to play soccer with the kids. They really love the game and were always excited to run circles around me and laugh at my lack of skill. I liked hanging out with Daudi. He is amused by the simplest of things and seeing him smile makes it hard to be in a bad mood. I also had fun working with Rovina in the health room. The kids thought I was almost a doctor and were always asking for medicine. We would always go back and forth with them pretending to be sick. I would call their bluff and accuse them of just wanting the sweet medicine, and then the kids would just laugh and run away.”