Zanny U.S. Tour: First Steps

Editors Note:  JBFC Staff Member Seth Diemond describes the process of getting U.S. Visas for JBFC's students Zai and Danny.  Follow this link to help support their trip to the U.S.:                  Donate Mile for Mile

Pulling up in a three-wheeled rickshaw to the sprawling white and gray, security-laden fortress that is the United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam, I could hear Zai and Danny both take deep breaths and exhale.

“Let’s go!” said Danny, with his big eyes bulging a little more than usual.

One by one, the three of us jumped out of the rickshaw and into the morning heat and haze of Tanzania’s largest city. We approached the heavy metal door leading to the Consular Affairs office at the embassy and I spoke to the security staff through an intercom in the window. I handed them the kids’ green packets with their passports, receipts, and birth certificates. One more deep breath.

Preparing to travel abroad to an unknown place can be intimidating for anyone, but you would think even more so for two pre-teens from a small, rural village in Tanzania called Kitongo.

Over the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of helping Danny and Zai- two of JBFC’s students- prepare for their upcoming trip to America. Primarily, I was able to travel with them to Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, and help them apply for their travel visas and interview at the United States Embassy. Over these past two weeks I have learned two things: 1) The application process for getting a U.S. visa is complicated, long, and can be frustrating. 2) Danny and Zai make an incredible team and are EXTREMELY excited and ready to get to the United States.

Traveling from our home at JBFC’s Mwanza campus to Dar es Salaam takes about 14 hours rumbling over pot-hole ridden roads, past hundreds of cows and goats, through the Rift Valley and over mountain tops, through Tanzania’s capital in Dodoma and the rains of Morogoro. Throughout 12 of the 14 hours on the road, Danny bombarded Zai (who traveled to the US last year) and I with questions about the possibilities of America:

“Where will we be visiting? Where will we stay? Will we go to the movies? What about Disney Land and Sea World?”

The excitement was as evident in Danny’s anticipation as it was in Zai’s nostalgia for last year’s trip. (Luckily for me Zai answered most of the questions!).

After arriving in the heat, humidity, smog, and Dar’s notorious traffic jams, Danny, Zai, and I would have several days to prepare for their upcoming interview at the United States Embassy. For me, I would use this time to tackle the administrative side of visa applications: the two-step online application process, payment at a local bank, providing current pictures of both of the children, and making sure that all of the supporting documents were in order and accounted for.

Zai and Danny would use this time to rehearse for their upcoming interviews- while no two interviews are ever the same, having gone through this process a couple of times in the past we were able to anticipate the questions that may be asked.

In addition to the basic questions covering name, date of birth, name of school, Zai and Danny would be asked more challenging questions during the interview. For hours on end, the two of them would sit role-playing their interview.

Zai would ask in her oh-so-American way “So, if I give you a visa, how do I know you will return to Tanzania?” or “Why do you wish to come to see America?” Afternoons would often consist of a constant back-and-forth giggle over pronunciations of “Massachusetts” and “Connecticut.”

The morning of the interview is always tense- Dar traffic makes arriving at the embassy by 8:00 am a challenge and the night before is often sleepless. In order to ensure that we would make it on time, we decided to hail a three-wheeled rickshaw instead of a cab. The rickshaws are popular in Dar because of their ability to maneuver in and out of (or even around) traffic.

After our final deep breath while speaking through the intercom at the check-in window, we would make our way through security (similar to security at an American airport) and wait for our turn in the Consular Affairs lobby.

While waiting in the lobby for an hour (though it seemed like three) I could see Danny and Zai both practicing their answers in their head silently. “Which states will you visit?” “How long will you stay in the United States of America?” “Which grade are you in?”

Finally, over the intercom, “Number 19, window three.”

Danny’s turn. Walking to the window together, I could see the touch of nervousness in Danny’s always-confident stride. Speaking to the friendly officer, Danny answered each question methodically and accurately, never once stumbling on “Massachusetts” or “Connecticut.” Asked whom he knows in America, Danny answered, “there is Bibi Nancy and Jim” confidently before sneaking me a quick look with a small smirk on his face.

“Approved, you can pick up your visa tomorrow at 2:00pm. Have a great trip!”


“Number 20, window three.”

Zai’s turn. Zai, a seasoned pro at visa interviews, walked up to the window with a big smile on her face: “Good morning!” she said. After asking the easy questions, the officer at the window asked Zai: “So you have had a chance to travel to the United States, what was your favorite place.”

“California, because I got to go to Disney Land!” answered Zai with a giggle.

A bit surprised, the officer responded “I like that answered- I am from California!”

After a couple more questions, Zai, too, was told “Approved, you can pick up your visa tomorrow at 2:00pm. Have a great trip!”

Walking out of the waiting room, all three of us held our breath in partial disbelief until we pushed open the heavy metal door and stepped into the embassy courtyard. Simultaneously bursting into laughter, we high-fived, hugged, and jumped up and down. Danny, practically jumping out of his Khaki’s and shirt, yelled, “We did it guys! We really did it. I can’t believe it.”

Back in the rickshaw, I asked Danny “are you happy?” and “what will be the first thing you want to do in America?”

“I have never been more happy and I want to go to Disney Land!”

Help bring Zai & Danny to America! ‪#‎Zanny‬ 2015
It’s about 8,000 miles from JBFC in Tanzania to the U.S. We’re trying to raise $1 for every mile they have to travel. This week help us bring #Zanny to America. If all our followers gave just $5 we’d have the cost of their tickets about covered! Share this post on Facebook, tell your friends, tag your favorite pics of Danny and Zai with ‪#‎mileformile‬. Mile for mile, your support can make two Tanzanian kids’ dreams come true.
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A Day in the Life of a JBFC Employee

Editor's Note:  Anna Dorfman joined the JBFC team in January as an assistant to JBFC's Founder & CEO Chris Gates.  In her blog, she describes what it's like to work for JBFC.

The voices of fisherman headed to the lake, blend with the cheery chirping of the colorful birds, geese singing and a slight trickle of raindrops hitting the tin roof. I wake to the daylight eagerly peaking through the gap between my nearly translucent curtains and window, and the chatter coming from the Maasai under the mango tree reminds me I’m in Tanzania.I take my anti-malarials persistently reminding me of their importance on my nightstand and head to the dormitory style bathrooms in the guesthouse with my water bottle ready to brush my teeth.

Once I’ve taken care of the necessities I put on a vibrantly colored knee-length skirt made for me by Edwin the local tailor. “Habaraza asubuhi,” I am greeted by Mama Katherine and Fatuma. A delicious omelete is prepared and ready for me with freshly brewed coffee on the living room table. I converse briefly with the volunteers over breakfast and check in to make sure they are set for their daily projects.

I head to my office in the administrative building for a morning meeting with Chris, the founder and CEO of JBFC. We go over emails for the day that I pre-loaded at my house through the 3G hotspot from my work phone. Then the international team meets to discuss the progress on all active projects on campus. Once everyone has their duties, I get started on my never-ending to-do list.

I negotiate prices and availability for flights on behalf of a high school group coming to volunteer through our local travel agent. Then I update the JBFC Google Calendar and ASANA (our project tracking system). I respond to email inquiries, and update the campus inventory list. I research upcoming projects on spotty internet: paper making, college/university options in East Africa for the JBFC Girls’ transition after graduating Form 4 from Joseph and Mary Secondary school.

Then I walk down the dirt road past the Maasai tree, and the local fisherman carrying their daily catch, I glance to the right and get a glimpse of the white sails gliding through the Lake. As I approach the Joseph and Mary schools, I am greeted by smiles and “mambos” from the children in their brightly colored uniforms. 

I enter the Library and begin the session for the creative writing club I run after school on Tuesdays. Color poems are on the agenda this week, so I pass out a worksheet with an example and a template for writing one. I run into some barriers teaching kids of varying ages metaphors and similes, but luckily some of the older girls step in and help explain to the younger students. Salome a spunky 5th grader shouts for my attention so she can show off her Poem about the color green that she concludes beautifully, “Green feels like I am at the moon dreaming.”

After clubs, I walk through the girls dorms to say hi. Some girls are washing their clothes by hand, while others help prepare dinner in the dining hall, many girls are already working diligently on their homework, and I chat for a while with hair braiding girls sitting on the stoop. After getting my hair done, and sang Adele’s someone like you enough times I head back to the guesthouse for yoga. As I roll my mat out on the porch facing Victoria’s waves meeting the shoreline, I take a deep breath in and feel overcome by gratitude. Namaste.

I take a shower to rinse off the drops of dew that have accumulated on my clothes from a productive day under the Tanzanian sun. Then I head down for Ugali and eggplant with the JBFC girls. The bell rings at 8 on the tree and we head back into the dining hall for prayer and the beautiful melody of appreciation and awareness are sung in Swahili. I end my day with goodnight hugs from 45 amazing girls and my heart feels warm as I tuck in my mosquito net and lay down to reflect on my day.