Nicholas Latty (past volunteer) – Communication and Project Adviser in Tanzania

Nicholas began his UniVol assignment in February 2010 following the completion of his Law and Geography degree at Otago University in 2009.

What Nicholas did in Tanzania

Nicholas worked with a small NGO called MACAO, to set up a project providing care and education for 100 local, vulnerable children orphaned through HIV/AIDS. Nicholas’s work was varied but involved gaining community support for the project, providing materials and information and strengthening relationships with donors.

Based in an isolated group of villages in northern Tanzania, living conditions were basic with villages sharing land with elephants, buffalo, lions, cheetahs and baboons.

Making a positive impact

MACAO had previously struggled to maintain projects due to a shortage of skilled personnel. By sharing his project and communication skills and building up good communication systems and links with international donors, Nicholas helped to strengthen the organisation. His skills helped ensure the orphan care centre will provide long-lasting support to the children under its care.

Nicholas’s highlights

“The people – I may have been working in a very isolated area, but the incredibly welcoming attitude of people, and their strong sense of community left me feeling very much at home.”

What Tanzania has taught Nicholas

“Patience – in Tanzania, everything happens in its own time. Having a healthy store of patience is your best friend.”

 “Flexibility – things change, people come and go and ideas that are good one day may be completely discarded the next.”

 “No amount of theoretical development knowledge prepares you for the micropolitics, history and desperation present in practice.”