A book that I recently edited, We Were Walimu Once and Young, is now available on Amazon.com. In the early 1960s—while young people were inspired by President Kennedy, civil rights advanced in the USA, and the Cold War overheated—575 US and 200 UK teachers went to East Africa. These Walimu—Swahili for teacher—signed up for two or three years. Many stayed longer. They came to teach secondary students and train new teachers. They endured culture shock, undertook voyages of discovery, and forged friendships to last a lifetime. They witnessed the lowering of colonial flags and the sun rising over newly independent states of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
‘We Were Walimu Once and Young’ collects personal stories from the Teachers for East Africa (TEA) and Teacher Education for East Africa (TEEA) experience which was supported by US-AID. Written 50 years later, or taken from letters sent home at the time, these stories describe student and village life, adventures with flora and fauna and food, and journeys to explore remote parts of East Africa. Proceeds from this book will fund grants to secondary schools in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
https://jugumpress.com/voices-in-history/teaa/
E. Brooks Goddard ‘59
Tim Evers ’58 also participated
1959
