Apps for Dyslexic Learners:

• SoundLiteracy
• What is Dyslexia
• Dyslexia Quest
• Happy Math Multiplication Rhymes
• Read 2 Me
• Phonics with Phonograms
• Dyseggxia
• DD’s Dictionary: A Dyslexic Dictionary

Apps for Autistic Learners:

• Sight Words
• Sequences for Autism
• See, Touch, Learn
• Words on Wheels
• Verbal Me
• Autism iHelp
• Autism/DDT Shapes
• Autism DDT Letters
• Speech with Milo

Apps for the Visually Impaired:

• VIA
• Dragon Dictation
• Light Detector
• Color ID
• TapTapSee
• Be My Eyes – Helping Blind See
• Talking Calculator
• SayText
• AccessNote
• Visual Brailer

Apps for Learners with Writing Difficulties:

• The Writing Machine
• iWrite Words
• Letter School
• Alpha Writer
• ABC Pocket Phonics
• Word Magic

Zumba
Time: Monday and Thursday at 17:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Karate
Time: Everyday at 16:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Power Yoga
Time: Tuesday at 19:00pm and Friday at 17:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Ballet with Diana
Time: Wednesday at 16:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Swimming with Makame
Time: Everyday from 7:00am
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Beach Volleyball
Time: Everyday from 6:00am – 21:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Tennis
Time: Everyday from 6:00am – 21:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Horseback Riding
Time: Everyday from 7:00am – 18:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Kayaking
Time: Everyday from 7:00am – 18:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Water Aerobics
Time: Saturday from 11:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Azura, Kawe, Dar es Salaam

Pilates
T ime: Monday 9:00am – 10:00am
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

Karate
Time: Tuesday 17:30 – 18:30
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

Kick boxing
Time: 19:30 – 20:30
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

Boot Camp
Time: Friday 8:00am – 9:00am
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

Traditional drumming
Time: Wednesday 16:30 – 17:30
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

Capoiera
Time: Saturday 14:30 – 15:30
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

African Dance
Time: Saturday 15:30 – 16:30
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

Latin Dance
Time: Friday 19:30 – 21:30 and Saturday 17:30 – 20:00
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

Hip Hop Kids
Time: Thursday 17:30 – 18:30
Location: Hit Fitness Studio, Mahando street, Masaki, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 654 302 307

Private Karate Lessons for adults and children
Teacher: Rutashobya W Ringo
Contact: +255 767 909 801

Women only fitness classes
Fee: Tsh 150,000 per month, Tsh 300,000 per 3 months
Location: Behind Engen Petrol Station, Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam
Contact: +255 758 855 854
nubunduafrikatz@gmail.com

Arusha Swim Club
Description: for beginners, intermediates and experts of all ages
Location: St. Constantine International School, 2316 Dodoma Road, Burka, Arusha

Kid’s Muay Thai Classes
Location: Masaki and near Mlimani City
Contact: +255 658 767 334, +255 783 780 702

Martial Arts and Self-Defense Classes
Contact: +255 783 780 702

In Tanzania many people deal with mental health issues by either ignoring the problem or depending solely on religious methods. Spirituality is a good thing, however, many people do not realize that you can in fact get medication and professional (medical) help that can manage or even cure a mental health issue. In some cases what is needed is a trained professional to help guide a person through their processes.

So, in order to help facilitate better knowledge of mental health, and in order to help those who have or are experiencing something that should be addressed, below is a glossary or list of some (not all) of the most common mental health issues:

(Note – If you go to the section of this website labeled “Counseling” you can find professional and medical help for a mental health issue).

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

is a chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity.

Alcoholism

Addiction to the consumption of alcoholic drink; alcohol dependency.

Alzeimer’s Disease

Alzeimer’s disease can occur in middle to old age and symptoms include: Memory loss. Memory loss is the key symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. An early sign of the disease is usually difficulty remembering recent events or conversations. As the disease progresses, memory impairments worsen and other symptoms develop.

At first, a person with Alzheimer’s disease may be aware of having difficulty with remembering things and organizing thoughts. A family member or friend may be more likely to notice how the symptoms worsen.

Anxiety Disorder

Symptoms include:

• Feeling nervous, restless or tense
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
• Having an increased heart rate
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Feeling weak or tired
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
• Having trouble sleeping
• Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
• Having difficulty controlling worry
• Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

Autism

Persons with autism may exhibit some of the following traits:

• Insistence on sameness; resistance to change
• Difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words
• Repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language
• Laughing, crying, showing distress for reasons not apparent to others
• Prefers to be alone; aloof manner
• Tantrums
• Difficulty in mixing with others
• May not want to cuddle or be cuddled
• Little or no eye contact
• Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
• Sustained odd play
• Spins objects
• Inappropriate attachments to objects
• Apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain
• No real fears of danger
• Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity
• Uneven gross/fine motor skills
• Not responsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf although hearing tests in normal range.

Bipolar Disorder

A disorder that causes severe and unusually high and low shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels as well as unusual shifts in the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. (Also known as Manic Depression).

Dementia

Dementia describes a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life. It isn’t a specific disease, but several different diseases may cause dementia.

Though dementia generally involves memory loss, memory loss has different causes. Having memory loss alone doesn’t mean you have dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of a progressive dementia in older adults, but there are a number of causes of dementia. Depending on the cause, some dementia symptoms may be reversible.

Depression

Lack of interest or pleasure in daily activities, sadness and feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt that are severe enough to interfere with working, sleeping, studying, eating and enjoying life.

Down Syndrome

Down syndrome (DS or DNS), also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is typically associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disability, and characteristic facial features. The average IQ of a young adult with Down syndrome is 50, equivalent to the mental ability of an 8- or 9-year-old child, but this can vary widely.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a range of conditions expressed through abnormal or disturbed eating habits.

These generally stem from an obsession with food, body weight or body shape and often result in serious health consequences. In some cases, eating disorders even result in death.

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and changes in sleeping or eating patterns.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world.

Schizophrenia

A severe mental disorder that appears in late adolescence or early adulthood. People with schizophrenia may have hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, loss of personality, confusion, agitation, social withdrawal, psychosis and/or extremely odd behavior.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is a patterned use of a drug in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or with methods which are harmful to themselves or others, and is a form of substance-related disorder.

_____________________________________________________________________________

(Some issues are not disorders, such as):

• Family therapy
• Marriage counseling
• Experience of abuse
• Greif

______________________________________________________________________________

(Some issues simply have to do with improving mental wellness, such as):

• Career development
• Life coaching
• Dealing with day to day stress
• Learning to cope with a certain transition
• Maintaining balance in one’s life

Sources:

NIH: National Institute of Mental Health https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/raise/glossary.shtml

Understanding ADHD: The Basics https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/understanding-adhd-basics

Autism Awareness Center https://autismawarenesscentre.com/definition-autism/

Substance Abuse: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse

Alcoholism https://www.google.com/search?q=Dictionary

Postpartum Depression: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postpartum_depression

Down Syndrome: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_syndrome

Common Types of Eating Disorders and Their Symptoms https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-eating-disorders

Love above all else is what shall see us through.

By Sarah Koppelkam

How to talk to your daughter about her body, step one: Donâ€t talk to your daughter about her body, except to teach her how it works.

By Huffpost Healthy Living

Weâ€ve all had those days when we just canâ€t seem to concentrate. And while thereâ€s no magic pill to bring us back to the height of our cognitive powers, there are some foods that have been shown to improve brain function, protect against age-associated cognitive decline and encourage focus and clarity.

1 Walnuts

Walnuts are chock-full of heart-healthy and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and are the only good nut source of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), HuffPost Healthy Living earlier reported. That means they help promote blood flow, which in turn allows for efficient delivery of oxygen to the brain. And research presented at the 2010 International Conference on Alzheimerâ€s found that mice with the disease who were regularly fed walnuts had improved memory, learning and motor skill coordination, according to MyHealthNewsDaily.

5 Coffee

Caffeine, the mild stimulant found in coffee, improves mental acuity, though the drinkâ€s enthusiasts — who guzzle 120,000 tons of the stuff each year — likely already know that. Aside from caffeineâ€s brain boosting effects, coffeeâ€s antioxidant richness helps maintain brain health. And some research suggests that drinking coffee can actually stave off depression in women.

Antioxidant-rich dark chocolate is healthy for your whole body, but its caffeine content is thought to play a role in maintaining mental acuity. Whatâ€s more, chocolate is rich in flavonoids, a class of antioxidant that helps to improve blood flow (and thus brain health) by regulating cholesterol and lowering blood pressure.

Keeping Kids Active

Anyone who’s seen kids on a playground knows that most are naturally physically active and love to move around. But what might not be apparent is that climbing to the top of a slide or swinging from the monkey bars can help lead kids to a lifetime of being active.

As they get older, it can be a challenge for kids to get enough daily activity. Reasons include increasing demands of school, a feeling among some kids that they aren’t good at sports, a lack of active role models, and busy working families.

And even if kids have the time and the desire to be active, parents may not feel comfortable letting them freely roam the neighborhood as kids did generations ago. So their opportunities might be limited.

In spite of these barriers, parents can instill a love of activity and help kids fit it into their everyday lives. Doing so can set healthy patterns that will last into adulthood.

Benefits of Being Active

When kids are active, their bodies can do the things they want and need them to do. Why? Because regular exercise provides these benefits:

• strong muscles and bones
• weight control
• decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• better sleep
• a better outlook on life

Healthy, physically active kids also are more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful. And physical competence builds self-esteem at every age.

What Motivates Kids?

So there’s a lot to gain from regular physical activity, but how do you encourage kids to do it? The three keys are:

1. Choosing the right activities for a child’s age: If you don’t, the child may be bored or frustrated.
2. Giving kids plenty of opportunity to be active: Kids need parents to make activity easy by providing equipment and taking them to playgrounds and other active spots.
3. Keeping the focus on fun: Kids won’t do something they don’t enjoy.

When kids enjoy an activity, they want to do more of it. Practicing a skill — whether it’s swimming or riding a tricycle — improves their abilities and helps them feel accomplished, especially when the effort is noticed and praised. These good feelings often make kids want to continue the activity and even try others.

Age-Appropriate Activities

The best way for kids to get physical activity is by incorporating physical activity into their daily routine. Toddlers and preschoolersshould play actively several times a day. Children 6 to 17 years should do 60 minutes or more physical activity daily. This can include free play at home, active time at school, and participation in classes or organized sports.

Here’s Some Age-Based Advice:

Preschoolers: Preschoolers need play and exercise that helps them continue to develop important motor skills — kicking or throwing a ball, playing tag or follow the leader, hopping on one foot, riding a trike or bike with training wheels, freeze dancing, or running obstacle courses.

Although some sports leagues may be open to kids as young as 4, organized and team sports are not recommended until they’re a little older. Preschoolers can’t understand complex rules and often lack the attention span, skills, and coordination needed to play sports. Instead of learning to play a sport, they should work on fundamental skills.

School-age: With school-age kids spending more time on sedentary pursuits like watching TV and playing computer games, the challenge for parents is to help them find physical activities they enjoy and feel successful doing. These can range from traditional sports like baseball and basketball to martial arts, biking, hiking, and playing outside.

As kids learn basic skills and simple rules in the early school-age years, there might only be a few athletic standouts. As kids get older, differences in ability and personality become more apparent. Commitment and interest level often go along with ability, which is why it’s important to find an activity that’s right for your child. Schedules start getting busy during these years, but don’t forget to set aside some time for free play.

Teenagers: Teens have many choices when it comes to being active — from school sports to after-school interests, such as yoga or skateboarding. It’s important to remember that physical activity must be planned and often has to be sandwiched between various responsibilities and commitments.

Do what you can to make it easy for your teen to exercise by providing transportation and the necessary gear or equipment (including workout clothes). In some cases, the right clothes and shoes might help a shy teen feel comfortable biking or going to the gym.

Kids’ Fitness Personalities

In addition to a child’s age, it’s important to consider his or her fitness personality. Personality traits, genetics, and athletic ability combine to influence kids’ attitudes toward participation in sports and other physical activities, particularly as they get older.

Which of these three types best describes your child?

1. The nonathlete: This child may lack athletic ability, interest in physical activity, or both.

2. The casual athlete: This child is interested in being active but isn’t a star player and is at risk of getting discouraged in a competitive athletic environment.

3. The athlete: This child has athletic ability, is committed to a sport or activity, and likely to ramp up practice time and intensity of competition.

If you understand the concepts of temperament and fitness types, you’ll be better able to help your kids find the right activities and get enough exercise — and find enjoyment in physical activity. Some kids want to pursue excellence in a sport, while others may be perfectly happy and fit as casual participants.

The athlete, for instance, will want to be on the basketball team, while the casual athlete may just enjoy shooting hoops in the playground or on the driveway. The nonathlete is likely to need a parent’s help and encouragement to get and stay physically active. That’s why it’s important to encourage kids to remain active even through they aren’t top performers.

Whatever their fitness personality, all kids can be physically fit. A parent’s positive attitude will help a child who’s reluctant to exercise.

Be active yourself and support your kids’ interests. If you start this early enough, they’ll come to regard activity as a normal — and fun — part of your family’s everyday routine.