Zanzibar teaching and community project in Tanzania
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world.
Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
The community of Jambiani is very reliant on its natural resources available to them, especially the ocean (fish, crabs, seaweed, etc) and partly local crops that can be grown in the area. We work with a locally run NGO to help sustain the marine and land environment in Jambiani. Volunteer involvement often depends on current projects on the go in the village, and it can often be hard, but very rewarding work. Activities can include litter clean-ups along the beach and within the village and planting trees. Volunteers ride bicycles everyday to get from their accommodation to get to their volunteer projects.
Community
On our Zanzibar volunteer project we work very closely with the community. We assist by helping the local schools and training institute which have a shortage of staff and facilities, but have a number of students who are full of energy and an eagerness to learn. Our volunteers also assist and encourage the local community in beach conservation which is of great value to the island's tourism industry. The help of our volunteers in the local community are of great value and we have built up an amicable reputation within the Jambiani community.
Our volunteers have completed the painting of all classrooms and blackboards at Jambiani High School (approx. 20 classrooms), which has made the school look so much brighter and a place where the children are proud to be associated with. At the end of October 2009, we commenced a special educational needs implementation plan within Jambiani High School, working with two blind children, two children with learning disabilities and one child with a hearing disability. We are currently working with these children and the teachers every morning.
We now have a very good relationship with the local volunteer teachers at Sirajati Nursery School and have started a programme of teaching the teachers English each morning - a very rewarding role, as this will empower these teachers to continue and to build on our English classes with the children. Our volunteers have designed and made good the play area at Sirajati Nursery School. The volunteers have also dug a 'shamba' on the school grounds so the teachers can grow fruit to sell for school funds and an area for each child to grow their own plants and fruit.
We are currently setting up a youth football team of 22 teenage boys. The aim is to give the boys a common goal, team work, social skills, awareness and a purpose, plus they must attend 2 evening English classes with our volunteers every week.
The accommodation where all our volunteers stay is locally owned and all the food provided for our volunteers are purchased on the island in Stone Town. Unfortunately, Jambiani village does not have good soil to grow its own produce that can be purchased by our project. We also employ local people to cook, clean and assist with coordinating our volunteers on the project.
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