Tanzania

I am very glad I chose ABV for my first volunteer experience abroad. I was very well taken care of, and supported the whole time I was in Tanzania. I was also given enough freedom to shape my time there how I wanted, and left me more independent and self reliant.
It was most difficult for me to witness such intense poverty and lack of infrastructure in so many communities and schools, knowing that the government is not doing enough to help alleviate it. There is corruption and injustice in the political system that is holding the entire country back and not utilizing its resources. It's a beautiful country and the people are wonderful; it's hard to see many of them not having access or ability to enjoy the benefits.
You will probably be faced with a whole host of new situations that you've never experienced before, and may even only experience in Tanzania. This might be the first time you've been the minority, or the first time you've been the majority depending on where you're from. You will be called a "mzungu" no matter what. Your cultural norms will be challenged. You can respect traditions without agreeing with them. Nothing will go as planned. Everything will not be what you expected regardless of how many program guides you read. Just know that everything will be alright if you allow yourself to go with the flow and be flexible and accepting. Also know that there is a whole support network for you if you need it. Being self driven and willing to make your own experience are key to having a fantastic adventure.

Having been to Mafia before I was apprehensive to come back. However seeing how the project has developed has been great. A much stronger collaboration with conservation organisations such as M.I.M.P and Sea Sense shows the lengths that people go to to ensure that Frontier contributes to the conservation of the environment.
Life on the Frontier camp is a good change compared to living at home, always being outside is a refreshing change compared to the average indoor lifestyle. Food on camp is varied and so tasty and is much needed after an active day diving.
The projects which are run cover a wide range of areas. The terrestrial and marine projects survey multiple sites across the island while the teaching program helps to teach English to the locals.
There is a great variety of dive sites which home a huge variety of wildlife which is a pleasure to see. Being able to collaborate with the Marine Park and go outside the bay to survey sites was a privilege, the change in habitat compared to the inner bay is good to see.
All of the staff be it Scientific or Teaching are all great at what they do, being an intern I was able to get to know all the people on camp really well and I've not met a group of nicer people and I'm going to be really sad to leave.

Ever since being a child, the underwater world has fascinated me, I have only ever been as deep as my snorkel would allow me so the thought of diving to 30m sounded not only appealing but thrilling. Learning to dive on a small African Island, interacting with the local people, participating in scientific work and leaving Europe for the first time in my life were all factors which drew me to choose marine conservation in the Mafia Islands. In terms of activities, I was genuinely amazed. I had not expected to participate and experience the things I did. For example, one Sunday we embarked on a morning boat ride to Juani Island and followed a tour guid across the island to a beautiful open but rough sea. We were quickly greeted with squeals as baby turtles started to poke their heads out of the sand and scramble, one by one, down the runway (which had been cleared by the organisation that led our tip). It amazed me how each of them instinctively knew they must make a wild dash for the sea. They had only just been born! We watched some turtles struggle and fall into sand craters but finally each little soft grey turtle made it into the sea. 100% success rate. It was easy to be carried away by such an experience, when the last turtles arrived at the breaking waves, it was only natural to follow them into the water; still fully clothed and in possession of my digital camera! Almost everyone was in the water, and having lost sight of the last turtle we ventured to steep, foamy waves that were breaking on a coral bar further out to sea. It was immense fun being thrown around by the waves and jumping to greet each one. The entertainment continues, on another Sunday a group of us hired motorbikes and took a spectacularly beautiful journey across the island. Utende is essentially a dead end at the south east tip of the Island and as a passenger I marveled as the island unfolded beneath my eyes. We crossed the whole Island, passing through villages, each one completely unique in their infrastructure and character. Vibrant patches of colours from a distance would turn into communities joining for either prayers of form groups of children walking from school. We had to leave our paved road early on in the journey, the only tarmac road on the island was the one which linked Utende to Kilindoni (the main city of the island where our internal flight landed), and take to the dirt tracks. It was an adventure in itself, exploring different areas of our island and being thrown around at each bump and tossed upwards when hitting a ditch! I almost couldn't believe it was real when we heard monkeys calling in the trees. We parked our bikes and after frantically searching the tree tops, our gaze met a small monkey peering down at us. We concluded our outbound journey when we reached the lighthouse in the north. Our group were so excited by this sight, after hours of biking on sandy, rocky terrain, we had traversed our island.
Generally, the locals in the nearby village were warm and welcoming, when we told them we were part of Frontier, they nodded in approval and I felt a sense of pride. It was evident Frontier has worked hard over the years to maintain a strong relationship with the local people. This had been achieved through conservation measures, primary, secondary and adult teaching and above all respecting muslim traditions and rituals. I was lucky to have experienced the delights of the Mafia Island with the people I did alongside the wonderful memories we share.I absolutely loved my time in Africa, I cannot comment on other Frontier projects but it was really quite unique the way in which we had such a strong bond with the local community. I believe over the years Frontier have made a real effort to maintain such a strong relationship. The lady who cooked our meals and the two men who operated the boat were all locals. We were delivered rice, beans and flour in huge sacks from local villagers. I felt that the camp I lived in was not at all an imposition on the local community but rather an friendly interaction. There was something strangely satisfying about sorting through beans in the morning and throwing away the ones with holes as opposed to supermarket GM products packed in layers of packing. Without a doubt, I recommend to anyone looking for an adventure and a break from western society to seriously consider doing a Frontier project on your own. Discover yourself and a remarkable area of the world.

The three month microfinance project that I worked on through Project’s Abroad not only deepened my knowledge and understanding of micro lending , but it also provided me with a hands on, multi-cultural experience. From the day that I landed in Tanzania, Project’s Abroad was very intentional about making sure that my volunteer experience was top notch. After my second day in Arusha, Tanzania I began working on my microfinance project. Through this project I received a lot of experience on how to do business counseling to poor and illiterate small business owners. As a team we worked with nearly 50 women in order to help them further their livelihoods and better their businesses. I was able to help and educate these women in need. Through my three months that I spent on my project I felt like I was able to make a lasting impact on the women who we served.

Another aspect of this organization that I really thought was beneficial to the whole experience was staying at the host family. The host family that I stayed with was incredible! They treated me as if I had been their son from the day that I got there. They were able to help me with any questions/concern that I had not only with my project, but also with the culture in general. My experience would not have been the same if I had not stayed at a host family’s home. This opportunity also gave me the chance to meet other volunteers that were staying at the family with me. In the short time that I was there I was able to make some of my best friends through Project’s Abroad. I would highly recommend Project’s Abroad to anyone.

Had an amazing three weeks here at the frontier camp in Utende, mafia island. The kids are great and the vibrant locals have never failed to show a friendly and welcoming attitude. The staff here were awesome, each one of them a maverick in their own special way, except for olly, olly is just THE olly, and has currently set himself up as a God among the worshipping locals. life here is very chilled out and I will definetley return in the future.

I went to Tanzania when for the first half of my summer holiday and i could not have chosen a better way to spend my summer. I did so many different activities including Teaching, Snorkelling, Bird surveys and many amazing things. My favourite thing to do was the teaching and how rewarding it was to do it. I brought out pens and pencils from the UK and giving them out a prizes was one of the most memorable things i have ever done.
Camp life is one of the things that will stand out most for me when i remember this project as it was so laid back and welcoming. You get to know everybody on camp instantly and it is a lot of fun. If you have any worries about coming out to a project on your own, dont worry you will fit right in within seconds of being on camp.
I would recommend Frontier Tanzania to anybody wanting to do something amazing and rewarding in a community for the variety of things that you can do and the atmosphere on camp.

Had the time of my life in Tanzania with Frontier. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about marine life and broaden their horizons. I came out to Tanzania not really knowing what to expect, but this place has completely fulfilled all of my expectations. Learning to dive and getting to PADI Advanced Open Water level in less than 2 weeks was simply stunning and learning all about the life in the reefs here was a natural addition. Getting to understand how to carry out a scientific survey and then completing around 20 of them really gives a purpose to your diving, which is always nice. Even though I was part of the marine team, I still got the chance to be involved in the activities of the other projects, which gave me a broader view of the island and the community. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and I would wholeheartedly recommend this project to anyone.

My trip to Tanzania has been one of the most amazing experiences. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and made each day enjoyable. The program allowed me to experience thing i never have before, and will never forget. We were able to get really involved in the scientific research whilst mixing with the friendly locals and experiencing the Tanzanian way of life. Frontier is definitely a company I would recommend, and would love to take part in another one of their programmes in the future.

I started the marine conservation program on the 6th of July. Had a wonderful experience with wonderful diving. The staff are great people who offer and safe and fun environment. A lovely peaceful Little island with very friendly local people. I was well taken care from the start to the finish. A definite worthwhile experience and highly recommended.

Este viaje ha sido un viaje increible y unico. Antes de realizar este fantastico viaje, ya tenia una idea de como iiba a ser, gracias a la informacion tan detallada que Frontier me ofrecio desde el principio, y me hizo confiar en toda la organizacion, y sentirme muy bien acogido. Para resumir esta experiencia unica, debo decir que e tenido mucha suerte al realizar un viaje asi, en un sitio tan maravilloso como Mafia, con gente genial y muy maja, y aprendiendo cosas que nunca ubiese aprendido. Este voluntariado a sido fantastico, donde el tiempo te pasa volando , debido a que te lo pasas en grande realizando las actividades que Frontier organiza, ya que son actividades que nunca habias echo antes, y en un sitio que realmente enamora.
Para acabar quiero darle las gracias a todos los que han colaborado a que pudiera hacer este volutariado, y que si hubiese podido me hubiese quedado mas tiempo, disfrutando de esta maravillosa isla, de su gente y de esta nueva vida que e llevado durante tres semanas.