Tanzania

Great atmosphere and fun, lovely people who are happy to help whenever needed. Great teachers for diving which often happens daily.

I have spent 10 weeks on Mafia Island, Tanzania, participating in the Marine Conservation and Diving volunteering project with Frontier and have had the most incredible time. The accommodation, although very basic, had everything I needed with fairly comfortable sleeping arrangements, great food cooked by a lovely local woman called Rosie 6 days a week, bucket showers and a long drop which did the job, and comfortable working space (although slightly leaky in heavy rain).

I learnt to dive whilst out here, completing my PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water courses and was trained by the dive officer here, Amanda Dennis. The 2 courses were completed in just over 2 weeks which was amazingly quick but suitably thorough, and I was therefore able to participate in lots of marine surveys and other sorts of dives. I managed to do 51 dives in 10 weeks which was unbelievable.

The whole experience was managed brilliantly with everything running smoothly, and all the staff have been so friendly and helpful, I haven't had any problems at all. I would absolutely recommend a trip with Frontier to anyone interested.

I wanted to volunteer abroad and I came across Concordia's website offering a variety of volunteering programmes with low cost fees, so it was affordable for me as a student!! I then had the trouble of actually picking which country I wanted to go to, there were so much choice, I eventually chose Taiwan, I was nervous at first as this was my first time abroad - not knowing anyone, not speaking the language, travelling by myself, do I have enough money? How do I get to the meeting point? But Concordia reassured and prepared me enough for me to feel comfortable about going! Both the training and the helpful, friendly Concordia team have been amazing, making sure I have everything with me, giving me instructions and directions on how to get to the meeting point, what to expect, asking me how the experience was after I finished, constantly taking care of you all the way!!

Once I got to Taiwan, the staff there were so welcoming and lovely, they treated you with so much respect and cared for you, I had the best 2 weeks there!

If I hadn't volunteered with Concordia I wouldn't have made international friends for life or had the confidence to get out of my comfort zone and do things that I wouldn't necessarily do. Challenge yourself, learn new skills, meet lovely people and just go for it! Now, I love volunteering and Concordia has given me that passion!

Despite only being able to stay a week my volunteer experience in Tanzania was worthwhile. I learned a lot about HIV/Aids I did not know and it was eye opening to see how a different culture handled the disease. It was amazing how open everyone was to answering all my questions and educating me on health care in Tanzania and the history of Tanzania as well. My individual placement was far away and as intimidating as it was to travel such a far distance-I increased my self-autonomy. I also considered myself an independent person but now I definitely know this to be true. It was also amazing how I was able to visit with the children at the program and get that experience as well. I cannot wait to return back to Tanzania one day and stay for a longer period of time.

An excellent experience I would recommend to anyone. Good value for money, welcoming staff and volunteers, fantastic location. Anyone looking to make a difference volunteering on either terrestrial or marine projects should seriously consider this project.

I first found this program when I was searching for gap year programs online. It was advertised as a diving course which was one out of the two main reasons (working with whale sharks being the other) that I signed up for it in the first place. Later, once I had paid tuition and all the fees that were somewhat sprung on me it was brought to my attention through an email with the project's coordinator that diving was not part of my specific program. I would have to pay extra if I wanted to participate in diving. This was a very unwelcome surprise. I didn't have much choice but to continue with my plans though considering that I had already paid my full tuition. I choose to not participate in the diving in the end. The information given for preparing for the trip and what was needed was limited. I had to ask quite a bit of questions because the information given was often vague and confusing. Once getting there I quickly became accustomed to life around camp. It is very simple. I knew that coming into this and I found no major issues with it but anyone who chooses to do Frontier Tanzania should be aware and prepared for the simple life. You will be eating beans and rice or rice and beans everyday for lunch and bread that we baked the night before for every breakfast. Dinner is a little more varied. There is a very limited supply of electricity. The people here are all very relaxed and it's best to give yourself away to island time while here. I did get to see a number of whale sharks (I couldn't be happier) while here and helped out with other projects (terrestrial and marine.) Schooling is mostly memorisation. Life here is generally slow and easy going while we aren't doing activities relating to our own projects. You'll get a lot of time to read, play cards, and just hang out with your fellow volunteers and staff. Tanzania has a large Muslim population so girls please bring clothing that goes past the knees (or buy a sarong here.) Bug repellant is gold here. Bring more than you think that you will need.

I’ve been working for Frontier for a month as the Marine Research Officer and I’m loving every minute. The people on camp are great and the location we are in is fantastic! We carry out baseline surveys on the local reefs, mangroves, and seagrass meadows to monitor for any change in reef health or species diversity. The data we collect is then used to produce eight science reports a year on our findings as well as numerous other articles written with results from side projects. All the volunteers on the project help gather the data and everybody helps out around camp. The living conditions on camp are very basic with long drop toilets and outdoor showers but it is nice to get back to basics and live without the luxuries of home, it really makes you appreciate what you’ve got.

I have been on Mafia Island as part of the Frontier team for three weeks now and I have to say, it is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever taken part in.The lovely people working on the project have made the project especially rewarding. The chance to dive, teach and conduct research for conservation purposes is an experience not to be missed. The locals are lovely and welcoming and the chance to teach both the children and the villagers has been especially rewarding. Conducting research both in the sea and in Mangrove forests has enabled me to gain an insight into terrestrial and marine habitats as well as allowing me to contribute to the conservation efforts.

Since arriving on Mafia Island in September last year, my time has gone so fast and I'm not ready to go home. The people who have become my friends out here, staff locals and volunteers, have made it a truly great experience and I am thankful to have met everyone. The locals are very welcoming and the children in the village hold your hand and follow you around. Although it is tempting on days off to lie on the beach, there are many small islands, lagoons and villages to visit to waste your time like that. Six out of seven days a week I am out surveying all kinds of animals and plants from hippo's to mangroves and it has taught me so much. The work out here that we do can have a real benefit on the local fauna and flora and you can see the progress that each day is having on the scientific data.

I have been working for Frontier in Tanzania for two months and it has been an amazing experience so far. I came here not knowing much about the culture but already have been brought up to speed by so many great people here. The diving is amazing. Beautiful reefs, virtually untouched and contributing to the science program here really gives me a greater understand of the reef environment and leaves me wanting to learn more. Living in this environment has its challenges but they are all met by people who are passionate about being here and getting stuck in.