Tanzania

Last year, I spent two months volunteering at Mwanayamala Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. There, I rotated through the different departments of the hospital, bandaging wounds, growing lab samples, observing surgeries, and conversing with doctors. The doctors at Mwanayamala Hospital were incredibly friendly and taught me a lot about medicine, infectious disease, and Tanzania. Several of them even took the volunteers out for lunch a couple times. Outside of my time at the hospital, I was also able to visit breathtaking beaches and waterfalls, and go on a safari with other volunteers. Although I didn't always feel safe in Dar es Salaam, because it is a large city with a certain amount of crime, the support provided by Projects Abroad was amazing. They gave me a tour of the city on my first day, made sure I knew how to make my way around town, and they were very easily accessible for any sort of assistance throughout my stay. Volunteering with Projects Abroad also helped me become comfortable with travel abroad and helped me discover my passion for service and for public health. Although Projects Abroad is quite pricy, the memories I gained and the friendships I've formed are priceless.

Before arriving at the Frontier Tanzania camp on Mafia island i had never spent much time in a developing country, let alone volunteering in one. Needless to say i was a bit apprehensive however after arriving on camp with a bunch of fellow volunteers these apprehensions quickly disappeared. I have now spent three months working at this site, and i still love every single day of it. When my two months as a volunteer was nearing an end i didn't want to leave, so i was given the opportunity to apply for the conservation apprentice role and stay as a full member of staff, i eagerly took this chance and haven't looked back since.

What can i say about the camp, the facilities are basic but this is more than made up for by the atmosphere, camp mates are always a good laugh and everyone in my time here have always got on great. If camp life does get too much then their is always the local village and beach lodges to entertain you, many a night has been spent in the local bar, or down by the beach, relaxing under the stars or with a cold locally brewed beer in hand.

Then comes the project work itself, i was lucky enough to have applied for the marine project, i came out a lowly open water diver but during my stay i have progressed all the way up the ladder to become a fully qualified Dive master, all thanks to Frontiers, amazing dive instructors. Most days are spent on the boat, or under the water, conducting Baseline surveys of the marine life found within the Mafia island Marine park, the data collected is analyzed by us then used by the Marine park office to maintain the marine park. It makes it feel all worth while knowing the data you collect is used to save some amazing animals that would otherwise be at the mercy of the modern world.

The work experience has been fantastic and for the first time in my life i can honestly say what i want to do in the future, which for me has been by far the best thing to come out of a trip that has been full of great memories and new friends.

Here I am, on Mafia Island Tanzania. Diving in an incredibly beautiful place, surrounded by new friends that feel as though they will last a lifetime.
As the Assistant Dive Officer, being in the water is how I spend my day-to-day life on Frontier camp. Although they’re always is time for a mangrove walk and a bird survey or a walk into the village for chai and fresh doughnuts. The environment is beautiful, the local community it welcoming and helpful, and our Frontier family is fantastic.
As a scuba diver instructor on paper and at heart, I came to Mafia knowing about the underwater world, but was continuing on my way to understand the vast world that lives below the surface. Since arriving on camp I have not stopped learning. Learning about the local marine life, the aquatic environment as a whole and about how I can assist in the fight to save our oceans.
Our supportive staff, both local and international, bring vast quantities of diverse knowledge and experience to create an inspiring team of individuals that have formed together to create a working ‘conservation machine’. Whale Sharks outings, turtle hatching, environmental days with the local children and conservation lessons in the local schools.
The varying diversity of daily experiences have helped me concrete my goal to continue my professional career in marine conservation. Taking my love and new knowledge for the oceans and passing these lessons onto my students.
I want to pass on a huge thank you to all our camp members who have helped me learn more about myself and the underwater world, which is were I feel most at home.

I went on Global Crossroad’s Summer Escape program in Tanzania this summer. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I was given the contact details of Deo, the man who owned the volunteer house I would be staying in when I signed up, and he was very helpful in getting me ready for the trip. When I was in Tanzania, he was so great at looking after everyone staying in the volunteer house. He would come to the house nearly every day to make sure we were all OK, and he helped all of us to learn our way around Moshi Town. He also made sure each volunteer was settled well into their volunteer programs. I volunteered at the Msamaria Center for Street Children. It was a great experience and they are always looking for creative and driven volunteers. I decided when I was leaving that I absolutely have to go back. Over the weekends, we had the opportunity to go on day long excursions to local attractions, and again Deo helped to organize these. At the end of the summer escape, there is a 5 day safari and this was very well run and an absolute blast. Overall I would absolutely recommend the Global Crossroad Summer Escape in Tanzania!

My friend and i decided we wanted to volunteer abroad in Africa at an orphanage, so we started doing some research and happened upon IFRE. It gave us tons of different options in terms of places and different types of programs, so we chose to volunteer at Msamaria Center for Street Children in Moshi, Tanzania. I can honestly say it was one of the best choices i have ever made. We were welcomed the moment we stepped off our plane. They helped us figure out everything from the tours and safaris we wanted to do to finding paint for the orphanage. It was really an incredible and wholesome organization. The director Deogratius Peter is super helpful and approachable for any question, issue, or need that a volunteer may have. The volunteer house we stayed in was really spacious and accommodating and immediately felt like home. I would recommend this program to anyone who is thinking about doing any type of volunteering abroad, my trip greatly exceeded all of my highest expectations.

I volunteered in Tanzania through Global Crossroad in September 2013. This was my second trip to Tanzania, but my first time visiting as a volunteer. Working with Global Crossroad, I coordinated this trip for 5 other volunteers from my hometown. The staff in the Global Crossroad office in Texas, USA were very helpful, responsive and informative as I prepared for the trip. I especially appreciated Tracey's promptness to respond to questions and Mohan's wealth of information. Mohan has visited Tanzania and Kenya many times and his inside tips were invaluable in the planning of our trip. His passion for helping people in this part of the world is obvious, as he has shared with me on multiple occasions the projects he is involved with in East Africa. He helped us make decisions on travel and coordinated everything for us beginning with our landing in Nairobi, including a mini tour of Nairobi before heading on to Moshi, Tanzania to begin our projects.

Home base was not fancy, but was charming and clean. There were two sweet local young ladies who helped oversee things at home base. They were pleasant and prepared 2 meals a day for us. I enjoyed the local meals they prepared very much. Deo was our on site coordinator. He helped us immensely during our stay and our whole team thinks very highly of him. He has a wonderful personality. An added bonus of staying at home base, meeting other volunteers from around the world and making new friends!

Now for the best part, the kids!!! We loved spending time with the children at Upendo Orphanage and Msamaria Center for Street Children. Most of our time was spent just giving the children the individualized attention they need. With the younger children, this included helping with meal times, play time, and nap time. For the older children, we helped with conversational English, some math, and art. We were able to donate many items to the programs and go out and buy food locally to donate to both places as well. (I highly recommend this if possible! Both places really appreciated this.) The cultural exchange was one of the best experiences of my life. I was blessed in these interactions and hope I was able to bless them as well.

Deo and local friends helped coordinate a weekend safari and a few day trips to nearby tourist highlights. Tanzania landscape is almost as beautiful as the people, so I highly recommend getting out and seeing some of these amazing places.

We did run into to a few situations that were beyond anyone's control while we were away. Global Crossroad staff helped in these situations and overall, our team was satisfied with how things were handled. People have asked me if I would recommend Global Crossroad or if I would volunteer with one of their programs again. To answer that question: I will be volunteering with Global Crossroad in South Africa in two months.

During my summer this year, between my AS and A2 levels I went to Tanzania for 3 weeks to volunteer. This has been one of the most valuable experiences of my life and I will never forget it! Staying on camp was a valuable experience and it has made me appreciate the simpler things like fridges and running water!! The food was better than I expected, but I don't think I will be having rice and beans again any time soon! But you could also get chips or chipsy mayai, a nice change from the rice and beans! Saturday was when everyone would hang out at the local bar, this was a great part of the week and was always worth going to! With Frontier I was doing the Whale Sharks and Turtles project but I also learned to scuba dive. I started diving during the first week and it was an amazing experience, the water was so clear and there were so many fish! Learning to scuba dive has been amazing and is something that I will continue with. Although diving in the UK is nothing compared to diving in the Indian Ocean! I also had the chance to experience turtle hatching which was extremely cute! The people that I met on this trip have definitely become life long friends and the experiences we have all shared together will never be forgotten. This project has been a great experience for me and I would have loved to have stayed there for a very long time :) I would definitely recommend doing something like this to anyone thinking of taking a gap year or volunteering!

When I came to Mafia Island for 5 weeks of volunteering, I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to Africa before and I had never done a project with Frontier, but both were absolutely amazing!
Camp life is great - the location is beautiful and although living is basic you learn to love it. It only took a couple of days for me to feel completely at home, and now I'm so sad to be leaving! Everyone is so friendly and helpful it's like being part of a big family.
The project I did was the Wildlife Conservation Adventure and it was fantastic. Not only was it really fun but I also learnt a lot, which was important for me as I did the project to gain some experience for my university degree in conservation.
Mafia Island is an amazing place and every day you see and learn something new.
I highly recommend anyone interested in travelling and having fun, whilst learning valuable skills, to come here. I also would recommend to come for as long as you can, as although 5 weeks felt like a long time when I booked the trip it has flown by so quickly!
Thank you Frontier for such a great experience!

I spent 4 weeks with Give a Heart to Africa and it wasn’t long enough for me! GHTA is a such special organisation. Being small and grass-roots means that the experience feels so personal and means that you can make a real difference. I met such amazing people (students and fellow volunteers) and would love to go back! I recommend GHTA extremely highly.

I have really enjoyed my time at camp and I wish I was staying longer! The past 4 weeks have flown by and I have so many great memories! The scuba diving was amazing and the advanced open water course was great fun and im really glad I took the opportunity to do it whilst out here!