ZANZIBAR RURAL TEACHING AND COMMUNITY PROJECT
ZANZIBAR ISLAND, TANZANIA

Although Zanzibar is a beautiful tropical paradise, its local communities are badly affected by poverty, lack of education and training and unemployment.  By getting involved in local nursery, primary and secondary school education, tourism training schools and environmental programmes to help the local communities, volunteers have many opportunities to make a real impact on the lives of the people affected by these problems.

	Location:	ZANZIBAR ISLAND, TANZANIA	Dates:	Any date throughout the year
	Fees:	£895 - 2 weeks £1,245 - 4 weeks £1,645 - 6 weeks	Payment:	£180 deposit at time of booking – balance of project fee due 8 weeks before departure
	Reference:	AV008

General Information

Zanzibar is situated just off the Tanzanian coast in East Africa.  It is a fascinating archipelago with an interesting history, many different cultures and beautiful beaches and sea life.  Indeed it is well known for the white-sand beaches and turquoise blue water, and is home to many historical monuments, Chumbe Island Marine Reserve and Jozani Forest, the home of the endangered red-colobus monkey.  The chance to swim with dolphins in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean is not to be missed.  The capital is Zanzibar Town, known as the Stone Town, which has a unique mix of Indian, Arab and African mainland influences.  The town has narrow alleyways and bustling markets and mosques.  Volunteers on this project will spend most of their time at Jambiani, a village located at the southern part of the quiet east coast.  Jambiani is about one hour’s drive from Stone Town and the village stretches along the coastline – offering the opportunity for walks on the long sandy beaches in the sunny, tropical climate as well as swimming in the warm waters.  The insights and experiences gained into life on this wonderful island will be treasured for a very long time. 

Project Highlights

• Gain teaching experience in various schools and a tourism training institute
• Assist with teaching English to children and also to their teachers and community leaders through the Adult Literacy Programme
• Help with building and improving the educational facilities in the community
• Play developmental games with pre-school children and take part in sports afternoons on the beach
• Help with keeping the beach/marine and village environment clean and tidy
• Glimpse life on the island and make a real difference to the poor community
• Experience the local culture – and even learn a bit of Kiswahili
• An opportunity to explore the island, try some water sports and experience some of the finest safari destinations on the African continent

Volunteer Projects

Pre-Schools

There are four pre-schools in Jambiani and volunteers will help the local teachers by getting involved in:

• Teaching English to the children, teachers and local adults
• Singing with the children in English and their local languages
• Helping to develop the children’s creative skills through painting and drawing
• Playing developmental games with the children
• Helping with the general upkeep of the school

Primary and Secondary Schools

With so many children to educate and very limited resources, two school sessions are run each day.  Although the schools are ill-equipped, the children are so keen to learn and the volunteers play an important role in:

• Teaching English in all the classes
• Taking extra English classes before and after school for teachers
• Assisting with science teaching – physics, chemistry, maths and biology
• Organising sports afternoons for the childrenHelping to maintain and re-build the run down school facilities

Volunteers with TEFL qualifications are really helpful on this part of the project.  However this is not essential.

Tourism Training Centre

Tourism is felt to be the activity with most potential in Zanzibar and through this sector there is a drive to deal with the issues of reducing poverty and improving the environment .  The Jambiani Institute was set up to address such problems and tackle the issues of outsiders from Tanzania mainland and Kenya being employed in local tourism initiatives, rather than the local villagers.  The Centre aims to train local villagers so that they can gain employment at local hotels and other tourist attractions and volunteers will help with this training by:

• Teaching English
• Life-skills teaching
• Teaching basic administrative tasks
• Teaching basic computer skills, eg writing a CV
• Helping with cookery classes and food and drink management
• Helping to supervise the students in practical things such as handling money, role play etc

Volunteers also will help with local conservation initiatives such as tree-planting, beach clean-ups.

A Day in the Life of a Volunteer – Mon to Fri (may vary)

6.45	Get up and get ready for the project
7.15	Breakfast
7.45	Head off on foot to the project placement
8.00	Start work on allocated placement – pre-school, primary or secondary school etc
12.30	Lunch break – all volunteers will be picked up from their projects and taken back to the volunteer house where lunch will be waiting for them
14.00	Return to the allocated placement, or undertake some community work
17.00	Home time – volunteers will make their own way back to the volunteer house where they may swim, have a cool drink, visit the internet cafe, socialise with other volunteers – or just relax and unwind on the beach.  The evenings are a great time for all volunteers to get together and talk over the events of the day over supper or perhaps go for a drink to one of the many cafes and  hotels on the beach.

Optional Excursions

There are many tours and safari options available, perfect for a weekend break and the project staff will assist volunteers with any arrangements they may wish to make.

“I loved my time here in Zanzibar and would love to stay longer to work with the new volunteers and see the project progress. I haven’t done a volunteer project before, but am very happy that my first one was here” Sue Cullinae, Age 25, UK

“I really hope you know how much of a wonderful time I had. This trip was more than I could ever ask for and everything that you and Timo did truly made it perfect. I miss the kids SO MUCH.” Annie Rose McGrath, USA

“The group I was in was filled with such great people! I feel we made lifelong friends and being right on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world was really incredible. Meeting and working with Mr .Okala was defiantly a highlight , we learned so much about his native home and way of life from him.” Veronica Montemarano, USA

Support

Support and advice is available from your Project Managers whilst on the project and from the UK Amanzi Travel Team.

Find out more about Amanzi Travel support

Orientation

A comprehensive information pack will be sent to all our volunteers upon booking their trip and further advice and information will be provided via telephone and email before departure. A full orientation will be provided when you arrive at the project by the local support team including information on the current status of the projects and familiarizing you with the local surroundings.

Accommodation and Meals

Volunteers will be accommodated in Jambiani where there are two bungalow-type cottages, each sleeping four people, just a short walk from the beach.  Each cottage has its own bathroom and fully furnished bedroom (4 volunteers sharing).  Laundry and housekeeping services are available on a regular basis and a cook is provided to prepare volunteers’ meals which are taken at the outside eating area overlooking the sea.  There is a private stretch of sand and palm trees between the project cottages and the public beach.   Internet and telephone services are available in Jambiani village, a short walk away.   Volunteers will be provided with three meals a day.  Breakfast is on a self-service basis and consists of cereals or porridge, toast, fruit, tea and coffee.  Lunch and dinner are full meals.  Volunteers may also have a packed lunch or there may be local lunches at the project.  It is helpful to advise when booking of any food allergies – and in particular in relation to seafood.

Getting There

You will need to fly directly into Zanzibar Airport in Stone Town, Zanzibar, where you will be met by one of the project team. There are direct flights from Europe, the United States and South Africa to either Nairobi (Kenya) or Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania) and then easy connections on to Zanzibar Island.

(There may be a number of ways to reach the destination airport - for further information or advice please contact Amanzi Travel)

Project Fees

What is included

• Airport transfers from Zanzibar Airport or ferry port/harbour on arrival and departure
• Full on site orientation and support from project staff
• Daily transport to and from project if required
• All accommodation including three meals a day in Jambiani
• Weekly laundry service
• A contribution to the project itself to help fund equipment, supplies etc

What is excluded

• Personal travel insurance to include cover for repatriation
• Transport to and from Dar Es Salaam or Zanzibar Island
• All items of a personal nature, travel goods, clothes
• Email, internet and telephone calls
• Soft drinks, wines and spiritws
• Any visas required for border crossings
• Any extra excursions over and above planned itinerary
• Transportation not related to the project