Tanzania & Zanzibar Island: African Safari, School Construction & Education, and Swimming with Dolphins

Heading to the village of Kairo I wasn't sure what to expect , but the reality of it was well beyond any image that I had created in my mind. There was constant laughter, games, dance parties, and so much love. I fell asleep every single night with sore cheeks from laughing so much and with a full heart from the amount of love and support that is carried throughout this village.
Us volunteers helped construct a school for Kairo. Our local guides taught us to mix cement by hand and helped us load wheelbarrows of rubble to build the students a computer lab. On the construction site there was constant words of encouragement, laughter, and of course, dance parties. Although we were all working so hard our construction guides, Biggie, Smile, Baboi, and MC never failed to make it SO much fun. Each of them work so hard all day long, but still constantly have a smile on their face.
As well as doing construction , we got to tutor local students. I was fortunate enough to be put into a classroom with the Maasai tribe. These boys worked all night and still came to the classroom at 9 in the morning. Each one of them were so eager and determined to learn. They made the classroom so special and so much fun. The excitement and encouragement that they showed each other was extremely heartwarming. Although we did not speak the same language , I have never had so much fun or felt so connected in a classroom. A special thank you to Talha, Kao, Caroline, Aumor, and Sophi for their help in the classroom.
The village of Kairo is now 100% my favorite place on earth. Not only because of its beauty, but because of how pure, kind , postive , and fun the locals are despite the challenges in their village. I am not sure how to comprehend or explain how amazing my experience in the Kairo village was. I am overwhelmed by the amount of love I now have for each and every person I have met on this trip. To say I am heartbroken having to leave my new family is an understatement.

Words cannot describe how absolutely incredible this experience is! The people, community, fellow volunteers, guides, and students make this place feel home. The communication while planning your trip is outstanding and all my questions were answered very promptly, along with their in depth preparation package that is provided helping you pack and set expectations of the trip. After arriving everything is taken care of for you, transportations, accommodations, food, help with creating lesson plans, boat trips, safari you name it and GIVE has it covered! The guides did an incredible job with ensuring we knew what was to come in the upcoming days, and were always there to lend a hand. Whether it was sickness, needing a bandaid, a hug, advice, a shoulder to cry on, they were always there with open arms for whatever you needed. This is the most rewarding, fun, eye opening experience and Tanzania will always have a special place in my heart. This trip truly helps you grow as a person and gives you such a perspective on life, and who you are as a person. All I can say is BOOK THE DANG TRIP! There is not one bad thing I can say about this experience and the GIVE program!

Just book the trip!! You won’t regret spending a cent. I’m from Australia and never had any issues there. You can be from anywhere in the world and go. You will learnt about the culture properly, learn their language, learn weaving and even cook with them. The guides were amazing people that will inspire you to be your best and let you be who you are. We got to go on a dolphin tour, go to the spice farm. Lear how you make soap and moisturiser. You will work hard in construction and learn how to teach English. You get the full experience, just book it!!

I highly recommend traveling through give volunteers. It was an experience of a lifetime and I’m looking forward to another trip with them. This is a legit program and they are very knowledgeable. I had a lot of questions through the whole process and someone was there to answer them all in a timely manner. There is a great balance of fun, work, and learning. I met so many new friends that I can count on even after the trip ended. The Tanzania program specifically was wonderful the community there is inspiring. The guides are amazing people who are there for you, very supportive, and really made the trip one to remember. If you are reading this because you’re undecided and need a sign, take this as your sign to book the Tanzania trip!

I was not expecting such an awesome trip with GIVE. I was nervous signing up because I hadn’t heard of this program before and it seemed too good to be true, but it’s the real deal. I’m happy I picked the Tanzania trip and got to learn so much from my time there. With GIVE you can fully immerse yourself in the culture there and learn so much from the community. This experience was great and it was so much fun. It was nice to have everything set up for me and the schedule was reasonable. Work hard play hard. You will be doing a lot of good with your time in Tanzania and actually be able to see your impact and progress which I thought was really cool. You will also gain fun memorable experiences only a few people will get the chance to experience. Only thing left to say is get on it and take this trip!

My GIVE Tanzania + Zanzibar trip was a life changing experience to say the least. EVERY single GIVE guide, volunteer, and community member inspired me throughout the trip and made the experience unforgettable. I cannot recommend doing a GIVE trip enough... I cannot wait to embark on my next trip -- and continue to impact the communities GIVE works with. This trip genuinely changed my life and impacted me in ways I would have NEVERf expected. If you are on the fence, GO FOR IT. You will not regret a single thing.

Along with 25 other volunteers, I arrived on the island of Zanzibar, a part of the country of Tanzania, to immerse ourselves in the local culture and leave a positive impact within the community. We had the opportunity to learn the rich history of Kairo and the island of Zanzibar as a whole. Previously, Tanzania was split into two countries, Tanginika and Zanzibar. When their governments merged together, the country of Tanzania was formed. Life on the island looks a little different than on the mainland, but that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the land and it’s people.
The past two weeks have been full of hauling rubble (gravel), mixing cement, clearing brush, and teaching English and computer skills to the citizens of Kairo. As a group, our main goal was to finish the stage being built in the new testing center at the local elementary school, as well as clear ground for a new computer lab to be built (which future volunteers will continue to work on until it is completed!) The school can then use the stage for local events and make an income towards school fundings. The computer lab will be used for the GIVE tutoring program, since they currently use the elementary school’s computer room. Right now, my group is beginning our two-day water & land safari before we all fly home (U.S., Canada, & Australia!) and the second volunteer group of the summer is arriving on the island to take over where we left off!
The impact this opportunity has left on my life is immeasurable. Along the way, I got to learn some of the Swahili language (not spoken anywhere else in the world!!) and try so many local food dishes. Being able to experience first-hand the living conditions in Tanzania was life-changing, and seeing how genuinely happy the citizens are means so much more. This experience has proven that materialistic things cannot create happiness, but the people we surround ourselves with.
Speaking of the people, the citizens of Kairo are some of the kindest people I have ever gotten the pleasure of meeting. There was never a time when someone would pass you on the street without offering the greeting “Mambo!” (Hello!) with a smile on their faces. Each of our students were so eager to learn. They would show up to class early everyday and ASK for homework. It was so inspiring to watch them grow in their education and openness to our teaching.
The people I met along the way were just as inspiring. From my fellow volunteers to the local staff and guides, each one of them had the purest hearts and biggest aspirations. I’ll miss the daily laughs we shared and each unique personality of the local staff members who never failed to put a smile on my face. The relationships that I have built with them have been incredibly hard to leave behind, knowing there is a slim chance I will see any of them again.
I am incredibly thankful to GIVE Volunteers for offering me this incredible opportunity, the positive impact they are making all over the world is truly amazing, and I am so blessed to have been able to be a small part it. I highly recommend looking into their efforts of leaving our home better than before, there are so many ways to participate.

It's truly hard to put into words how incredible my experience with GIVE was. From day 1 we were all welcomed into the vibrant culture of Tanzania with open arms. I fell in love with teaching each and every student. Seeing their level of hard work and dedication was truly inspiring. Days working on construction were so rewarding and the guides did a fabulous job of keeping group energy up with so much dancing and fun! Of course aside from the volunteer projects there was so much adventure involved, swimming with dolphins and the safari felt so surreal. It can definitely be intimidating to take the leap but it is 100% worth it. This was my second trip with GIVE and I would do it all again in a heartbeat!