The eight days (Jan 16 - 23) our students will spend in Tanzania will see them travel around the Arusha region, participating in a highly rewarding programme of community service, learning about sustainable development and exploring the Tarangire National Park where they will discover the diverse range of Tanzanian flora and fauna.
Day 1 (Wednesday, Jan 16):
After a very long 24 hours of travel, we finally arrived in Tanzania! The Camp is beautiful and the students were very impressed with dinner. They have already made friends with students from other Nord Anglia schools. Tomorrow, half the students will build goat sheds & solar lights to place in people's homes, whilst the other half will set off trekking. But first - a good night's sleep!
Day 2 (Thursday, Jan 17):
Today the students were divided into two groups. Miss Rea's group went trekking and camped in tents overnight, before continuing their trek tomorrow.
Mr Forster's group had a deeply humbling day spent with a poor family in the countryside. They live 5 people to a small wooden 'house' (3m x 3m) without electricity or running water. The students worked hard to build for them a smokeless stove, goat shed and solar lighting system. Before we left, the students even donated a goat to the family's new goat shed - their first ever! Tomorrow, Mr Forster's group will set off for their overnight safari.
Day 3 (Friday, Jan 18):
What an amazing start to our Tanzania expedition! Half of the group have spent the last two days away from the camp. Yesterday morning, we woke up to the peaceful sound of crickets and rivers. We got a bus to where we did a very long and difficult trek through the African outback. It was absolutely stunning. Students pushed themselves so much. They were fantastic. We even found a beautiful waterfall!
Once completing our VERY DIFFICULT trek, we went to ‘Dolly Bush Estate.’ This was a stunning nature reserve. Students all had to pitch their own tents with their new friends from different schools. The African sun was so hot and we could hear lots of animals that we did not recognize! We were very brave though!
In the evening everyone pulled together to prepare and cook dinner for 30 people. Students followed recipes to organise, prepare, cook and clean. Our very own Hoang Nam was appointed as Head Chef! A teacher from another school commented on how amazing the teamwork of the BIS students was. (They really were amazing!)
Today, we were up at 6 am to pack up camp and head over to our first day at the Seeway Project. We have spent the entire day building classrooms and desks. It’s been another really hot day, but every student worked so incredibly hard. They didn’t give up, they supported each other and they were just absolutely brilliant. The students are really shining and are enjoying so much. Very proud of them!
Day 4 & 5 (Saturday & Sunday, Jan 19 & 20):
Mr Forster's group have had a fun time on safari - spotting lions, giraffes, elephants, zebra and many more! They camped out overnight in tents within the national park; luckily no students got eaten by a lion.
Miss Rea's group enjoyed their hike and swim in the waterfall. After that, they worked really hard for many hours to help construct new classrooms for a local primary school. Currently, the school has 1000 students (similar to BIS) but only 10 classrooms, so 100 students in each class!
On Sunday the two groups will swap, so Miss Rea's group will set off on safari and Mr Forster's group will take over the construction project. The students have worked really hard and are thoroughly enjoying this experience!
James Forster (‘Global Campus’ Coordinator) & Laura Rea (Nord Anglia Regional Lead of Performing Arts)
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