Our annual trip to Tanzania is organized by Nord Anglia Education, our global family of more than 40 sister international schools. This special trip brings our Boston students together with more than 100 other students from around the world to complete this important service work.
In 2015, at British International School of Boston, we expanded our service work to include Tanzania's Natron region, working with a Maasai village school and other local organizations to develop a sustainable garden (an allotment known as a "bustani") at the school. The garden has grown since then and serves as a vital tool for the village and surrounding communities.
A new group of Boston students returned to Tanzania in March 2016 to continue our service work by significantly expanding the bustani site to include a four-acre farm ("shamba"). We also added a test drip-irrigation system to the original garden/bustani site.
During March 2018, a new group from BISB returned to Natron and continued work at the farm to help stabilize the food supply and further develop the site. This included employing a second Farm Manager.
Since 2015 BISB students have also worked on the construction of a nursery school with a special needs unit in the village of Arusha as well as a primary school. Following on from the success of the primary school, and having more children complete their primary education, the local community were in need of a secondary school.
Prior to the start of Nord Anglia’s new project, Tanzanian students moving into their secondary education were required to travel a long distance to the nearest school.
The Tanzania Government have seen the positive effects of the school program set up by Nord Anglia and Seeway, and have started to provide funding for additional schools. During the COVID lockdowns, work began on the construction of a secondary school in the local area.
In 2023 students returned to the Arusha area to continue the building work on the construction of a dining facility and female dorms.