Nord Anglia Tanzania Expedition

Tanzania Expedition

On Wednesday 19th February, the Tanzania expedition group landed back in Budapest after a weeklong expedition at Shamba Kipara Camp. We all got to experience new things, some that we have never done and will probably never do again.

On the first two days, we helped with the construction of a brand-new secondary school building site. None of us had done manual labour so we were all curious about how the building process actually ran. We learnt how to make cement, since the builders don’t have access to cement mixers as in a lot of places around the world, and brick-laying. Teamwork was an essential part of the construction to make sure everything got done in time, especially for making the cement which required lots of shovels so that everything was properly mixed. We got to visit a finished nursery school and saw the students sleeping during nap time in their classrooms, which was a very emotional moment as I envisioned our finished school. The secondary school will be a lot more accessible for many students, who will then have a higher chance of succeeding in further education.

On the third day, we went camping at Dollybush. As a group, we prepared our own dinner having been given the recipes and the ingredients necessary. We also put up our own tents, which was a challenging task in itself as most of us were first-timers to camping. This activity led us to learn new skills about camping and other aspects of outdoor life.

On the fourth day, we split into groups and each group was allocated a house which we were to work on. In our groups we shared the tasks - one pair was building a smokeless stove, another pair was installing solar lights in the house, and the rest of us were working on building a goat shed for the goat that we gifted the family. At the end of the day, we got to spend time with the kids and learn more about the family, who were very sweet and welcoming.

The last two days were a safari, which was great fun. We got to blast songs in our safari truck and see beautiful animals in their natural habitats. We camped at the national park which was scary since there were no gates or anything protecting us from the animals which we heard in the middle of the night. We woke up before sunset and saw the animals wake up, along with the excited monkeys that were hopping from tree to tree near us.

All in all, it was a very rewarding thing and I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity to visit Tanzania. Not only did I meet lots of new people from around the world, but I also feel closer to the people on the trip. It was a fun trip, and I hope the Year 12s next year have just as much fun as we did!

Zahra, Year 12