Our Life Changing Experiences in Tanzania 2024

BSB is pleased to once again offer the chance for our students to attend the NAE Tanzania Expedition in February for 1 week. Our BSB Tanzania Team consisted of Year 11 to 13 students this year and it's truly a life changing experience for all who went on the trip. 

Our students has worked together with their classmates from across Nord Anglia to make positive changes in the Arusha community – changes that immediately improve the lives of those in need.

Our global expeditions provide unique life and learning experiences for students to broaden their horizons and develop into mature and successful global citizens.  

Read about the students' daily activities

Campsite in Shamba Kipara

We have arrived safely at Shamba Kipara, our home for the next week in Tanzania! Our stunning camp is equipped with a communal dining area, a swimming pool, a football pitch, a mini nature reserve, and of course glamping-style tents. We are tired but happy to be here and very excited to be heading off on safari tomorrow!

Safari Adventure

Our 2-day safari adventure started with loading up onto our two vehicles: an army truck named ‘Sarah’ and a smaller Land Cruiser. We drove the 3 hours north to Tarangire National Park, enjoying sights of our Tanzanian landscape along the way. Once we entered the park we all kept our eyes peeled for wild animals. We were not disappointed! Starting with majestic impala and cute warthogs, we were then treated to views of majestic giraffes and elephants.

We were then lucky enough to catch sight of a cheetah, and later 3 lionesses. It was magnificent! We eventually headed to our camp for our night of camping, and after dinner, a campfire and some information from our ranger Goodluck about Masai culture, it was time for bed.

In the morning we got to watch the sun rise as we ate breakfast and then we headed off again. Once more we were treated to the sights of wild animals in their natural habitat, this time including 2 male lions relaxing in the long grass. It has been an incredible experience we will all remember.

Community Service Project – Building Classrooms

Days 3 and 4 of our trip have been focused on the Seeway Community Service Project. Students from Nord Anglia schools have all been supporting the building of new classrooms and a much-needed toilet block for Dolly Primary School, local to Arusha. The current building was constructed in the 1950s and you can tell.

Seeway is also ensuring every child who goes to this school will get a meal every day- which is sometimes their only one.

Our students did us proud helping with the building work: they mixed cement, laid bricks and built desks. It was hard work in the hot sun but each and every student expressed a great sense of accomplishment at what they had completed.

Community Service Project – Support local Families

Day 5 involved the 2^nd part of the Seeway Community Service Project: supporting local families in their homes. A team from Seeway works on identifying vulnerable families in the Arusha area who will benefit from some additional support.

Our students then visit the houses and help in 3 ways:

1. Building a goat shed for a female goat that the family will receive, something that will help in a number of ways including supplying the family with very nutritious goat’s milk;

2. Installing solar lighting which also provides a charging outlet for mobile phones;

3. Building a smokeless stove that will greatly improve fuel efficiency when cooking.

Our students worked in 2 separate teams supporting 2 different families. Everyone pitched in and within a few hours all 3 projects were completed by the afternoon. It was a productive and highly rewarding experience knowing that we can make a difference in the lives of those in need.

Let's hear what are some of our students' best memories

Ms. Sarah Donnelly, IB CAS Coordinator said: "All participants are to be congratulated for their fantastic attitudes over the course of the trip. They approached each day with enthusiasm and positivity, whether this was during our Safari trip or when we contributed to the primary school building work and community goat shed projects. Every single adult who encountered them commented on what a wonderful group they were. We couldn't be more proud. Although there were countless moments over the week that created stand out memories, it was our students interacting with the Dolly Primary School children that I will remember most. I think the photographs speak for themselves as to why."

Please see below written by our students John, Freya and Wendy. Thank you for sharing what you've learnt from this awesome experience!

Challenge & Resilience

Overcoming challenges and maintaining resilience would be one of the most important takeaways from the trip. For most of the members of Team Tanzania, it was our first time going to Africa. Trying to adapt to the different, unique East African culture was a bit hard at first. The environment proved to be challenging; for example, it was extremely hot, and many different insects bothered us during the trip.

However, most of us considered the greatest test to our resilience is the heavy, physical work during the community service project. We mixed cement by hand, laid bricks, and created the floor foundation for a new classroom, all jobs we had never done before. I still remember lifting the 50 kg of cement powder for the foundation. Remember, all these heavy tasks were achieved under the furnace-hot sun with occasional thunderstorms impacting our progress.

Yet we managed it. We got nine bags of cement powder used for the foundation, laid four layers of bricks, and, to our teacher’s delight, washed all our equipment despite the rain towering over us on the first day. It is hard to believe. Even now when I recall it, I was amazed by our resilience.

Teamwork & Collaboration

Teamwork was a crucial aspect in building the school because we had to work towards a common goal without making any mistakes with mixing cement and laying bricks. We had to divide tasks and responsibility among team members which fostered an environment where everyone was involved and contributing towards this good cause. This work emphasised the cooperative nature of working together to achieve a desired outcome. We all worked hand in hand to ensure that we could finish the tasks efficiently. Most of us also had to work with schoolmates that we’re not too familiar with, which allowed us to get to know them better. 

Tanzania & the World

Another important takeaway from the trip came from the interactions. Through the interactions with local people, we gained a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of Tanzania. 

Many members of Team Tanzania have reflected that the interaction with the students at Dolly Primary School was the best part of the trip. At the end of Day 4, we had one hour to play with the students. Some of us were playing football, some were running around, some of us were simply talking. These different types of interactions connected the team with the students.

Something many members of the team noticed was that the students were very happy. Freya, a member of the team, described the students as ‘optimistic and cheerful.’ Wendy, another member of the team, said: ‘For me, it was quite shocking to see how happy the students were from spending one hour with strangers whom they can’t pronounce the names of.’

A realisation that developed is that the students have remained positive about their life when they can barely get two meals a day. This made us reflect upon our lives and the resources we have access to. Freya said that the experience made her ‘more grateful and appreciative for everything around me.’ 

Another characteristic of the local people we recognised was that they were very welcoming. On the army truck at the safari, we spoke different languages and listened to music of different languages, but we were connected. Whenever we were traveling, there would always be people waving to us, some shouting ‘How are you?’ 

Such understanding of Tanzania has enhanced our understanding of the world as a whole. We saw the diversity of the world, but we also saw connections that overcome divides like nationality. Despite all of our differences, we shared happiness, collaborated to contribute to community development, immersed in the culture, and made each other’s day better.