Volunteer in Tanzania - Life-Changing Service

Each day starts with the Roosters crowing and the school bell for the students to get up and fetch water from the river...well, we sleep a little longer. Momma Tony has breakfast ready by 7am and we are ready to learn of the days projects: teaching in the class rooms and what ever the local school/village needs for construction (i.e. collecting large rocks, digging sand, carrying bricks, building door frames, painting, and so on.) The projects start about 8am...Tanzania time is not the same as Western Time. They don't wear watches, so everything starts when everyone is gathered and ready to start. One of the many reasons I love to get away from home & work for 3 weeks and disconnect from laptops, blackberry, iPad, schedules, etc.
Lunch break is mid-day and then there is a few hours to walk around the village to meet and share thoughts with students and villagers or do what you want. Work starts up late afternoon for a few hours, usually the carrying of bricks and having supplies at site for work the next day; it just all depends on the local project.
Once we're done with the project and awaiting dinner to be ready, we all gather around "the benches" to watch Students, Teachers and/or villagers play football (soccer) in the field, as well as play Draft, which is similar to checkers, and scrabble. The students LOVE to win at scrabble, which is always in English.
During dinner we talk of the accomplishments for the day and many times have guests (teachers, villagers, students) to share their life with us and for us to share with them.
I've loved each experience I've had in Ipalamwa, Tanzania (Nov 2008, Oct 2009, Sept 2010). The Global Volunteer Staff is now family to me. I look forward to returning in December 2012

My wife and I have visited Pommern, Tanzania three times since 2008 with Global Volunteers (GV). We did considerable research on organizations that offer short-term service opportunities in Africa and picked GV because of their written philosophy of service and stated policies of working side-by-side with the community. The community is in charge and decides on priorities, rather than a group of Western visitors telling the local community what to do.

The program fee covers all expenses once in country - initial lodging in Dar es Salaam, meals, all transportation, lodging enroute, lodging in the village, materials for work projects and other stuff as it comes up. It pays for the full time involvement of Edward,the Tanzania Country Team leader (a Pommern resident)and Mohamed, the assistant team leader/driver for the entire service trip, and Mama Tonny, a local woman cook while in the village.

During our service trips we assisted in teaching English and Geography classes in the Secondary School, Kindergarten classes, helped at a monthly well-baby clinic and at an HIV/AIDS clinic. We worked on work projects funded by GV and requested by the community or Secondary School, such as painting classrooms and mixing concrete by hand to build walls in a new school kitchen.

We were warmly welcomed to the community and Edward always seeks ways to involve volunteers more fully. We clearly felt our presence made a positive difference for the community. We felt over our three trips we made some life-long friends in the community. Edward and Mohamed work very hard to ensure everyone, consistent with their abilities, can contribute their skills and talents to the community and make a difference. Mama Tonny is a great cook and feeds everyone very well with big, tasty meals. Most meals are vegetarian with occassional meat. Everything is fresh and the fruit is awesome! Lodging is in a 1900s era Mission House built for German missionaries. We were impressed our first time Pommern, a rural subsistence farming community, to find such comfortable accommodations, with flush toilets and running (nonpotable) water. Ample bottled water is provided by GV. Electricity is usually available in the evenings from a small generator. Mama Tonny gladly heats water for sun showers. During our trips we were able to attend both a local wedding and a funeral.

We highly recommend GV for a service trip to Tanzania. It is an outstanding experience and way to meet and interact with the community as equals and not tourists. We will definitely travel again with GV to Tanzania!

The leader was wonderful in making sure we were happy with our placement and arranged interesting after hours experience. The teachers were wonderful in explaning their situation. Will come again

This was my second experience with Global Volunteer's and both trips were to Pommern, Tanzania. The 3 weeks I spent in the village made me truly appreciate everything in my life as well as help me understand how fun life should be. The time I spent with Moses (who worked along side us, but spoke little English), Mohammed (our driver, wildlife expert, and overall goof-ball), Edward (our experienced team leader), and all the children made this trip a special one that i will never forget.
It was especially difficult for me to leave this time because I have no clue if I will ever be back to that beautiful village again. The first trip I went with my sister as a graduation present and now, 4 years later, I am graduating again, this time into the real world. The children will warm your hearts (probably steal it as well) with their smiles, laughter, and work ethic.
The program is simply amazing and the team you are with while in Tanzania are nothing but professionals. Pommern will always have a place in my heart and I hope to return again someday. As Edward put it, "maybe next time with a little Geoffrey".

Our experiences with Global Volunteers in Tanzania have exceeded anything we could have imagined. Each trip has been uniquely rewarding, yet always filled with wonder, fun, and fulfillment. Having traveled with my teenage sons, each of our teams have been incredible mixtures from all walks of life: from college students, parents and retired professionals, to current teachers, engineers, and medical professionals. There was something to tantalize the interests of everyone on our teams.

In the village of Pommern there are many opportunities to become involved in the community and the team manager, Edward Mgeni, works tirelessly to meet your interests. On different trips my sons and I have:
* taught kindergarten, grammar and conversational English to primary school children, and computer skills and geography to secondary school students
* worked on labor projects to build a new kitchen for the secondary school, repair dorms, planted tree seedlings, and worked on a village water project.
* assisted in the village clinic with maternal and baby well visits, assisted doctor in record keeping and taking vital signs, and assisted with immunization program at a remote village.
* made friends with staff and other villagers who have taught us to cook traditional meals, honed our water-fetching and fire-building skills, invited my sons to join the village soccer team, and hosted us in their homes for dinner and basket making lessons

I smiled to myself when the review survey asked me to rate the "social life" opportunities. While it may not be Picadilly Circus, Pommern has given us many experiences beyond compare. For example, during the 2010 World Cup, the local Catholic Church rented a satellite dish, generator, and projector. Each night as the games of the World Cup were projected onto the wall of a small village store, we were thrilled beyond words to cram together with the rest of the village and cheer on each goal and flop! Quieter, yet no less thrilling, moments included having tea in the home of the oldest woman in the village, playing with the kids, and learning enough Kiswahili in order to successfully barter and buy vegetables at the market!

What has truly made our trips with GV the most impactful (and has kept us coming back for more) has been the friendships we have formed in the village of Pommern itself. The team leader and staff treat each volunteer as if they are treasured members of his family and village community. They took great care to teach us about their country, village, language, and customs, constantly striving to provide for us the best experience possible. The village of Pommern is a long journey from the US, but your all of your efforts and expense will be repaid beyond measure once you embark on the journey of a lifetime!