YCI Zanzibar, great experience

I stayed in Zanzibar through YCI for three months and had an amazing experience. While there, I volunteered through a local organization, providing business training to men at a drug recovery centre and providing civic education workshops for young people. I was provided my own laptop and each workday I had an office I could work at. I was also free to work from home or work from a restaurant as desired.

I felt very well supported by YCI the entire time. My homestay was excellent. Their home was very nice and they were very kind and spoke perfectly fluent English. I was well looked after and always felt safe. The local YCI office was so helpful, explaining the local context to make my work more relevant and setting up meeting. They also helped me with personal issues, whether stitching up my broken sandals or helping me buy groceries from a local market. One of the local YCI volunteers would show me the sites on the weekends and some nights I would join him to teach kids English. It really added to my experience. I also knew I had the YCI office in Canada and they were very responsive as well.

Zanzibar itself is beautiful. The people there live a modest, traditional lifestyle and are very kind. I felt very safe at all times and regularly rode on public transit. I joined teenagers playing soccer. I felt very welcomed. There is so much stuff to do in Zanzibar, beaches, tourist attractions, restaurants and local people are always willing to get to know you.

I strongly recommend making a trip like this and think YCI is a great way to go. The North American staff and the local staff where you travel are all very compassionate and enthusiastic about what they do.