Tanzania - End of Programme Update

So in the first three weeks we stayed and worked in Uchira, which was great fun! We taught English twice a week in a school, which was really rewarding, painted a hospital ward (which we offered to do, and pay for the paint, because they couldn't afford it), planted trees, and our overall project for the three weeks was an agricultural project, which we then had to present to the village council in Swahili! A bit of a scary experience, but really good!

When we went into the bush with Dom, we stayed with the Maasai, in a real boma, because there was only two of us, which was in incredible experience! The children are so friendly, and though you can't understand a word they say, or vice versa, they have so much energy and just play with them all the time! Then during the day we went on research transects, driving through the bush and noting down everything we saw. Over the course of the four days, we saw so many giraffe, impala, gazelle, dik dik, and even a serval, which are pretty elusive! Also, just driving over from Arusha, a herd of 22 elephant just casually crossed the road! One of the most incredible things i've ever witnessed!

Overall the trip was incredible, and I was just upset I wasn't staying for longer! The friendships you make with the other volunteers is brilliant as well, and Dom was incredible! Not sure what else I can say really, but definitely go there, you will definitely not regret it!

Tanzania Update

"The first there weeks in Moshi were great, to say the least. It was the perfect introduction to life in Africa. Everyone we met, including both the villagers and the staff, was welcoming and helpful. The work was hard but rewarding. At first I was hesitant because it seemed like our individual projects weren’t going to be relevant to the village council, but after giving the final presentation—in Swahili—and hearing feedback I realized how much they appreciated our work.

Three weeks was just the right amount of time in Uchira. Leaving was sad, but that is proof of how much fun we had. The three day safari felt like a little reward for all the work we did in Uchira; I had a blast and it got me really excited to live in the bush.

So far, the bush has exceeded my expectations. The Masai are very welcoming, the camp is comfortable, and the scenery is breathtaking. I can’t wait to live there for the next five weeks!"

Julia Longo (USA)

FIJI: First four weeks

Well that’s week four over and it only seems like one weeks gone by! After arriving in Savusavu we picked up all our rations and made our way to our new home for the next 10 weeks, Nukubulavu Camp Greenforce. The whole group got stuck in right away and got the whole place up and running and it wasn’t too long before we were all in the water to start our dive training.

Now I don’t know if you’ve ever done any diving but sticking your head underwater and breathing in air is a really weird experience at first. Once you’re over the whole alien aspect of it though it all just feels right and seeing the fish and learning the skills soon came naturally to the whole group, most of who are now qualified Advanced Open Water Divers!

Now that we can all dive we’ve started our science training and just this weekend we had our first fish tests. It is slightly harder than we all expected but the satisfaction of being able to know what we are seeing and that the data we will soon collect will be of use in protecting Fijis marine heritage is totally awesome. My favourite fish that we could see out here is the Spotted Eagle Ray which can grow to three and a half metres across and is often seen at our best dive site, Namena. Namena is our local MPA (Marine Protected Area) where no fishing is allowed and as such the fish get really big and really plentiful....there are also rumours of Hammerhead Sharks out there to, which I can’t wait to see!

Every Sunday we go to a local village for church. We alternate between our nearest village Navatu and the other villages in our local district, Kubulau. In Navatu we spend the day with our adopted families but during visits to the other villages we stay in a large group and get involved in the community en masse. This last Sunday we went to Kiobo which is home to the chief of Kubulau, Tui Kubulau. What made this so special is that Tui is an epic guitar player and he had the whole Greenforce team singing along to classics like Hey Jude, Hotel California and Sweet Home Alabama. Sitting under a tree and drinking Kava with our friends and singing tunes really brought it all home about how special and lasting the memories from here will be.

So anyways I’m off to eat a hearty home cooked meal cooked by my fellow volunteers so its moce (goodbye :D) for now!

Harry Henley