Zanzibar

The 2008 Project

The Zanzibar project is split between Stone Town, the multicultural capital of Zanzibar, and shamba (villages), ensuring there’s something for everyone. The project was founded in 2004 and runs annually for 10 weeks during the British University summer holidays. The project involves approximately 8 Tenteleni volunteers.

This project is spread across Unguja island with volunteers working in town, Kiboje and Chaani. Volunteers primarily assist in combined schools as well as Forodhani Children’s home and NGOs based in town. The project has a reputation for volunteers becoming immersed in their respective communities and volunteers live and work within the heart the various placements.

Project Dates: 21st June - 29th August 2008.

Project Aim

To work in partnership with local people to support the education of children and young people in Zanzibar.

Project Objectives

  • Exchange skills, ideas and experiences concerning teaching and caring methods
  • Facilitate an improvement of English within placements
  • Support teachers skills development
  • Build relations with staff and the community through sensitivity, integration and learning Swahili
  • Build up a stock of knowledge for Tenteleni and the community through annual research, good communications and the Tenteleni Resource Centre

Volunteer Role

The volunteers on the Zanzibar Project are Teaching Support Volunteers and as such are expected to support the permanent staff and volunteers of the placements in the following ways:
1. Teaching Assistant – support teachers in English lessons and lessons taught through the medium of English
2. Teacher support – including running teacher sessions e.g. on cross-cultural issues, using English language as a central medium to support English learning; facilitate relations between NGOs/ youth centres and placements
3. Support extra-curricular activities and child-care (especially within the children’s home) through working with staff, community members and older children who may be able to continue these activities

Project Management

There is one Project Co-ordinator (PC) who coordinates and supervises the volunteers and placements for the duration of the project. Throughout the year the Zanzibar Project is designed and managed by the Kenya and Tanzania Project Manager Team, led by the Project Manager Ruth Talbot. The project is planned throughout the year with close collaboration with the government Ministries and Departments. Both the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare provide the official authorisation for the project.


TOWN PLACEMENT: Forodhani Children’s Home and Vikokkotoni Secondary School
This is a split placement with volunteers assisting Monday – Wednesday at the school and Thursday and Friday at the children’s home.
The Foradhani Home placement is arranged through the Ministry and Department of Health and Social Welfare. Forodhani Children’s Home is the only government-run orphanage in Zanzibar, and accommodates vulnerable children and young people from the ages of a few months to 25 years old. Volunteers based here will live in a flat in the vibrant and bustling Stone Town with the Project Coordinator.
The main role of the volunteers in the home is caring for the children and arranging activities/ lessons to support their formal education and for their enjoyment. Motivation and creativity are essential, as there isn’t an existing structure of activities to fit in with and most things will be non-formal. More than anything, volunteers will be expected to spend time with the children. Developing relationships is key to this placement, communication with the staff can be difficult and it takes time and persistence to gain the trust of the staff and children and sometimes just to meet them all! The mamas (female care workers) won’t necessarily be initially keen on supporting your activities but with understanding, patience and determination anything is possible! Examples of past activities include library trips for the children and traded books with the library so the home had more appropriate reading materials, weekly football matches and a study tour to the aquarium.

As the organisation of the children’s home is different than that of a school (a vague timetable, scattered staff, children often on their own or nowhere to be found) it was difficult to have a set structure to our placement, but at the same time, we still had a fairly set routine (if not at least different options depending on what state we found the home in each day). Zanzibar Volunteer, 2005

The school, arranged through the Department of Education, was a new addition for 2007. In the school volunteers assist teachers in lessons and initate extra-curricular activities. Building positive relations with the staff, children and community is essential. English support is likely to be a key focus.
There is also a great deal of freedom to assist with other local education based NGOs, primarily with Streeters a local NGO that teaches English to young people. All town based volunteers have assisted at Streeters in the past with great benefits to both volunteers and the placement.

“[We adopted] the Swahili phrase, Haba na Haba Hujaza Ki Basa, little by little fills the measure.”
Zanzibar volunteer, 2006.
SHAMBA PLACEMENTS: Kiboje School and Chaani School


These placements, although both very different and unique are both arranged through the Department of Education. Within the schools you will mainly assist with lessons, provide extra tuition to those who are struggling and run extra-curricular activities. Volunteers are encouraged to focus on helping with English language, as this is where our natural strength lies. For example, English lessons for the staff as well as assistance in classes. There is also the opportunity to link with local NGOs assisting them and encouraging them to work with the schools.

I found helping teachers outside lessons had a knock on effect in lesson rather than being in a formal setting.”
Chaani volunteer, 2006.


Kiboje is a rural village in the central district, approximately 25km away from Stone Town (1 hour from Stone Town on a dala-dala). The volunteers based here will most likely live in a nearby village with a teacher and her family. Living conditions are basic - no electricity or running water. Therefore on top of your work as teaching assistants, a lot of time will be spent cooking for yourselves on an oil stove. Despite practical challenges such as bucket showers and getting used to going to the toilet in hole in the ground, it is an immensely rewarding placement as volunteers will have the chance to become a real part of the local community.

Chaani is a larger village in the north of the island, approximately an hour away from Stone Town by daladala (30 Kilometres), in a slightly more built up area than Kiboje. Volunteer accommodation is in a small house next door to the school which has electricity and running water. However, facilities are still relatively basic and you will be expected to cook your own meals on an oil stove.

Both in Kiboje and Chaani westerners are a rare sight, and so you will certainly be treated with a degree of curiosity. Playing netball or football with young people in the community and opening your home to students are just two of the ways you can get involved and meet people. It’s also where you’ll find your ability to speak Swahili essential. It should be noted that at night-time (once public transport has stopped) if you require medical treatment it is likely that you will not be able to access it. If you have a medical condition which you are concerned about please inform the Volunteer Manager and we will ensure this is taken into account when assigning the placements.

The Zanzibar Project Preparation pack and Language pack are available to current volunteers by registering a website account. To register, click on the link at the top of the page and create a new account. All packs are then available through the Volunteer Information page.