Embrace Tanzania: Volunteer Projects in Tanzania

Interview with Jennica Nichols, volunteer alum

GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with Embrace Tanzania in Tanzania?

Jennica: I just finished my undergrad at university and was looking to celebrate by fulfilling a life goal of volunteering in Africa. I looked at A LOT of organizations, but found that they were outrageous expensive (I am a poor student after all!) and/or seemed haphazard (I wanted to make sure I was contributing to a project that would have lasting impacts and was sustainable by the organization... as my first volunteer job had not been and this was rather upsetting).

I emailed Embrace and found they took the time to answer each of my questions, as well as added a little humour (which I appreciated). In addition, the fact that they are located on Zanzibar instead of the mainland was also a major draw as who wouldn't want to volunteer in paradise? In retrospect, I definitely made the right decision!

Volunteering in paradise! (Zanzibar, Tanzania)

GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Jennica: Started with a delicious breakfast with everyone then walked the 40m to school (talk about nice morning commute!). I was a teacher at the largest school I've ever seen (after the initial shock, you fall in love with everything). It's a primary and secondary school combined! Bububu school has a split day with 2500 children in the morning and then another 2500 children in the afternoon. The classes are in big blocks so you will teach two subjects a day, but what classes varies by the day. When you get there, the staff at Embrace and the school help you find a schedule that works best with your skills, what you want you to do, and the needs of the school.

I taught my first class in the morning from 7-11:30 (I taught biology to Form 3s and 4s) - so I would arrive a few minutes early to chat with the teachers and then class would start....the morning would ZOOM by. I would head back to the house and catch up with all the volunteers over lunch (a few of us would alternate cooking - I introduced peanut butter and banana toasties as almost no one had ever had one before!). Then its back to school to teach the afternoon classes (Biology and General Science to elementary and Forms 2), they tend to run from 1pm till around 6pm after that the volunteers head back to the Embrace house and either have dinner there or go into town to one of the restaurants.

The weeks are pretty standard with morning and afternoon projects running throughout the day. The evenings and weekends are free to play... there is so many different things to do on the weekend that you'll have a hard time deciding (snorkeling, full moon parties, the food market all must be done at least twice!). Also, make sure to see the slavery trade tribute in Stone Town!

A school in Tanzania where volunteers worked

GO: How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?

Jennica: This experience had a profound effect on my future - I knew I did not want to do molecular biology in my last year, but had come so far I figured it was worth getting the degree. My experience with Embrace furthered my passion for health equity and highlighted the importance of public health in daily living. It is largely for this reason that I am now working at a hospital in Toronto on the evaluation of complex health initiatives in Canada, and have applied to the University of Toronto's Master's in Public Health.

On a personal level, my experience taught me how influential culture is when defining the world around you. It has made me profoundly grateful of the unique gift I was given when I won the birth lottery (being born in a first world country like Canada) - the ability to live in a society where the tools exist to help me achieve my dreams. This notion (maybe it should have been more innate, but I had never questioned it and always taken it for granted) has become a strong source of passion and drive for me since returning. I don't know how you could not fall in love with Tanzania.