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Zanzibar
Zanzibar is world famous among tourists for its white sandy beaches and historic Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Known as the ‘Spice Island’, Zanzibar is alive with incredible smells and sounds to enrich the senses. However, behind the tourism and the picture-perfect scenery lies a different story. Life can be very difficult and a large percentage of the population is surviving on less than 75p per day. Volunteer in Zanzibar and you’ll discover a rich, diverse culture.
Location
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous island off the east coast of Tanzania. Stone Town, near to where our partner schools are located, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has a population of around 16,000.
Why Zanzibar?
This small archipelago has a varied history, diverse culture, and breathtaking scenery. Despite its booming tourism industry, however, life can be very difficult, and a large percentage of the population survives on 75p per day.
In a Nutshell
If you’re looking for a taste of island life, historic Zanzibar is the destination for you. We’ll take you far beyond the normal tourist trail and give you a truly authentic experience, as you immerse yourself in our host communities.
Did you know?
The shortest war in the world took place in Zanzibar. The Anglo-Zanzibar War, which took place in 1896, between the British and the new Sultan of Zanzibar - who had recently seized power - lasted for a grand total of 38 minutes!
Did you know that Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar?
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BEYOND VOLUNTEERING
Beyond Volunteering
Beyond Volunteering
Our trips proudly focus on volunteering, but you can make your trip extra special by choosing from an exciting range of extraordinary adventure activities to embark on during your downtime at the weekend.
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Zanzibar at a Glance
Location
Culture
Languages
Cuisine
Challenges
Location
If you’re looking to experience tropical island living, coupled with impactful volunteering, Zanzibar could be the place for you. Known as the ‘Spice Island’, Zanzibar is alive with incredible smells and sounds. However, behind the idyllic scenery lies a different story. We can show you the realities of life for many people on this beautiful island.
The weather in Zanzibar can be very warm and humid, with average daytime temperatures between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius. During the rainy seasons in November and April, there may be short bursts of refreshing rainfall.
Culture
Zanzibar’s diversity can be attributed to its history as a trading centre, giving rise to the nickname of ‘Spice Island’ and resulting in a myriad of influences on its culture. You’ll see these varied influences everywhere you go – from the food you eat, to the architecture of the buildings in Stone Town.
Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim, with 99% of the population practising Islam. Attitudes are generally conservative, with an emphasis on traditional values. Great respect is paid to elders, and public displays of affection are rare.
The pace of life is more relaxed than in Western cultures, so take the opportunity to slow down and enjoy!
Languages
Zanzibar’s official languages are Swahili and English, which has remained in use even after Zanzibar gained independence in 1963. Various ethnic groups also use a number of different dialects. A couple of words you might commonly hear are “jambo!” meaning “hello!” and “karibu!” which means “you’re welcome!”
The children at our partner schools will be keen to practise their English with you, and equally as keen to teach you some Swahili!
Cuisine
As an island, Zanzibar has plenty of delicious, fresh seafood which is readily available in Stone Town’s bustling markets.
Zanzibar’s cuisine is heavily influenced by its varied history, with a rich mixture of flavours typically used in cooking. There is also plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and spices which are eaten alongside typically East African foods such as potatoes, rice and ugali.
You may also get the chance to have some delicious fresh fruit such as bananas, melon or oranges while in Zanzibar (vegetarian and vegan diets are happily catered for).
You’ll get through plenty of water during your trip, and bottled water is inexpensive. Sodas are widely available.
Challenges
Zanzibar’s government-run schools are severely underfunded and are struggling to cope with a growing population of young people. It is not unusual for classes to contain upwards of 100 children with just two teachers. Some schools have two sittings, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, literally cutting access to education in half. As a volunteer in Zanzibar, you can help by lending teaching support and improving the school environment through renovation.
The Volunteer Roles
Teaching & Sports Coaching
We work with three large, overcrowded schools on the outskirts of Stone Town, which educate a combined total of 15,000 children. The schools are so overpopulated that they are required to split the school day in two, running classes for half the students in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. Because of this, many students are missing out on the full education they deserve. We’re working with the schools to improve their facilities and classroom space to address this issue.
School Life in Zanzibar
Teaching & Sports Coaching Role
Typical Volunteering Day
School Life in Zanzibar
Teaching style
In Zanzibar, students learn by rote (a technique based on repetition), and therefore do not always have underpinning knowledge. This means that lessons are often less interactive than in the UK. Teachers will be either fully or partly qualified. A syllabus is followed using a textbook and lessons are delivered accordingly. It is not uncommon for teachers to answer their phone during lessons, or leave their class unattended to focus on something else that requires their attention.
Sport
Sport is hugely popular in Zanzibar and all students are encouraged to participate. Despite this enthusiasm, access to sport is severely limited, so sports volunteers will be welcomed with open arms at our partner schools. Although football is Zanzibar’s first sport, the students love to be introduced to new games so don’t be afraid to try something different for your sporting sessions!
Teaching & Sports Coaching Role
Teaching assistance
Volunteers work alongside teachers to help teach large classes of mixed ability students, aged between 5-16. There are typically large class sizes in Zanzibar, which can be extremely challenging because of the difference in academic ability across the student body. High-achieving students can be held back and struggling students can often get left behind.
To help volunteers get ready, we have lots of resources on My African Adventure, including lesson planning tips and interactive session ideas.
Sports coaching
Volunteers who choose to take on a sports coaching role can expect to start the day with two hour-long morning sessions at 9:00am, followed by lessons inside the classroom. These can be based around health, the body and the theoretical elements of sport. There will be times when lessons are not sports-focused and instead concentrate on other areas of the curriculum.
If you’re confident enough to deliver your own sessions, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so. Qualifications are not required, and a positive, hard-working attitude goes a long way! There will be very limited resources, so bring your own if you have specific sessions planned. Sports coaches work alongside an English-speaking teacher to deliver games and sessions.
There are plenty of tips and ideas for creating sporting sessions on My African Adventure.
Typical Volunteering Day
Volunteer in Zanzibar and a typical day will be:
- Wake up and meet for breakfast at around 7:30am before being taken to your group’s host school at around 8:30am to start work. (Take plenty of water – it’s going to be warm!)
- You’ll start by helping with English and maths lessons. You’ll need to help read text books, write notes on the chalkboard and set students some activities to work on.
- At around 10:30am, class will stop for breaktime, to give students a chance to play games or have a rest.
- Another lesson follows until around 12:30pm when everybody breaks for lunch for an hour.
- After lunch, you’ll take the learning outside the classroom and help set up a PE lesson. Activities may include bean bag racing, co-ordination exercises and counting games. (These activities will depend on the equipment available, so we recommend volunteers take a few things that can be used in school.)
- Afternoon lessons finish at around 4:00pm. Once school is finished, you’ll head back to the accommodation to relax after a hard day’s work. We’ll organise some extra activities for you, such as visiting the market or exploring Stone Town.
- Dinner is served around 7:00pm, and volunteers can kick back and relax with a book, play some games or reflect on the day. We also encourage volunteers to practise their Swahili!
Building & Renovation in Zanzibar
The schools we support are government-run, but don’t receive much funding to help them develop and improve their facilities. They are incredibly overcrowded, and desperately need new classrooms to help them manage the growing student numbers. Our building programme focuses on developing the schools’ facilities so that the children attending can enjoy a better education through improved learning environments.
School Facilities in Zanzibar
Building & Renovation Role
Typical Volunteering Day
School Facilities in Zanzibar
Whilst the schools we work with are government-run schools, they are severely underfunded. The buildings are old and tired, there are rarely enough desks for the number of students, and there is a significant lack of learning materials. The schools are heavily overcrowded and are struggling to accommodate the number of students that attend.
In fact, the schools are so overrun that they have two sittings – one in the morning and another in the afternoon, which would be unheard of in the UK! In the worst cases, there can be up to 175 children in one lesson, with only two teachers, and the children must learn sitting on the classroom floor. Volunteers are desperately needed to help improve the quality of education delivered, through the creation of an enhanced learning environment.
Building & Renovation Role
The building work we organise is focused on improving the standards of buildings at the schools we support, particularly new classrooms, sheltered dining areas, IT suites and playgrounds. Building volunteers work in a support role and do not need any form of previous experience as all work is led by local builders. Any specialist building work is reserved for those with qualifications, so no-one should worry about being out of their depth. We simply recommend that volunteers are fit and healthy enough to carry out activities such as painting, cement-mixing, plastering and carrying moderately heavy items.
Funding for the building work required is provided by African Adventures, and is organised before travel so that the work is ready to be carried out on volunteers’ arrival.
Typical Volunteering Day
Volunteer in Zanzibar and a typical day will be:
- Wake up and meet for breakfast at around 7:30am before being taken to your group’s allocated school around 8:30am to start the day’s volunteering. (Take plenty of water – it’s going to be hot!)
- Depending on the building work that’s been organised, a typical morning session might include cementing bricks for a new classroom, painting existing classrooms or screeding classroom walls and floors. A friendly team of qualified builders will be on hand to lead the work and provide advice.
- At around 10:30am, it’s breaktime. Volunteers often like to take a break at this time to engage with the children.
- After 30 minutes, lessons will commence again and your building work continues.
- At around 12:30pm, building volunteers take a well-deserved break and are brought lunch at their host school.
- At around 3:00pm, work is finished for the day. You’ll head back to your accommodation to relax. We’ll organise some extra activities for you, such as visiting the market or exploring Stone Town.
- Dinner is served around 7:00pm, and volunteers can kick back and relax with a book, play some games or reflect on the day. We also encourage volunteers to practise their Swahili!
Adventure Activities
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