If you’re looking to book your expedition with Camps International this month we have a fantastic prize draw on offer for anyone who confirms their place by the end of the month.

Book any Life or Gap trip with Camps International this month to be in with a chance to win £100 Cotswold Outdoor gift vouchers!

Save yourself £100 of essential travel equipment. Just choose your Gap or Life destination and book before the end of May 2012 (5pm GMT on 31st May 2012) to be included in the draw.

As usual with our monthly prize draws, we will choose the winner from a hat and post the video on our Facebook page so that you can see the draw. The prize draw will be held on the 1st June 2012.

So what are you waiting for? Enquire now to find out more about the trips available to you, or book online now! You can also give us a call on 0844 800 1127 to have a chat with one of the team. This prize draw only applies to new Gap and Life bookings made during April 2012.

I know we have been a bit quiet on the Tanzania front but that certainly doesn’t mean we have not been as busy as ever. Anderson, Eliphas and the Camp Tanzania team have been running the show in Tanga while Tommie has come back to Kenya to support the overall operations in East Africa. So here’s the story straight from the camp and what our gappers have been up to…

This year we kicked off with construction of a nursery School in Mwambani village where Camp Tanga is located. The village comittee in Mwambani has really been asking for support as the closest school is a 6km walk to school. Imagine doing that every day at our age let alone when you are 4-6yrs old. Most of the kids here in Mwambani village as you can imagine end up staying at home until they are old enough to go to primary school and therefore have no educational foundation when they start.  There was no question that we should help support to put up a nursery school and once a plot of land was identified and kindly donated by one of the villagers, we got cracking. We have had an amazing group of very hard working gappers so progress is well underway

And of course we haven’t just been building; ongoing support the mamas who depend on their seaweed harvest is such a critical component of our support. Increasing the harvest, simply means a little bit more money for one woman to support her family….

For us one of the most important aspects of our program is to be able to share our Tanzanian hospitality with visitors. The villagers love to show and share whatever little they have so we often so we often spend a bit of time learning how to make local Mwambani food such as chapatis, vishet (made with wheat flower) and vibibi (made with rice flower). The afternoons are often spent sitting outside with one of the mamas in the village learning to make natural roof thatching from coconut leaves and helping to increase her production as well.

A small helping hand goes a long way. Women in most rural places in Africa spend a fair portion of their day either fetching water or firewood for cooking so simple tasks where we can help reduce the daily burden for a woman goes a long way too and its also a great way to get to know people. Of course, the men have the pleasure of harvesting coconuts so we make sure we get a chance to scuttle up the trees with them too! After all this is the real Tanzania!

And we can’t let the Gappers go without getting to know the local cows really well. Before we go to the bush we wake up in the morning and milk the cows. It’s actually really fun and honestly, you can see the cow smile after she has been milked! After milking we take the cows out for grazing, herding them and learning how the Maasai walk with the cows. This takes roughly two hours. Out lot here decided to go the Full Monty Maasai!

And we have discovered that we also have so much to offer by simply setting up a chalkboard underneath a mango tree. Adult illiteracy is very prevalent in the village so we have found that a lot of young and old adults are really keen to learn how to read and write…

Not so far from our main camp are the Usambara Mountains which we know for a fact are one of the most spectacular range of mountains in the world. Look them up for yourself on the internet. Our three month volunteers get a chance to stay at Camp Emau for five days where we help to support various projects run by the  Amani Women’s Group.  We join this group of dynamo women making little African dolls and get a chance to learn how to sew. As the camp is in the heart of the Amani Forest Reserve, there are some spectacular nature walks and so much to learn from the guides at Camp Emau.

That’s all for now and looking forward to having many more volunteers join us at Camp Tanzania!

Anderson and Eliphas

A couple of weeks back we said kwaheri  to our last lot of November volunteers and it felt like just  the other day that we made this huge move into our own location in Tanga. So many volunteers have come through since Jan, 2011 and a huge impact is evident in the little fishermen’s community of Mwambani. Tommie has been reflecting on life in the sleepy and peaceful little fishing village where our main Tanzanian base is…

Community:

Our volunteers have built both traditional houses and kitchens to the less fortunate members of the community in Mwambani Village.

 

 

 

 

 

They helped them with their daily chores, like tilling their little farms, herding their cattle, seaweed farming, taught the villagers English and learnt to cook a few local delicacies along the way themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

Education:

Mwakidila Primary will never look the same again. Before camps went calling, the School had a hand full of toilets to be shared amongst 600 pupils. It is a different story now as we managed to refurbish the ones that were in use but in bad state and others that were rendered a hazard and earmarked for demolition. Some of the classroom blocks looked like a “detention centre” according to the volunteers. They felt that the School lacked life and the whole vibe of being a learning institution. The walls were dirty and full of cracks. However, it has all changed: the walls are bright white and full of learning aid and murals.

Before                                                                                 After

Fun and social life:

At Camp Tanzania, we have a good balance between work and play. This is evident when volunteers are tested with all sorts of activities that challenge them both physically and mentally and some are just part of entertainment: Trivia nights, themed dress up parties, sports days, movie nights and games nights are some of the activities that we do.

Just to sum up the whole Tanzanian program, here are some of the volunteer’s comments:

“Spending 3 months in Africa was one of the best things I have ever done. The first 6 weeks were spent at “home” in Tanga, in which we focused on our project work. At times was rather challenging but also extremely enjoyable and rewarding. In these 6 weeks we also formed a close connection with the villagers. We then set off to Kenya, and after having some difficulties with the weather, we finally got there.

In Kenya we did our safari adventure which was definitely one of my favourite things that we did. After that, we did a sneaky trip to Zanzibar which was really lovely and relaxing, whilst some of the other girls climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. After our short holiday, it was back to work.

The memories formed with the staff as well as the other volunteers will be memories I will never forget. This has been a once in a life time opportunity and an amazing way to learn about another culture! Asante sana Camps International.” (Ashley Stein)

“Spending 3 months in Tanzania with Camps was one of the best experiences of my life. The project work we undertook allowed us to form relationships with the villagers, learn about their culture and daily activities and feel as if we were assisting their lives whether it was in a big or small way.

 I also made many new friends from all over the world. The camps staff were welcoming and supportive from the very beginning and ensured we were always having fun. Organising quiz, movie and games nights and bonfires. Throughout the trip we also travelled around so that we could experience other African countries and locations. It was truly a great experience- one I will never forget.” (Chloe Silver)

“We have ended our trip in Africa where we began it – in Moshi, but I know we are all very far from the same people we were when we arrived. Red eyed, fresh off the plane 3months ago. Africa has been life changing for me, the Tanzanian people and crew are beyond welcoming and I wouldn’t change a thing about my trip, even the parts that felt horrible at the time.

The best advice I can give to someone coming here is to bring with you an open heart, a sense of humour, two towels, a lot of mosquito repellant and a spare pair of pants just incase you have to climb a mountain in the wet season.” (Emilie Werrin).

“East Africa is a place that should be visited by everyone. My experience was unforgettable and life changing. The relationship I made with the people in my group, the camp leaders and the villager was emotionally spectacular. I have managed to learn a lot about another culture, whilst learning about my own self. Physical labour definitely was a challenge but in the end I believe I’ve made a slight difference.

Thank you camps for providing me with a unique experience with such a special village.” (Taylor Saul)