Immerse yourself in village life as you join local people to work on community-initiated projects, from constructing a classroom to teaching school children. During the final week, enjoy a specially designed safari that combines world-class wildlife viewing in Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park with a stay at a remote Maasai village.
- Dates:
-
- June 25, 2012 - July 27, 2012
- June 29, 2012 - July 31, 2012
- July 5, 2012 - August 6, 2012
- Eligibility:
- Students completing grades 9-12
- Focus:
- Community Service
- Typical Group:
- 16-18 Students, 2 Leaders
- Duration:
- 4.5 week(s)
Overview
In this, our eighteenth summer in Tanzania, three separate projects will take place in agricultural villages outside the northern town of Arusha. Situated on the slopes of Mt. Meru, approximately 80 kilometers west of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the fertile Arusha area is well suited to agricultural production. The towns are close to many national parks, including the Serengeti Plains, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire. Working with local people, immerse yourself in village life by helping complete community-initiated projects. You may build a classroom or simple housing for teachers at the school, improve a local water supply system, work on local farms — planting, harvesting, and selling crops at market, or help in an orphanage. You rise early and spend most of each day in small groups on the project sites. You also engage in an independent research project in your village. Possible topics include: how the village political structure functions, the role of music and dance in Tanzania, how ujamaa (villagization) shapes community interdependence, the role of women as the primary agricultural producers, tourism and the economy, and wildlife management. Late afternoons and evenings are usually devoted to group activities with friends in town: dances, soccer games, hikes, and dinner parties. Weekend excursions include visits to nearby farms and hikes into the surrounding hills. Upon successful completion of the program, you can expect to receive a certificate for 80-100 hours of community service.
“Casey was overjoyed by the trip. He loved Tanzania and his host village. He loved all of the challenges. He admired the leaders. He made friends. He learned so much about the culture and social issues of the area. It made a huge impression and he is ready to go back. He misses the village, his new friends, and the active life that they led together.”
– Erica & Russel Berg, Santa Cruz, CA
The communities provide us with simple housing. There are separate areas for boys and girls, with bunk beds. While accommodations are not large, the housing is clean and comfortable. There is no electricity, but we have running water for simple showers. Bathrooms are outdoor latrines. Our groups are cared for by two wonderful, longtime friends of Putney Student Travel, Mama Killerai and Mama Latifa. “The Mamas,” as they call themselves, along with some of their friends, nurture our groups for the month, shopping for us and cooking our dinners. You rotate periodically through cooking and cleaning crews responsible for preparing breakfast and lunch for the group and assisting the Mamas with dinner.
Spend the final week of the program on a safari organized by close friends of Putney, who introduce you to Tanzania’s fascinating tribal culture, wildlife, and history. The safari lasts six days and includes a stay in traditional hunting lands as guests of the Maasai tribe, complete with a reception by a village elder and a traditional feast held in our group’s honor. Guides introduce you to Tanzania’s abundant wildlife in Tarangire National Park, where you can view animals up close. The safari continues to Ngorongoro Crater, where guides take you on an expedition into the ten-mile-wide crater. Driving through grassland, swamps, and along lakes and rivers, you safely encounter lions, zebras, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants, monkeys, flamingos, wildebeest, jackals, and hyenas.
The program culminates with the presentation of independent projects around the campfire while on safari, and a joyous farewell celebration back in the village, where you join with your new friends to recognize the work accomplished, and to bid farewell.
Make lasting connections with the children in the community service village.
Highlights
- Help build a village classroom that will accommodate fifty students.
- Join Tanzanian families as they plant and harvest their crops.
- Lend a hand to the staff at a local orphanage.
- Explore the ten-mile-wide Ngorongoro Crater.
- Spot lions, monkeys, and elephants and stay in a Maasai village on a six-day safari.
What to Expect
For most of each weekday, we are actively involved in community service work. This work, as well as afternoon and weekend activities, can be demanding and you can expect to spend most of each day outside. Everyone participates in all of the group’s projects on a rotating basis, and everyone lends a hand in meal preparation and cleanup. Since we live in our village as the local people do, accommodations are very simple with separate space for boys and girls, and basic bathroom facilities. You should come to the program with an open-mind, eager to participate in new experiences and interested in exploring another culture and way of life.
At Putney we take pride in our reputation for careful, thorough planning and attention to detail. The descriptions of our programs are based on our experiences in previous summers and our plans for this summer. It is inevitable that some things described here will not happen exactly as presented. To get the most out of the Putney experience, participants need to be flexible in responding to unforeseen situations, and creative in taking advantage of unexpected opportunities. We expect Putney participants to share responsibility for the success of their experience.
Fees
Tuition: $6,790
Itinerary
Click here to read last year’s trip blog.
This program begins and ends at JFK Airport in New York.
Departure • Join the group as you begin a month of village-based community service in rural Northern Tanzania. The group flight departs from JFK Airport where you meet one of your leaders and fly to Kilimanjaro Airport outside Arusha, Tanzania.
Don traditional garb for a local ceremony.
Our Host Village • Travel by truck the short distance to our host village in the foothills of Mount Meru. Here, we live together as a group as we collaborate with local people and undertake several important service projects.
Weekend Excursions • Take weekend excursions to stay in lodges in the hills near Mt. Kilimanjaro and to a cultural center where friends of Putney Student Travel introduce you to traditional Maasai culture. Participate in music, dance, batik, beading, and cultural exchange.
“At the goodbye ceremony on the last day, it became clear how thankful the people of Muungano were for our efforts. The speaker even said that to us, the classroom was probably a small gesture, but to them it meant everything to have another place to educate their kids. This program has affected me so much already. It broadened my horizons and opened my eyes to a way of life that I had never been exposed to. It also made me want to devote more time to exploring the continent of Africa and helping out there, which I look forward to doing in college.”
- Georgia Goodman, Paul D. Schreiber School, Port Washington, NY
Safari • The program culminates with a six-day cultural and wildlife safari in private lands of the Maasai Tribe and in national parks that are world-renowned for their wildlife: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and Ngorongoro Crater.
Return • Fly with your group and a leader from Tanzania to New York and continue on to your final destination.
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Destination
Background • Tanzania’s welcoming people, cultural vitality, and extraordinary natural beauty make it a favorite destination for travelers. A well-established democratic government and a widely respected system of public education are the keys to Tanzania’s reputation as a stable, safe country. Comprised of over 120 different ethnic groups, Tanzania’s people rely heavily on agriculture for both subsistence and livelihood. The country boasts abundant wildlife, and Tanzanians pride themselves on their rich natural resources and peaceful history. Our Tanzania programs return this year to three villages located on the fertile lower slopes of Mt. Meru, near the safari center of Arusha in Northern Tanzania. Our three Tanzania programs are independent but the experiences in each of the villages are similar.
Maasai warriors in a traditional jumping contest.
Population • The population of Tanzania is approximately 45 million, but most of those people are clustered in the capital city of Dar es Salaam, which we do not visit. Arusha, the largest city near our program villages, has about 1.5 million people. Each of our project villages is small, home to roughly 8,000 people who are spread throughout a large rural area.
Language • While each of the 120 ethnic groups in the nation has its own dialect, KiSwahili is the language spoken by the majority of Tanzanians. The program includes basic instruction in survival KiSwahili. Higher education is conducted in English, thus many older people speak English.
“Neva’s trip to Tanzania has had a profound effect on her life. She gained an understanding of people whose lives are very different from hers. Most importantly, she’s realized that all we are all one people, no matter where we are from and what we have. She was very moved by the simple dignity of the people she interacted with on a daily basis.”
– Raka & Jay Gohel, Houston, TX
Climate • Tanzania is situated on the equator, and weather conditions do not vary greatly through the year. During our visit, it is dry (Tanzania has been in a cycle of drought for many years) and comfortable. The sun is powerful. Temperatures rise to the 70s during the day, and drop to the 50s at night. On safari, one or two nights are spent at higher altitude, where temperatures can drop to the 40s.
Cuisine • Food in Tanzania is varied, with curries, grilled meat, and plenty of tropical fruit and vegetables. There is an Indian influence, with particular appreciation of breads, like chapati and naan. Western influence is also seen in the availability of pastas and cereals.
End your program with a safari in national parks that are world-renowned for their wildlife: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and Ngorongoro Crater.
Currency • Tanzania uses the Shilling (TZS). We change money in banks on visits to Arusha. ATM machines are also available in Arusha.
Voltage • Electric current is 220V, and plugs are types D&G: large round three-pin and large flat three-pin heads, respectively. Electricity is scarce in the villages; we rely on the DC outlets in our Land Rover to charge cameras and phones. Solar chargers and extra batteries are helpful.
Visa • Tanzania requires a tourist visa for entry and students also need a “work permit” to complete community service projects. Putney provides detailed guidelines on obtaining both of these. The combined cost of the documents comes to close to $200.
The Community Service Tanzania program is directed by Jeff Shumlin. If you have questions, are interested in receiving more detailed information, or would like to talk further about the program, please get in touch!
Jeff Shumlin
Jeffrey Shumlin: Wesleyan University, B.A. Jeff first traveled on his own to Guatemala when he was nine years old to spend the summer on a coffee plantation. Travel has been the primary focus of his life ever since. He has worked in France and Spain, ridden a horse across the Patanál in Brazil, and cycled almost everywhere. As a director of Putney Student Travel for 29 years, Jeff has led numerous educational programs for young people, designed programs worldwide, and sent his own daughter to Vietnam on a Putney program. Jeff coordinates programming in Africa and Asia.
How To Apply
Step 1: Log On.
If you are new to Putney Student Travel, visit our Online Application.
If you are a Putney Student Travel alumni family, use your existing account information to Log In.
Step 2: Hold A Space In The Program.
You can hold a space in a program by completing the Online Application Form and providing the $700 Application Deposit by Mastercard, Visa, or Discover Card through our secure online system or by sending a check to our office. Our admissions staff is also available to take credit card information over the phone. We will hold a space in a program for a reasonable time, pending completion of the full application process. See Step 3.
After March 15, to hold a space in a program an application must be accompanied by full payment made by check or wire transfer and the signed Agreement Form.
Step 3: Complete the Application Process.
Before we can make a final admissions decision, an application must be complete. In addition to the Application Form and Application Deposit described above, a complete application includes:
- Applicant Statement
- Two Teacher References
- Signed Agreement Form
These documents are available as part of our Online Application. We review a completed application within a few days, and notify families of our admissions decision by e-mail.
For a full description of eligibility, admissions policies, and terms of payment, please visit our Terms & Conditions.
