FIGY Volunteer Stories #1 - Joe

FIGY Volunteer Stories #1 - Joe

Joe Higson-Hays, Volunteer Teacher, Tanzania May– June 2023

My name is Joe. I'm a 22-year-old graduate from the UK and I'm going to tell you a little bit about my stay at Lakeview Farm and the volunteering that I did while I was there. The farm is located in a rural part of Tanzania, just a short ferry ride from Mwanza, the second largest city in the country. Initially, I thought finding and getting to the accommodation might be a challenge.

The staff at Lakeview picked me up from Mwanza airport, however, to make sure there were no issues. When I arrived at the farm, I was greeted by all the staff members who were very friendly and accommodating. As I travelled to Tanzania alone, I thought that adjusting to life there might be difficult, but the general vibe of the place, as well as the people that worked there, made me feel instantly comfortable. I met two (Dutch) students who had arrived a couple of months before me. They showed me around and told me everything that I had to look forward to.

My role while I was in Tanzania was as a volunteer teacher. As I arrived on a Friday, it meant that I had the weekend to see what my stay in the country was going to be like. During the two days I explored the area surrounding the farm and went to pick up some supplies so I could get accustomed to how things worked there. On one of the evenings, the staff set up a bonfire for us, which they will build happily on request. We would continue to have these throughout my stay at the farm and they would usually involve a couple of beers.

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On Monday, I began my role as a teacher and set the routine that I would follow throughout my time in Tanzania. From then on, I would teach every day, Monday to Friday, and I would create my own lessons. I really enjoyed the freedom of this because it meant that I could teach the students on issues that I thought were important. You had to base it around an English lesson, but you could explore the topics that you liked. For example, I taught an English lesson based around personal hygiene, where the students wrote about the topic in English so they would both learn the language, as well as the importance of cleaning.

The experience of teaching there was extremely fulfilling as I could see the positive impact that I was having on the children. Both the students and the local teachers were very happy to have us there and really appreciated everything we did. My fitness also improved, as you could participate in any of the games that the students were playing. Football was popular, but you could also create other activities for them. For example, I taught them British Bulldog, a popular playground game at home, and they really enjoyed it.

"The experience of teaching there was extremely fulfilling as I could see the positive impact that I was having on the children."

Doing all of this really taught me to use my own initiative and it motivated me to pursue a project while I was in Tanzania. After talking to the Support School Fees Foundation (the sister foundation to FIGY Travel), as well as the local community, I decided I was going to help fundraise for a project involving putting a roof on one of the unfinished buildings of the school. You really do have the opportunity to pursue anything you like, as I did, if it's benefiting the community and is sustainable.

The video clip shows me talking to one of the local politicians in the area. They will welcome you with open arms as they are very thankful for the work that the volunteers are doing. They see the presence of FIGY travelers as beneficial and want us to continue to work on our relationship with them and the community.

Alongside the work, I got to really experience Tanzania as you have the opportunity to go on safari as well as participate in other activities. I spent a couple of days getting driven through the Serengeti and I saw some of the craziest animals and met really interesting people.

Once my time at Lakeview Farm had ended, I flew to Zanzibar to reflect on the work that I'd done in Tanzania, as well as enjoy the last few moments that I had in Africa. Overall, I couldn't recommend this trip more. It was extremely beneficial for the community surrounding Lake View Farm as well as my personal development. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and Tanzania will only welcome you with open arms.

“Overall, I couldn'trecommend this trip more. It was extremely beneficial for the communitysurrounding Lake View Farm as well as my personal development.”