Download - PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS...PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Build and Install Solar Power Systems in Local Homes in a Maasai Village • Search for the Big Five on Safari: Lion, Leopard, El-ephant,

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS• BuildandInstallSolarPowerSystemsinLocalHomes

inaMaasaiVillage

• SearchfortheBigFiveonSafari:Lion,Leopard,El-ephant,Rhino&WaterBuffalo

• LearnSwahili,PlayGamesandRunActivitieswithStudentsataRuralPrimarySchool

• TrekOfftheBeatenPaththroughtheJungleoftheUsambaraMountains

• VisittheSpiceIslandofZanzibarandSnorkelinitsTropicalTurquoiseWater

• HikeattheBaseofAfrica’sTallestMountain:Mt.Kili-manjaro

• 30HoursCommunityService

ARCCPrograms|Tanzania:SafariandSolar

Days 1 & 2: Depart USA for Tanzania

StudentsandtripleadersmeetinNewYork(JFKairport)andtogetherflytoKilimanjaro,Tanzania,whereourlocal

guidesmeetthemuponarrival.OurguidesdriveusdirectlytoafullservicecampgroundoutsidethecityofArusha

wherewesetupourTanzanian“home”inMaasaicountry.Accommodations: Overnight Plane/Camping

Spotlight Project: Building Solar Power Systems

Throughout much of Tanzania, a large majority of homes lack electricity. This leaves little daylight for productivity,

school work, and a means of earning an income. Kerosene lanterns are widely used, but are expensive and burn tox-

ic fumes in the home, which can have a lasting impact on people’s overall health and safety. In our spotlight project,

we partner with a Maasai village to install solar power systems, which provide essential utilities to enrich the lives of

the residents. Together, we’re creating a healthier, safer, and more productive future for Tanzanians.

Day 3: Orientation and Swahili Lessons

WespendthemorningtakingiteasyasweadjusttoTanzanianlifeandanewtimezone.Wepackthe“Overland

Truck”,getorientedtotheareaandchataboutourplansforthecomingfewdays.Intheafternoonwewalktothe

localprimaryschoolwherewemeettheteachersandstudentsandenjoyanafternoonlearningessentialwords

andphrasesinSwahili.Accommodations: Camping

Day 4: Meserani Maasai Village & Continued Swahili Lessons

Todaywe immerseourselves inMaasaiwayof lifeaswevisit theMaasai

culturalcenterbeforeheadingtoanearbyvillagetomeetlocalcitizensof

allages.Wevisitthepre-school,orphanageandadulteducationcenterand

witnessmodernandtraditionalculturesblendingtobenefittheMaasaipeo-

ple.Wereturntocampforlunchandforagroupdiscussionbeforewalking

to thenearbyprimaryschool formoreSwahili lessons.Accommodations:

Camping

Days 5 - 7: Spotlight Project — Building Solar Power Systems

Wespend3daysonoursolarpowerproject,whichbenefitsfamiliesinthe

localarea.Beforewecandothehands-onfabricationwork,weimmerse

ourselves inelectrictheory, learningaboutalternativeenergies,howthey

workandwhyweareinstallingsolarpowersystems.

AcrossmostofTanzania,electricityisaluxuryitemmosthouseholdssim-

plycannotafford,asthemajoritylivebelowthepovertyline.ManyTanza-

nianhouseholds relyonhealthdamagingkerosene lanternsoropen fires

forlight,whichcauserespiratoryandeyeproblems,alongwithhundredsof

fire-relateddeathsandsevereburnseachyear.Byprovidingclean,healthy

solarpower,wenotonlyprovidegoodqualitylighting,butalsoasaferand

healthierenvironmentforfamilymembersyoungandold.

Workinghand in handwithour local partners,ARCChas spent 10 years

researching,buildingandinstallingsolarpowerinruralvillagesthroughout

EastAfrica.Ourstudent-builtsolarpowersystemsareuncomplicated,user

friendly, and lowmaintenance. They are a very simple, custom-designed

solarsystemconsistingofasolarpanel,arechargingbatteryandacharge

controller.Thissystemeasilyruns4-6householdlightsandcanchargesev-

eralmobilephoneswithalifespanof6-12yearsandverylittlemaintenance

knowledgefromhouseholdmembers.Accommodations: Camping


Day 8: Visit a Local Artisan Project

Todaywehavethechancetosupportaninspirationalorganizationthat

offerspeoplewhoaredeaforhaveotherdisabilitiesthespace,resourc-

esandopportunity tosupport themselves.Theadultswhoworkhere

areartisanswhocreateuniquepiecesofartandjewelry.Welearnabout

theoriginsoftheprojectandlistentotheartists’storieswhileobserv-

ingthesetalentedartistsatwork.Accommodations: Camping


Days 9-11: Primary School Teaching & Games

WetakefulladvantageofouruniqueaccesstoalocalMaasaischool.Here

wehelpthefacultyoftheschoolteachclasses,runrecessandparticipate

inschoolathleticactivities. Thisgivesusarareglimpsedirectly intothe

evolving Tanzanian educational system; a system filled with enthusiastic

participantsbutsorelylackingfundamentalsupplies,teachersandfunding.

Accommodations: Camping

Days 12-14: Multi-Day Safari in Serengeti National Park & the Ngorongoro Crater

Wepack our bags, say goodbye to our overland truck and transfer into

smaller vehicles for an incredible safari through themost famous game

parksinEastAfrica.OurfirststopistheSerengetiNationalPark.Wetra-

versethepark insearchof“thebigfive”: lions, leopards,elephants,cape

buffalo,andrhinos.Thereisnothingquitelikecominguponaprideoflions

andobservingtheirdailylivesfromjustfeetaway,tuckedsafelyinourvehi-

cles.Weareguidedthroughtheparkbylocalexperts,whoseabilitytospot

eventheslightestofmovementthousandsoffeetawayisathingofmarvel.

Ourguidesareanincredibleresourcefor informationaboutthepark,the

wildlifeandconservationefforts.Thebigfivegoalhopefullyaccomplished,

weexittheparkandheadforournextsafariinnearbyNgorongoroCrater.

NgorongoroCraterisoneofAfrica’ssevennaturalwonders.Designateda

WorldHeritageSite,Ngorongoroisahugecollapsedvolcanoapproximately

15milesfromrimtorim.Thegrassyflatbottomofthecraterispopulated

byover25,000animalsandhasoneofthedensestcollectionsoflionsin

eastAfrica.Weleaveourrimcampandwindourwaybyvehicledownthe

narrowtracktoarriveatthebottomofthis100squaremilenaturalenclo-

sure.Herdsofelephant,zebraandbuffalogreetusatthebottom.Thepark

comesaliveasthesunworksitswayoverthecrater’srim,bathingthefloor

insunlight.Wespendthedayzoomingaroundthecraterinsearchofthe

park’spredatorsandwitnessinglifeunfoldbeforeusontheAfricanplain.

Accommodations: Camping

Day 15: Return to Meserani and Mto Wu Mbu Oasis

WetraveltothesmallvillageofMtoWuMbubywayofMeserani.Mto

WuMbuisasmalloasisinthedesert.Duetoitsuniqueclimate,thisarea

isfamousforgrowingavarietyoffruitsincludingpinkbananas,mango,

papayaandotherfruitsnormallyonlyfoundinhumidcoastalregionsof

Tanzania.Wehavetheafternoontoexploretheareawithaguidefrom

alocalcommunityecotourismproject.Hetakesusthroughtheplanta-

tionsandteachusabouttheplants,traditionalfarmingtechniquesand

thehistoryof thearea. We finishoff theafternoonwitha traditional

dinnerinoneofthevillagehomes.Accommodations: Camping

Days 16-18: Travel to Mt. Kilimanjaro

Nextwejourneyto“theroofofAfrica”:Mt.Kilimanjaro.At19,341feetabove

sealevel,itisthetallestmountainontheAfricancontinent.Wetakeinthe

awe-inspiringsizeof themountainandgazeat it’s remainingsnowygla-

ciers,whichhavesadlybeenreducedinrecentyearsasaneffectofclimate

changeandsurroundingdeforestation.Wecomeawaywithagreater re-

spectfortheenvironmentaswehikeatthebaseofthemountain,eagerly

exploringitslushjungleandhiddenwaterfalls.Accommodations: Camping


Days 22-25: Travel to Bagamoyo and Explore Zanzibar

Fromhere,wetraveltocoastaltownofBagamoyo,theformercolonial

capitalofGermanEastAfricaandanimportanttradingportofthe1800s.

Weexplorethecitybeforeboardingatraditionaldhowsailboatthatef-

fortlesslymovesalongthebeautifulturquoisewatersoftheIndianOcean.

WearriveinZanzibarexcitedtowanderthenarrowlabyrinth-stylestreets

ofStoneTownthatdatebackhundredsofyears.Thissmall,historictown

hasbeenanUNESCOWorldHeritageSitesince2000.Welearnwhythis

islandisoftenreferredtoasthe“SpiceIsland”andspendourfinaldays

heretakingadvantageofthebeautifulbeaches,swimmingandsnorkel-

inginthewarmbluewatersatourfingertips.Accommodations: Bed and

Breakfast

Days 19-21: Usambara Mountain Village

OurTanzanianodysseycontinuesasweheadontotheUsambaraMoun-

tains–hometoabiologicallydiverseworldofplantsandanimals,anda

numberof rural villages. There,webegin anovernight trek into the lush

mountainvegetationpassingthroughanumberofremotevillagesandgiv-

ingusaglimpseofalifesodifferentfromourown.Alongthewaywemeet

withalocal“healer”andlearnaboutherbalremediesandtraditionalmedi-

cinesstillwidelyusedinEastAfrica.Westayinarusticcampnestledinthe

cloudshighinthemountainswithviewsoftheAfricanplainsfarbelow.The

followingday,weventureintoold-growthcloudrainforestwherewemeet

localsubsistenceandcoffeefarmers,conversewithsmallvillagecommuni-

ties,andlookfortherarelyseenUsambarachameleonandEagle-owl.Ac-

commodations: Camping

Day 26: Farewell to Tanzania

Afterthreeweeksofhardworkandadventure,ourTanzaniasummerser-

viceprogramcomestoanend.WetraveltoDaresSalaambyferryand

prepareforafamed“finalfeast,”Tanzania-Style.Ourlastnightisfilled

withactivitiescelebratingourthreeweeksoflife-changingexperiences

andthediscoveryoflifelongfriends.Accommodations: Bed and Breakfast


Day 27: Flight Home

Eventuallyallgoodthingsmustcometoanend.WeheadtoKilimanjaro

airport,sayfarewelltoTanzaniaandbeginourjourneyhome.Oncewe

arriveinNewYork(JFK),weboardourflightsforhome.Wecarrywithus

thememoriesofourtimeinMaasailand,theimpactfulsolarproject,our

incrediblesafarisandthevibrantcolorsofZanzibarfromthisjourneyofa

lifetime.Accommodations: Plane

Want to Learn More? Contact the Regional Director:

Whitney Hall | Regional Director Tanzania [email protected]