Layah A. Khalif

During the summer of 2018, I traveled alongside 36 other volunteers to Tanzania and Zanzibar, Africa.

We spent a total of 15 days on the island of Zanzibar as well as mainland in Arusha. 

While in Zanzibar, we lived amongst the people in the village of Kairo and our days were split between teaching the men, women and children of the village English and aiding in the construction of their first (and only) primary school in the village. 

 

For 12 days, I had the privilege of teaching intermediate English to the women in the village and working alongside local fundi (Swahili for "skilled workers") laying the foundation necessary to complete construction of their primary school. I was able to work with local and foreign teachers to provide supplemental lessons in conversational English, reading comprehension and study skills.

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Throughout the summer, GIVE volunteers aided in the continuance of the construction of 4 additional classrooms (one of which was completed during my stint abroad) to further solidify the Kairo school as a beacon of modern education in the region. Skuli ya Kairo GIVE (which most directly translates to the GIVE School of Kairo) now provides an education to more than 147 students who previously had no access to education. Once we left the island, we traveled inland to the city of Arusha, the agricultural sector of the country, where we volunteered with a women’s co-op for an additional 3 days. 

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Traveling with GIVE has given me the opportunity to immerse myself directly into a new culture, directly impact and contribute to the continued development of a country and learn about sustainability. Not only was I able to teach the natives of Kairo English and provide a space for them to pursue a greater level of education, I was able to take Swahili lessons from local boys over lunch and create art with local painters during sunset. We played soccer with them, supported the local shops, swam in the Indian Ocean, swam with dolphins, embarked on a 2-day African safari and made life long friends with other individuals who have the same goal of learning how to become a global citizen and promote sustainability.

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