The most profound thing about TZIVA is how it opens up a doorway into the local community and their unique, East African, way of life. I got know the people in their daily routines and experienced the factors that determine their roles and statuses within the Zanzibari society first-hand. In doing so, I gained valuable insights into the cultural and social make-up of the country and, most notably, the position that local children hold in the social system. As an advocate of bottom-up approaches to development, I was especially delighted to have the opportunity to actively participate in the everyday routines of the local children, whilst simultaneously leaving behind fruits for thought that have (hopefully) enabled new ideas about the future of the country. It was my own personal desire to devote myself to community-based development in the education sector of East Africa, to gain a new perspective of Africa that differs from my own native, South African context. Although I was only able to have an impact on the lives of a small handful of Zanzibarian children, the program immensely broadened my understanding of the complexity and diversity of East African society.