I went to Zanzibar to do a 3 week volunteering in health care. After the outbreak of COVID-19 I was the first and only volunteer at TZIVA. And it was absolutely worth it! While the rest of the world goes crazy about the pandemic, Tanzania somehow managed to keep the virus very low and carry on with normal life. This was not only an opportunity to escape from the whole drama for a while, furthermore it was an amazing and memorable experience!
From the very first beginning Rajab and Hannah were very welcoming and immediately made me feel at home at the TZIVA accommodation, which is based in the middle of Stone Town. They were very pleased to help me with everything I needed, to serve me deliciouse food every day and to show me some of the most beautiful places on Zanzibar! Even though I was the only volunteer during this time, I never felt alone! Rajab showed me many stunning places all over the island and was very considered to make me feel the most comfortable, which I definitely was.
During the 3 weeks of volunteering I worked in Tawakal hospital, it is located a little outside of Stone Town, but easy to reach by Dala Dala (the local bus). This gave me an unforgettable and tremendous insight of a local hospital. The probably most exciting day was the day I could assist in the operating theatre during numerous surgeries. Aside from that, I also got an unique chance to be integrated into the culture of Zanzibar and the kindness of the very open minded and easygoing locals! Even if the communication wasn’t always easy (due to the fact, that their English isn’t too good and my Swahili even worse) I felt very estimated and utterly accepted.
A big thanks to TZIVA for this amazing experience!