In October 2020, I visited Zion Care Organization for ten days. Osward, the manager of the place, welcomed me to assist him in editing his website and taking new pictures.
In Kidatu, I took a bus to Arusha, which took me about 12 hours. I stayed two nights in a hotel at the central bus station before I did my next Worldpackers experience. I used the two days to do nothing and visit local markets. Arusha is the place for tourists to book safari tours in Ngorongoro and hiking trips to Kilimanjaro starting in Moshi. It is very hectic and tourist guides pressure you to buy any package, especially since the covid pandemic has broken out. So the revenues are missing and fewer tourists arrive in Tanzania. But the price of accommodation is not rising. On the contrary, it is cheaper than ever.
After my recovery, Osward of Zion Care Organization picked me up with his sister near the Sanawari bus stop at Himo road. It was just a fifteen-minute ride to the homestay with a local bus. The organization includes an orphanage and homestay, both within walking distance of each other. I moved into my room and visited the orphanage in the evening. Osward introduced me to his family, and we ate dinner. Until 09:00 PM, he told me what he would like to improve on his websites.
Website: Zion Care Organization
Daily routine:
Every morning, I got up around 07:00 AM. I ate my breakfast at the homestay and at 08:00 AM, I walked to the orphanage, where I had my own office. Together with Geip, Osward’s brother, I worked on the websites. He learned how to fly the drone and use WordPress to improve the portfolio of Zion Care Organization. At 10:00 AM, we had porridge with all the orphanage children.
I recorded a video of the organization’s main building. The first floor is the orphanage where the children live. The second floor is the primary school the orphans attend and children from the neighborhood. Finally, on the third floor is the church located, where all people come together on Sunday.
The children brought us the food to the office for lunch or we walked back to the homestay. In the afternoon, I was free and I did activities with Geip or went downtown to explore Arusha.
On the weekends, I was invited to join the family to visit lake Duluti nearby. We rented a boat and did a hike along the lake.
Overview volunteering expenses from 18th until 28th October.
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Bus from Kidatu, Kilombero to Arusha $13
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Volunteer Fee $50
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Total $63
The host provides a private room with a double-sized bed and shower with warm water. Wi-Fi is available and you can buy a SIM Card at the nearest shop, five minutes by foot. There is free parking space and a member of the family does laundry.
They rent the place professionally under “Zion Homestay” as a guest house for holiday visitors. If you volunteer a few hours, you get all three meals for free. I paid as a solo traveler $5 for one day. The women of the family assisted me with any concerns. My shoes were heavily worn out and they fixed them professionally! The hospitality is exceptional and they keep renewing the property.
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