My volunteer work in the sea turtle project in Tanzania

My journey to the project

I spent ten weeks volunteering in the sea turtle project in Mtwara, Tanzania from May to July 2023.

With a change I flew to Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. Unfortunately, I missed my connecting flight on the outbound flight, which is why I arrived in Tanzania a day later than planned. However, communication with the team on site went smoothly, so I was picked up from the airport on time a day later despite the change of plans.

As I walked out of the airport building, the first thing I noticed was the warm and humid air, which was completely different to what you're used to in summer back home. I found it very exciting to drive on the streets of Dar es Salaam to the RGV transfer house because everything looked so different than back home. Even though it was very early in the morning, the streets were already quite busy and crowded and the area with the many palm trees, the small huts and the many boda bodas and bajajis (the typical motorcycle taxis and tuk tuks in Tanzania) looked so new and unfamiliar , but very exciting.

The orientation program

My orientation program was one day in Dar es Salaam, where I got the SIM card and exchanged money, and another day in Mtwara, my project location. There I was shown around the city and familiarized with the most important places, such as the market, the bank and the ferry. For the first time I ate something typically Tanzanian, namely rice with a kind of sauce made from okra. They tasted a bit strange at first, but they weren't actually that bad ;).

My time in the project

In the project I was part of many different activities. Since there were unfortunately no turtles in the catch basin yet, our tasks focused primarily on nature/marine protection on site and on creating awareness in the minds of the population about the problems that need to be addressed locally. We regularly did beach and so-called graveyard clean-ups. The former was about clearing the beach and the sea of ​​accumulated rubbish and thus avoiding marine pollution. The graveyard clean-ups consisted of searching specific areas where turtles are poached for shells and bones of the dead animals. We collected these and then communicated the location to the local government so that local turtle populations could be monitored and counted. This enabled us to keep an overview of how many animals are actually killed and whether this number is increasing or decreasing.

We also had an educational project with a primary school where we taught a sixth grade class sea turtle basics over four weeks and explained to them why the animals are endangered and worth protecting.

We also often went snorkeling. Sometimes just for fun, but mostly we looked for turtles and different marine ecosystems. We also helped with Coral Reef Restoration, where broken or damaged corals are collected so that they can grow and be replanted into the reef later.

I spent almost all of my time in Tanzania in the volunteer accommodation in Mtwara, which I found very nice because you were surrounded by people around the clock and there was always something going on. There was always someone there to do something with and there was always a lot of talking and laughing. Overall, I found the interaction and community among the volunteers to be very positive and I really enjoyed it. :)

Leisure activities in Tanzania

We did a lot together, especially on the weekends, for example trips into the city and the market to run errands, but also sailing boat trips or trips to the beach. We also did sports and cooked together, went out to eat and celebrated. So there was always something going on!

The food was - contrary to what I expected - much less exotic and more seasoned than expected. In general there were a lot of carbohydrates, especially rice, but also potatoes or pasta and traditional dishes such as ugali, a kind of corn porridge or pilau (spiced rice), and a lot of fresh fruit such as bananas, pineapple and watermelon. But vegetables were rarely available, and when they were, they were often processed into sauces etc. and rarely fresh. You can always get fruit and vegetables on the market for little money. There was often street food on the streets, such as traditional pasta, which was sold for the equivalent of a few cents. In between, I really wished I could eat a fresh salad or dairy products like cheese or yoghurt again. However, that quickly went away because I actually always found it very exciting to try new dishes that were previously unknown to me and local specialties that you don't know from home ;).

Tanzania is a very diverse country with numerous different landscapes and exciting flora and fauna. I found it particularly nice that I saw so much of it in my ten weeks, including through the safari and climbing Kilimanjaro. It's simply something different to travel to a foreign country as a volunteer, because you're much more likely to come into contact with the locals and learn a lot about the country and its people, but also about yourself. Of course, sometimes you find yourself in situations that are unfamiliar and may not be easy to deal with at the beginning, but in the end you are even more proud of having gotten through them.

I found it very enriching to see and experience how little you can actually get by with and how little it takes to be happy and content. The Tanzanian calm and relaxation was also a pleasant experience compared to the usual everyday stress at home in Germany ;).

Why RGV?

I chose RGV because the organization seemed reputable and competent (as far as I could tell) and I wanted to make sure that I really made a difference and didn't end up with dubious projects where the only thing that mattered was a good reputation. No matter how small the difference you make, it makes a difference! :)

When it came to preparing for my trip, I actually felt like I was well advised. I called RGV several times when I had questions and almost always received helpful information. However, the whole thing was a little more difficult on site, as you couldn't call RGV's German landline number with the Tanzanian SIM card. Unfortunately, I received no or no helpful response to some of my emails. I thought that was a bit of a shame, since you are traveling with an organization precisely for this kind of support that you actually want.

Otherwise, I got along well on site, as you learn the most important things from the other, more experienced volunteers and the team on site and always get help and support.

My conclusion

I really had a very, very nice time in Tanzania, in which I saw and experienced a lot, got to know a lot of great people and learned a lot. Both about other people, languages, habits and cultures, as well as about myself. I can really recommend such an experience abroad to anyone who wants to go out into the world and discover it! :)

Experience report from Luise, volunteer in the sea turtle project in Tanzania, May to July 2023