Expanding our students’ world view, and giving them experiences that will shape them as future leaders, is central to our ethos as a school.
The annual Tanzania Expedition, part of Nord Anglia Education’s Global Classroom, provides an unforgettable opportunity for our students to gain a greater understanding of a new culture and to make a real difference in the lives of others.
In 2014, six student ambassadors were selected to attend the first expedition, representing The British International School Shanghai, Pudong in a larger group of 100 students from Nord Anglia Education schools worldwide. Those students went through a rigorous selection process which included learning Swahili and teaching techniques, and undertaking significant fundraising activities for the Maua School in Arusha, Tanzania.
In Tanzania, they worked together with their fellow students renovating the school’s classrooms and teaching local students aged 4-14 years, and often in classes of 35 or 40 children. They were given an insight into village life at a special Africa Day hosted by the local community where they also learned traditional Masai dancing, cooking and glass beading.
A major aim of the expedition is to increase the awareness of our school community to the challenges facing this community in Tanzania and, during their trip, stayed in touch with their fellow students in Shanghai, informing them about daily events and answering their questions through the Global Classroom portal.
Take a look at the 2014 Tanzania Expedition here.
Each year, during their stay in Africa, students will:
- teach students from a local school
- undertake important hands-on projects
- visit traditional Masai villages
- meet with local businesses and organisations such as The African Wildlife Foundation to gain a fuller understanding of the challenges facing these communities
- spent time either on safari in a Tanzanian national park or on expedition to Zanzibar
- discover the history of the slave trade
- visit plantations and spice markets
- see wildlife in its natural habitat
Students return to school as Ambassadors for Africa, sharing their experiences with their fellow students and the community to build understanding of life in Africa, and strengthening their links with new friends in Arusha through fundraising activities.
Any students wishing to be considered for the Tanzania Expedition should enroll in the Global Classroom Tanzania Expedition co-curricular activity as detailed in the SPACE programme booklet.