4th and 5th of November: Deborah 

We arrived late evening to a warm Tanzanian welcome from Katie, Ellie and the staff at Randa cottages. We had a wonderful flavoursome dinner and retired to very comfortable beds.

Next day was a day to relax and enjoy the culture and natural beauty of Tanzania whilst practising a few Swahili greetings. First up was the Moshi market a busily centre of fresh colour produce, fish, meat and clothes.

After a lunch of traditional Tanzania fayre, we walked to the Materuni waterfall. A spectacular site and cooling water dip. Then back to enjoy the Randa cottages food and ending the night with a Swahili lesson to prepare us for our site work next day.

And of course, we couldn't end our night before learning our trip song "Jambo"

6th of November: Lily

Yesterday, we travelled to TAWREF in the morning to meet the team and learn about the amazing support and help they have given to previous local families. We have the opportunity to help build the 160th home for Monica and her children, which is such an incredible and proud feeling to be able to give them a safe place, dignity and hope. 

Once we got to the site, we were introduced to the family, their current shelter and the start of the build. Our first task was to level the ground, using pickaxes, shovels and buckets to move the land. It was hard work, but it was inspiring to see how everyone chipped in and really worked as a team, including the family themselves and other members of the community. We’re excited to continue the journey and see what we can achieve. Thankyou Vine Trust and Babcock for this amazing opportunity.

7th of November: Robert

We started today with a lovely local breakfast enroute to the building site. Our second day on site, we helped prepare the foundations for the house. Our key jobs included digging trenches and moving rocks, sand, water and bricks to help the builders. It was a wonderful experience, working alongside Monica, her children and the local community. We practiced our new Kiswahili language and made precious memories sharing sweets and toys with the children. Our guides Katie and Tino were fantastic, giving clear guidance on how to use the tools safely and ensured we were happy and looked after.

A long day of hard work was rewarded when we then visited one of the previous houses Vine Trust had built for the community. We met the lovely lady who lived there, Mama Nickson, who was supported by Babcock in 2025, and got to see the difference our donations, contributions and hard work makes to the local community. I am really excited to return to the building site and see the house develop.
 

8th of November: Huraira 
Today was our 4th full day in Tanzania and despite thinking this every day since we landed today has been my favourite day. The last two days we’ve all been working hard to help build the foundation for Monica and her family. Doing manual labour like that isn’t something I’ve been used to in my life however I have thoroughly enjoyed it and haven’t wanted to stop but today was a nice break from that, a chance to unwind a little bit and rest and relax.

We started bright and early this morning leaving for a Sunday service just after 07:00 at Kilimanjaro medical centre. I’m not particularly a religious person but the service today showed me a new light, and I had a smile on my face throughout the service. Seeing people singing dancing and smiling constantly was infectious and I couldn’t help but smile throughout. It also gave me a chance to reflect about my journey leading up to this trip and I felt inspired after the service.

After the service we headed back to the hotel and gathered the rest of the group before heading over to Chagga caves. I feel as though everyone was inspired from church this morning as the entire bus ride there and back we were singing and having the best time. At the caves we had a tour of the caves built over 200 years ago protecting the Chagga tribe from invaders, we also got to see the different types of huts they would live in. After that we had a coffee tour, being shown what coffee beans look like before it has its shell removed, where they grow and the entire process of making coffee in which we all got involved. Throughout the coffee making process there was again constant singing which was so infectious you couldn’t help but smile. The coffee process was amazing to see especially because now we just use machines to skip steps, but the coffee we made today was honestly the best coffee I’ve ever had. The trip to Chagga caves concluded with a nice hot meal where again we shared laughs and stories, it’s hard to believe these are the same people I met 5 days ago for the first time.

9th of November: Rebecca 

We started the day with an intro to climate change in Tanzania from Gileard the KLM director and University Professor about the impact it’s had on the climate over the last 100 years. 

Following a brief introduction to the importance of our work, we travelled to a High School in Lower Moshi to put what we’d learnt into practice. We were put into teams with the students and together we planted 100 trees to help offset the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. To finish off the day with the students we played a game of football. Despite Wills heroic attempt to save one of the deciding goals, we were deeply humbled by their skills. 

After a dip in the pool and some time to lick our wounds following football defeat, we headed out to a local restaurant called blossoms for dinner.

10th of November: Charlotte

We started the day with another lovely breakfast at our accommodation, Randa Cottages, before heading to the work site for a full day supporting the Fundi.

Since our last day on site, where the foundations were completed, the Fundi had begun constructing the walls of the house, so it was amazing to see the progress that had already been made when we arrived.

We spent the day moving sand ready for mixing cement, needed for laying the bricks of the walls. We also continued levelling the ground surrounding the house using pickaxes, shovels and buckets to remove the excess soil. It was hard work in the heat, but it was great to be getting stuck in and seeing the progress over the day.

We were also able to have a go at laying some of the bricks of the walls ourselves, which was a great experience and gave a greater appreciation of the skill involved.

My favourite part about the days on the work site is seeing the community of children and other adults from the surrounding area come together and getting involved to complete the tasks. They are always so happy to be helping us and seeing them become more comfortable with us each day is amazing.

After a full day on site, we drove back to Randa Cottages where we were able to have some downtime and relax before another dinner full of delicious local foods. After dinner, we headed into Moshi town to a bar called Moshi Pazuri, where we had the chance to experience a little bit of the local nightlife and enjoy an evening together.