Home-Building Expedition Blogs

Monday 8th October After arriving at Umoja Hostel not too long before midnight, the volunteers awoke to their first day of their home-building expedition. After an orientation and safety briefing the team left for the TAWREF offices where we were treated to a very warm welcome by all the staff and volunteers at the TAWREF office. They kindly gave us a 'kilo of fire' as encouragement and strength in our work and a very interesting presentation about the work of TAWREF and their collaborations, including Vine Trust. After a couple of choice purchases from the TAWREF gift shop which supports…

The April General Home Building Expedition to Tanzania arrived safely last night (Sunday) in the dark, with all luggage except Fiona's.  'Enjoyed' a bumpy bus ride to Moshi, but lovely waking up to heat this morning (although no power at present). Heading off for breakfast - pancakes and eggs.  All is well, The April General Home-Building Team Sunday 1st April  We started the day with a late breakfast, despite most of us being awoken at 3am by the call to prayer. We spent a lovely afternoon at MCCC (Moshi Children's Christian Centre)  playing football, making loom bands and face painting. It was great to…

As the Babcock team return to work and slowly adjust to the rather drastic change in temperature, our team members are able to begin to reflect on the incredible experience they lived together for two weeks in Tanzania. The last days in Moshi were a whirl-wind of early mornings, safari drives, rare animal sightings and emotional goodbyes. It started with a 6am departure towards Ngorongoro Crater. The team were taken aback by the spectacular views as we reached the top of the crater basin, made even more atmoshpheric by the sheet of rain that was quickly moving across the plain as…

The team experienced some heavy rains towards the end of the week and through the weekend, which was an exciting and, at times, muddy experience! On Thursday, after some rain showers over night, the teams headed towards the worksites as usual. The small team who were working on Mama Esteria's site found themselves stuck in thick mud on the windy dirt track to the worksite. After some handy use of rocks and lots of pushing, we managed to get the van out and make it down to the worksite warmed up and ready to get to work.  The team spent…

The team have been busy on the worksites as the houses begin to take shape into homes. On Mama Valentina's site, the team arrived on Tuesday, our second day on the worksites, to find the foundations ready to line with rocks and move on to the next stage of the foundations. View of Mount Kilimanjaro on the way to Mama Valentina's site Mama Valentina and her 6 children used to live in a rented house before her husband passed away three years ago. Unable to pay the rent, the family found themselves homeless. A friend kindly opened up their home to provide them…

Our team of volunteers from Babcock International, the first to participate in the Babcock - Vine Trust Volunteering Partnership, landed at Kilimanjaro airport on Saturday evening, tired but estatic to have finally arrived. The team of twenty-six will spend the next 2 weeks supporting local builders in the construction of new homes, and a new life, for 3 families in the Moshi area.  After a quick dinner at our hostel, the team headed to bed, excited to start their adventure. Sunday began with a traditional Tanzanian breakfast of chapati pancakes, egg and plantain bananas. The team then took a stroll around…