Tues, 08-Jul-25

Final Site Visit

Today we had our last visit to the site. It felt very different from the anticipation on the first day travelling to the site not really knowing who anyone was. We had created a very strong bond with the family (Flora, Denis, Justin and Joseph), other children and the Fundi. Watching the house grow throughout our time on site was something that will stick with me forever. Our time on site was short but we made sure to make the most of it; all the children were playing with bubbles, balls and ballon’s laughing and enjoying themselves and so were we. This was something I, along with the team, will always appreciate and feel touched by. 

We were told by Flora how great full her and her boys were for all we had done to help. As we said our last goodbyes to a community we had spent time with and waving to the kids, I along with many others broke down on our way back to the bus. One of the things I will miss the most about our site is how everyone came together; us, Flora, and the neighbouring chldren to assist in this amazing process. 

Tinga Tinga

After drying our eyes, the mood was lifted and we were all exited to try something new. Tinga Tinga gave us the opportunity to barter. The task was to get the original price down to as low as possible. It felt like a game. I really enjoyed it and loved the expressions on the seller’s face as I offered a stupidly low price to then build up to a more reasonable one. Although I enjoyed it others found it more challenging. Paintings, ornaments, jewellery and so much more was on offer. 

Our last night at Berea was filled with laughs due an awards ceremony planned by the teachers with funny awards. Lion King was played to get us in the mood for Safari. It was unbelievable to think that this was or last night at the collage, time had flown in so quickly. We all enjoyed our time there and the memories made will last a lifetime!

- Lois MacRae 

 

Sun, 06-Jul-25

Visit to Chagga Caves

Today I had an early start, making sure to be quiet so as to not disturb everyone else who was sleeping. Me and all the others that wanted to attend church quickly got dressed into our smartest outfits and  went to breakfast. After a brief bite, we piled into the bus and headed to KCMC the local church that does an English service. When we arrived the congregation was already singing and it was a very welcoming and positive environment to be in. We took our seats and then the service began. It was like nothing I have ever experienced, everyone was so real and honest, some even crying to the prayers and sermon, I loved the music, everyone was such amazing singers. At the end of the service, we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to everyone and this made us feel even more welcomed. After the service we all returned to Berea and had a quick wardrobe change, ready for a new adventure.

We all headed to the Chagga Caves in the afternoon and had an amazing time. First, one of the more experienced guides gave us an explanation about the Chagga Tribe. We then began the coffee tour, we followed the coffee from seed to cup, and even had the opportunity to taste some! We then went underground to explore the Chagga Caves and it was eye opening to see how people lived before. We had a quick browse in the shop, then it was back to Berea for a delicious dinner of burgers and fries. We had the chance to wash our clothes and then it was time for bed, ready for our final full day on the worksites.

 

Sat, 05-Jul-25

Tree Planting and Climate Presentation day

In the morning we had a slightly later start. After our lovely breakfast, we had a climate presentation by the owner of KLM Safari. What struck me about the impact of climate change in Africa was seeing the difference between Mount Kilimanjaro in the 90s compared to now with the majority of the ice caps on the mountain having melted.

The drive to the school where we were going to plant trees was more than eventful, DJ Julia (the best DJ) was on the tunes and 2 of our 3 buses broke down on the road. As Elly says the road gave us an “African massage”.

Meeting the kids here in Tanzania has been amazing – by far my favourite part of the trip – so I was very happy to meet the school children when we arrived! Planting the trees was a lot of fun, but definitely hard work in the Lower Moshi heat. Knowing that the trees would long outlast us, and be taken care of and enjoyed by the locals really made the day feel worthwhile.

After our second ‘African massage’ of the day - and DJ Julia’s second set - we arrived back at Berea and as usual ran straight to the showers to get ready to go out for dinner.

These last couple of days we’ve all definitely been more aware that we are going to have to leave Tanzania soon. So, dinner for a few of us was more than a little emotional. It’s difficult not to think about how we will have to leave behind all of these incredible people soon – for me, I know leaving the kids on our site behind and returning to our normal lives will feel impossible. I wish I could take them all back with us!

It’s been an incredible experience and our tree planting day was just one of the many amazing, unforgettable days we’ve had here. Everyday I’m trying to take it all in while I still can.

 

Fri, 04-Jul-25

We arrived at the worksite at 10am to see that the Fundi had made so much progress! The walls were stacked high and the house was really taking shape. It was so nice to see the structure forming and knowing that it was sturdy and safe for Flora and her family to live in soon. We began work straight away after saying hello to all the children, who were eager to help. 

We began by making a chain through the banana forest and passed buckets of water from the tap to the worksite to give the Fundi enough water to make the cement. After the Fundi said they had enough, we returned to the bus to have lunch and tell jokes. We had mango juice, chicken, sandwiches, bananas and crisps. Then we headed back to the worksite.

The Fundi needed more soil to level out the house, and everyone joined in. We made a small chain from the start of the forest to the house and passed buckets of soil to one another, and it was so heartwarming seeing all the kids joining in the chain and so eager to help their friend build his house. Flora and her sons worked so hard, mixing cement and passing buckets, watching their house slowly take shape. After some hard work, the floor was levelled. It was nice knowing that now, as Flora said she would be able to mop her floors and have a level ground, unlike her house before which had uneven ground.

For about half an hour, we got to play with the kids before saying goodbye. We had haribos to give out, and the kids loved them and all had their hands out so we gave them as much as we could. We also had bubbles, which some people gave to the kids to use themselves, and it was so nice watching their faces light up as they watched the bubbles and had the option to make their own. The groups were a mass of laughing kids and bubbles, along with a boy in our group who could make animal balloons, and the kids were so amazed, especially Flora’s middle son Dennis, who had wide eyes and followed him about to get his own balloon animal. We had to leave, which made us all sad but we waved away the kids and said “Tutaonana tena kesho” which means “we will meet again”. The kids waved us off as we drove back down the hill.

When we got back, we were tired but so excited to get ready for the ceilidh later. We ran to the showers and started dressing up. Everyone looked so lovely, some had skirts and others had dresses and shirts and ties. Everyone had done their hair or makeup, and then we all stood in the Berea grounds in the sunset and took group photos, and we all felt like one big friend group as we all posed together. We made our way to the buses, and sang and danced on our way to the ceilidh.

When we got into the large hall, we sat in rows and got the amazing chance to see some traditional Tanzanian dances, they wore traditional clothing like patterned shorts and feathers on their head. The drums and music was very upbeat, and they sang songs. It was so exciting seeing them so proud to show their culture which have survived so long, and I felt honoured that we got the chance to see it. Afterwards, we sat down to eat.

The TAWREF leader, Dafrosa, said a heart-warming prayer, wishing us luck and strength, then we all dug in. The food was very good, rice, chicken, noodles, and watermelon and pineapple. Then she gave a lovely speech, thanking us for what we are doing, and it made us all sit and think about the reasons we were here, and that the work we were doing would have an amazing impact on the families for ever after we leave. Then Finlay and Mr Mclurg did a speech too, telling us thank you, and to be proud of ourselves.

Then we got to dance! We all joined in in some traditional Tanzanian dances, at first we were in a circle and then got a chance to do some dances in small groups. It was really cool being able to see their culture and experience it for ourselves. Then we got to show them some of our traditional Scottish dances! Sharing our cultures was so cool, we did strip the willow, military two step, Canadian barn dance, and then the line dance, along with auld lang syne to finish the night off. Dafrosa gave us all a bracelet to remember this night, but it was already unforgettable. 

We went home singing and dancing again, and went to bed with great memories of an exciting and fun day! 

-Caela Stewart 

 

Today was another full day on the worksite. We had our usual start to the work day, a warm up dance to 5,6,7,8, then we got started working. We spent most of the day passing bricks and sand buckets along a chain line, the tunes were on and the vibes were great! It was such a fun time. The kids joined our chain line, dancing and singing along with us, they were stronger than me and such hard workers. After many water breaks and lunch it came to the end of the day. We finished up our work and started to play with the kids. We played with bubbles which the kids were so fascinated by, it was so nice to see them so happy. They are so affectionate and loving.

We left the worksite then headed home for dinner at Berea and had a chilled evening playing games.

-Rosanna Mustarde

 

Today was another unforgettable day at the worksites filled with laughter and dancing. From the moment we arrived at the site it was a muddy chaos, everyone was slipping and sliding up the hill and across the small bridge. The house we’ve been helping build is really taking shape now, with proper walls being put up. Even though the work was hard, passing up buckets of sand in a chain gang, the energy was amazing. We had music blasting and we were all dancing and jumping around no matter how tired we were. Then the kids joined in. At the beginning of the week they were nervous and shy, sitting at the side watching us, but now we’ve all bonded and now they come running and giggling to our van when we arrive. They joined our chain, they were helping pass the buckets and the little girls were running up to carry the empty buckets back to the start. It was so nice to see them feeling so excited to be helping. The most adorable children were coming up to me, holding my hands, putting their arms in the air to be lifted. Another young girl was wrapped round my legs not wanting to get off. The kids are so funny and cute, full of cheekiness and joy. Seeing their faces light up was a reminder of why we are here. By the time we arrived back at Berea, we were all caked in layers of mud and completely exhausted. We all sprinted to the showers. Once clean and refreshed we gathered at the benches and played card games and bananagrams.

When the other group returned, we all got excited and started dressing up for the ceilidh. Dresses were pulled on, hair was styled and makeup was put on. Once we were all glammed up, the sun was setting and we were taking lots of photos outside. We all got into the van and the music was blasting, we were singing at the top of our lungs, it was so much fun. When we arrived, the venue was beautifully set with long tables and rows of chairs. The evening began with traditional Tanzanian dancing which was enjoyable to watch. We were then invited to join in and got taught some moves. Afterwards, we heard heartfelt speeches from Dafrosa, Finlay and Mr McClurg. Their words reminded us of the importance of the trip and how grateful and lucky we are to be here. After dinner, the ceilidh music kicked off and we started dancing. We had amazing fun showing TAWREF how to do our Millburn line dance. After a fantastic evening we came back to Berea exhausted from such a fun filled evening.

-Jessica Macfarlane

 

Thurs, 03-Jul-25

Today we started off with an exciting and fun dance off between both site groups, laughing, dancing and cheering against one another to music!

We then made our way on to the bus taking us to an existing home which was built in 2017 by one of the Vine Trust Teams. We were welcomed inside and the family explained how the Vine Trust and TAWREF had transformed their lives giving them a new home which can protect them and keep them safe but also the opportunity to improve their lives and education. Making me feel happy as they have the chance to learn and grow after sadly losing their parents to HIV and staying with their Grandma.

When we were leaving the site, the local children began hugging and running over to us and holding our hands, eager for us to stay with them. The massive smile on their faces encouraged us to continue building the home for Rodrick and Goreth.

We later made our way to an orphanage, where we were informed about what they want to do by the two sisters who run the orphanage, and how some of the children have unfortunately lost their parents. We played lots of games, blew bubbles and made loom bands for all the children which was very heart warming. At the orphanage I met a young boy called Shredrick, who always had a smile on his face. We made loom bands together and played with bubbles!! As our time at the orphanage was coming to the end we sang a song called Jambo Bwana which Elly Kimaro (VT Tanzanian Coordinator) had taught us at the beginning of the trip. In return, the children sang a very beautiful song explaining what the orphanage does for them and how thankful and welcoming the children were to see us today.

Shedrick gave me an excited wave and a massive hug before we left.  I will remember this day forever and cherish every second of it!

-Fraser Imlack

 

Wed, 02-Jul-25

After an excellent breakfast, where my group was on washing up, accompanied by much singing, we headed to the worksites. While we’d been away, brick walls had appeared about 3 bricks high where previously there had been foundations.

We spent most of the day passing buckets of cement, water, mud and bricks in chain gangs which helped boost team spirit. The young children that hung about the site also helped by joining the chain, they are incredibly strong at such a young age.

Most of our chain gang passing was through the thick jungle of banana plants which was exciting, but the slopes which surround the site are very steep and slippery as some found out the hard way! There was a scare with some ants but everyone slapped on masses of deet and moved the chain to avoid the ants home.

Since the path to site was very muddy, the bus driver met us on the road and we had to go a longer way around to get there, through jungle path. The children from the site came along with us which was very sweet and they waited with us for the bus.

On the way back to Berea, we stopped at the supermarket and bought food and snacks. I bought some Tanzanian tea for home, biscuits and a Cadburys bar. Then we returned to Berea and had a lovely dinner of pumpkin soup, followed by nice pasta and various stews which was very tasty. The food here has all been excellent and delicious. Coming here it was something I was worried about, but so far I have highly enjoyed every meal.

After dinner we sorted donations, a messy and chaotic activity which took all evening but was incredibly fun and rewarding. Millburn academy had brought a huge amount of donations and this was sorted into donations for schools, local communities, orphanages, previous and current families helped by Vine Trust, who we set aside clothes and other items for. This was a highly rewarding experience, to see all the items and know they were all going to help people, which is of course what this entire trip is about.

-Erica Cload

 

Tues, 01-Jul-25

Goreth & Roderick's Site

Today was our first full day on site – and everyone was eager to get started. Due to overnight rain we abandoned our bus and had great fun slipping along the mud to the site.

We did our “5,6,7,8” dance to get warmed up which was amazing. We gave it our best shot but we definitely looked silly and very soon all the local kids were laughing along with us. We began our chain of people first, moving stones up the hill to the site. Our tunes were loud, vibes were high and we danced and sang as we worked. It felt amazing helping the community and being a part of this team.

When we stopped for lunch, a funeral procession passed us, and many people were singing. This felt extremely impactful and we were all very interested in hearing what the usual traditions are when a death occurs in their community. We felt upset about the loss of a community member, but seeing the way everyone rallied around this person, singing and celebrating their life was uplifting.

When we arrived back at the site, we were greeted by a huge group of kids aged 2-12. After they watched us break rocks with a sledgehammer (in the most cases unsuccessfully which made them all giggle), we all had a huge mud fight!!! This was possibly the highlight of the day. We never stopped smiling and playing in such a carefree way, laughing with those kids is something we will never forget!! Sometimes the most impactful thing you can do to help is to put a smile on people’s faces. Never underestimate the power of music, dance, laughter and a high fives!

We came back to Berea and got quickly ready for dinner at Blossoms. We all dressed up and it gave us the opportunity to talk to our other team members who were at a different site. We had incredible food (pizza, enchiladas, burgers, steaks and more) and this was a great end to an amazing day!

- Evie Smith

 

Mama Joshua's Site

This morning was an earlier start for breakfast as we had a full day on site. After we filled into the bus and set off to our worksites. When we arrived, we were greeted by the young children. Welcoming all of us and saying hello was wonderful and was so nice for everyone. At the worksites we were all working on mixing concrete for the foundation and moving bricks. Even the children came and joined the supply chain of bricks to assist us. This was quite touching and made me think about how caring and helpful these kids are, seeing them help with the building and offering care for one another.

After our break we played with all the kids, playing with bubbles and gifting bracelets to them. This put a smile on everyone’s face and definitely brought everyone closer. After waving goodbye to the kids we felt a sense of detachment leaving our friends behind. On returning back to Berea we all washed-up and got changed to go for a great dinner at Blossoms café.

Today also held my great, not so great moment of dropping a bucket of water all over myself and I slipped and I am now nicknamed “butterfingers Burt” 

- Lewis Burt

 

Mon, 30-Jun-25

Goreth & Roderick's Site

This morning we visited Dafrosa and her team at TAWREF. We were greeted with their incredible singing and dancing! They shared a presentation with us about their moving work and goals for the year. During this presentation we got a virtual introduction to the beneficiary families that we would be building houses for. It was so emotional to hear of their living conditions and their past, and this made us very eager to begin building!

After spending a fair few pennies on souvenirs at the TAWREF charity shop we split into our two groups and headed to the worksites.

When we first met the family it was apparent that the community were so supportive of them. We met Goreth (12), and Roderick (18), who were both very positive.We quickly got to know the fundis (local construction workers), and worked really well as a team, as we began laying the foundations of the houses. The vibes were high, and there was lots of singing and dancing from the community!

We then made our way back to Berea and enjoyed a quiz hosted by Finlay and it was great fun.

Highlight of the day!! Mr Mclurg sprayed DEET in his eye and then proceeded to scream and undertake a lengthy procedure to clean his eye out!!!!

- Iona Scott

 

Mama Joshua's Site

In the morning we departed early to go to the TAWREF building. As we headed off the bus, we were greeted with a warm welcome by the team, who sang to us as a sign of gratitude. It was very nice to feel like we were appreciated and they made it clear that they were happy we had come all this way. When we were all settled, Dafrosa took us through a presentation explaining to us the aims and a little bit of what the team do.

We all climbed back onto the bus, where the group separated to their respective worksites. After the bus climbed to the top of the hill (using the bumpiest road I have ever been on!), we arrived at the site where we were welcomed by the children, the fundis and the family who we were working with. We got a tour of the current home and listened to Flor tell us about her life. Her strength to keep going and smiling in challenging times is very courageous. It filled me with motivation, as I knew the faster we went the quicker the family would have a new home.

After a quick safety brief and a tutorial on how to use the pickaxes safely, we split up into two teams to help dig the foundations. Myself who was in the pickaxing team had to break up the surface soil for the shovelling team to scoop the now loose soil into the middle. As I got to work I quickly realised that I had disturbed a black ants nest. Luckily Elly dealt with them quickly and we were all okay!

When we finished up with laying the foundations, we said goodbye to the kids then headed back onto the bus to Berea.

- Nathan Laing

 

Sun, 29-Jun-25

Our first day started off with a tour around the market by Elly and his team. In the market, we felt a bit out of place but were made to feel welcome with lots of “Jambo’s” and “Mambos” (greetings) from the market sellers! It was surreal and so different to how we live in Scotland, the fruit and veg looked so fresh! The tour continued through Moshi town and ended at the train station with a local man sharing his knowledge about the history of the train and the area!

After a delicious hot lunch at Berea, we then drove to the village of Marangu to learn more about Chagga culture and visit the local waterfall! We were given a tour and lesson on the culture of the area by our amazing guides Edward and Elly. We learnt that when girls turn 16, they get gifted a beaded anklet and other cultural practises of the Chagga tribe. The waterfalls were amazing!

On the way back, we had to make a detour off the road as traffic was stopped for a very important parade, with the torch that signifies Tanzania’s Independence traveling through the area, which only happens once a year! There was lots of celebration and singing from the passing parade.

 

Sat, 28-Jun-25

We arrived in Tanzania at 8pm local time after a very long and tiring journey from Inverness which started at 4:15am, BST. It hadn’t sunk in that by the end of the day, we would be in Tanzania. We started with a short flight from Inverness to Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam. After we got off the plane, we were told we had an hour to make it across the humongous airport, thankfully we made it in time! We had so much time to spare, that we stopped to enjoy watching the giant fish tank in the middle of the gates. Then it was time to board the aeroplane that we would be in for the next 8 hours. However, time passed quickly as we had TV screens on the flight and there were great vibes. We were even laughing at a teacher crying at a movie (Gladiators 2).