Experience:
Organisation:
Name: Kate
Hometown: Sussex
Destination: Tanzania
Project type:Teaching English
Organisation: Frontier
What were your impressions of your destination?
The destination was beautiful. We lived on Mafia Island - a tiny island off the coast of Tanzania. The town was very run down and obviously living in poverty. The natural environment on the other hand was beautiful - especially the beaches.
Was the work interesting and challenging?
The work was very rewarding. The students were engaging and very eager to improve their English. Volunteering is a fantastic experience and I would recommend to anyone taking a gap year to try it.
What was your accommodation like? Did you feel comfortable and welcome at all times?
The accommodation was very basic, but luxurious by Tanzanian standards. We lived in a house with the other volunteers and the local community were very welcoming and made sure we were safe and happy.
Were you happy with the organisation and the staff that were responsible for you during your stay?
Frontier was appalling. I would strongly recommend against volunteering with them. This is the view of myself and the other 4 volunteers I worked with. Frontier continually provided wrong information both before and during the project. There was no-one from Frontier on Mafia Island who knew anything about our project. Frontier did not provide a 'logistics officer' to deal with any issues (medical or otherwise), so when medical emergencies arose we had to rely on the local community to help us.
Do you feel that you got value for money on the project?
No. All Frontier did, for the £700 we paid them, was provide us with a teaching placement (food/acommodation/travel coming to £100 for the entire month). According to the school we taught at, Frontier invested no money in them. It left us all wondering where our money went within this non-profit organisation.
Would you recommend the project to others?
No
