Austria goes Zanzibar

31 students from Hartberg Grammar School volunteer in Zanzibar

At the initiative of a dedicated religious studies teacher from Hartberg, 31 students set out for Zanzibar to make a positive impact on the local community. They were supported and accompanied by our foundation.

Religious education teacher Hannes Hamilton had previously spent several months teaching at the Machui College run by the Sisters of the Precious Blood of Christ in Zanzibar. It was a natural choice to propose a social project at this college to his students from Hartberg Grammar School (Styria, Austria).

The college offers vocational training in hotel management, home economics, agriculture, and carpentry. Unfortunately, it lacks many essential resources, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the drop in student numbers left the college in financial difficulty. This is where teacher Hannes and his students stepped in to help. The group embarked on an adventurous journey during the summer.

The Adventure Begins

The 31 students, spanning various year groups, packed clothing, toys, books, and many other items needed by the local community. Then, they boarded a plane bound for Zanzibar.

They called their project Austria_goes_Zanzibar. Upon arrival, they were welcomed by Alphonce, the head of our learning centre in Dar es Salaam. Since 14 students from our centre hold scholarships to the college and Alphonce is the sisters’ primary partner, he accompanied the Austrian visitors and organised their itinerary.

The group visited museums, explored the island and its beaches, and participated in daily school life. However, the primary focus of their journey was, of course, their social projects.

Playtime for Children

Lorenz, Leni, Sarah, Aaliyah, and Alea worked on building a climbing frame. Despite initial scepticism from their peers about the frame’s stability, the team completed it in three days. The kindergarten children were thrilled to have a sturdy and weatherproof climbing frame to play on.

A Taste of Home

Leah and Bevab Amina introduced the locals to Austrian cuisine. Together with the college students, they prepared Kaiserschmarrn, a traditional Austrian dish. This proved challenging due to unfamiliar kitchen equipment and the difficulty of sourcing ingredients.

In the end, the locals enjoyed the Austrian speciality. The planned pizza nearly failed due to a broken oven, but with some delay, they managed to succeed.

New Roof, New Colours

Raphael, Tim, Clemens, and Olivia renovated the slaughterhouse on the Machui College campus. The cold storage room needed cleaning and urgently required a new roof. Together with Rafael, a local worker, the students removed the roof and windows. After thorough cleaning, they built a new roof frame, which was soon covered. With a fresh coat of paint, the building is now ready for the installation of the cooling system.

A group of 13 students transformed the kindergarten with fresh paint and child-friendly decorations. Another group introduced the local children to new languages, exchanging phrases in German and Swahili. Meanwhile, the library was restocked with new books.

Capturing the Adventure

The journey and its adventures have been summarised in a short video (with German subtitles):

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