English Bridge or Bust!

We are excited to announce that Access 2 Tanzania, in partnership with Project Zawadi, will host its annual Donor Trip this November 2025. As before, there will be two travel options: Safari & Service or Service ONLY. 

Safari & Service (1 week of English Bridge volunteering) – Nov 8-22
Service ONLY (2 weeks of English Bridge volunteering) – Nov 8-22

Note: The trip dates will avoid overlapping with US Thanksgiving. 

Safari & Service: This journey will start with a wildlife safari through Tanzania’s greatest wildlife parks including Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. To the west of the Serengeti lies Project Zawadi’s partner community of Nyamuswa. It is in this rural community that you will support the English Bridge Program for one week.

Service Only: This option has volunteers arrive at the same time as the “Safari & Service” group but instead of going on safari to get to Nyamuswa, you will fly to Mwanza and be transported to the village. This option allows you to support the English Bridge Program for two weeks instead of just one week. At the end, you will fly back to Arusha with the rest of the travel group.

Each year, Project Zawadi offers the English Bridge Program for students in the Nyamuswa area who are transitioning from primary school (where instruction is in Swahili) to secondary school (where instruction is in English). This six-week intensive course is held at four local schools with English teachers leading lessons designed to prepare students for English-language instruction in secondary school.

A specialized English Bridge curriculum has been developed with our staff and volunteers. Travelers on the Project Zawadi Donor Trip will have the opportunity to support the program by participating in daily conversational English sessions. Our staff and volunteers will have specific lessons prepared for members of this travel group.

For general information on travel in Tanzania, please visit the Access 2 Tanzania website and explore the Planning Tools section of the website for common questions. You can also reach out to Brian Singer (bsinger@projectzawadi.org) to learn more about the trip and the volunteer experience.

*If the November 8-22 set of dates fills up, we may consider opening up a second session.

Phyllis R. (USA)

September 8, 2025

“Every detail was meticulously planned and perfectly suited to our needs. It was obvious that Karen paid careful attention to how we prefer to experience travel and matched us with a guide who perfectly suited our style. Barney was incredibly professional and let us set the tone and pace. He is an outstanding guide in so many ways; he quickly read us and we bonded immediately. Throughout the journey it was obvious that Barney is well respected by the other guides and they often follow his lead because he knows where to go and how to find the animals. He is also an incredible photographer–I got to a point where I just handed him my phone and he meticulously captured our trip. With no exaggeration, our 8 days with Barney were life changing and we think of him each and every day.

While we requested clean and comfortable accommodations with private baths, every place we stayed far exceeded our expectations. Nyikani and Mara Mara were the standout favorites. I have spoken with folks who were unsure and had reservations about the food that would be provided. We ate incredibly well–food was more than plentiful, very good to extremely delicious, and the soups were the best I have ever eaten. Service was consistently exceptional.

Honestly, we can’t say enough positive things about our experience and have been recommending Access 2 Tanzania and Barney to all we can.”