Hello! I’m Amar (Cambridge MPhil & St Andrews MA, Laidlaw alumnus at St Andrews & University of Toronto).
I’m writing from Jozani Forest, Zanzibar, where I’m working with Kilimo Hai Zanzibar (Instagram @jukihaza2025), a recently established community organisation on the edge of Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park. The park is Zanzibar’s only national park and home to the red colobus monkey.
About the organisation...
They need volunteers with specific skills Laidlaw Scholars bring, and I’m coordinating a limited number of 4–6 week LiA placements for summer 2027, for exceptional scholars.
Kilimo Hai's mission is to empower women who are rebuilding their lives following the death of their husbands, or divorce. These women often lack any training to build a career for themselves, and do not possess the social skills to interact with society outside the family home. Kilimo Hai teaches the women practical skills, like sewing and farming, English, and also empowers them to imagine themselves as more than their role as a wife.
What they need...
The basic requirement is for driven, hard-working scholars who are willing to provide hands-on volunteer effort in Zanzibar. This might include seed-planting and digging on the organic farm in the morning, and skills-delivery in the classroom and sewing studio in the afternoon.
Additionally, scholars with any of the following are particularly welcome to apply:
- Experience teaching: You will design and deliver English lessons to the women.
- Social media experience: You will design and execute a strategy to promote the organisation's work.
- Microsoft proficiency: You will work with the coordinator to build systems capable of monitoring delivery, gaining feedback, and improving the programme.
+ unique skills: The organisation is open to incorporating your skills into the project. If you have a unique skill that would support the programme's mission, that can be delivered in the period you spend with us, let us know!
Organisation of your placement
I am working with Hassan, who manages Jozani Biosphere Village, the organic farm, and the women's empowerment facility, to arrange the following for Laidlaw volunteers for a fee payable from your stipend:
- Shared, comfortable, clean accommodation in the village with daily housekeeping, WiFi, and power
- Breakfast and dinner daily (no guarantees the monkeys don't try and steal your food!)
- Pre-departure briefing
- Donation to cover the basic resources you need for teaching, farming, etc.
Not included: flights, transfers, insurance, volunteer permit, vaccinations, and malaria tablets (your travel fund should comfortably cover these), lunch and personal consumables.
Fee: £500 per week, 4-6 weeks.
Dates: June-August 2027.
Comment or message me if you’re interested and we can set up a quick chat. I’m in Jozani until Sunday 1st Nov and can send photos, answer questions, or put you in touch with the team here.