Menu
  • Please select what you would like to do, where and for how long!

Social Reality Tour - Tourism Development and Marketing

Internship and Volunteering Possible
 
Social Reality Tour is an initiative of World Unite! to support the Outreach Programs of social organizations. Revenues are generated through tourism to fund the support of people in need. At the moment, Social Reality Tour is offered in Moshi by MANO (Man Alive Outreach Network) and in Zanzibar by ZASO (Zanzibar AIDS Association & Orphans Support).
 

Project Details

 
In Tanzania, there are a certain number of tourists who are quite interested in getting an insight into the social situation of their travel destination and to do "something good". For this reason, almost all hotels and tour operators bring tourists who ask for it to an orphans centre.
 
A visit to such an orphan centre usually consists of the presentation of two songs by the children; then the children present themselves by their names, and visitors can leave a donation, which is either money or some toys or clothes that they bring from their home country.
 
The problem with this, is that orphan centres which are located nearby a hotel are overwhelmed with gifts, whereas others don't receive anything. The employees of the orphanage often hide the gifts - if the next visitors see that there are already plenty of toys and clothes, they wouldn't probably donate anything. Also, for the staff of the orphanage, the sales of these articles, which mostly are of higher quality than local products, are an attractive private extra income. The children at the orphanage don't really benefit from such kind of "orphanage tourism".
 
With the Social Reality Tour however, visitors join a professional social worker for 3-4 hours on his or her home visit to a poorer area or Moshi or Zanzibar Town. The people being visited are families or individuals living in poverty. HIV/Aids and other diseases often result in unemployment and poverty, resulting in immense challenges.
 
Social Reality Tour is a non-profit offer for everyone interested to get to know more about the various living situations of people in Tanzania.
 
Through a personal conversation with the families or individuals being visited, tourists can get to know their hopes and goals, just as their daily struggles and difficulties. The individuals being visited have all agreed to be visited and they are seriously happy about the fact that someone is interested in them. It is not a requirement for families to receive visitors in order to get material support from the NGO.
 
The social worker gives visitors an introduction to the topic and prepares/sensitizes them to make sure the visits are done in an ethically acceptable way. The maximum group size is 4-5 persons visiting a family at a time.
 
Each visitor pays 10 USD from which things are bought, that the supported people need most, such as food, school supplies, soap, school fees or medicines. It's the decision of the social worker how the money is being spent, as he or she knows best the needs within the community. Further donations are welcome, but not expected.
 
The social worker can give background information to the visitors who get valuable insights into individual life "realities" in Tanzania. By creating a dialog between international travelers and local communities in Moshi and Zanzibar Town, we want to increase global empathy and understanding.
 
In Moshi, we started Social Reality Tour in 2011; in Zanzibar in 2013. From July 2013 we will make Social Reality Tour a part of the induction/orientation of all of our World Unite! participants in Moshi and Zanzibar; the contribution will be carried by World Unite!
 
Social Reality Tour Moshi
 
Social Reality Tour Moshi is done in cooperation between World Unite! and MANO (Man Alive Outreach Network). MANO is an NGO that was founded in 2006 by Pastor Gabriel Shoo. Gabriel Shoo and his sister Fundasia Kishe who is a nurse and social worker are guiding the Social Reality Tour in Moshi.
 
Both are members of the community of Majengo and are in daily contact to the families in need, many of which they have known for more than 40 years, and whom they have a personal relationship with.
 
Participants of The Social Reality Tour join Mama Kishe and Pastor Gabriel Shoo on their valuable social work, which is funded through their contribution.
MANO's activities include counseling and campaigning about HIV/AIDS, mental and material support for people with HIV and their families and HIV orphans; campaigning against drug abuse and counseling addicts and individuals at risk; HIV and AIDS prevention amongst prostitutes and elaborating alternative ways of income-generation for them; anti-stigmatization of people with albinism, and providing vocational training and employment for them.
 
Social Reality Tour Zanzibar
 
For Social Reality Tour in Zanzibar, World Unite! cooperates with the NGO ZASO (Zanzibar AIDS Association & Orphans Support).
 
ZASO is an NGO registered in Zanzibar since 1996, which has the aim to support disadvantaged children in the southern and western communities of Zanzibar Island and Zanzibar Town. The children are complete or half orphans living in poverty. Following the Islamic tradition, orphans are usually adopted by relatives or friends of the parents who have died or who are sick. However, the adopted children are usually disadvantaged in comparison to the families' own children, as there are not enough financial means to support all children. The host families’ own children who are living together with the orphans are also supported by ZASO, not to give a special status to the orphans and thus reduce stigmatization. Some of the orphans are HIV positive. For more than 15 years ZASO has been providing help to disadvantaged children by a variety of programs, activities and education.
 
Various staffs of ZASO are doing the Social Reality Tour in Zanzibar. Young people are being trained to become social workers and Social Reality "Tour Guides", including some who are from the community and have previously been recipients of the ZASO programs themselves. The money raised through Social Reality is a fundamental share to be able to continue the NGO's social programs.
 
Possible activities for Volunteers and Interns in the Social Reality Tour include:
 
* Marketing for the tour: Draw attention to the tour through "Things to do“, Listen, etc. in travel forums and travel sites; Contact tour operators and hotels so that they offer the Social Reality Tour to their customers
* Improve rankings in Google Search and other search engines.
* Update the Social Reality Tour Website and Facebook site.
* Support in the communication between former visitors and their visited families  
* Answering requests to participate in the tour, as well as responding to donors
* General improvements to the tour, as a result of the feedback from visitors, NGOs and families
* In Zanzibar, teaching the guides in English and other foreign languages ​​as well, and to improve their communication skills with foreign tourists
* Ideation of ways in which the visited families and individuals can make products that they can sell as souvenirs to visitors, and thus, can generate additional income. Some products include sandals, pillows, etc.
 
We have held a showcase of such products at the "Aroma Coffee House" where customers could buy them. Other such shops or outlets (such as a hotel shop) need to be found where similar showcases can be held.
Info Box
General
Location: Zanzibar Town/Zanzibar and Moshi/Tanzania
Availability: All year, Start date flexible
Minimum Duration: 1 Month
Maximum Duration: 12 Months
Language Requirements: English
Further Languages Of Advantage: Swahili
Accommodation:
House, Host Family, Hotel
Internship
Supervision Possible: Yes, in the tourism sector, with guidance from the World Unite! employee (MA Tourism Management)
Minimum Qualification Of Intern :
No formal qualification required
Further Contribution To Project: None
Volunteering
Volunteering Possible: Yes
Required Qualification For Volunteer: Relevant knowledge
Further Contribution To Project: None
Expectations:
Professional Conduct, Do you have the "right" attitude?
 

Our Partners

  • partners01.jpg
  • partners03.jpg
  • partners04.jpg
  • partners05.jpg
  • partners06.jpg
  • partners07.jpg
  • partners08.jpg
  • partners09.jpg
  • partners10.jpg
  • partners22.jpg
  • partners24.jpg
  • partners25.jpg

Programs

Auslandspraktika Internships Abroad

A wide selection of internships in many countries. Read more...

 
Volunteering Volunteering

Charitable placements worldwide. Read more...

 
World Learner World Learner

Learn your host country's knowledge. Read more...

 
Aktivreisen Active Travel

Your alternative holidays. Read more...

 
Academix Academix

Dissertations, intercultural learning. Read more...

 
Work&Travel Working Holiday

Working Holiday in Japan, China and Germany Read more...

Quick Poll!

Do you find on our website what you are looking for?

Yes - 57%
No - 21.5%
Partially - 18.3%

Login Form

This website uses cookies for navigation, language selection and other functionalities. By clicking "Accept and Close" you agree that cookies are saved on your device.