The two NGOs "MOTO" and "DADA" have been founded by Antje and Yussuf, a German couple who came to Zanzibar in 1992.

 

MOTO is a community-based handcrafts project in Pete/Zanzibar, near Jozani Forest National Park. Around 300 women are producing baskets, mats and Kikoy fabrics at their homes. They produce higher priced designer products. Antje is checking the quality of the production and is paying the women a fair share.

 

DADA (Swahili for "older sister") are three women's cooperatives from Matemwe at the North coast of Zanzibar that are producing healthy food items including dried fruit, marmelades and jams, pasta, exotic mustard, and wellness products such as herbal soaps and creams.

 

Antje and Yussuf are developing the products, supervising the production and training the women. They offer many creative products such as jams made from the fruits of the baobab tree and interesting tropical fruit blends. The packaging is attractive and therefore the DADA products are appealing to tourists. MOTO and DADA run a shop in Zanzibar Stone Town, and a small museum about braiding with shop at the road near Jozani Forest National Park. Further, some hotels are reselling the products to their guests and the same hotels also buy braided items and soaps for their hotel room supplies, and food items for their restaurants. A supermarket (Migoz outside of Zanzibar Town) is selling DADA products.

 

The goal of MOTO and DADA is not primarily profit generation, but to run the NGOs in a self-sustaining way without depending on donations or development funds. Antje and Yussuf regard themselves as artists who want to empower women and make them independent and motivated to achieve something in their lifes. They want to act against the mindset of many Zanzibaris and many NGOs always to ask for donations and funds, and instead to improve their living conditions by means of creativity and making use of the available resources to their full extent. For them, the term "resources" includes intellectual and practical skills just as environmental resources.

 

Antje and Yussuf are advocating the use of renewable energies. The MOTO and DADA women are for instance using solar cookers for the production of food items and to dye fabrics. As Antje and Yussuf found it very difficult to convince adults in Zanzibar to make use of renewable energies (instead of for instance distroying the mangrove forests for firewood), they are now targeting the following generation. Whereas the adults don't see any immediate and personal advantage in changing their lifelong habits, the children are more accessible when approached at an early age. For the children of the DADA women, Yussuf and Antje are currently constructing a playground and nursery school where they plan to teach about solar energy to make the children grow up with a consciousness about the need to use renewable energies. Additionally, the playground has the advantage that the women don't have to supervise their kids while working with DADA and therefore can be more productive. 

 

The following volunteering options are possible with MOTO/DADA:

 

a) Marketing, PR, distribution

 

The task consists in supporting Antje and Yussuf with marketing, PR and distribution. As the DADA and MOTO products are more expensive compared to simple local products or imported low-quality products from China, it has to be explained that the products are of high quality, that the women get a fair share, and what the goals of the two NGOs are (e.g. resource optimisation, community development). There is a growing number of tourists who accept paying a higher price to support such initiatives. This can be done using the existing  internet blogs, producing videos e.g. for Youtube, Facebook etc., or locally, using flyers or the product labels to provide information. More hotels must get convinced to offer and use the NGOs' products. An idea is to build attractive MOTO shelves that can be placed in hotels and shops. If you have ideas how to promote the MOTO and DADA concept, you can contribute them. The question whether the products should be offered outside of Zanzibar and Tanzania has not yet been decided.

 

A further approach is to include the women's work into tourism activities. This makes the volunteering option with DADA and MOTO also of interest for volunteers from the tourism sector. Jozani Forest and its endemic Red Colobus Monkeys are a main tourist attraction in Zanzibar. Next to the forest there is the new Zanzibar Butterfly Centre, a covered space for butterflies. As the butterflies only live for 2 weeks, the centre constantly is in need of new butterflies which are being breeded by the people of Pete Village as a sustainable, alternative source of income. The third attraction of the area is the MOTO museum where for visitor groups, presentations such as weaving kikoy fabrics, braiding etc. are arranged and DADA food can be tasted. 

 

Combining these three attractions (Jozani Forest, Butterfly Centre and MOTO) makes an exciting full day excursion and a portion of the profits can go to DADA/MOTO; the museum shop can further achieve direct sales to the tourists. You can be active in developing and marketing tourism products and developing cooperations with other tourism attractions.

 

b) Packaging and product design

 

A volunteer from the subject area of packaging and/or product design is needed to assist with designing the DADA and MOTO products and their packaging.

 

 
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MOTO and DADA already receive German volunteers who stay for one year, being sent by a public German development aid program. Those volunteers however are working in other subject areas - more in the direct work with the women and the production of goods.

 

You will primarily be volunteering in Matemwe at Zanzibar's North-East coast where you can live with a family in the village. The rent is much cheaper than in Zanzibar town. Probably you will get a moped to be able to move. In town there is accommodation where you can stay on a per night basis if you need to do some work in town.