Case Study: Mina Shepherd

Geneva Trip Report

Trip to Tanzania 2016 was fantastic , many, many thanks to Zarin & Soroush’s hard work in getting it all organised so that things ran smoothly and that it was such a success. Thanks also to the coordinator of Naserian (the NGO), Alais who was the link to Maasai’s culture, language and the widows and of course thanks to the widows who welcomed us with open arms.

Tanzania, especially the Maasai land is a very unique and beautiful place, not to mention the safari, snorkelling in the Indian Ocean and the dolphins to name but a few.

The reflections every evening was just the icing on the cake, where we chuckled at, and discussed our day’s events. At least one person took the idea of reflection back to her place of work in England. I as a teacher and one who loves to learn and serve was very impressed with how much we learnt from and served the Maasai widows & children.

I would thoroughly recommend the trip to others when planning a learning and service trip abroad.
We all had a great experience; different types of accommodations, great food, wonderful sightseeing, fantastic service and learning experiences.

Excited about the service project in Tanzania, my friends, neighbors, shops, supermarkets , schools wished to contribute by sending gifts to the Maasais. I took away Hebridean Harris Tweed, cricket sets, footballs, school notebooks, colouring pens, etc. These gifts made the Maasais very happy. The children and adults were hungry to learn to play games such as cricket, to colour pictures and to share singing songs in their language and in English.

Meeting with the leaders of the communities and other representatives, sharing with them our findings and suggesting solutions was an honour. It’s heart warming to hear that as a result there has been improvements in the education of the children and the lives of the widows. I feel that if Serencommunications continues with the learning and service trips, there will be even more improvements in the lives of widows and their children.

Thank you for helping make my once in a lifetime trip something I will remember with affection. It was well organized, successful and enjoyable.

I hope that 2017 will also be as successful.

Mina Shepherd