In just a few days, I will depart for Zanzibar! I am so excited.
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous island off the coast of Tanzania. The island has its own government and generally takes care of its own affairs, even though it is part of Tanzania. We will be staying in Stone Town. I'm told the woman with whom we're staying lives "in the apartment across the street from the baobab tree." So far, that address doesn't register on google maps.
View Larger Map
While in Zanzibar, I will be working to administer Students for Students International's scholarship for high school girls. Students for Students International (S4Si) is a UNC-based not-for-profit that is entirely student run. I have been involved with S4Si for a few months, and in addition to assisting their "delegation" in Zanzibar this summer, I am the incoming S4Si co-Director of Outreach for 2011-2012. S4Si provides comprehensive scholarships to high school aged girls in Zanzibar so that they can finish their education and improve their community. S4Si believes that women's education is critical to fighting poverty, hunger, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and many other crises in the developing world. Their scholarship takes a focused approach to improving girls' access to education, by identifying high-achieving scholars at three Zanzibar secondary schools and giving them resources and support necessary to succeed. They're a great organization, and I am lucky to be able to work with their scholars.
This summer I will assist in the scholar selection process, along with two other S4Si delegates. We will choose eight new scholars, whom S4Si will fund for the next four years through fundraising efforts back at UNC. I am also focused on improving the mentoring program S4Si provides for its scholars, communicating with the three mentors S4Si employs in order to better support the scholars. If we have time, I will also teach English at Streeter's Class, a school that teaches English to students of all ages so that they might participate in the growing tourism industry on the island.
So, that's eight weeks. During my ninth week, I am going on safari in southern Tanzania.
But in the meantime, I'm trying to get through my long To-Do list: I'm sewing long skirts (with the help of my handy mother) to wear while I'm there, I'm catching up with my friends, I'm laying the groundwork for my sophomore year at UNC, I'm cleaning up my room, I'm enjoying family time, and I'm making more To-Do lists. But boy! I am so excited.
I know I am going to have a great time in Zanzibar, and I hope to be able to post on this blog about once a week. You can also follow a blog by Kathleen Hayes, one of my travel companions. You can also reach me via email, anna.bobrow@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you. After all, even though I'm goin' to Zanzibar, I'm always going to have Carolina in my mind...
