Reviews and Testimonies
Christopher Gaune (Chile) reviewed Maisha Arts Development — 5 star
"This organization has a great and direct impact on the local community, for this and the excellent relationship with all of them (MAD team) is what I really liked to work with them and why not, came back again soon.
About me, I spend my time working on many community projects, some of them were at a workshop on a local school and improving a local business.
Thank you so much to all the team, especially to the amazing director James (Asante rafiki)!"
Becca Saraceno (U.S.A) reviewed Maisha Arts Development — 5 star
"A truly unique and genuine approach to introducing arts development to the local African community. A great organization that has nothing but the communities' best interest at heart. If you have a passion for the arts and are interested in contributing your love and knowledge to those in need, this is the volunteer program for you! So many different outlets and opportunities to share what you have to give with this program. And if you are looking to add to your volunteer experience this program also can arrange safaris, day trips, and it's own hostel accommodation for you. Take a chance, you won't regret it!"
Cecile Groels (Netherlands) reviewed Maisha Arts Development — 5 star
"Congrats James and your organization u make an awesome website... and your idea is really unique!! Hope it's doing great! Totaly recommend it!!"
Squatter Taylor (Tanzania) reviewed Maisha Arts Development — 5 star
"I LIKE THIS BECAUSE ITS A UNIQUE IDEA FOR THE COMMUNITY IN ARUSHA AND TANZANIA, KEEP IT UP... YOUR DOING SOMETHING GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL"
Abi (U.K.) reviewed Maisha Arts Development — 5 star
"So this review is long overdue!! Where do I begin?! Firstly, James, one of the directors of the Tanzania PMGY house picked me up from the airport along with their well known taxi driver. Both so friendly and made me feel at ease (I arrived on my own and in the dark so I was a little nervous), all went smoothly. I then arrived at the house and Chelsey (the other director) was waiting for me and showed me to the room I was going to stay in - this was greatly appreciated after such a long flight! I arrived a few days before the induction day but the current volunteers showed me the ropes which was really helpful! The induction day was very thorough, Huruma (one of the coordinators) was so so friendly and showed us the town and what we needed to know - for example the dala dalas, money, shops and taught us some Swahili! The house itself was clean, tidy and spacious. The room I stayed in was very large and had 4 bunk beds - only 4 of us stayed in there max at one time as it wasn’t too busy. The bathroom was clean and large, although occasionally a few bugs but I guess that’s all part of the package when you go to Africa!! The food was lovely and very traditional Tanzanian food made by the lovely house Mammas! They were so friendly and were willing to do anything for us, they had their own business with the filtered water and laundry for an extra cost (but still not very much). We were given lots of support getting to our placements (I was in the hospital) and even support at the placement if we needed it. We were shown around the hospital and went to the area of interest - mine being paediatrics. The hospital were quite accommodating with having volunteers but the matron wasn’t keen on having lots in department, understandably, so we would just go to a different department instead! On placement me and the other volunteers experienced some very eye opening care, needless to say it’s very different from the NHS. As me and the other volunteers had some medical experience (I’d just qualified as a nurse and the other were nursing students/ paramedic) we were quite hands on and the staff there allowed us to do a fair amount. There were times when we had lots of responsibility which was very stressful at the time. We saw heartbreaking things but we also saw amazing things and these experiences was truly priceless. I spent my time mostly between maternity and paediatrics, but I did a morning/ afternoon in other departments too which was very interesting! We saw lots of babies born - some healthy and some not. After placement we could go and chill at a restaurant, go back to the house or even go to the cinema to relax. There was even some western places to go and eat if you fancied it (the chips masala in Empire was my go-to cheap meal). Secondly, our volunteer trips were amazing!! Chelsey and James arranged everything that we wanted to and were so professional about it. For example, hot springs, the waterfalls and most importantly the safari!! The safari was arranged by Chelsey’s company (Maisha Adventures) and was INCREDIBLE! We went for 4 days and saw everything that we wanted too and more - the highlights have to be camping in the Serengeti, watching the sunrise over the Serengeti and seeing so many animals up close (no zoom needed). Hans our tour guide was very knowledgable and loved to tell stories which was found hilarious! And not forgetting Paul who made us so much delicious food! These experiences made us as a group much closer and we have so many stories which will stay with me for a very long time. Before I went out to Tanzania I did some fundraising to buy medical equipment for the hospital. While out there I realised how unfriendly the ward was for children - very monotone, tired and unkept. Some children were there for weeks and had nothing to play with or anything to stimulate them. I decided that I wanted to use some of the money to paint the inside of the ward to make it child friendly, so James helped make this possible by speaking with the matron and getting hold of all the paint/ painting equipment! With the help of Chelsea, James, Huruma and the other volunteers we managed to make the inside look so bright and colourful! We painted a safari theme, sunrise, flowers and trees. This was so much fun and there was lots of laughing involved (especially when Lauren, another volunteer, dropped paint everywhere and went all over her face and hair!!) PMGY were so thourough and very helpful in the begininning stages of organising this trip! I sent lots of emails asking questions about it and I always had a quick and detailed reply. Everything went smoothly from start to finish, would totally recommend PMGY to anyone who wants to volunteer abroad (especially Tanzania)! Asante sana!"
Gabriele (U.K.) reviewed Maisha Arts Development — 5 star
"This project was great! You have the possibility to work with animals you would never see in your home country. It is hard work, but in the end it's totally worth it. Also, you meet many great people and you make a lot of new friends. If you're prepared to work hard, it will be a fantastic experience. Totally reccomend this project!"
Ella-Louise (U.K.) reviewed Maisha Arts Development — 5 star
"The volunteer service was a good experience, well organised and structured"