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EAST AFRICA Work alongside rural communities in the heart of the
vast savannah
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1. Having fun with a local child | 2. Me to We co-founders Marc
and Craig Kielburger | 3. Getting to know local students
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Why ME To WE TRIpS? A Me to We Trip is unlike any other
volunteer travel program—it’s the start of a life-long journey.
Help leave a lasting legacy: Visit a Free The Children community
and work side-by-side with locals on development projects that help
remove the barriers to education.
Connect with communities: Spend time with local community
members and put real faces, names and stories to the impact of your
volunteer work.
Walk in the footsteps of locals: Experience the sights and
sounds of a new culture, and have one-of-a-kind adventures led by
expert local guides on a journey off the beaten path.
Become a leader: Learn lifelong leadership skills through
meaningful workshops built around issues in the country visited.
Build confidence and the ability to motivate others, and get the
tools to turn the trip experience into action at home.
ouR ChARITy pARTnER And bEST FRIEnd Me to We Trips supports the
work of our charity partner, Free The Children, giving travellers a
unique opportunity to engage in activities that directly contribute
to Free The Children’s holistic and sustainable development model,
Adopt a Village. Designed to meet the basic needs of all members of
a community and eliminate the obstacles preventing children from
accessing education, this model is made up of five core pillars:
Education, Clean Water and Sanitation, Health, Alternative Income
and Livelihood, and Agriculture and Food Security. Free The
Children works closely with community members to develop holistic
solutions that work and will have lasting impacts.
There is no other trip like a Me to We Trip.
When we were young, we were both lucky enough to travel to South
Asia to witness the lives of kids our age in developing
communities. These journeys changed our lives and helped forge a
path for our life choices. We know that a Me to We Trip to a Free
The Children community will give participants the same kind of
eye-opening and inspirational experience we were so fortunate to
have in our teens. A Me to We Trip is just the beginning of a
journey to make a difference—and we’re here to support travellers
every step of the way.
Together, let’s change the world!
Craig KielburgerCo-Founder, Me to We
Marc KielburgerCo-Founder,Me to We
Me to We trips: eAst AFriCA | 2
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3 | Me to We Trips - Nicaragua1. Having fun at school | 2.
Enjoying clean water from a new water project | 3. A baby at Baraka
Health Clinic | 4. Mamas beading under an acacia tree 5. Working on
a school garden
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AdopT A vIllAgE In EAST AFRICA
Throughout the trip each student broadened their mind,
challenged their body and experienced life in a developing
community. I highly recommend Me to We Trips to anyone!
Kerri Hansler, educator, Lakefield College School
EducationAlthough the government in the areas where Free The
Children works in East Africa has made primary education free and
compulsory, existing classrooms were often overcrowded, dilapidated
and dark. We work with communities to build classrooms, libraries
and teachers’ accommodations, purchase furniture and supplies, and
set up teacher training programs.
Clean Water and SanitationIn East Africa, young girls
traditionally collect water for their families, walking for hours
to a river several times a day—instead of attending school.
Projects in East Africa include wells, rain-catchment systems,
hand-washing stations, latrines and sanitation education
programs.
healthFree The Children’s health programs in East Africa aim to
improve community health and reduce the incidence of disease.
Projects include mobile health clinics, school health clubs,
community health care and awareness workshops, and health care
services provided at the Baraka and Kishon health clinics.
Alternative Income and livelihoodIn East Africa, Free The
Children works to empower parents—especially women—with the tools
to generate a sustainable income, build their savings and start
businesses. Programs include financial literacy and business
training, women’s and men’s groups, and income-generating projects
such as beekeeping and Me to We Artisans.
Agriculture and Food SecurityIn East Africa, drought and rising
global food prices contribute to poorer crop production and lower
nutritional value of food. Projects include school gardens and
safe, clean dining halls—helping give children the fuel they need
to learn and grow.
In East Africa, Free The Children works with communities in the
Maasai Mara and Longido regions. On a Me to We Trip to East Africa,
participants may work on anything from school-building to a clean
water system or school garden, and more.
Me to We trips: eAst AFriCA | 4
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TRIp SpECIFICSgetting ThereTrip participants travel together to
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania on group flights booked through Me to We. The
trip facilitators will meet the group at the arrivals gate at the
airport and accompany them to their accommodations.
Where We StayGroups will spend their first night at
accommodations in Arusha, Tanzania. Depending on the community, the
following day will be spent travelling to a mobile tented camp in
the Longido region in Tanzania, or crossing the border into Kenya
where they will spend a night at the Rosslyn Centre before moving
on to a mobile tented camp in Kenya’s Maasai Mara region.
The majority of the trip will be spent in a mobile tented camp
in the Maasai Mara or Longido regions, surrounded by a fence. Tents
include beds, mosquito nets, basic bedding and pillows and shared
shelving for participants’ belongings. Meals are prepared by our
staff in a full kitchen near the camp, and there is a dual-purpose
tent used both for dining and leadership activities.
Each tent will house four to five participants, with males and
females sharing separate tents. Educators stay in a separate tent
from students. All washrooms are Western-style, and showers are
available daily. All facilities are cleaned daily.
What We EatAll food is prepared by our trusted local providers.
Meals will include a mix of traditional European and African meals,
served buffet-style. When activities take place farther from camp,
participants will enjoy picnic lunches prepared by staff. Filtered
drinking water will be readily available.
getting Around Groups will travel together by bus. All drivers
used by Me to We are the same trusted transportation providers we
use for all of our trips.
$language• Learn Swahili• Local staff speak both
English and Swahili
Climate• The average
temperature in the Maasai Mara is between 10 C - 28 C
Currency • The currency in Kenya is
the Kenyan Shilling. The currency in Tanzania is the Tanzanian
shilling
• We recommend that participants bring about $200 USD as
spending money
5 | Me to We trips: eAst AFriCA
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1. Accommodations in East Africa | 2. A dining tent at camp | 3.
On safari! | 4. A piggyback ride in the Maasai Mara
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1. Humanitarian and Free The Children ambassador Holly Branson
beading with mamas | 2. A water walk to the Mara River | 3. Getting
a good view on safari
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ITInERARy And TRIp hIghlIghTS Sample activities:
Bead with mamas: Join a local mama as she creates beautiful
beadwork using traditional art forms passed on through generations.
Groups will even get to try their hands at beading themselves!
Take a water walk: Step into the shoes of a mama on a journey to
a local river to collect water.
Visit a market: Head to a local market and spend time with local
residents, discovering the wide variety of household and food items
for sale.
Go on safari: Spend the day driving through the Maasai Mara or
the Ngorongoro Crater with a local guide to look for the “Big
Five”: giraffes, lions, elephants, hippos and buffalos.
A TypICAl dAy:8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: Breakfast.
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Beading with Maasai mamas.
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Lunchtime!
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Get to know the group better with a fun
team-building activity.
2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.: Volunteer on a Free The Children
project.
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Head back to the accommodations for
dinner.
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.: Action planning! Get ready to make a
difference at home.
8:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m: Free time—read, relax and reflect on the
day.
Being in East Africa made me realize how huge the world really
is. What touched me the most were the local people I met—I made
some amazing friends who were always smiling no matter what. I
appreciate the life I live so much more.
Darby, Me to We Trip participant
Me to We trips: eAst AFriCA | 8
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My daughter really fell in love with the people of East
Africa—they were so happy and friendly, laughing and singing,
though they had nothing compared to what we have at home. She was
so affected by that.
Tom Little, parent of Me to We Trip participant
SAFETy: ouR Top pRIoRITyMe to We has been facilitating volunteer
trips overseas since 2002. Since then, we have taken more than
6,500 youth to Ecuador, East Africa, rural China, India, Ghana,
Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Arizona without incident.
In East Africa, we have put extensive safety measures in
place.
• Me to We Trips abides by the Canadian Department of Foreign
Affairs travel advisories and monitors these updates prior to and
during travel.
• Canadian and American participants are registered with their
respective embassy before departure to ensure accountability in
case of emergency. For all other nationalities, Me to We strongly
recommends participants register with their embassy before
travel.
• Copies of all passports, medical and travel insurance,
emergency contact information, and dietary and medical requirements
are collected well in advance of the trip.
• Our extensive facilitator training program includes emergency
evacuation protocols, standard operating procedures and crisis
prevention/management. All facilitators are trained in first aid
and carry a first-aid kit at all times.
• Local hospitals with Western medical standards are notified of
our trips and prepared to handle any minor or major medical
situations.
• All accommodations have a 24-hour security system.
Participants are given an orientation to know where to find
resources.
• All transportation is run by our trusted private
transportation providers. All travel within East Africa occurs
under the guidance of our in-country team.
• All food is prepared by cooks who are trained in proper food
preparation.• During all building activities, participants are
given thorough instructions on the use of
equipment and wear protective gear at all times.
EnvIRonMEnTAl IMpACTSAt Me to We, we understand the impact of
international travel on our planet and are committed to reducing
our ecological footprint as much as possible. In all countries
where we work, we support green initiatives that benefit local
ecosystems. In East Africa, this includes school environmental
clubs, carbon offsetting for flights through tree-planting, use of
energy-efficient fuel for cooking and heating at camp sites, use of
solar power and community wood lots.
9 | Me to We trips: eAst AFriCA
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1-3. Working hard and making new friends on the build site
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tico #: 50017614
Me to We Intl. Office225 Carlton StreetToronto, ONM5A 2L2
Canada
tico #: 50017614
Youth Volunteer TripsTel: 416.964.8942 x 510Toll-free:
1.877.638.6931 x 510Fax: 1.416.925.2199Email: [email protected]
School Volunteer TripsTel: 416.964.8942 x 524Toll-free:
1.877.638.6931 x 524Fax: 1.416.925.2199Email: [email protected]
Photographs courtesy of matt finlin, v. tony hauser, michael
rajzman and scott ramsay
Questions?Ready to book?
Contact us today.
Learn more at metowe.com/trips
