I know all about arranging delegations, but accompanying a delegation sent on behalf of an engineering company was a whole new experience.
That’s the way it was with NTP Engineering
NTP Engineering Ltd. employs engineers in a range of specialist fields. The company requested a team-bonding tour, with time dedicated to meaningful activity, among other things. The result was a week-long tour. Destination: Tanzania.
I created a customized, shortened itinerary that combined volunteer work at Mwema Centre, a shelter for street children in Karatu, and a safari in the major wildlife reserves of northern Tanzania.
Despite the limited time we had for volunteering, the delegation was able to contribute enormously:
- They built two outdoor wooden tables, where children can sit and learn, eat, and engage in other activities.
- They built a table tennis table for children and teachers to use during their free time.
- They installed a basketball net.
- They donated ample craft supplies which had everyone creating beautiful mandalas and other crafts.
This joint activity gave the children a lot of joy, which was, of course, very touching for the delegation team.
Once the work at the children’s home was complete, the group left to go on a short, but no less spectacular, safari:
We visited the Ngorongoro crater.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Site is situated in the crater of an extinct volcano – the largest volcanic crater in the world, thus acquiring the title as the eighth natural wonder of the world. Ngorongoro is one of the largest and most diverse nature reserves in the world, and is listed as a UNESCU World Heritage site. Lake Eyasi lies in the heart of the reserve where the Hadza and Datooga, two native tribes, live their traditional, ancient way of life. So fascinating!
The following day was spent at the Tarangire National Park, otherwise known as the Elephant Reserve.
The Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania is the country’s second largest reserve in size. It is dubbed the Elephant Reserve due to its high density of elephant herds, in addition to the enormous variety of other animals found there, which includes lions, leopards, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest and buffalo herds, a variety of monkey species, and flocks of migratory birds. The reserve extends across a massive area, and its diverse terrain includes woody savannas, giant baobab trees that are hundreds of years old, lakes, and the Tarangire river flowing through it.
Although each reserve requires at least two or three days of touring, or much more of course, the group’s day-visit still proved to be a most powerful experience.
Our last day was spent touring the beautiful Kilimanjaro district.
The delegation visited a family in their home in Materuni Village, and enjoyed an authentic meal made with the local cuisine. We also hiked the trail to the Materuni Waterfall, which passes through evergreen tropical jungle between coffee and banana plantations.
I received touching feedback from the members of the delegation. Here is what some of them said:
***Thank you for everything. It was an emotionally powerful experience of nature***
***The tour was meticulously organized with the right balance of activities ***
***Thank you for everything***
***Thanks to you, we managed to do so much in relatively less time than is usually required for Africa***
***The tour was perfectly organized with full cooperation, and taking our needs and requests into account***
***We are so glad we chose you to give us this experience***
** I want to thank you personally for an exciting and powerful experience, for the organization, and for your fantastic staff. I am a frequent world traveller, and I can say without hesitation, that I will never ever forget this tour! ***
***Rachel, I concur with everything written here – you truly are Mama Africa***
