Students learning, volunteering in Tanzania

A group of Western Washington University is in Tanzania this summer studying the local culture and environment.

Tim Scharks, an instructor at Huxley College of the Environment, is leading the group, which spends nine days and nine nights in and around Moshi, a small town located at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The group also experiences local culture and activities of daily life through four days of home-stay living with Chagga families and explores some of the most amazing and beautiful landscapes in the world with eight days of camping safari.

Most recently, the students were working with the Make a Difference Now organization at an orphanage in Himo, helping the kids with their studies, teaching them to slackline and giving hints on taking quality photographs.

The trip, which began Aug. 4, continues through Aug. 24. To earn their six credits for the summer, the students are enrolled in ENVS 337A and ENVS 337B. The course is one of many faculty-led study abroad courses offered at Western through Extended Education.

Follow the students’ experiences on their blog at http://wwutanzania.blogspot.com. For more information on the Tanzania trip, check out this recent article from Soundings, the newsletter for WWU families.