OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NGORONGORO PRE-SCHOOL IN NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA – TANZANIA

The founder of the Zara Charity and Zainab Ansel, the director of Zara Tours, are pleased to announce the official opening of the Ngorongoro pre-school in Enduleni Village in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

 

As a developing country, Tanzania struggles to provide a high quality of infrastructure and education, and the Maasai community has one of the highest illiteracy and lowest school enrolment rates in East Africa. This is primarily due to a lack of schools and their pastoral way of life. Maasai children have been known to walk barefoot for up to 20km to a primary school within parks where there is a danger of an animal attack.

The cost of education remains a large obstacle. Most families live on less than US$0.80 per day and it’s not rare for a family to have around eight children, while some Maasai warriors have up to 60 wives. Research shows that nearly 60% of Maasai children under five years old are physically stunted, which is an indicator of chronic malnutrition. Studies also show that only 5% of elementary school students continue to high school, and that girls are the most disadvantaged as they are expected to stay at home to help their mother take care of the house and family.

With an average ratio of 72 students to one teacher, four million new primary school teachers were needed in East Africa to reach the goal of offering primary education to all children by 2015. Crowded and dilapidated classrooms, coupled with insufficient teaching resources and instruction time, reflect a far below average standard of educational institutions.

As part of Zara Tours’ sustainable tourism plan, Zara Charity strongly believes that education is the key to a better future that will break the cycle of impoverished communities. That is why we decided to promote education in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area by building a pre-school at which 43 children are currently registered. We focus on building a support system for children by constructing better facilities in which to learn, ensuring access to safe and healthy learning environments, strengthening teaching quality, and providing scholarships.

Student sponsorship covers the cost of enrolment fees, school materials and uniforms, as well as regular monitoring and support from the Zara Charity. It also provides students with access to medical services.

One of the most rewarding aspects of sponsorship is getting to know a student personally and seeing the positive effect on their life. We provide various ways for sponsors to form this personal bond, including sending regular updates of the student’s report cards and living situation, and giving the option to send letters directly. Sponsors can also meet the student and their family in Tanzania, and they can combine their trip with an affordable safari package or trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro.

To sponsor a student through pre-school, the cost of one full year is US$850, which works out at just US$2.30 per day. Co-sponsorship and paying in monthly instalments are also options. For more information on our Student Sponsorship Programme, please contact: zara@zaracharitytanzania.org and/or zainab@zaratours.com or Donate to our fund rising page here

 

 

ZARA’S IKOMA WILD CAMP IN SERENGETI RECEIVES 2015 GLOBAL CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE FROM TRIPADVISOR

The Director of Zara Tours & Zara Properties is Proud to announce that the Ikoma wild cam in Serengeti, Tanzania received a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor recently. This prestigious award is given to businesses worldwide that consistently earn high ratings from TripAdvisor travelers. It places Ikoma wild camp in the top-performing of all tourist businesses around the world on TripAdvisor in 2015.

Ms. Leila Ansell, Zara Properties general manager said, “We are very honored to receive this recognition. It means a lot to us especially because Trip Advisor is one of the most reputable sources of tourism and hotel information for global travelers. This goes to show that Ikoma wild camp has earned its place among the leading wild camps in Serengeti. Our clients have always been at the core of our operations as we thrive to ensure that their experiences in Serengeti are beyond memorable.”

“Winning the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence is a true source of pride for the entire team at Zara Properties and we’d like to thank all of our past guests who took the time to complete a review on Trip Advisor,” said by Zainab Ansell, The Director of Zara Tours and Zara Properties. She then adds “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognized by one’s customers. With the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence based on customer reviews, the accolade is a remarkable vote of confidence to our business and our continued commitment to excellence.”

Trip Advisor is the world’s largest online travel site that enables travelers to plan and have perfect trips. It offers trusted advice from real travellers about a variety of travel choices, itineraries, accommodations and travel experiences. Trip Advisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 200 million unique monthly visitors, and over 100 million reviews and opinions. The site operates worldwide.

Opened in 2009 Ikoma wild camp is located in the migration corridor, within the WMA area of Grumeti and Ikorongo Game Reserve, northwest of the famous Serengeti National park. It gives visitors an opportunity to witness the Serengeti migration, while enjoying the stunning view over the surrounding savannah, which is full of wildlife throughout the year.

The Camp is owned and operated by ZARA Tanzania Adventures, a travel agency and tour operator based in Moshi Tanzania.
Mrs. Zainab Ansell, a sustainable tourism advocate from Moshi/Tanzania, founded the business in 1987. They now boast not only a successful tour operation and travel agency but also 6 properties in the Northern circuit including Springland Hotel in Moshi, High View Hotel in Karatu, Serengeti Wild Camp (in Serengeti national park – Seronera area), Serengeti wildebeest camp (in central Serengeti), Ikoma Wild Camp (in Serengeti National park) and Ngorongoro Wild Camp (in Ngorongoro Crater).

ZARA Tanzania Adventures has won a couple of awards in recent years including the 2012 global World Trade Market (WTM) Humanitarian Award in ‪London‬ for practicing sustainable tourism under its foundation Zara Charity, and Mrs. Ansell was awarded the business entrepreneur award under Tanzania Women of Achievement for running a successful Tour Operating Company in 2012; Zara Charity received the Ngorongoro Marathon Award for organizing a successful race to fight ‪Malaria‬ in 2012.

Others include:
2015 – Zara Tours Awarded a certificate of appreciation by Africa travel Association ( ATA) for outstanding contribution in promotion of travel to Africa.
2014 – Zara’s Ikoma Wildcamp awarded Certificate of Excellence by ‪TripAdvisor‬.
2013/2014 – Zara’s Highview Hotel awarded Certificate of Excellence by Trip Advisor.
2013 – Zara Tours winner of Canadian Certificate of Excellence in Commerce.
2011 – Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) presents Zara with Sustainable Tourism Award.

Discover the Vast Beauty of the Serengeti via Safari

People have a general idea of what to expect on a safari. Tanzania safari tours can not only bring that idea to life, they can give you more than you ever expected. The ability to meet and exceed your expectations stems from Tanzania’s prime location.

Although the Serengeti National Park may be the most famous safari locale, there are more than five reserves and parks within the borders of the country.

ZARA Forum as a meeting point

Yesterday, we have launched our new ZARA Forum. Not only can travellers use this new platform to exchange all kind of information which is related to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and doing safaris with ZARA in Tanzania (and we will do our best to answer all questions asked), we also thought that the forum should be a place where people interested in doing a group safari or a group Kilimanjaro/safari package can get to know each other BEFORE their arrival to Tanzania. Meet like-minded travellers and plan your perfect Tanzania adventure with them!