Join The Tandana Foundation for a Volunteer Vacation in Mali, West Africa
December 31, 2011 - January 15, 2012
Click here to register online!
- help a village build a grain bank
- participate in daily life alongside villagers
- travel by pinasse on the Niger River and sleep under the stars
- visit Dogon Country, a UN World Heritage site
- see the mosque at Djenne, the world's largest mud-brick structure
- learn about and experience local arts such as mudcloths (bogolan) and dance
The Tandana Foundation is looking for a small group of dedicated and open-minded people to join this excursion to Mali, where we will spend time working with a village on a project that the village in assembly has designated a priority. We are looking for volunteers willing to come get dirty with us, live in local villages, and be amazed at the generosity and hospitality of new friends. Before and after our work, we will be rewarded with a tour of Mali’s spectacular and diverse countryside, meeting all kinds of people along the way, from fishermen to nomads, wood carvers to textile producers. This trip is an excellent opportunity to visit a remote, magnificent region, and simultaneously to give back by supporting local efforts.
It opened my eyes and heart. It changed my look at the world and will change the way I live.
-- Mick, 13-year-old volunteer
Itinerary (subject to change)
Day 1, December 31: arrive in Bamako on an evening flight
Day 2, January 1: sleep in, orientation, drive to Segou.
Day 3, January 2: drive to Djenne, see the market
Day 4, January 3: see Djenne's famous mosque, visit artisans, and make our own mudcloths (bogolan), drive to Sevare
Day 5, January 4: drive to the village of Sal-Dimi, meet our hosts, and celebrate being together
Days 6-10, January 5-9: work with villagers on the construction project. After work, relax with villagers, drink Malian tea, and learn about local culture.
Day 11, January 10: travel to the village of Kansongho, meet our friends there, and celebrate being together.
Day 12, January 11: in Kansongho, help the women build a latrine for their cotton bank. Visit past Tandana projects. Water the fruit trees in the orchard.
Day 13, January 12: bid farewell to friends in Kansongho, drive to Sevare, and enjoy a nice dinner
Day 14, January 13: visit the Mopti port and board a pinasse on the Niger River, travel upriver and sleep under the stars
Day 15, January 14: continue the pinasse trip to Diafarabe, drive to Segou
Day 16, January 15: drive to Bamako, final dinner, depart on late flight
Cost: $2600, does not include airfare to Bamako, Mali but includes all in-country transportation, food, lodging, and activities.
America's Unofficial Ambassadors may be offering a scholarship for our 2013 trip. Because Tandana was featured as one of only 36 organizations recommended by AUA, their Mosaic Scholarship is available to volunteers in this program. The 2011 program is closed.
See the project location on a map and more photos
For more information, email tandanafoundation@gmail.com
We were allowed brilliant views into aspects of life in Kansongho. Welcomed by the entire community, we were also embraced as individuals and ushered into better understanding as the people of Kansongho share their own personal stories, shared their comforts, worked with us side by side, taught us their songs, celebrated great joys, and spoke of sorrow and hardships. I can only hope that both the differences and similarities of our cultures enhanced each other. We are indeed one people sharing far more than I ever imagined.
-- Julie, volunteer from Minnesota
