First Steps East
In the summer of 2023, Blossom Together reached four countries in a single season - sending 12 volunteers on the ground in Tanzania for the first time, while funding cataract surgeries in Mali, water wells in Benin, and food packages in Burkina Faso. Our biggest team yet, and the first time a second university came into the fold.
Year:
2023
Project Destination (s):
Tanzania, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso
Trip Destination (s):
Tanzania
Trip Duration:
~20 days
Key Projects:
ESL education
Overview:
Tanzania was new ground for us entirely - a country we had never worked in before, and our first time setting foot in East Africa. Twelve volunteers made the journey, our largest group to date, with NC State joining UVA in the field for the first time. Back across the continent, the work didn't stop. Partnering with Gaoussana Fofana and Clinic Planet Vision, we funded over 100 cataract surgeries in Mali. Wells went up in Benin. Food packages reached families in Burkina Faso. Four countries moving at once, each with their own story.
Impact:
The numbers tell part of the story: 2 water wells and ~30 cataract surgeries in Tanzania, 100 cataract surgeries in Mali, water wells in Benin, and food packages in Burkina Faso - all in a single season. The rest of the story is the 12 students and supporters back home who made it happen, and the two universities that came together to get us there.
Highlights:
The work was the priority — but the memories made in between will stay with our travelers. Views of Kilimanjaro. Safaris through Mikumi National Park. The beaches and hot springs of Zanzibar. East Africa for the first time, seen through the eyes of our biggest team yet. Shout out to everyone who made the journey: Sami Kandil, Rachel Lee, Ertugrul Polat, Huseyin Karaduman, Adriano Georgiev, Natalie Rodriguez, Callahan Burton, Aroosha Solomon, Arif Soydan, Savannah Gibson, Marissa Ross, and Aissatou Barry.
