COBET Summer School Holy Union Sisters in Dar es Salaam

To raise funds for a volunteer project in Tanzania with UCDVO, I challenged myself to walk 5K a day for 25 days – and I did it! That’s 125km walked and over 20 hours on the move!

After returning to university this year, I decided to dive fully into student life—not just academically, but also through volunteering. This experience has reminded me just how valuable and powerful education is, and how lucky we are to have easy access to it here in Ireland.

I’m now volunteering with UCD Volunteers Overseas (UCDVO) and will be supporting the COBET summer school programme in Tanzania. This initiative helps children stay in school by addressing gaps in their education, giving them the support they need to succeed and stay engaged.

Why It Matters to Me

This project is close to my heart. It’s about giving children the same opportunities so many of us take for granted—like access to consistent, quality education. The programme is run in partnership with the Holy Union Sisters, who work to support up to 10,000 children and young people in the Mbagala suburb of Dar es Salaam.

Where the Money Goes

Each volunteer is asked to raise a minimum of €1,550, most of which goes directly to UCDVO’s overseas partners and the communities they serve. Here's the breakdown:

€1,450 goes to project costs, including local accommodation, food, transport, and direct support for the summer school programme.

€100 covers programme administration such as travel insurance, health and safety, and monitoring.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t include flights, visas, or vaccinations, which I’m covering myself.

Every donation, no matter how small, helps support meaningful, lasting change. If you can give, I would be truly grateful. And if you can’t, a share would mean just as much

Thank you so much for reading and supporting!