I'm very happy to introduce you to our wonderful, warm culture from Tanzania.
You can never pick a bad time to visit my country!

My name is Mohamed Kassim. I am 40 years old, and live in Iringa District of Tanzania. I am married with four children. My first born, Kassim Mohamed, is named after my father. He is 17 and studies at Mtera secondary school in form four. My second child is Tatu. Her name means "three." (In fact, she was our third-born child, but my second son passed away in the well when he went to play.) Now, Tatu is my second child and is named after my mother. Tatu is 12, and in standard six in school. My third born is Abubakar. He is 7 and in standard one in school. My last son, Said, is one-and-a-half years old..

I have two sisters and no brothers. My parents, who passed away many years ago, are from Tanzania, where we have lived all my lifetime.

I finished standard seven in school, but have never been to secondary school, because my family was poor and couldn't afford more education. After primary school, I joined the National Service. This is an alternative to military service, where you can study mechanics, plumbing, welding, farming and planting. I volunteered in the Service from 1976-78.

Following that, I joined the State Travel Service, where I was a driver and guide, taking tourists to the National Park, and informing them about the history, habitat and lifespan of the wild animals that live there. In 1991, I attended Mwanza Wildlife Training for one year, during which time I was a park ranger at Ngorogoro Conservation Authority Area.

In 1992, I took a job at the Wildlife Conservation Society as a driver conservation education specialist. Four years later, in 1996, I became a driver for a tour company that did a lot of business with the State Travel Service. This is how I became acquainted with Global Volunteers. I was hired through the company to drive Global Volunteers teams to the host communities because of my experience as a van driver, and because I had a good English speaking ability.

After working with several Global Volunteers team leaders, I became a program consultant for all future teams. I enjoy meeting and working with the volunteers very much. I like to practice English, and am learning a few words in Italian and Spanish as well.

For a hobby, I like to listen to American music, such as Madonna and Celin Dion, and Reggae music. I also like to read novels. I would some day like to have a nice house and car that I can drive to town.