Eight People, One Vision for Zanzibar
Wake Up Zanzibar is a community-based organization established in Zanzibar in 2015 by a group of eight people who wanted to use their knowledge, experience and skills to support vulnerable communities and create positive, sustainable change.
How We Began
In 2015, a group of eight community members came together around a simple idea: that people who understand a community best are the people who live in it. Rather than waiting for change to arrive from elsewhere, they chose to use their own knowledge, experience and skills to start improving daily life for the families and neighborhoods around them.
What started as a small, local initiative gradually grew into an organized platform for education support, charitable assistance, environmental action, youth engagement and broader community development across Zanzibar.
A Community-Led Approach
From the beginning, Wake Up Zanzibar has believed that meaningful change begins when communities are empowered to participate in shaping their own future — not when solutions are designed for them from the outside. Our programs are built around listening first, then acting alongside the people we serve.
Growing Our Work Together
Today, our work spans children's education, community assistance for vulnerable families, health and wellbeing initiatives, environmental conservation and sustainable agriculture, youth development, and volunteer programs that connect local and international supporters with communities across Zanzibar.
Be Part of the Next Chapter
Our story is still being written — by every volunteer, donor and community member who joins us.