Thank you for visiting the Happy Scholar website: a foundation focused on improving education on the island of Zanzibar (Unguja). We support schools, collaborate with them, and share as much knowledge as possible.
Because every child in the world has the right to a good education. And we can learn a lot from each other.
We strive for a future where Zanzibar is not only a "happy island" for tourists, but also for its people.
Read more about our foundation on the "About the Foundation" page and participate in our projects below.
PROJECTS
EXPERIENCES
Study trip Zanzibar
Every year, students from the Inholland University of Applied Sciences' teacher training college (PABO) go on a study trip to Zanzibar. The students, divided into three primary schools, teach English to the pupils and teaching teaching skills to the teachers.
Contribute during your holiday
Enjoy a wonderful holiday in Zanzibar, soak up all the beauty and also spend one or more days supporting a good cause.
Collaboration Up with Community
Thanks to a generous donation from the Heeren van Haaster Foundation, twenty-five children from very poor families can go to school.
Laptops for kawa training center
Inholland University of Applied Sciences has donated a large number of used laptops and mobile phones to Happy Scholar. This will enable students at the Kawa training center to take a huge step forward in their development.
Art project theatre lessons
Third Space International
A storytelling project for students at the KAWA training center in the Learning4life foundation, by Margot Zwiers and Marieke van der Steen.
Walking frame for Amour
The Boshoeve daycare center (medical center) in Nieuw-Vennep has donated a children's walker to Amour from Gasicare daycare center.
Shelter for the Youths
The technical wholesaler Vihamij bv has financed a bedroom for young people living at Heroes Academy
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Would you also like to collaborate with us to improve education in Zanzibar? There are plenty of opportunities. Whether it's a study trip, a donation, volunteering, teaching English or IT, becoming a buddy class with your primary school, or supporting one of our projects, there's so much to share, do, and collaborate on.
Some examples of what you can do in Zanzibar:
- Support teachers in designing ICT lessons.
- English lessons for primary school students and/or teaching skills for teachers.
- Hands-on work on forest protection and tree planting.
- Support for environmental projects.
- Giving back as a tourist (individual): Enjoy the tropical island with its beautiful beaches and visit several of our development projects where you can take a tour (or participate in a cooking workshop) and/or spend a day shadowing/helping locals in their own communities.
All excursions during this trip are sustainable, and you pay the costs directly to the local organizers. - Pedagogical and physiotherapy support at a daycare center for children with disabilities.
- Participate in a Giving Back as a Tourist group trip.
- Volunteer work (with accommodation) for a longer period.
Tip: Going on holiday to Zanzibar? Book your excursions, taxi, or rental car with the locals through Happy Scholar. We work with official tour guides, but this way you can be sure that every penny goes to the right people. We'll provide you with their contact information, and you can contact the tour guides directly and pay them on-site. One of the tour operators we work with is Splashtours Zanzibar. Contact us via the contact form or call us at the number below.
Some examples of what you can do from your country:
- Educational support, e.g., with curriculum development.
- Remote ICT support.
- Buddy classes Zanzibar-Netherlands.
- Sponsorships for one of the projects.
Or perhaps you have an idea of your own? The possibilities are endless!
We'd love to brainstorm with you.
Send us a message using the contact form below, and we'll get back to you.
ABOUT THE CHARITY
Establishment
The Happy Scholar Foundation was established after our holiday in Zanzibar in 2021.
Zanzibar is primarily known for its beautiful white beaches. But beyond the gates of our resort, the poverty of the local population flooded our view.
With 25 years of teaching experience in the Netherlands, we decided to respond to the need for better education in Zanzibar and, over the years, have partnered with schools in the areas of English, ICT support, and teaching skills.
Despite all the challenges, we discovered the extraordinary resilience of the people.
The dedication of the school principals, the eagerness of the teachers, and their genuine love for learning and for the students were the driving forces behind the creation of Happy Scholar.
Our mission is to share more knowledge and resources with the schools we work with, in order to bring lasting change to the educational opportunities of these communities. We warmly invite you to join us on this inspiring journey toward a hopeful future for the children of Zanzibar. Children who often face life's challenges with a smile on their faces and incredible resilience and flexibility.
We can learn a lot from each other.
Photo: Teachers in Zanzibar explore the importance of reading instruction
How do we work?
Happy Scholar recognizes the power of individual initiatives and encourages them wherever possible. We want to expand the projects that schools set up on a small scale by connecting our worlds, thus increasing every child's access to high-quality education. We want to support them, but also to learn from each other. By sharing knowledge and offering financial support. This also applies outside the classroom, based on equality; all the moments where we can exchange knowledge and experiences and bring our cultures together.
We can learn a lot from each other. Because everyone who contributes to Zanzibar's educational future forms a bond with the people of the island. This bond exists between our foundation, the teachers, and the children on Zanzibar, but also with the donors, who see the results of their support firsthand. Together, we build a future in which every child on Zanzibar has the opportunity to develop like every other child.
Photo: Teachers develop ICT skills thanks to laptops from Inholland University of Applied Sciences
Every Euro or Dollar in the Right Place
Happy Scholar aligns with existing small-scale projects and local foundation initiatives we partner with. We clearly define in advance how the money will be spent and how the foundation intends to implement the plans. We assess feasibility and work with you to determine what and who is needed.
We always limit ourselves to a few clear and feasible projects, offering the opportunity to help implement them on-site (see also "What can you do?"). Only when one project is successfully completed do we start supporting the next. This keeps things small-scale, manageable, and concrete.
We don't have a bureaucratic mess; every euro donated goes directly to the project you support. And we consider it perfectly normal to provide you with feedback on the specific use of your money every time it's spent. If you'd like, you can even contact the recipient of your donation directly.
Happy Scholar contributes to achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Collaboration
Happy Scholar collaborates exclusively with local foundations in Zanzibar that are committed to improving education, combating poverty, and caring for children with special needs.
Foundations we currently collaborate with:
- Learning4Life Foundation
- Kawa Training Centre
- Montessori School and Orphanage Organization
- Zanzibar Initiative
- Up with Community Zanzibar
Happy Scholar Board
- Irene Witteman: Founder and Chair
- Ingrid Rutten: Treasurer
- Robert Witteman: Secretary
CONTACT US
If you'd like more information about our activities or would like to contribute to our foundation's mission, please don't hesitate to contact us.