A Path Less Traveled

A Path Less Traveled is a free, online resource that directly connects prospective volunteers with NGOs in Tanzania, and is an ongoing project of the Bricks + Books Foundation.

Bricks + Books Foundation was founded in 2007 by high school and college students who, while on a service-learning trip, observed a desperate need for educational infrastructure in Tanzania. After successfully building our first school in Moivaro Village in 2008, we have continued to expand the depth and variety of our projects. In 2010 we unveiled our unique volunteer database titled A Path Less Traveled (APLT).

As an organization created by college students and young graduates, APLT understands that identifying volunteer opportunities in the developing world can be an overwhelming task. We provide an alternative method of finding meaningful nonprofit work by directly connecting prospective volunteers with local Tanzanian organizations. The staff atAPLT personally visited over 40 NGOs throughout Tanzania to assess their goals, operations, and current needs. We assembled these organizations into a comprehensive, user-friendly database, and routinely contact our partners in Tanzania to receive updates and ensure information accuracy. The database is free and provides a micro prospective that many large placement organizations cannot provide.

APLT caters to caring, adventurous, and motivated people. Our philosophyis that independent, self-designed travel fosters unique and powerful relationships, and that these relationships are the foundation of cross-cultural volunteer work. We provide an up-to-date database of local Tanzanian organizations and as-needed trip planning assistance. This allows prospective volunteers to design an expedition that closely parallels their personal goals and connects them with students that have direct experience with these organizations. No middleman, no application fees, no stress; just like-minded people showing others the door.