Longido Horizons: Tanzania

Partnership and Place

In partnership with the Maasai community in northern Tanzania and our NGO partner Project Tembo, students work on entrepreneurship initiatives and many projects involving community-driven development. The Longido Horizons section of BUSI 4117 combines design thinking, technical problem-solving, and deep cultural immersion in a rural Maasai context at the foot of Mt. Longido.

Example Projects Students Have Worked on:

Water quality issues and ceramic filters
Youth sport programming and equipment provision
Biochar production to combat an invasive species
Small enterprise development and market access
Water storage and transport solutions
Small-scale electricity solutions
Hospitality and tourism marketing
Secondary school exchange program

LONGIDO

Sprott students have been making yearly field trips to Longido for 13 years.

250

Over 250 Carleton students have participated in our field trips to Longido

100+

Over 100 interdisciplinary projects have been engaged in by Carleton students.

: The Tanzania is a diverse East African country known for its wide-ranging landscapes, from savannahs and mountains to coastal regions along the Indian Ocean. With vibrant cultures and strong community traditions, it offers an engaging setting where Sprott students experience global perspectives, cultural learning, and hands-on, community-based projects.
: Longido is a rural community in northern Tanzania, located at the base of Mount Longido near the Kenyan border. Predominantly Maasai, the community is shaped by strong cultural traditions and close connections to land and livestock. Students experience daily life in a setting that emphasizes relationships, resilience, and local knowledge.
: The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people known for their rich cultural heritage, distinctive language, and deep relationship with the land. In Longido, Maasai traditions and community structures play a central role in daily life, offering students opportunities to learn through respectful engagement, cultural exchange, and collaboration with local partners.
: Project Tembo is a community-based organization working in Longido to support education, entrepreneurship, and local development initiatives. As a key partner, Project Tembo connects students with meaningful, locally grounded projects and helps ensure that all work is guided by community priorities, relationships, and long-term impact.

Field Trip to Longido

The 15-day field trip to Tanzania occurs either in late December/early January, or mid-February, depending on airfares. We fly into either Kilimanjaro or Nairobi, again depending on fares.

Students stay in the hostel at Project Tembo, our longstanding NGO partner in Longido. The hostel, with male and female wings, is located within the NGO compound at the centre of Longido, with 24-hour security. Accommodations are basic but clean and comfortable. Meals are provided by the NGO and they can make dietary accommodations.

The schedule is demanding and activities are nonstop include daily project work with community, evening discussions, day trips to visit bomas (traditional living compounds), water sources, the Maasai market, business enterprises in Arusha, Echo East Africa Impact Centre, and others. Your projects are presented to community at the end of the trip, after which you will go on a short safari to two of Tanzania’s famous national parks for an opportunity to see nature at its best.