Get Bria to Tanzania

My name is Brianna Waters, I’m 21 years old and a senior at the University of Oklahoma. I am majoring in social work and planning to continue working on my education after graduating this May with my Bachelors of Social Work by enrolling in the OU Masters of Social Work- Advanced Standing program. This means I will be able to graduate with my graduate degree in only 3 semesters! I love my school and my program because I am incredibly passionate about social work, social welfare, and social justice. I volunteer with the Women’s Outreach Center at OU as well as with Valir Hospice in OKC. I’m also a practicum student at Calm Waters, a grief and divorce support group agency for children ages 3-18 and their families.


I started this GoFundMe campaign to help me take advantage of an incredible opportunity. I am signed up to study abroad this summer with the OU Journey to Africa- Tanzania program and have already secured my spot by putting my deposit down.


This journey will be from June 5th to June 30th and include 2 weeks in Arusha where I will live with a host family and work at various social welfare agencies in the community to learn about social welfare, international social justice issues, and service provision in Tanzania. During this time I will also be able to knock out both of my required electives for my master’s program. I will be taking Social Welfare Issues in Tanzania (3 hours) and Social Justice Work in Tanzania (3 hours), which will be taught by Dr. Riley from the OU School of Social Work staff.


After the first two weeks are up, I will be traveling across Tanzania and visiting Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. I will get to go on a safari excursion, spice tour, boat ride into Dar es Salaam, and a visit to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area before coming back to Arusha for a big thank you celebration for the host families and people of the community who hosted us. I will get to immerse myself in another culture, learn about social work on an international scale, learn a little of the Swahili language, try new foods, and go on amazing adventures. This will open so many doors for me and change my life in so many ways!


Program Cost Breakdown:
-Tuition and Fees for the 2 classes = $5,159.38 (due at the end of summer, charged to the OU bursar)
-Program Fee = $3,650 (done in three payments)
                 o  1st payment- $500 deposit -> PAID
                 o  2nd payment - $1,575 due March 13th
                 o  3rd payment- $1,575 due April 10th
-Education Abroad Application Fee = $35 (charged to the bursar)
-Health/Travel Insurance = $40
-Student Visa = approx. $400
-Airfare = approx. $2,500 (covered by a $2,500 scholarship from OU that I will be given in check form in a few weeks) 

TOTAL* = $9, 149.38
         * minus airfare and application fee
         *not including souvenirs, additional food costs, and money for vaccinations

-GoFundMe’s percentage of my donations comes out to 7.9% and $0.30 for every donation
                o  That means, that if I raised the total cost of my program ($9,149.38) GoFundMe would get $723 from just their percent, not counting the 30 cents per donation.
               o   To counteract this, I’m hoping to raise $10,000 so that I will still be getting the total cost of my program from this crowdfunding service.

Money Matters
I plan to raise the money for this trip through scholarships, sponsorships, private donations, working odd jobs in between practicum days, and loans. No matter what, i'm determined to make this happen. This is simply not an opportunity that i'm willing to pass up.


Any and all support is appreciated. All donations will be met with personalized thank-yous and large donations will be met with small thank you gifts such as post cards and small souvenirs from my stay in Tanzania.

I plan to keep a study abroad blog in the months leading up to my trip to keep everyone updated on my progress as well as while i'm in Tanzania to share my experiences with everyone back home. I will post pictures, stories, videos, learning experiences, etc so that you can see what i'm doing with your donations and support. Even if you don't donate, your support is greatly appreciated and I hope you'll occassionally check in on my blog to see what i'm up to. 

Check it out here: Bria in Tanzania 


I'm so excited and thankful to be given this opportunity and to have amazing support from people like you!
To learn more about the OU study abroad program, click the link below:
Journey to Africa-Tanzania