ABOUT CHAGGA VILLAGE
How It Began
Every meaningful project starts somewhere. Chagga Village began with a story.
While researching for a historical novel, our founder, Mr. Lauwo, a novelist, translator, cultural entrepreneur and Custodian of Chagga history, became captivated by the depth and resilience of Chagga history. He was especially drawn to Mangi Sina, the influential Kilimanjaro chief of the late 1800s, whose resistance to German colonial expansion defined an era in the region's past.
What began as literary research soon became a personal mission. One question kept nagging at Mr. Lauwo: What should be done with all this knowledge? Keeping it locked in books and archives was not enough. It deserved to be experienced, shared, and kept alive.
And so Chagga Village was born: an immersive space where a café, lodge and cultural centre bring history, culture and community together. The Chagga are an indigenous people of Kilimanjaro with a rich history and culture, and that heritage is woven into every cultural experience, safari, and trek we offer.
Whether you come for a meal or a drink at our café, visit our cultural centre, stay in one of our luxury Chagga cabins, or set out on a safari or a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro with us, our mission is to immerse you in the very best of Kilimanjaro's culture and history.
HOW IT BEGAN
Built by the Community
Every wall, every pathway, every detail of this centre, from the masonry and carpentry to the plumbing and electrical work, was built by skilled artisans from the local community using locally sourced materials. This groundedness in the local community is foundational to who we are.
A HOME FOR READING
At Chagga Village, giving back is not a campaign
— it is a way of life.
Dr. Monica Shank Lauwo is the founding partner of Chagga Village. Literacy Education is both her passion and her profession. Drawing on her research and expertise in literacy education, she has led the creation of a community library that serves the local community. Building on her longstanding work running Cheche Community Library in Monduli, Arusha, this community learning centre seeks to reimagine education, towards creativity, decolonization, and collective agency, and is rooted in local culture and history.
The community library runs literacy programs and workshops for children from local primary schools. Books in Swahili, English, and Kichagga are available to borrow by Chagga Village guests and community members.
WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR
Empowering young writers.
Through our community library, Dr. Shank Lauwo has led creative writing workshops for primary school children, supporting them to write and publish books and to create artwork with powerful social messages. As emerging authors, local children have travelled to Dar es Salaam and Arusha to connect with other authors and to share their work through exhibitions and teacher workshops. In addition to the community library work, Dr. Shank Lauwo also runs reading clubs and works with local schools to promote literacy and storytelling.
Supporting our neighbours.
Thanks to the financial and in-kind contributions of our guests, we have donated school supplies to local primary schools and provided blankets to elderly women in our community.
Investing in local people.
Local employment and skills development sit at the heart of our model. Every member of our team comes from the local community, and their families depend on their work here. We are committed to their growth through on-the-job training, regular skills workshops, and the long-term nurturing of local talent.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
When you stay at our lodge, eat at our café, go on safari, trek Mount Kilimanjaro or simply spread the word, you become part of something larger than a holiday. Every experience you have here, and every person you tell, helps sustain the community that makes this place possible.
GET INVOLVED
There are many ways to get involved:
Stay. in one of our Chagga-inspired cabin accommodations
Visit our traditional Chagga hut and Cultural Historical Centre
Join a Tour. explore the villages, the landscape, and the living culture around us
Tell Someone. every visitor you bring helps grow our impact
Donate to our Giving Back to the Community campaign, supporting elderly residents and the children of our local primary schools — many of whom are being raised by grandparents with very little income.