Back in 2000 Maria Hageneder and her friend Renate Strasser "discovered" Zanzibar. They were fascinated by the rhythm of the tides of the Indian Ocean which shapes the life of the islanders, their culture and their work processes. They experienced the tedious handcraft of forming coconut shells into strings and the cultivation of seagrass gardens. Both were in the hands of the women.

Maria and Renate met and esteemed Ibrahim Hassan Juma and in the following years they built up the bungalow village Miza wa Miza. They became  "bridge builders " between Europe and Africa and so various projects emerged.  Since Ibrahim's death (2015), Miza wa Miza has served as the center of the Imarisha Foundation. 

Like everywhere on our planet, times have changed in Zanzibar too. Due to the climate change and the rise and pollution of the sea, one palm row after the other disappeared and the sea grass became more and more susceptible to diseases which results in an decreasing market value.

This is how the SEP - Swim Education Program was born. 

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