This is a wonderful placement where volunteers can work closely with a few individual students in enhancing their academic and creative development. Not only this but help support and run the school to improve the lives of the students and to allow this charity to develop and take on more students who are in need of its help.

We support and work with this charity school which is home to 42 students of all ages ranging from 3 years old to 25. The school is situated in Arusha roughly 10 minutes bus journey from our volunteer house. The schools’ founders’ wish was to educate those children who have disabilities, special needs, or learning difficulties. These children and young adults are often rejected from schools or are given no special attention and therefore not benefiting from usual state or private school education. The school is open to all. Most of the children are sponsored by the school it’s self.   

The school currently has 5 classrooms in which the children are placed according to their current level of academic status. Depending on the Classroom they are set in, a number of different subject lessons and activities are taught. The main focus subjects are English, Math, Swahili, Music, and creativities such as Art and design. 

 Volunteers will follow a development plan and conduct these lessons to a selected class. Other volunteer involvement will also include:

• Caring for the students,
• Assessing and reporting in the continuation of the development plan for each    Student,
• Taking students on day trips, for example to the swimming pool,
• Home visits to students’ homes and counseling with parents,
• Improvements to the school such as painting the classrooms with the students,
• Support with the fundraising for the school as no government funding is available.

   To help raise money for the school the staff, volunteers, and students all come together in recreation time to make clothes and use beadwork to make jewelry which is then all sold at the schools’ shop.

In all teaching options, volunteers and interns are asked to have a good level of knowledge in written English and to be fluent in the English Language. Knowledge of Swahili is not essential but to clue yourself up in basic Swahili before your placement will increase the effectiveness of your teaching. 

Volunteers are encouraged to bring resources such as educational equipment, art materials, and games if they wish.

All initiatives, ideas, and feedback are encouraged so don’t be afraid to take responsibility and speak to the Project coordinator if you have any plans that you think may be of benefit.

Accommodation: Room/ Food/ Supervision

Volunteers have the choice of staying at our volunteer Accommodation in Arusha Town or at our local Tanzanian host families, commonly known as “homestay”.  

Our volunteer house is located close to the town center so has easy access to transport routes, shops, bars, and restaurants. The House has single or shared living facilities and western-style bathroom facilities with hot water. It also provides a sitting and dining area with T.V. and D.V.D.

Our host families are active community members who are not only mature but are trained and experienced with international volunteers. You will get a single room (or share with another volunteer) in a homestay. The accommodation will be clean and simply furnished. Localhost will provide three local meals a day. During the volunteering period, our staff will guide, help, and supervise you everyday while on your volunteer Project. 

Project Dates and Durations 

All school placements are open all year round but please take into account that schools will be closed in the holidays which are in the following dates:

30th July – 5 September. 

3rd December – 2nd January 

Placement duration is from a minimum of 2 weeks up to a year.  

Qualifications

There are no specific qualifications needed to join this project

Languages

Good level of the English spoken language 

This program is open to World Wide Participants. This program is also open to Families, Couples, and Individuals. It is helpful for the volunteers to learn some basic Kiswahili/Maasai language. When you arrive at your project placement the volunteer coordinator will give you an introduction

Maasai Woman’s Project in Tanzania

Tanzanian Maasai women are economically weak though Maasai culture is one of the major attractions of the tourism industry in Tanzania, Maasai people are not benefited from the tourism industry. A local NGO in ILKDNGA and Monduli district is presently running different programs to uplift the economic condition of Maasai women.

ILKDNGA has been setting up projects run by the Maasai woman to generate self-sustainable income. In this project, Maasai women are trained to make traditional Maasai crafts, beads, clothes, and other goods. These products are later sold in the market to generate their income. This is a wonderful project for people who feel they would enjoy the unique Maasai culture and the rural life of the Maasai tribe.

Volunteers Role

There are 18 Maasai women’s groups in 8 different villages of Mt. Meru. These Maasai women’s groups are coordinated by ILKDNGA. You will work and live closely in these different villages each day and support them. There are a number of activities to which to devote your time in.

• If you are an artist or professional having skills in craftwork or beadwork you can teach the woman techniques/designs so that they can make better products to increase their income in markets. If you have no previous experience in these works then you can still learn and help out. 
• The Maasai women’s group also needs volunteers to help them learn English so that they can talk with tourists and sell their products directly and avoid other parties from buying their products for low prices and selling on for 5 times the amount. Therefore volunteers are needed to run an informal English language class for the Maasai women. 
• If you have knowledge and skills about marketing then you can help Maasai women to develop marketing strategies and help them to sell their products in national and international markets.

Besides the women’s group you can run English language classes for Maasai children and the local youth with a little English knowledge Maasai youth can work as tourist guides making additional income for their families.

Tanzania Home Based Care project in Arusha, Tanzania

The HBC program is our core activity that provides care for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. Through the HBC program, which operates in 3 regions of Tanzania, we currently support an average of 730 patients at a time and 2,800 of their family members. Using our 110 trained HBC workers to make regular daily visits to the patients, we provide informed nutritional advice and support, HIV/AIDS education, cleaning and chore assistance, as well as financial support for food, transportation, and medicines.

We have noticed a significant improvement in many of our Home Based Care patients. Many are no longer bedridden and are improving steadily because of improved nutrition and the use of antiretroviral (ARV) medication. Many have joined Village Community Banking (VICOBA) groups within their communities and are able to take part in Income Generating Activities (IGA’s) with the guidance of our volunteer organization. These activities allow them the opportunity to have a healthy diet and exponentially improve their quality of life.

Village Community Banking (VICOBA) was started with the aim of helping people cope with the numerous responsibilities they face in an increasingly unfavorable socio-economic and religious environment. This is done by training participants in crafts production and other activities that can increase their household incomes. In addition, participants contribute individual savings to a savings and credit fund which, in turn, makes small loans to its members.

We promote local community savings and credit groups that build on the traditional “Tontine” methodology where investors pay a sum into the tontine and receive annual dividends on their capital.  Tontines are rigid in their structure and provide limited and inflexible access to accumulated savings.

We add innovative twists that make it more flexible and extremely attractive to local participants. The weekly contributions are accumulated, with an end date in mind, for distribution of all or part of the funds to the individual members. This lump-sum distribution provides a large amount of money that each member can then apply to his/her own needs.

The members of the community savings and credit groups make use of the funds for long and short-term needs on a continual basis, so the funds are constantly working for them, earning interest and not just sitting idle in the group.

These loans allow the members to meet their small and medium income-generating activities, social obligations, and emergencies without having to borrow from a moneylender, take an expensive supplier advance, or rely on their relatives. This adds a limited credit perspective to the association. Currently, over 575 people utilize our’s 25 VICOBA groups in Arusha, Dar es Salaam.

We work to educate and empower women, children, foster parents and the general community with special priority being given to vulnerable families affected by HIV/ AIDS in Babati district and Arusha Municipal Council. Trained Home Based Care Workers (HBCW’s), field agents and Peer Educators, in collaboration with our staff, conduct continuous education and women empowerment meetings in six wards of Babati and Arusha.

Identified Community members, female field agents, and foster parents can be trained to become quality Village and Community Banking members, trainers of Trainers (TOT’s), HBCW’s, Paralegals and Peer educators. They have continual support through the formation of peer and VICOBA groups and are able to practice paralegal activities dealing with domestic violence, rape, female circumcision, widow inheritance and advocate for general Human Rights.

This promotes good governance, trust and respect within the community and helps alleviate poverty in their areas. This is achieved by increasing economic self-reliance, supporting families affected by HIV/AIDS, establishing village community banking and supplying beneficiaries with food and medical supplies as needed.

Currently, We have established more than 24 women empowerment groups practicing paralegal activities and administering HIV/AIDS education and Home Based Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS and those with chronic illnesses.

Our beaded jewelry business is its main income-generating activity. This program allows us to sustain many of our programs and facilities! There have been other small purchases from guests and volunteers that have passed through our office. If you know of an outlet to sell necklaces where you live or would like to order some for yourself, please email us and we can export some to you. 

Location of Placements:

Arusha and Surrounding Maasai Villages 

Accommodation: Room/ Food/ Supervision

Volunteers have the choice of staying at our volunteer Accommodation in Arusha Town or at our local Tanzanian host families, commonly know as “homestay”.  

Our volunteer house is located close to the town center so has easy access to transport routes, shops, bars, and restaurants. The House has single or shared living facilities and western-style bathroom facilities with hot water. It also provides a sitting and dining area with T.V. and D.V.D.

Our host families are active community members who are not only mature but are trained and experienced with international volunteers. You will get a single room (or share with another volunteer) in a homestay. The accommodation will be clean and simply furnished. Localhost will provide three local meals a day. During the volunteering period, our staff will guide, help, and supervise you everyday while on your volunteer Project.

Project Dates and Durations 

Placements are open to volunteers and interns all year round but we ask volunteers to arrive on either the 1st or 3rd Sunday of each month. 

Placement duration is from a minimum of 2 weeks up to a year.  

Skill/Qualification

There is no specific qualification needed to join the women’s project Tanzania. If you have any skills in craftwork, beading, and artwork than this would be beneficial. 

Languages:

This program is open to World Wide Participants. This program is also open to Families, Couples, and Individuals. It is helpful for the volunteers to learn some basic Kiswahili/Maasai language. When you arrive at your project placement the volunteer coordinator will give you an introduction