Climate
The Tanzanian climate is very varied. The coastal regions are tropical, hot and moist - although the average temperature is moderated by the sea breeze, especially on the islands, and ranges between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius.
The central regions are more temperate thanks
to their higher elevation. In the mountainous areas of the Arusha, Kilimanjaro
and Mara regions the temperature occasionally drops below 15 degrees Celsius at
night during the months of June and July.
Tanzania has two rainy seasons, a long and sustained period from mid March through May, and a shorter, lighter period from November to January, where it rains only a few hours during the day.
Tanzania has two rainy seasons, a long and sustained period from mid March through May, and a shorter, lighter period from November to January, where it rains only a few hours during the day.
Population
Life expectancy is only around 52 years, due to the many deaths from AIDS. It is estimated that around 1.4 million are living with the HIV virus. Of those, 160.000 are children under the age of 15.
99% of the mainland population is African; 95% are Bantu from more than 130 tribes. The remaining 1% consists of Asian, European and Arab. Religious beliefs are African Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%.
The island of Zanzibar is mainly Arab and has more than 99% Muslims.
Life expectancy is only around 52 years, due to the many deaths from AIDS. It is estimated that around 1.4 million are living with the HIV virus. Of those, 160.000 are children under the age of 15.
99% of the mainland population is African; 95% are Bantu from more than 130 tribes. The remaining 1% consists of Asian, European and Arab. Religious beliefs are African Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%.
The island of Zanzibar is mainly Arab and has more than 99% Muslims.
Language
Kiswahili or Swahili is the official language, while English is the official language of commerce, administration and higher education. Arabic is widely spoken in Zanzibar.
The first language of most people is a local language.
Kiswahili or Swahili is the official language, while English is the official language of commerce, administration and higher education. Arabic is widely spoken in Zanzibar.
The first language of most people is a local language.
The program
Programs start every 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, with arrival Sunday prior to the program start at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Upon arrival you will be picked up at the airport and driven to your accommodation. During the first 1-3 days, you will get an orientation in town and some Swahili lessons, while the coordinator organizes your work permit.
Programs start every 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, with arrival Sunday prior to the program start at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Upon arrival you will be picked up at the airport and driven to your accommodation. During the first 1-3 days, you will get an orientation in town and some Swahili lessons, while the coordinator organizes your work permit.
Food and accommodation during volunteering
Most volunteers prefer to stay at the “House for Volunteers” in Arusha with: TV-room, showers and sanitary facilities. There’s a guard and a cook who prepares 3 meals a day. Here it is possible to have more of a social life with other volunteers. The coordinator – who also arranges Safari Trips – has his office in the house.
Most volunteers prefer to stay at the “House for Volunteers” in Arusha with: TV-room, showers and sanitary facilities. There’s a guard and a cook who prepares 3 meals a day. Here it is possible to have more of a social life with other volunteers. The coordinator – who also arranges Safari Trips – has his office in the house.
If
you prefer more authentic surroundings, you can chose to live with a local host
family instead, where you also will have 3 meals a day. Here you will share all
facilities with the family members, of whom at least one speaks English.
Tanzanian
food includes a little meat, chicken or fish with rice and some fruit. Showers
do no not always have hot water. Don’t expect luxury!
Below you will find descriptions of the
voluntary work places. Tasks and working hours differ from place to place;
Volunteering in Orphanages in
Tanzania
Tanzania
and all the sub-Saharan African countries are badly affected by the epidemics
of poverty and HIV/AIDS. The number of orphans and street children is growing.
Efforts have been made by various local organizations to protect these children
by offering much-needed education as well as skill-development training.
Thousands of orphaned children who suffer from extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS and
hopelessness leave their villages and travel to Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Moshi
and other cities, where they most often end up worse off on the street.
Most orphanages in Tanzania lack resources and
are under-staffed. Some are extremely poor, and struggle just to feed the
children. Not all of the children can attend school, as they lack sponsors to
pay for uniforms, books and so on. Other orphanages are more fortunate and even
have their own school close to their premises. All of them, however, rely on
volunteer workers and donations of all kinds in order to be able to run the
orphanage and maintain an everyday, secure environment for the children.
Some
orphanages are in rural areas andvolunteeers will have to take one of the local
minibuses (called “Dala Dala”) to get there, a cheap way of transportation.
There, a cheap way of transportation. You can buy a weekly pass for a
"dala dala" minibus. Cost approx. $ 5.
Volunteer
tasks usually are:
- In the morning help with breakfast and prepare the children for school. Volunteers accompany the children to and from school.
- Teach English 3-4 hours a day in the local school
- Small children (ages 2-6 years) remain in their orphanages. Volunteers who choose not to teach in schools play with these children: sport, art, games, picture books, music. You are welcome to suggest all sorts of activities.
- Organize activities when the children return from school and help with homework.
- Skill-training and leisure activities for the children, who are too old to go to school.
- After dinner help the children wash, brush teeth and take care of themselves.
- Keeping the orphanage clean and tidy. Help with daily chores such as washing the children’s clothes, repairing and maintaining the premises etc.
This is just
a general picture of daily tasks. Each orphanage has its own routine. You will
receive detailed information about your work place before travelling.
Gardening and Agriculture
Several orphanages try to be as self
sufficient as possible and have vegetable- and fruit gardens, cows, goats and
chickens. Selling products at the local markets generates income to the orphanage.
As the orphanages don’t have means to hire people, volunteers interested in
exploring Tanzanian ways of agriculture and manual labor are welcome to give a
hand.
Women Legal Aid and Human Rights Centre
International human rights include
the right to work, to an adequate standard of living, to participate in
cultural and political life, to education and to freedom of religion. Even
though Tanzania has ratified some human rights conventions, they are far from
complying with them all in practice.
This
Human Rights Centre in Arusha is run by a small, private NGO that aims to
provide legal aid and counseling services to poor and disadvantaged women and
children in both rural and urban areas. It operates by conducting seminars,
workshops, camps and conferences, organizes legal aid, socio-economic support
and Human Rights education, both at the centre and in the media. The Centre
strives to help as many people as possible but focuses primarily on women.
If you have a relevant academic background and wish to volunteer or be an Intern, you can work in this Centre for Human Rights. Depending on your experience, education and interests, you will be involved in different activities like
- Visiting widows and get a better understanding of the legal and human rights problems they have to deal with
- Conducting research on policies and laws affecting women and children with the aim of using the findings as a basis for lobbying and advocating to advance gender equality
- Encouraging and supporting poor women in establishing self-help groups or projects that will help them to generate an income
Building a joint network with other NGOs and
government bodies with activities relating to the Centres’ aims, within and
outside Tanzania
As a volunteer you will work on grass root level alongside experienced people to make a difference in the local community.
The longer you stay, the more interesting your task will be.
We recommend you prepare your volunteer work by studying for example the following homepage: http://www.humanrights.dk/human+rights.
As a volunteer you will work on grass root level alongside experienced people to make a difference in the local community.
The longer you stay, the more interesting your task will be.
We recommend you prepare your volunteer work by studying for example the following homepage: http://www.humanrights.dk/human+rights.
Pamoja Project
The
Pamoja Project focuses on teaching and raising awareness of HIV/AIDS for
community members and schoolchildren. Most of your time will be spent teaching,
lesson planning, and training peer educators. You will also be involved in
community assessment work within villages.
Peer to peer learning has proven to be an effective model for behavior change communication among adolescents. Peer education is a particularly powerful method for reaching young people. This educational program targets both government and private primary and secondary schools. Educators are nominated and elected by teachers and fellow students, and they are among the brightest, most outgoing students in their class
Volunteers and program officers provide training for peer leaders, and a three day seminar for peer education teachers. Our partner and field officers stay in touch with schools and different community project stakeholders - helping peer educators organize special events such as sports days, exchange learning visits, and competitions within and among schools.
These students use dynamic education techniques such as songs; drama, debates, and poetry to engage other youths and encourage them to think critically so they can choose behaviors that lower their risk of getting HIV / AIDS. This requires that we teach the basic biological facts about the virus, the progression of the disease in the body, the primary modes of transmission, and the most effective methods of prevention. Volunteers participating in this project will have to count with extra transportation expenses.
Medical/Healthcare
Programme in Tanzania
Most
clinics and hospitals only accept certified professionals in the medical/healthcare
sector, or interns.
If
you are looking for valuable hands-on medical experience, there are
possibilities in the hospitals in Arusha. You will also be able to work at
rural health posts and community clinics. Participants spend the majority of
their internship/work period working as an assistant to a doctor/healthcare
professional. Work responsibilities vary with your education, skills, and
previous experience. Interns must have health care certification, such as an ID
as a medical student, EMT or paramedic certification, or nursing or physician's
credentials.
Medical
interns without credentials are not allowed to work in this programme because
of the potential liability risk. Job responsibilities of interns vary with
education, skills, experience and qualifications. Interns measure blood
pressure, temperature, height, weight, as well as assist doctors. Interns may
also help in health camps, distribute medication, advise patients about health,
nutrition and sanitation as well as counsel patients and possibly participate
in the treatment of minor injuries and wounds or maintain journals.
Work
is from 20-30 hours per week. On the first working day you will meet a
coordinator, who will explain your role as a volunteer/intern. An individual
timetable will be worked out for you based on how much time you want to commit.
Please note: the programme
supervisor DOES NOT DEVELOP internships; instead you will select a particular
area of interest and explore the issue further with the help of an assigned supervisor.
It is up to the interns to get as much as possible out of their stay.
Volunteer teaching in Tanzania
Children represent over 50% of the population, but in terms of budget allocations, children welfare is still relegated to the private sphere of the family, community and NGOs and remains politically marginalized from the mainstream concerns of the governance and economic policy.
There is significant economic growth in some sectors, particularly mining and tourism but very little growth in Agriculture sector on which most children and their families depend.
Opportunities missed in childhood, such as good nutrition and education, can cause irreversible harm and trap children in long term poverty. Poverty at household level and very low level of investment in basic infrastructure such as schools and health care facilities or transport for economic activities makes life hard for children in Tanzania.
The only way out of poverty is through education. This goes of course even more for orphans. Children are very much aware that being able to speak English is essential to their future prospects and they are eager to learn.
English is a common language in Tanzania because the country once was a British colony. However, there is a lack of quality English education. If you choose to teach, don’t expect Western standards with premade educational materials, tight schedules and so on. You must make it up as you go. You may also assist with sports, music, drawing lessons, games and other activities.
Public schools close during the following periods:
June 15th – July 27th
Sep 19th – Oct 10th
Dec 15th – Jan 1st
During these periods it is
possible to teach at a private school or at an orphanage instead.
The
Olokii volunteer project works with a local NGO who runs a school for young
teenage girls. The girls are selected through a number of different networks
and are either recovered from the forced labor- or sex trade, abandoned by
their families or have escaped abusive relationships. Many of the young girls
already have children of their own. The goal of the NGO is to provide the girls
with a hope for a better future and teach them skills that allow them to become
self-supporting and take care of their children. At the moment the NGO helps
young and vulnerable women from the Arusha-, Moshi- and Kilimanjaro region.
The
girls stay at the school for 6-12 months. Here they are taught skills such as
tailoring, cooking, English and computers. This will help them get a job, e.g.
in the catering sector or the hotel business.
Volunteer tasks can be ;
- Teaching English, Developing handcraft skills
- Teach Computer Skills and maintain computers
- Assist in the cooking classes
Environmental project
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