Volunteer Program

Volunteer and Intern Programs

We offer you the opportunity to work as a volunteer or an Intern in Arusha, Moshi, and Manyara. You will be helping children in daycare centers, orphans, primary and Secondary schools, hospitals, NGOs, and Community based organizations. You can help young people to educate them about HIV/AIDS, promote equal opportunities for girls and boys, and taking part in training on the ground

Duration and location:

1 Week – 3 months voluntary service: Volunteering in Tanzania with Lights on Africa Destinations & Safaris. Volunteers will fly into the town of Arusha where you will be met by one of our local staff and taken to the area of placement where you will be based for the duration of your placement.

Volunteer Week

First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, you will be escorted to the project by our local staff and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.

Weekdays: A typical day would be as follows:

7.30 AM Breakfast at the volunteer house or homestay.

8.00 AM Volunteers leave home and travel to their placements. Work and hours are dependent on the project and placement that each volunteer is working at.

2.00 PM – 5.00 PM Work at the placement usually ends. Volunteers are free to travel home, prepare for the next day or do some shopping and sightseeing.

8.30 PM Dinner at the volunteer house or homestay.

Volunteer Weekends

During the weekends, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town or Arusha. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield to destinations, such as Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, national parks, and other interesting areas.

Accommodation and Meals

Volunteers in Tanzania are either accommodated in a hostel or a homestay with a host family. Volunteers can expect to share a room with one to four other volunteers of the same gender and volunteer houses can accommodate up to 30 volunteers at one time. Volunteers in homestays can expect to be living with at least four other volunteers. Living is basic but the hostel and homestays have running water and electricity if you are working in Northern Tanzania. Bedding is provided, however, it is recommended that volunteers bring their sleeping bag for weekends away, along with a towel and toiletries. In the hostels, there is a cook who cooks the meals for the volunteers and there is a security guard. The local staff is also available daily.

Volunteers in Tanzania are served three meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Breakfasts generally consist of chai (tea), toast, fruit, and mandazi (deep-fried dough). A typical lunch can include meat and vegetables with rice and fruit, while dinner usually sees traditional food, such as ugali and chapatti accompany the meat and vegetables. Bottled water and plastic water sachets are readily available in Tanzania and volunteers should budget approximately US$5 per week for this (2 liters per day). If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know when you apply for the program so we can make arrangements for you.

About Orphanage Volunteering

Whether you are a seasoned school teacher with a summer free, an adventure seeker looking to make a difference, or simply curious about a country and way of life drastically different than your own, contributing as a volunteer in an orphanage can be a viable and rewarding option. With the world’s estimated 132 million children who sadly fall into the category of an orphan, there is no lack of opportunity for you to participate and help improve the variety of issues that an orphan child encounters. As the children do not usually live at these orphanages and are only there for a few hours each day, volunteers on this project are often required to teach the children. In addition to teaching, volunteers are also required to help with the general running of the orphanage and daily chores. Volunteer tasks include teaching, cooking, and cleaning, farm work, caring for children and babies, and assisting with feeding programs.

Medical Placement

Healthcare is neither easily accessible nor affordable for many Tanzanians in rural villages and poor urban areas. Volunteers on the Medical project help to provide care in these areas and work alongside local medical professionals, gaining an understanding of the healthcare system in Tanzania. Volunteers work in medical clinics and hospitals and are placed according to previous experience and training. Some hospitals and clinics include departments, such as Laboratory Testing, Pharmacy, Maternity, and Family Planning, Radiology, Ultrasound and Dentistry, and volunteers who have an interest in any of these areas are asked to make a note in their application. The key attributes for a successful Medical volunteer are initiative, enthusiasm, and readiness to work in basic facilities with limited resources. Volunteers must have realistic expectations concerning the activities that they will be involved in on the Medical project. Volunteers generally shadow local doctors and provide basic patient care, as procedures must comply with the Tanzania Healthcare System and most volunteers cannot communicate directly with patients due to language barriers. Volunteers need to understand that a key role in this project is simple observation and it is unlikely that you will be involved in operations or independent tasks. Volunteers on this project must be training or qualified in a relevant medical field. Pre-Medicine, Pre-Nursing, and Pre-Health students are eligible to volunteer on this project, as well as Medical and Nursing students and fully-qualified Medical and Nursing professionals, including those qualified in the specialist departments listed above. Please note, that all medical placements require a one-off placement fee of US$100 regardless of your placement duration. This fee goes directly to the medical center where you are placed and is payable in Tanzania directly to the local staff.

How can volunteer English teachers help in Tanzania?

You can use your knowledge and training to help local staff as a volunteer English teacher. You can work on tasks such as Teaching English in either a primary or secondary school, depending on your experience, including tasks such as:

• Planning, preparing, and delivering lessons to a range of classes.
• Marking work, giving appropriate feedback, and maintaining records of pupils’ progress and development
• Supporting the work of teaching assistants, trainee teachers, and newly qualified teachers.
• Sharing ideas with existing staff for developing English lessons.
• Taking part in extracurricular activities such as sports and music (optional).

We work with a variety of schools in the Arusha, Moshi, and Manyara regions. Generally speaking, the pupils will be aged 3 to 14. You will be expected to follow a timetable and work from Monday to Friday each week.

The Tanzania school day runs from 8 am – 2 pm. This is broken into eight separate 40-minute periods, with a twenty-minute break for lunch at around 12.30 pm. You will be expected to teach for at least 18 hours per week. Most teachers work for 4 periods each day and spend the rest of their time marking work and preparing lessons

There may also be the option to organize extracurricular activities in the afternoons. This might include sports, art, or music.

What will I gain from this project?

This voluntary work will allow you to gain experience in teaching in the developing world. You will face challenges such as a lack of resources. This will improve your ability to think creatively. You will also be able to share ideas with local staff and learn from their experiences.

Through educating the students at your chosen school, you will learn about Tanzania’s culture and way of life. Staff and pupils will want to hear about your life back home and your family and friends. We call this “cultural exchange” and we think it helps our volunteers gain a new perspective on life.

What will Lights on Africa provide?

We have over 5 years experience of in arranging volunteer projects and the Tourism business. We provide you with the following support to make sure your time in Tanzania is successful and enjoyable:

• Safe accommodation with a hostel or family close to your project.
• Friendly and dedicated local staff available to help 24 hours a day.
• Taxi service to meet you at the airport and take you to a local hotel on arrival.