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Sub-Saharan African countries are suffering from huge number of orphans left behind after their parents die from illnesses such as HIV/AIDS resulting in a larger number of orphanages in countries such as Tanzania.

Contributing to this disproportionate number of orphanages is the fact that in some cases the parents are simply unable to provide for the children or they have been abandoned, increasing the number of orphans in Tanzania. Volunteers need to understand, however, that Tanzanian orphanages are not organized the way most Westerners expect. Because of the family-oriented culture, orphans tend to be absorbed into extended families or are even sometimes taken in by neighbors. These added children put a huge strain on the families who take them in and so the orphans are sent to ‘orphanages’ for certain hours of the day to receive education, interaction and food. Western volunteers must understand that the children usually do not live at the orphanage and are only there for a few hours in the day and so, if placed in an orphanage, one of your core roles will most likely be teaching. Along with teaching, volunteers who work in an orphanage help with general work and daily chores and will generally work from 8:00 am until 3:30 pm. Your participation in an orphanage project is not only appreciated by the children but also by the orphanage administration. This work ranges from cooking and cleaning to farm work, assisting with feeding programs, caring for children and babies and teaching.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: Faraja Orphanage Centre
Located at Kwa Ngulelo village near Arusha this orphanage is home to sixty children ranging in age from 4 to 14.During the school period there is a nursery school program in the orphanage for the lower aged children in the orphanage and local village. Attending this school is approximately 40 children in total, spread over two classrooms. Volunteers in this orphanage help teachers to do their lessons, drawings, sports, games and sometimes assist with the cleaning of the dormitories and clothes. In addition to this they also help with the cooking of meals for the children. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Tanzania and not necessarily the one you will be working at.