Info

Tanzania Volunteer on Orphanages, Teaching English, HIV/AIDS Project, Handicapped children and on sports project

1. Orphanages

Tanzania and all the sub-Saharan African countries are badly affected by the epidemics of poverty and HIV. The number of orphans and street children is growing in Arusha as well as other city areas. Efforts have been made by various local organizations to protect these children by offering much-needed education as well as skill-development training. Volunteers in Tanzania work proactively in the orphanage community where they share their love, compassion, skills and efforts with the children. Hundreds of orphan children who suffer from extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS and hopelessness leave their villages and travel to 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. Orphanages in Tanzania focus primarily on offering formal and informal schooling and a safe place to live and study.
There are many areas where volunteers can support the activities of these orphanages. Orphanages are located in Arusha, and Moshi.

Volunteers generally work with the following activities:

•During 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 orphanages or schools.

•Small children (ages 2-6 years) remain in their orphanages where volunteers who choose not to teach in schools play with the children: sports, art, games, picture books, music. All sorts of fun activities are welcome.

•Also organize activities when the children return from school, both free time fun and help with homework.

•Skill-training and free time activities for the children who are too old to go to school.

•After dinner help the children to brush teeth, shower and learn to take care of themselves

•This is just a general picture of the daily life of volunteers. Each orphanage has its own routine.

Working hours are from 25-30 per week. Volunteers are accommodated in a separate room at the orphanage or with host families, with local food three times a day.

2. Teaching English
English is a common language in Tanzania because the country was a British colony. However, there is a lack of quality English education. Tanzanian children are very eager to learn English. You may also assist with sports, music, drawing lessons, games and other activities.

If you are interested in teaching English, be aware that most schools close during the following periods:

June 15th-July 27th, September 19th-October 10th, December 15th-January 1st.

Volunteers at the English teaching projects teach English to nursery, primary and secondary school students. Volunteers may also teach math and/or science.

Volunteers teach from 2 -3 hours/day, five or six days a week. The school’s English teachers will assist volunteers with teaching methods and advice. Teaching experience is not required but we expect volunteers to have a good command of English and communication skills. In most cases, volunteers stay with host families in a separate room with three meals a day. Volunteers usually share bath and toilet facilities with their host families.

3. HIV/AIDS Project
Despite global concerns and efforts, this deadly disease is still epidemic in Africa.

HIV/AIDS prevention and counseling projects in Tanzania are an attempt to prevent further transmission through education. The projects also provide moral support to those affected and help them to build self-esteem and hope in life.

Volunteers in this program will care for HIV/AIDS infected children and adults and get them involved in educational activities, with focus on safe sex. Educational materials are provided.

Volunteers help with the following activities:

•Care for and encourage HIV/AIDS patients.

•Counseling and education in hospitals and communities

•Encourage young men and women by involving them to actively participate in HIV/AIDS preventive education in the district.

•Help various HIV/AIDS organizations in their community outreach programs such as hospice care, recreational and educational programs, voluntary HIV counseling and testing and seminars and conferences on the virus within the local community.

There are no specific qualifications required to volunteer in this project.

4. Handicapped children
The handicapped children project aims to support mentally and physically challenged children. This project primarily supports the children of some of the poorest families who cannot afford to take their children to a private rehabilitation center.

The children are divided into two groups. The first group can concentrate and read, so volunteers can teach English, math, and/or science. Volunteers can also organize singing sessions, dancing, listening to music or other extracurricular activities.

The second group has severe mental and physical conditions and cannot read or write. Volunteers can help this group with physical therapy, speech therapy, games, etc. This project is located in Arusha in the area of Kwa Iddi.

There is no need for any specific qualifications.
However, volunteers must be patient, flexible, hard working, and possess an unwavering love for handicapped kids. Daily routine is generally the following: The children are brought to the project in the morning and the volunteers are expected to be there ahead of time.

The morning session lasts until lunchtime. After lunch the younger children go home to rest. The rest stay at their schools, where volunteers help with teaching, games, music, etc.

Enrollment
You enroll by filling and sending to us our volunteer application via info@micatz.org , Please add a letter of motivation in English with a picture, in which you tell us which program you prefer, how long you wish to work and why you want to work as a volunteer and describe yourself.


The local coordinator will do his best to respect your first priority, but we may not guarantee that all your wishes can be fulfilled.

Upon receipt of your enrollment form MICATZ will send confirmation and a handbook with useful details and further explanations about your project placement.

Payment.
Upon receipt of your enrollment form, MICATZ will send you a confirmation and invoice.

A deposit of $200USD is to be paid upon receipt of this confirmation along with our filled volunteer application form.

The remaining amount is to be paid 14days prior to your arrival. If you enroll less that 45-days weeks before arrival, the entire full program fees will be payable upon enrollment.

Start Dates

Dates: Flexible dates and durations of stay. Available throughout year, from 4 weeks-3 months+. You pick your start and finish dates.
Cost: Costs vary depending on length of stay. Starts at $500-$700usd for 4 weeks including accommodation, food, transfer from the airport, full pre-departure support, local in-country team support and backup, 24-hour emergency support.
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Costs / Benefits

Dates: Flexible dates and durations of stay. Available throughout year, from 4 weeks-3 months+. You pick your start and finish dates.
Cost: Costs vary depending on length of stay. Starts at $500-$700usd for 4 weeks including accommodation, food, transfer from the airport, full pre-departure support, local in-country team support and backup, 24-hour emergency support.

Requirements

No any qualifications are necessary to join most of our Tanzania volunteer programs, just a good dose of enthusiasm and some experience if you have it and if you don’t have it then no problem with it! Everyone is welcome on a micatz programme, whether gap year, undergraduate, on a career break - or even retired! From 15 years old upwards, and all nationalities. This placement would suit anyone who wants to make a real difference, wants first-hand experience of a different culture and has initiative.