Tanzania
Favourited 310 times
Hi, and welcome to our Workaway profile!
. We operate in the Morogoro region of Tanzania, and we have two primary residence - one in Morogoro Town and the other in Mvomero, a two-hour bus journey away. Our mission is to alleviate the suffering experienced by Tanzania's most vulnerable children (MVCs) - primarily those with special educational needs, low educational attainment, or those in situations of neglect. In total, we care for approximately 30 MVCs at our two homes - ten of whom have a disability of some kind, some of whom are touched by disability in their families, and many who could not access education in their remote communities.
We were established formally in 2011, by Mama - a tireless, life-long disability advocate in the region, who set up the mission to commemorate the life and impact of her most-adored son, Erick. It was as a result of the discrimination and societal barriers he faced constantly through his shortened lifespan - as a result of his severe disabilities - that motivated her to commit her life's mission to drastically improving the quality of life for those who need it the most. We work to ensure that the rights of those with disability are respected and upheld, and that they have equal opportunities to live to the greatest of their capacity.
We do this by taking care of, educating, and rehabilitating the MVCs who call this place home, and we also do this with extensive work in our local community - through the approach and philosophy of Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR). CBR is a method designed for low-resource settings, to make sure the services required by people with disabilities are accessible and effective.
Morogoro Town: At Morogoro Town, we have 15 MVCs, ranging in age from 7 until 16 - they have a diverse range of ability, and they all require our help and support. These children were found while we were serving families on outreach, and we are responsible for their overall welfare and taking care of their daily needs.
Mvomero: In Mvomero, we provide a home for 16 teenage boys and girls - they were all taken from domestic situations whereby attaining an education was impossible due to geographic location and financial situation. With us, they are sent to school in the local area, and we provide them a home to learn and grow together - in the hopes that we can empower them to break the cycle of poverty.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know a little about us! We would be so excited to host you for some time while you are in Tanzania, and we would love to welcome you into our humble family.
Gardening
Building
Babysitting / child care
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Farmstay
Other
Help in the house
Charity work
Language practice
Help with Computers / internet
Teaching
There is so much to learn and so much to gain by humbling yourself to diligently serve those who have much less than you. There are abundant and daily opportunities to benefit from cultural exchange, by interacting with the wide range of people we serve, integrating into our local communities, and attending events of cultural importance that happen during your stay. In thanks for your kindness of spirit, we are happy to teach you whatever you want to learn, and we would be honoured to get an opportunity to share our home and culture with you.
Additionally, for those who want to explore the local area of Morogoro and beyond, we are lucky to have the support of a seasoned tourism professional on our Senior Management Team, Aristedes. He is more than happy to work with you to design highly-specialised travel experiences while you stay with us - the proceeds of which go towards furthering our mission. His knowledge of the local area is without comparison, and his access to cultural events you would not be able to experience otherwise is unparalleled.
We are in close distance to Mikumi National Park, highly accessible to other interesting areas in Tanzania, and we are blessed to be surrounded by amazing hiking, trekking, and scenic paths. There is so much to see and do here, whether you are in Morogoro Town or Mvomero, and you can work alongside Aristedes to design an experience that helps you have a unique travel experience, experience the incredible natural beauty of Tanzania, and make a real difference at the same time.
Our relationship with our guests can best be described as collaborative. We do not want to tell you what you have to do, but we are excited to hear from you about what you would like to do. We have been so blessed to receive the expertise and skillset of so many different volunteers, across all age ranges, ethnicities, religions, backgrounds, and education levels.
If there is something you would like to achieve while you are here, we would love to hear your project ideas! If you come and you see an area of need that you feel able to contribute towards, we'd be so excited to have your input. We want you to have an experience that makes a long-lasting positive impact to the lived experience of vulnerable Tanzanians, and we want you to leave feeling proud of what you have helped us accomplish.
If you don't have any ideas, that's fine too - there are so many ways you can come and contribute:
Education: In both Morogoro Town and Mvomero, we need patient people to help provide our residents with one-on-one support; to help plan lessons for the children with special educational needs; to spend time in our on-site daycare facility equipping young minds with a formative education. However much time you can contribute, and whoever you feel most comfortable working alongside, your skills in our classroom can be put to great use.
Communications and Fundraising: If you're a talented marketing, media, or communications person, we can definitely use your skills to help further our communications and fundraising strategy. Whether it's working on our social media calendar, creating videos and pictures for our digital platforms, or finding new opportunities to increase our fundraising capacity, we'd love your help. Our Communications Director can't always be in the country, so working alongside her to be the ears and eyes on the ground would be so beneficial.
Agriculture and Farming: Mvomero is home to our piggery project and our youth garden. If you are knowledgable or interested in either of these areas, we'd be happy to receive your support. From daily maintenance of the garden and pig-pens, to consulting on how best to look after the animals in our care, or growing the work we do, increasing our income generation during your stay would help us grow as an organisation.
Community Work: While this is really an opportunity more suited to those with some degree of Swahili fluency, we are open to other candidates as well. So much of the vital work we do is in rural communities, and it's thanks to the assistance of dedicated community volunteers. If your heart is in working with vulnerable members in the community, to provide rehabilitation and education, and to increase their access to resources, we'd be happy to put your skills to use here.
Domestic: Running two residences for so many residents requires a lot of operational work to help ensure the domestic duties are completed, the children's welfare is being protected, and our homes are running smoothly. If you wanted to help us just by assisting with any of these duties, we'd love that too!
We're sure there's so much we haven't covered here, so if you think there's work you could help us with, that we haven't listed, you're probably right. We welcome skilled workers - nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers, farmers, construction professionals, and teachers; and we welcome those with no specific area of expertise. Whoever you are, we would love your help!
English, Swahili
In Morogoro Town, we have three guest bedrooms - one single, one double, and one triple room. Volunteers have the full use of a communal volunteer bathroom, as well as a shared living space, and access to our humble kitchen facilities if necessary. We are currently in the midst of building our new guest-houses, so that we can increase the amount of space we can devote to housing volunteers and our care staff too. In Mvomero, we have two guest bedrooms - one single and one triple, also with volunteer bathroom access, living space, and kitchen facilities if necessary.
At both residences, you will live alongside the young people you will serve, so there is always an opportunity to get involved in their activities. Both of our homes are not luxury by any means, but they feel like home to us. For those more interested in the daily care of children with disability, your time will primarily be spent in Morogoro Town, but you are welcomed to visit Mvomero when you want! For those who are more interested in our agricultural projects, offering supplemental educational support to teenagers, or getting involved with community outreach, you will spend more time in Mvomero.
Most volunteers opt to be cooked for by our wonderful kitchen staff - the food they supply is always delicious and hearty, it can be adapted to vegan, vegetarian, lactose intolerant, and some allergy requirements if necessary. The cost of feeding and housing you is $5 per day, and we think the small contribution is worth the quality of care you receive while you are with us.
As mentioned previously, your leisure time is yours to do with what you want - you're welcome to explore the local area, spend time in town, or engage in tourism opportunities organised by our tourism and travel professional. We expect you to contribute a certain amount of time here, but what that is is totally negotiable. Mostly it is important to us that you are kind, compassionate, and committed.
If you wanted to bring the children anything, they are always grateful to receive gifts from kind strangers. Certain items we always require are: classroom resources - books, aids, and pens/pencils; toiletries - soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, sanitary items, and moisturisers; first-aid essentials - plasters, bandages, and antiseptics; clothing - especially socks and underwear; shoes - all sizes and types; and sheets. If you had another idea for something to bring, you're more than welcome to email us and we can help advise on specific items we need.
We offer airport pick-up from Dar-es-salaam by car for an additional fee, and if this is of interest to you, just let us know! It's totally optional, and we provide it for guests who are uncomfortable making the journey to us by public transport. Alternatively, you can access us from Julius Nyerere International Airport by taking a taxi or bajaji to Ubongo Bus Station, and then taking a 4-hour bus to Morogoro Bus Station - where we are happy to pick you up. It is a good idea to book your taxi in advance, to prevent being charged exorbitant prices.
If you have any other questions, queries, or concerns, don't hesitate to let us know - we're more than happy to talk with you, even if you're not actually committed to coming.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
More than two
5 hours a day 5 days a week
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.7)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(3.7)
