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Volunteer at our NGO to help improve conditions in Maasai communities in Loliondo, Tanzania

  • Favourited 1791 times
  • Last activity: 19 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    KARIBU FRIENDS!

    How are you?

    My name is Baraka and together with my wife Juliana and our great colleagues/volunteers we are working very hard to support the most vulnerable children in the Arusha region by running both a home and a school in the Sakala village, close to Loliondo, Tanzania.

    The project was founded in 2003 with the purpose to provide quality education and the best possible living conditions to children from our community who live in poverty. It is our vision that the students and their families will be inspired to attain their full potential and get the necessary educational foundation to reach social and economic independence through our work.

    We have already accomplished quite a lot in the past couple of years. 8 classrooms were built, whereby two of them are being used as temporary dormitories for the boys, as the amount of children is growing year by year. 300 kids are currently enrolled in the school and more than 200 of them are living with us. We have 18 teachers and 9 support staff.

    At the moment, we are primarily focused on further improving the living conditions for our children. The dormitories (incl. washrooms) for the girls are nearly finished, but we urgently need to build dormitories and washrooms for the boys. In addition, we would like to build a proper nursery place for our students as well as a volunteer house on school grounds, so that the volunteers will be closer to the school in the future. Furthermore, we intend to plant several trees on our campus and improve the already existing buildings at the school (such as toilets and staff room).

    On top of providing general education, we run a health and education program that is dedicated to tackling the inherent health and cultural issues our community faces, such as HIV/AIDS and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

    The village, Loliondo, is located in the heart of a Maasai community bordering the world famous Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Park (both considered a world biological reserve for the wildlife it contains). It is a safe place and you will find the local people to be overly friendly, welcoming and eager to get to know you! We are happy to enrich your stay with us even further by organizing safari trips to Serengetti and Ngorongoro. We can organize all types of safari trips from budget/camping options to hotels and lodges inside the parks. Since we are so close, day trips are a possibility too!

    We hope you are curious to join our project as we believe that it will be a life-changing experience. Not only because you will be able to support us on our mission but also because it will change your perception of our community, our country and Africa as whole! You will be immersed into daily life, and be able to better understand our culture, history and language. You will get to know the Maasai culture, their traditions, maasai bomas, dances,maasai market and even a couple of words in Maasai language.
    If you need more information, we are happy to answer all your questions and give advice on general issues such as health, culture, weather, excursions, travel, visas, safety and special events. Generally, travelling by yourself is not a problem or unsafe. We are happy to guide you all the way to us and make sure someone assists you along the way.
    Please don´t hesitate to reach out to us!

    We hope to hear from you soon!

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Teaching
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Farmstay help
    Babysitting and creative play
    Hospitality/Tourism
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    We believe we can offer a life-changing experience to our volunteers!!

    Not only because you will be able to help us in our great challenge of keeping the school running but also because it will change how you see our community, our country, Africa!

    You will be immersed into our daily lives, understand deeply our culture, our history, our language. We are sure you will learn Swahili and Massai words. You will understand Maasai culture, their traditions, their homes, dancing, the maasai market, etc.

    Besides, we can organize safari trips to Serengetti and Ngorongoro parks (considered two of the bests for wildlife spotting) which are very close to our home. We can organize all types of safari trips from budget/camping options to hotels and lodges inside the parks. Since we are so close, day trips are a possibility too!

    Please let us know if you also would be interested in having a certification of appreciation upon completion of your volunteer in the project, so we can arrange it for you.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    Help

    FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESS
    In order to further develop, improve conditions and keep the school running, we mostly need help with fundraising and grants. There is a lot of work being done every day, but still the biggest challenge is money.
    We would truly appreciate the help of volunteers who could come up with new financing ideas, how to make new partnerships or create a way for us to make money independently. So, if you are willing and/or have experience with grant writing, fundraising, report writing or if you know organizations, people or businesses which could support us, you could make a huge difference!
    We also constantly try to improve the project strategically (e.g. processes like finding easier ways of money transfers, registering/cooperating with bigger NGO’s to gain more reach and knowledge etc.).
    In order to get further support in the future, we try to create more awareness for our project around the world. Thus, we invite volunteers to actively manage our Social Media sites (i.e. Facebook and Instagram) with content creation.

    ADDITIONAL HELP
    Volunteers are also very welcome to use the skills they have to contribute to our project, especially within our school, health program and community.
    This means you can be directly involved in the available daily activities and join us in teaching English or any other subject, artwork, playing with children, help with preparing meals, help with housework, homework, general counseling, computers/internet as well as gardening.

    We hope you will feel at home and introduce your own idea / project!

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Swahili (Kiswahili): Fluent

    This host offers a language exchange
    This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
    You can contact them directly for more information.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    ACCOMODATION
    Volunteers are welcomed to stay at our premises, in one of our project's accommodations. We offer simple but clean, comfortable living spaces. You will either stay in a single or shared (same gender) room, depending on the host situation and peak versus off-peak seasons. The bathroom is shared with other people in the accommodation. We provide volunteers with towels, bed linens and blankets laundries.
    We also have plenty space around if you want to bring your own sleeping bags, camping tents, etc.
    Single travellers are welcome and it is a safe place. We make sure to assist you in any way.

    FOOD
    Volunteers are offered three meals a day (breakfast, lunch & dinner) and vegetarian meals are also available. We offer locally available, fresh and nutritious food in meals held together with other volunteers and people working at the project as well. Please let us know in advance if you have any special restriction so we can adjust it for you!

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    VISA INFO AND COSTS

    In order to be in compliance with the Tanzania requirements, the volunteer must get a

    TOURIST VISA
    This can be obtained upon arrival at the airport or border crossing. Visitors from most countries need to obtain this visa including Europeans, Americans and nationals from Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia. It is valid for 90 days.
    COSTS: USD$100.00 for American passport. USD$50.00 for all other countries. In both cases to be paid in cash at the immigration office. Please check the Tanzania Tourism website for updated information.
    Please note that the work permits “CLASS G1 WORK VISAS – VOLUNTEERS, NGO WORKERS, and MISSIONARIES” are usually too complicated to get and unnecessary for short periods of time (less than 90 days). For periods of more than 3 months, please email us to enquire about additional visa requirements and related costs.

    HOW TO GET TO OUR PROJECT FROM ARUSHA
    The closest international airport is the Kilimanjaro Airport and it is located 50 minutes from Arusha, the biggest city in our region. Also, Arusha Airport is an option if you are coming from Dar es salam or Zanzibar.
    From Arusha you can reach our project location by bus "Loliondo coach" (6-9 hours, 23.000 TZS). We are happy to help you organizing your trip!

    WHAT TO PACK
    Besides suitable clothes for hot days, please also include some light jackets for the night / windy days. Also a rain coat, if you are coming in the raining season. And bring with you flip flops and hiking boots or shoes to allow you to explore the mountains in the surroundings.
    Since it is not easy to get medication and other related items close by, please also bring sunscreen and mosquito repellent besides your normal medication. Also, some people take Malaria prophylaxis pills when traveling to Tanzania so please check if you would like to take them (however, note that our project is located in a higher area of Tanzania, with more than 1800 mt. of sea level, and for this reason it is a rare disease here). We also recommend to bring powerbank because we have electricity but sometimes breakdown may occur.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We are based in Loliondo Arusha and we have enough for all van parking , your most welcome to our Home.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 4 hours a day, 5 days a week

  • ...

    This host charges a fee

    read more
    US$5 per day - no more than 1 week ($35) can be asked in advance
Host ref number: 599237967723

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