The number of orphans and street children is growing. Efforts have been made by various local organizations to protect these children by offering much-needed education as well as skill-development training.
Thousands of orphan children who suffer from extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS and hopelessness leave their villages and travel to Dar es Salaam, 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.
Volunteers generally work with the following activities:
- In 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 the local school.
- 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 wash, brush teeth and take care of themselves.
This is just a general picture of the daily life of volunteers. Each orphanage has its own routine. Some orphanages are in rural areas.
Work is from 20-30 hours per week. Volunteers are accommodated in a separate room at the orphanage or with host families, with local food three times a day. You may have to share room with another volunteer.
