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Community and Environmental Work, Mwanza, Tanzania

This project offers work in school and community development projects including teaching, building, helping in nursery schools and orphanages, establishing school environmental clubs, helping to organise beach and river cleaning campaigns, start school gardens, plant trees, and develop botanic gardens.

Although there are some seasonal variations, generally volunteers will be involved in one or more of the following activities:

Environmental work
Environmental Education (teaching, designing gardens and curriculum), teaching youth groups, program evaluations, curriculum preparation, and alien invader (foreign plant) management, soil erosion control, water testing, and land reclamation projects.

Training work
Botanic garden establishment, participation in training management, including in-depth program assessment and reporting, and environment conservation practices, bird field studies, and collecting, lake Victoria beaches survey (for vulture community).

Orphanage program
Work here would include construction of a nursery and orphanage as well as some of the teaching programmes below.

Teaching
Teachers are needed for the nursery school and at higher level too for on-the-job training. The project runs three intensive workshops, which cover basic conservation principles, as well as project design, proposal, management, fund raising and implementation skills.

Other possibilities include

Teaching HIV/AIDS prevention in schools, community, Youth Groups, helping to launch a poverty eradication campaign, teaching computer techniques etc.; helping improve impoverished Tanzanian children's potential in a nationally recognized educational program; working alongside local teachers and students during the school year in remote partner communities. Hosts will make certain your skills and interests are put to the best use on long-term community infrastructure, teaching and medical projects, ease suffering and engender hope for the future of students and their families.

Qualifications and experience required?

Reasonably fit (able to walk reasonable distances); 18 years old or over; available for a minimum of two-four weeks (longer stays possible); English-speaking; able to work with a minimum of supervision. Qualifications or background in environmental education or conservation are helpful, but a willingness to learn and contribute are equally important.

Where

The program is located in Mwanza City, Magu District. Magu is approximately 60 minutes from Mwanza City and 120 minutes from Musoma municipality. Mwanza is Tanzania's second largest city, on the shores of Lake Victoria and is close to the Serengeti National Park.

The Schools found within the program are Mwanza secondary school, Igogo Secondary schools, Buswelu Secondary Schools, Magu secondary, and Jelly Secondary and Primary School. In addition there are clubs including for children health, and environment, etc. There are many opportunities for sports and leisure activities in the surrounding areas. Local health care, if needed, is available at the Agha Kha, Hindu, and Bugando Referral hospitals, and volunteers should take out adequate insurance. Anti-malarials should be taken and mosquito nets are needed (purchased before going). The local climate is variable - the rainy season is from November to April. It can be hot but Lake Victoria and the altitude help to keep this tolerable.

Placements are suitable for single people and married couples. International schools are available in Mwanza.

It is not essential that volunteers are Christian as the projects are not church-based, but the majority of Tanzanian people will practice a religion and joining them in worship is a helpful way to integrate into the local community.

Costs

The costs of the program are as follows:

Caretakers Volunteers Tanzania - Donation: US $50.00. The donation fee covers the cost of marketing, program information and communication.

Caretakers of the Environment Tanzania Program Fee:

The program fee covers administrative charges, placement arrangements, accommodation, food, airport pickup, supervision, and all the materials needed to get the job done.

The other costs you will need to meet are flights, travel insurance, personal spending money, and any trips you would like to take while you are in Tanzania.

Our placement fee is £150 which covers - negotiation on your behalf, interviewing on behalf of the project and ensuring that our Code of Best Practice has been carried through. This code includes volunteers signing that health preparation, insurance etc. have been covered. A briefing session is provided. Please note, we cannot accept applications from people unable be interviewed in the UK. Interviews usually take place at our London office.

Contact
If you are interested in this opportunity and would like to know more contact us.

Look at our volunteer terms and conditions in how it works

We can also help you with...

Tickets and Visas especially if you can’t get to the Embassies and High Commissions in London. We use a travel agent that gives its profits to development work.
Travel and Health Insurance
National Insurance
Briefing or De-briefing