Community Work with Young Children in Moshi, Tanzania

  Tanzania

Moshi

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks

Description: Enthusiastic? Energetic? Enjoy working with children?

If you've answered 'yes' to the above, then this placement in Moshi is for you! With a variety of projects on offer, you will help to educate and care for local children as well as improving the community's English! Practical skills in areas such as teaching, counselling and sports are welcomed, but as long as you have the get-up-and-go to care for these youngsters, you could make an enormous difference to their lives. Whilst you're there you can explore Moshi, a bustling town that lies at the foot of the Kilimanjaro massif. It's home to the Chaga and Masai tribes and many of its residents rely on banana groves and coffee smallholdings for their living, making it an ideal destination to get an insight into Tanzanian culture.

*Project details:
Working with a number of orphanages, nurseries and kindergartens in Moshi with children from disadvantaged backgrounds, these projects need your assistance to give them a better start in life. These projects involve working with young children who often have parents who cannot afford to care for them, or are street children and orphans. The nurseries are set up to prepare the children for primary school and provide extra care where they otherwise may not be able to access it. Many of these projects are set up by adults in the community to serve the children and for which they selflessly get no money in return.

*Why the project needs volunteers:
All too often parents cannot afford to take care of their children, especially if they are faced with a combination of poverty and HIV/AIDS. This is the reason why there are so many street children and orphans in Africa. By assisting at these projects you are helping to educate and entertain children who may not receive care and attention elsewhere.

Highlights:
* Living in the shadow of the awe inspiring Mt Kilimanjaro
* Making a real difference to the lives of young children in Moshi
* Soaking up the atmosphere of Moshi - a lovely East African town

Qualifications: What kind of skills you need to go this project:
Initiative, enthusiasm and patience will be essential characteristics for any volunteer embarking on this project. You will need to understand the key aims of your project as a focal point for the broader community and be aware of the long term goals in order to appreciate the hands on work that this project will require. The projects are often chaotic and demanding, yet infinitely rewarding, so you will need to be open-minded, patient and energetic. Any specific skills that you can contribute, such as teaching or child care experience, or skills in arts/crafts, music or sports will be very much appreciated and useful in teaching the children in an interactive way. Volunteers will need to be pro-active in instigating activities that they particularly want to get up and running as supervision and leadership may be fairly minimal.

Your role as a volunteer:
Your role will be to provide a range of skills and activities, depending on your experience. You will almost certainly be asked to help with informal teaching to the children on a basic level, such as the alphabet, math and basic vocabulary. The main aim is to make learning as fun and interactive as possible so any games, songs or other fun activities you can initiate would be greatly appreciated.
As the children's projects tend to be morning projects, you can choose from a variety of afternoon projects to help the community in other ways. These include activities such as:
* sports coaching
* health care and sanitation
* conservation
* adult education

Cost in US$: USD 1645.00 for 2 weeks, USD 275.00 for every week thereafter

* Accommodation: Shared dormitory room in volunteer house. Single room upgrade also available, please give us a call for more information
* Food: Breakfast and dinner
* Airport Pickup: Included on arrival date. Ask us for details if you're arriving early!
* Training: In-country orientation
* Support: Pre-departure helpdesk, Local in-country team and 24hr emergency support

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18-80

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Tanzania Independently

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

i-to-i Meaningful Travel's Mission Statement: i-to-i is an award-winning organization providing unique opportunities for you to travel, work and live abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 18 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations and over 50,000 have learned to Teach English as a Foreign Language through our tailor-made TEFL courses. With over 400 projects on 4 continents, you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching, community development, sports coaching, conservation, building or internships in tourism, marketing, journalism, or health.

Year Founded: 1994