We have started a Kindergarten for children aged 2-5 from both fee-paying and non fee-paying backgrounds. We currently have 54 pupils, but that number is growing rapidly! we are group working together in a charity work.
Volunteers are highly needed to work at the garden, at the school with kids to teach and to play with, all skills are needed! We would love to work with you, bring your ideas, skills, and come to join us! Currently we need strong men and women to help us building classrooms we already have materials ready for building we start building on 1st of September. We also need both sex volunteers in our kindergarten in various work.
We have plastering work now, making doors, etc at the kindergarten any one wish to join we welcome to work with us.
We are located in the Iringa District, in a small town called Mafinga. Mafinga is a small community at the heart of the Tanzanian tea industry.
Some volunteers have taken trips to Ruaha National Park and Mikumi National Park for safaris and wildlife viewing. The climate in Mafinga is wonderful all year round– warm but not too humid. We do have rainy seasons, around April and October. We organize tour safaris to Ruaha National Park for cheap price than charged by Safari companies,is a private car so our volunteer contribute little money for the car for our volunteer to have pleasure with our place.
VOLUNTEERS
We do not cover flights, visas, transportation to and from our site or any other such expenses.
Flights greatly vary in price depending on how far in advance you book, and the time of year you are traveling.
We are particularly interested in volunteers with specific skill sets relating to our work, such as teachers, gardeners, environment engineers, solar power designers,social and building workers, and other skills such as drama, music, art, computer.
If you are thinking of longer term volunteering (up to 1 to 3 months), please bear in mind the appropriate visas. The visa which permits you to volunteer for up to three months (a Tanzanian Government regulation) costs $ 250.
We would like our volunteers to take initiative to help our Kindergarten to improve and move forward. We hope that you will offer your own skills and interests to help our school grow, our crops improve.
Volunteering hours will vary depending on which areas of our tasks you decide to get involved with. For example if you are interested in teaching you will be teaching or having various activities with the kids from 8 am to 12am, if you are working at the garden, the maximum we ask from you is 5 hours a day, depending on the needs.
ROOM:
Most international students and volunteers expect to get a bed, table light and an electric terminal. Some volunteers do not mind sharing a room with another person. The number of volunteers should be two per room. If the room is large enough to accommodate more without interfering the comfort of the volunteers, then more could share it. Other amenities that could be thrown in are, beddings. no mosquitoes at our place, we offer single rooms sometimes for those who asks for it as we have enough space.
MEALS:
As hosts get we don’t make food that the international volunteers are used to. We cook food that we normally eat with or without the volunteer. We make the effort of going the half kilometre of cooking local delicacies that are only found in our area. However, we consider the dietary requirements of the volunteers There are volunteers who are vegetarians, vegans and some who don’t eat certain kinds of foods (Muslims avoid pork). We want our volunteers to be comfortable From the first day, the volunteers we make aware of what times to expect meals.
SAFETY:
Safety and security are the cornerstones of our home-stays. When you come to us, you should expect to be in a safe home and feel secure, for the volunteers who carry expensive items like Camera, laptops, money and clothes, you should expect your belongings to be safe when you stay with us.
CULTURAL EXCHANGE:
While living with foreign the hosts would be exposed to different cultures. They will learn how the volunteers cook, live and how they carry themselves. The volunteers too will learn the same things also from the host. The hosts’ lifestyle is what the volunteers are coming to observe and appreciate. With students and volunteers who have come to learn the language, the host should be patient and help in teaching them the language.
RISK:
Being a host we have good experience all in all. But being a host, one is exposing him /herself to some risks that they are not used to. This is especially true if the host has children and they get a volunteer who is immoral. There are also cases where the volunteer would have some habits that the hosts are not comfortable with for example drinking, smoking, drug abuse etc. to avoid these situations we have terms and conditions that the volunteers should abide too. Also before welcoming somebody to their home we properly vet them.
Welcome to volunteer with us.
I believe that volunteering is one way to accomplish what we are supposed to accomplish in this lifetime. Bottom line, it just feels good inside to give unconditionally.”
Karibu Sana - You are most welcome!
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE TAKE VOLUNTEERS ON A FIRST CONFIRMED, FIRST SERVED BASIS - It's best if you reply quickly so that we can confirm your stay with us, or you can free up space for someone else. Thank you!
VOLUNTEERS
We have 4 rooms available for volunteers and try to accommodate each individual in separate rooms, or sharing with their companion if preferred. Sometimes, if busy, it might be necessary for you to share with another of the volunteers, but we do our best on this front.
Please bear in mind that it can get chilly in this area of Tanzania, particularly at night time, so an extra blanket if you have one will always come in handy. If not, we are able to provide them.
We eat local food not hotel food, some of the contribution cover the food for non paying fees student and volunteer’s food and accomodation
We are located in Mafinga, district of Iringa, which is a small district at the heart of the Tanzanian tea industry. The region offers many activities, such game drives, swimming, bird watching (a lot of natural reserves and national parks), among many other adventures in this naturally rich area.
There is plenty to learn here and we are very involved in the community of Mafinga. You can make trips into town (15 minute walk) or get to know the shop owners located just down the road - it is easy to make friends here as people start to recognise you.
We have generous friends that are often around the project, and we share dinners and conversation with them.
You can learn some Swahili just by chatting with our staff and exchanging your stories, then try it out on the locals as you pass by!
The children are the stars of the show here, and you will be amazed at how well you can communicate with them despite some of the language barriers. (That said, they will love to show off their English by greeting you and singing the songs they learn in school!)
