Tanzania Volunteer Programs from $24/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

Every beginning is tough. I headed for Tanzania with time on hand, an open mind, a craving for new experiences and a desire to contribute where I can.

I could tell you about my time as a volunteer teacher for a third grade class at an orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania; I could talk about my majestic journey on safari in the Serengeti; or I could tell the tale of how I struggled to haul my arse (excuse my french) up Mt Kilimanjaro for 6 days. But you would probably find similar stories from others. I'm going to talk about the unique experience I made being part of the volunteer house, Twiga house (Swahili for giraffe) in Arusha.

When I first got to the Twiga house, everyone was sick with food poisoning and a water-born parasite known as Amebas, lying spread across the living room watching 50 shades of grey. Yes, I know. It was a pretty picture. I was one of only 4 boys in the house and for me that was great, since there was about 13 girls there. Oh yeah.

After settling in to the house in the following days, everyone started to recover and gain some spirit. What I noticed straight away, was that this group was very much like a family and the dynamics were very open with individuals from all over the world. I started to bond with the group. A girl caught my eye and we hit it off from the start, despite her spending most of her days sick, crying on the toilet from sheer desperation and sickness. Oh yeah.

The next few weeks, as I fell in love with the country of Tanzania the individuals in the house and a young girl, I began to change my views on life and what matters most to me. The longer I removed myself from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life back home, the more I felt free from the shackles of western society. I began to believe in people making a difference. Seeing kids smile even though they have absolutely nothing to hold onto in their lives gave me a sense of hope. It not only changed my perspectives but opened me up to grow as an individual.

Having spent nine weeks in Tanzania, I left with no money in my pocket, my mind blown from the unique experience, a growing thirst for further travel and a one-way plane ticket to my new girlfriend in Canada, whom I met in Tanzania. Oh yeah, you guessed it. That sick girl who spent our first three days on the toilet. She's a keeper.

While taking the Dala to my volunteer placement, The Charity School, I was looking out the window to see something that would summarize Tanzania in a nut-shell. I saw a man running to help a women and her young child carry their bags/groceries. Every one in Tanzania was happy, smiling, and would go out of their way to say hello. The atmosphere, the culture, is one that emphasizes togetherness, collective, and sharing.

I would head back right this moment if I could. While in Tanzania I met the most incredible people, every day was a new adventure. I think about the children and the other volunteers that I met almost everyday. One weekend we went to the hot springs, on our way our "tuk tuk" got stuck in the mud various times and popped a few tires (to say the least), so we had to stop off in a near by village for a while. During our stay we conversed with locals, played with the kids, and forgot about the fact that we were headed somewhere. The entire trip was so inspiring and enjoyable that it made me want to run on "Africa time" forever!

When I first decided to begin my travels abroad, I dove right in and chose to go to Tanzania, Africa. Thanks to the endless support from the staff (both local and international) this trip was easily the most memorable period in my life. My work in a rural preschool felt valued by the local teachers and the children were thrilled and eager to learn everyday. I also met some lifelong friends, which always makes travel and volunteering an even more exciting experience.

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Tanzania - more than ten thousand miles from my home, more than 12 hours spent on the plane, more than 60 days of preparation. Having safely come back to Poland, it still overwhelms me that I had a chance to do exactly what I love to do in a country that turned out to be my second home. Winston Churchill once said that "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give" and he was so right! Anachronistic as it may sound, his mantra has been resonating down the years and has been of such a special meaning for me that it enabled me to live my Tanzanian dream!

Ever since I launched my interest in travelling to Tanzania, I have been very impressed how well IVHQ's website works. Thanks to a very detailed description of available programmes I never had any doubts that taking part in AIDS/HIV programme was the best possible decision. A brief explanation of volunteer week, accommodation and meals gave me a general idea of what to expect upon coming to Tanzania. A thorough and elaborate explanation of what to take with me calmed my parents who were more than apprehensive when I made my way to Africa for the first time in my life! Had I not read it before my trip, I wouldn't have been aware of visa and work permit costs or general vaccination tips.

But the best part of living in Arusha was getting to know people from diverse backgrounds, different cultures and countless races and ethnicities. I felt best when exposed to the vibrancy and diversities of points of views and perspectives and it really gave me power to act. Every day I happily walked to work at my placement where I could see how much women suffering from HIV virus struggle in Tanzania. Even though they had nothing, they were still more than willing to do everything to spread love and make me - a 18-year-old Pole - feel like home.

On the way down the dirt road near my placement, a lot of kids were running out of their small huts yelling 'Teacher Rafal, Teacher Rafal' and went on to hold my hand and say how thankful they were for fixing them a simple cup of porridge earlier that morning. Everywhere I looked, I would hear local people asking 'Mambo rafiki?', which helped me to settle down in Tanzania in a matter of 3 days. I am more than convinced that all volunteers coming to this country should do a little research on Swahili and arrive with a massive smile on their faces as Tanzanian people are one of the most benevolent nations I have ever seen!

To prove my point, I still do not know how to express my sheer gratitude to Nelly and Angella (Tanzania Volunteering Experience directors) who helped me cancel my flight tickets to Zanzibar after political riots broke up there following presidential elections. Having found out about my upcoming trip to Zanzibar, Nelly called me directly to tell me I should avoid travelling and remain in Arusha. The following day Angella took me in her own car to Arusha Airport where I managed to persuade one of the Coastal Aviation agents to cancel my ticket and received 100% refund. Nelly and Angella did something I would have never expected them to do and that is why I am immensely grateful for their help. They became good friends and made me feel important and wanted as a volunteer.

Tanzania has helped to make me who I am now, opened my eyes to the world, given me extreme opportunity to explore the world, meet new people and involve in the community. I lived there for a strong purpose and that is why hard work was a necessity - a necessity that reinforced the belief that I should walk through my life with a smile on my face. Now I am more than ready to follow my plans to pursue a professional career at university. But then again, I want to come back next year to live my Tanzanian dream again!

Asante sana!

I had the best time! I really changed and expirienced amazing things,met new friends and lerned so much! I came alone an 18 year old girl to Africa!
My father came visit me there and I took him to my rogram and my house and it was such an amazing exirience and bonding ;)

For long time i have seen images of Africa on television and always asked myself if i would ever be able to go there one day and help their community somehow.
Through IVHQ i had the opportunity to live a real volunteer experience in Arusha, in Tanzania for 9 weeks this year.
I worked in an orphanage called Women's Christian where i had an unforgettable time teaching basic english to 20 lovely kids aged 2 to 14 years old. I was there every morning to teach them and I ended up learning from them as well. We had a lot of good and fun moments together, the only sad time was saying goodbye in my last day.
In these 9 weeks I stayed in one of the volunteers houses in Arusha which had nice and big rooms, good food, a helpful staff, and was perfect to make new friends. I culturally grew up a lot by living with people from all of the world during this time. It was nice to have met so many people and be involved in different projects with them.
I have no words to describe how much this program changed my life, my acts, and my thoughts. It is not always easy, each day was a new challenge and at the end of all i feel completely blessed for have lived all that.

That was amazing. I volunteer in an orphanage with around 15 kids, they are very cheerful and energetic, but living in very bad condition. We played games with them and taught them simple English songs, and all of us enjoyed some much there.
The support of IVHQ prior the program was very systematic, with very helpful online consultation. The local NGO got very friendly staffs.
We lived out of town but it was safe in our house, although sometimes there is no power which I understand, it's Africa.
It's always better to go and understand the real need of the world then just to donate.