Volunteering in Tanzania

Travelling to volunteer in Tanzania was the first time I have ever done anything of such a nature and, almost immediately, I knew how worthwhile an experience it was going to be. I met with staff at the charity multiple times during my first few days in Arusha to set goals and be orientated within the new environment. Meetings continued relatively regularly to evaluate progress as well as just to generally hang out with other volunteers. I lived with a local family, who were exceptionally welcoming, and I had a lot of fun with them as well as having the opportunity to try many new things with them: highlights with the family included going with them to a traditional wedding in Dar es Salam, playing with the children in the local villages and travelling around with them on the local motorbike taxis or "bodabodas".

I volunteered at ESA English Medium School, which was not only very fun, but also highly rewarding. I travelled to school early in the morning with the children on the school bus, which was an excellent way to start the day: interacting with the happy children made the early mornings no problem at all! At school, I worked mostly with the younger children (aged between 5 and 9). I would lead classes with them to help them improve their English, in which the format would be relatively casual. I was given the freedom to plan the classes myself, so they could be varied and involve games and songs and other interesting ways for the children to gain a better understanding of English. I would also help other teachers in the classroom with the general running of their classes, allowing each child to get more individual attention. Despite only being there for a short time, I saw the benefits with this because many children gained more confidence and were able to understand things to a greater extent by being given the chance to go over what the teacher had taught at a slower pace, one on one. When it was time for me to leave, I really did not want to go, which I suppose shows how great a time I was having.

On the weekends and the time I was not working, there were many opportunities to explore both in the city and in the forest nearby. There were weekend hikes with both locals and other volunteers from various organisations and the chance to go out with other volunteers too. Part of my program also allowed me to go on safari, which was amazingly fun and another chance to meet lots of new people (both locals and volunteers). We camped together at night and explored the nature parks by day. I also got the chance to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which was an unforgettable experience with spectacular views and a fun team.

Overall, my program was amazing. I met loads of cool people and had the chance to do many fun things, but most importantly, I was able to have lots of fun with some very special children and help them to learn the language that their schooling is in.