Viva Tanzania

I currently am a volunteer, staying at the hostel with Tizia and Tini for four months. I found their organization Viva Tanzania while looking for affordable and serious volunteer opportunities in Tanzania. Since Tizia and Tini cooperate with several small NGOs and organizations, I had no problems to find a project that suits my wishes. Tizia and Tini both offered great support not only in finding a suitable project, but also in settling down in Arusha after my arrival. In the kindergarten I am volunteering in I actually have the opportunity to help, not only in teaching, but also in building a Website, raising sponsorships etc. Viva Tanzania does not only offer accomodation and volunteering / internships etc., but you will live in a familiar atmosphere and enjoy a lot of free time activities with people from all over the world. You will not only gain a lot of experiences, but also built friendships, learn Swahili, get to know the Tanzanian culture and not to forget: have a lot of fun.

I volunteered with Mt. Meru District Hospital. When I first arrived, Viva Tanzania helped me get my volunteer visa set up and introduce me to the hospital. Volunteering with the hospital is organized much as it would be in 'Western' hospitals. The hospital let me choose what area I wanted to work in, and I then met with their volunteer coordinator who had me write a statement of intent for what I wanted to learn and experience throughout my time there. The staff was very friendly, and I was even invited to a nurse's home for dinner. The volunteer coordinator and the Viva Tanzania staff regularly checked in with me to make sure I was having a good experience. There are many jobs that both people with professional degrees, students, and others can do – as professional staff often are involved in cleaning, decorating, etc. The nurses were very excited to teach me how to mop because, obviously, Americans do not know how to mop. I also observed and aided in other duties. Although I spent the majority of my time volunteering in the Reproductive Health Clinic, I was also able to observe major and minor surgeries. (I did help some. I adjusted the surgeon's headlamp as the power was out.) Knowledge of Kiswahili would be useful but not required. This would be great place for an internship or rotations for a medical or nursing student.