About
The Arusha Education Project gives volunteers the opportunity to work in pre-primary and primary school education in the area of Ngaramtoni of Arusha, Tanzania. The principals and teachers welcome volunteers to exchange ideas and expertise and to learn from each other to improve the education given to their students.
Mission of the project
The mission of the schools is to provide the best education possible with the sources available to them. Their vision is to nurture independent-thinking individuals whose education will not only provide them with an income in the future, but improve the standard of living of the community as a whole.
Role of the volunteer
As a volunteer, you will work closely with one or more teachers. Not only will you be working with the schoolchildren, but you will also be helping the teachers to improve their English language and other skills. This is vital for the growth of both children and staff – literacy and being able to speak English has been identified as one of the key growth areas in developing countries, so your input, skills and insight into different learning methods are invaluable. Educators or those in training will find this project particularly fascinating – but it’s open to everyone with some creativity and patience.
Needs
Volunteers at the schools will witness for themselves the huge challenge of limited government support, lack of funding, overly large classrooms with limited one-on-one teacher-student communication, a shortage of educational material and teachers with limited education themselves. There is also an on-going need for financial support.
Guidance and supervision
Participants are guided in many different ways during their stay with Charles and his team.
Paskazia Mazulla, (Charles’ daughter) will be your daily contact person. She will is there to answer your questions and provide support, so please feel free to ask/discuss anything with her. Paskazia is also the person to talk to arrange extra activities.
Teacher Irene will be your contact person at the school. She will show you around and make you’re your skills are put to good use. If you have any suggestions your very welcome to talk to her about your ideas.
It is however very important to take initiative and communicate if you have questions or any issues/concerns. Working with local staff can be challenging and there are not only language barriers but also very different expectations, cultural beliefs and concept of being on time. It is important to communicate openly, with patience and respect towards the local circumstances.
Nanjaro is the school’s driver. He usually welcomes new volunteers at the airport and takes them on any extra activities.
Of course there is also Charles who oversees the team and makes sure volunteers are well taken care of.
Volunteer tasks
Volunteer tasks will focus on a variety of possible activities depending on your field of expertise or level of training. After your initial introduction, it is important to focus on one or more classrooms, and to create a program together with the principal that will best meet the needs of the classes and the abilities of the volunteer.
You will be able to create new lessons, provide educational material for the classrooms, be involved in sports activities and any other support that the school may need.
See what other people say about this project
You can check out reviews from other visitors to the project here.
Accommodation
Volunteer house
Your accommodation is in Ngaramtoni, on the outskirts of Arusha. The house is situated in a very green and friendly village surrounding with banana, cassava and maize plantations all around, so the sound of cows and chickens are your daily experience.
You will stay at the family home of the Mazulla family with a maximum of 8 volunteers. On weekends and holidays there will also be 6-8 children living in a separate building next to the main house under supervision of Mary, the lady that cooks and cleans and looks after the children.
The Mazulla family consists of father Charles, his wife Anna, son Wade (born 2014), son Joel (born 2000) and daughter Paskazia (born 1996). As normal in Tanzania, there are also other family members who come and go and form part of the extended family. During your stay you will be part of the family and also take part in daily chores like setting the table, helping with cooking and/or doing dishes and cleaning your own room and bedding.
Sleeping arrangements are in 2 bed rooms, exclusively for our volunteers, each offering 2 bunk beds making a total capacity of 8 volunteers but generally we have 1-4 volunteers at the same time. Due to different times of volunteers coming and going, it can therefore be needed to share a room with 2 or 3 other volunteers. A blanket and a sheet are provided but please bring your own towels. Bringing your own sleeping bag is useful as you will also need this for some safaris.
Please be aware that Tanzania struggles with various challenges that you at home take for granted such as electricity outages almost on a daily basis for 2-4 hours. Clean water remains a challenge as the water supply comes from the volcanic area around Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro and contains high levels of fluoride making it unfit to drink. You can buy bottled mineral water for TsH 1000 (0.40 EUR) for 1.5 liters.
Even though the living standards are quite different from what you know, you will get used to it within a couple of days, if you are open-minded and want to experience life the Tanzanian way. This is how local people live so go with the flow and you will learn about life the African way!
Facilities
Volunteers are provided with the following facilities at their accommodation:
- Use of the house.
- Bedroom (shared depending on numbers of volunteers).
- Bed with a pillow, blanket and linen.
- Mosquito net.
- Use of basic bathroom facilities.
Please take note that you will live in circumstances that are authentically Tanzanian. As the community does, you will have to learn to live with possible water shortages and power cuts. Keep an open-minded and flexible attitude, and you will soon learn to live with the inconveniences – as well as witnessing the amazing positivity and spirit that these hardships generate in the community.
Meals
Tanzanian meals are different from western meals and we encourage you to eat what the family eats, otherwise you are free to buy and cook your own food. Three meals are prepared daily for you, which will be local food mostly made up of rice, beans, banana, yams and cassava but also meat and spaghetti. Fruit will be available at most meals as well as tea and coffee.
Meals can be very basic in western eyes, but bread with butter and tea for breakfast is very normal in Tanzania. You are welcome to supplement the meals with whatever you like of course at your own expense. Lunch and dinner are usually cooked meals and either eaten individually when hungry (meals are setup on the dining room table and you eat when you want to) or occasionally together with the family and/or other volunteers.
Fees & Dates
| DURATION: |
USD |
| 1 Week |
$410,00 |
| 2 Weeks |
$620,00 |
| 3 Weeks |
$830,00 |
| 4 Weeks |
$1 045,00 |
| Extra Weeks (after 4 weeks) |
$215,00 |
| Extra Days (up to 3 days) |
$45,00 |
| Local Payments |
|
| Airport Transfer - return |
$50,00 |
| Bus Station Transfer - return |
$20,00 |
Costs will cover the following:
- First day introduction at the project and surroundings.
- Walking tour of Arusha.
- Accommodation with the host family.
- Meals (3 meals a day) and normal drinking water.
- Guidance and supervision during your stay.
Costs exclude the following:
- Airport pick up or bus station in Arusha (extra charges apply)
- Air tickets.
- Insurances.
- Own soft drinks including mineral water.
- Any other luxury items.
Start dates
Dates are flexible for volunteers and you can start at any time throughout the year. Bookings are done per full weeks with a minimum of 1 week.
Add Ons To Your Trip
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Location
Arusha, Tanzania
