So, you want to be a volunteer at the Children’s Village. . .

Volunteering at the Rift Valley Children’s Village is a rich and wonderful experience for volunteers as well as for our children. Volunteering also involves hard work, doing without many comforts or luxuries to which you might be accustomed and throwing yourself into tasks and projects that may be completely new to you. Volunteers must be 21 years older unless accompanied by a parent or teacher.

Our days begin early and do not end until our last child has been put to bed (about 7:30p.m.). The “work” you will be asked to do may vary according to the type of volunteer program you are assigned to. However, know from the start that everyone at the Children’s Village is expected to chip in whenever a gap needs to be filled – soothe a child who has just scraped his knee, help with bath time when extra hands are needed, and help with general housekeeping of the common areas volunteers use. In short, this may be the hardest and the most rewarding work you have ever done. Still interested? Read on...

What positions are available and what are the lengths of stay?

The expectations for volunteers are straightforward. Before arriving, you will have committed to one of the jobs described in more detail below. We have developed a variety of volunteer positions that have been designed to meet both the time frame of your stay and our needs. While this job will be your daily priority, you will often find yourself willingly drawn into other duties as well. Boldly defined the main goal of the Children Village is to assure that our children feel loved and valued each and every day.

If you have chosen to volunteer, then you are clearly someone who likes to participate and who thrives on a group setting. Volunteers are expected to pitch in at the Children’s Village and at the Gyetighi Primary School. Our Volunteer Coordinator and our other volunteers are always there to help guide you so that your extra activities best utilize your strengths and interests. You are rewarded daily for your efforts – a smile on a child’s face, a group hug from the kids, an appreciative word from other members of the staff – whatever amount of yourself you choose to give you will get back tenfold in so many wonderful ways.

Job placements are handled on a case by case basis taking into account your interests, the currents needs of the Children’s Village and the timing of your visit with us. Please feel free to contact us via e-mail at volunteer@tanzanianchildrensfund.org  If you would like to contact one of our previous volunteers to learn more about our program and our children, here is a list of volunteers who will try to answer any of your questions.

Laura Armitage lsarmitage@mac.com cell (912) 660-3663
Meredith Bowen mbowen13@aol.com cell (216) 789-5618
Ashley Best Raiten abestraiten@gmail.com cell (917) 207-9749
Peggy Wiles peggywiles@gmail.com home (207) 651-0576 
Lisa Desrochers lisa.desrochers@gmail.com cell (617) 388-6070

Teacher at Gyetighi Primary School

This school has about 450 students and only 8 teachers! The teachers have limited English skills and few teaching tools at their disposal. Offering yourself as an English, art, athletics or music instructor will benefit these dedicated but exhausted professionals as well as the children of the community.

You will be responsible for developing lesson plans and in most cases, providing any special teaching materials you require. Keep in mind that this school’s budget is limited. They grow vegetables behind the school and sell them to buy chalk!

We have created a teacher’s library which has books for teaching English as a Second Language, easy art projects, games and activities and a complete record of successful lesson plans from past volunteers. However, we strongly recommend that you plan to provide any special teaching materials you feel you might need. Poster board, paper mache ingredients, stickers and drawing materials can all be purchased inexpensively in Arusha.

The Gyetighi Primary School plays an integral role in Oldeani Village as well as in our children’s lives at the Children’s Village. Children six years old and up attend the Gyetighi Primary School. It is important to realize that you will be working in a typical Tanzanian village school. This means that there is no glass in the windows, no electricity (no copy machine or computers) and no running water. What you will find are 450+ students who are eager to learn, desperate for your attention and anxious to form lasting relationships with you.

Kindergarten Teacher – at the Children’s Village

Most of the children who come to live with us at the Children’s Village have never been to school. To ease their transition to primary school, we are providing an ongoing kindergarten program for our younger children. As funds become available, we will open this program to all the children of Oldeani village. The school program runs from 9a.m. to 12p.m. five days a week. A volunteer working in this program will be helping our children take their first critical steps towards preparing for formal education – listening to a story being read to them; coloring with crayons and markers; sitting in a circle and following the teachers instructions; learning the alphabet; using numbers and letters; and singing.

Athletic Director

Given the importance of play in children’s lives and the need in Tanzanian schools for various enriching games, we feel this is a very important position. This volunteer will organize an athletic program both to supplement the students’ day at school, and to enliven afternoon playtime for our children at the Children’s Village. The responsibility will most likely include a couple of hours each day at the school (10:30a.m. to 12:30p.m.) as well as a couple of hours each afternoon at the Children’s Village (2:00p.m. to 4:00p.m.) Those with extra energy can also organize an after school program for older children and villagers (4:00p.m. to 6:00p.m.) utilizing the net ball, soccer field and volleyball court at the school.

General Helper – minimum stay 3 weeks

If you have limited time but really want to help this may be just the slot for you. Our long term volunteers will all need time off. As a general helper you will be asked to step in as a substitute for any of the aforementioned jobs during your stay. In addition, there are a variety of jobs that you might be assigned to supplement the efforts of long term volunteers and staff at the Children’s Village. For example:

• Help kids correspond with their sponsors (writing letters and drawing pictures to be sent in the mail)
• Help the Mamas with their daily chores – feeding infants, one-on-one play with toddlers
• Tutoring of older children in math, English and science at the Children’s Village and at the Geytighi Primary School.
• Spend one on-one-time with our kids to make them feel welcome and help them adjust to life at the Children’s Village.

A typical day at the Rift Valley Children’s Village

The day may begin at slightly different times for different volunteers depending on their job assignment. We do ask that all volunteers be up and finished with breakfast by 8:30a.m. so that the house staff can clean up and get on with other duties.

Weekdays: Our children are up at 6:00a.m. and have breakfast and do their morning chores from 6:30a.m. to 7:00a.m. We do ask volunteers to take turns helping with breakfast for our children.

From 7a.m. until 12p.m. all school-age children are occupied either at school or in kindergarten (which begins at 9a.m.). At noon, the children in Standards 1 and 2 return from school, change out of their uniforms to play clothes and then wash their uniforms. After this, everyone has lunch and an hour of naptime from approximately 1:00p.m. until 2:00p.m. and then it’s PLAYTIME!! Playtime usually runs from 2:00p.m. until 4:00p.m. This time may be free play or organized play and is an ideal time for volunteers to just have fun with our kids: kick a soccer ball, paint some pictures – use your creativity and imagination. Usually during this time, as well, a few children are individually being tutored by a volunteer. At 4:00pm bath time begins. With the help of the housemothers and volunteers, every child has a bath and changes into clean clothes. At 5pm we put on a movie (the children take turns picking the movie for the day) and our kids are given a snack. Dinner for the children is served between 6:30p.m. and 7:00p.m. and bedtime is at 7:30p.m.

Weekends: Saturdays are an opportunity for volunteers to plan longer, fun activities for our kids. In the past, we have taken walks, done scavenger hunts, and organized soccer games with the village children. This is a great opportunity for our kids to learn a bit about nature, get some real exercise and spend time with our volunteers. The rest of the day is unstructured. On Sundays, all of our children attend Sunday School, which runs from 9:30a.m. to 10:30a.m. Our volunteers have an opportunity to go into Karatu, the local village, to go out for lunch and run errands. Afternoons are again unstructured. We are lucky to have a small playground, a wide variety of balls and active toys (soccer, badminton rackets, whiffle ball, etc) for our children to use during their free time. In all cases, volunteers are encouraged to play with our kids during these times.

Where do I eat and sleep?

Each Children’s House is a family of 12 children, 2 Tanzanian housemothers, and 2 volunteers. There are two children’s rooms-one for girls and one for boys. One bedroom for the Tanzanian housemothers and the other bedroom for our volunteers.

Our volunteers have a bathroom with a shower, flushing toilet and sink. There is hot water everyday, and there is solar powered electricity, which should be used sparingly. Should the power be used up, there are kerosene lanterns as a back up light source. Our volunteers eat their meals in the Volunteer House, which is also the place for them to hang out and watch a movie or take a break.

Fees:  Administration; Visa; Class C Residence Permit; and Room and Board

In order to confirm your dates for volunteering, we ask you to send a $100 Administration fee which should be received no later than 60 days after your volunteer dates have been confirmed.

In order for a non-resident to volunteer in Tanzania, the Tanzanian government requires two visas- a Tourist Visa and a Class C Residence Permit. This is a new law beginning in October 2006.

The Tourist Visa can be obtained in the U.S. (or your home country) or at the airport/border in Tanzania. We recommend you apply for a tourist visa before arriving at the airport/border. The cost is $50.

The Class C Residence Permit is also required for all volunteers and needs to be obtained once you are in Tanzania which we will process for you. This cost is $120.

We ask that all volunteers contribute $100 a week for room and board. (As of January 2008 this fee will increase to $130.00 per week.) This amount should be paid in advance. Laundry and cleaning are time consuming chores in Tanzania. As a result, we have included the costs to hire a person dedicated to looking after these things for you. I think we will all agree that your time can be much better spent if your day is free from constant clothes washing and room cleaning. All food for meals will be provided. We have a Tanzanian woman to assist us with cooking and clean-up. You will have to pay for drinks like beer, wine, and soda as you go along in your stay here. All of these things can be purchased in Karatu.

At the end of your stay, tipping the folks who cook for you, do your laundry, make your beds, and clean your rooms and bathrooms is also recommended and greatly appreciated. We recommend that you allow about $3 per week for your house helper and the cook. (All checks should be written to Tanzanian Children’s Fund with a note that this is for your Class C Residence Permit, Administration fee and/or room and board. Send checks payable to Tanzanian Children’s Fund, 45 Exchange Street, Portland, Maine 04101.)