Care Volunteer Projects in Tanzania

• Placement locations:
  Arusha, Dar es Salaam
• Types of care projects: Care centres, kindergartens, orphanages, special needs schools
• Age of children: 0 - 14
• Number of people cared for:
  10 - 80
• Role: Assisting with local staff including playing with children, basic teaching and giving general help
• Accommodation: Host families
• Price: From
• What’s included? Food, accommodation, transfers, insurance, personal webpage, induction and orientation, 24/7 support
• What’s not included? Flights, visa costs, spending money
• Length of placement: From one month
• Start dates: Flexible

Voluntary Care work in Tanzania is a rewarding way to help improve conditions for local children. You can join a volunteer care project during a gap year, career break, or during holiday time. Volunteers with qualifications and experience are welcome but you do not need to have either to volunteer. Energy, passion and a commitment to the underprivileged children that we work with should see you through.

Tanzania in East Africa is a country of ancient tribal traditions and rich natural resources. Tanzania is no longer one of the poorest five countries in the world, a position it occupied in the mid 1980s, however, due to the increase of HIV/Aids in the country, and a life expectancy which remains low, many children in Tanzania still need extra help.

There are many thousands of orphans in Tanzania, about 40% of whom have been affected by HIV/Aids. With an HIV/Aids prevalence rate of 9%, and an estimated infection rate which is much higher, the situation is unlikely to improve significantly for years to come. In many of the orphanages and care homes staff struggle with limited resources to feed, clothe and educate the children in their care. Staff often don't have the time to provide the individual love and attention that these children crave.

Voluntary Community Development and Orphanage work with Projects Abroad

We have a variety of volunteer options for you in Tanzania, working in both orphanages and care homes with children aged from 0 to about 14 years old. Our Care placements are located in and around the town of Arusha in northern Tanzania and in the vibrant coastal city of Dar es Salaam.

We have some placements in smaller care homes and day care centres that look after children from single parent families or the children of street beggars. Some volunteers in Dar es Salaam also work in kindergartens, where the local staff appreciate the extra help from volunteers organising fun and educational activities.

The Projects Abroad team in Tanzania organise regular workshops for care volunteers in both Dar es Salaam and Arusha. The content of the workshops varies and can focus on cultural differences in placements, learning key vocabulary in Swahili, reflection and feedback sessions between volunteers or practical ideas for care activities.

The workshops provide volunteers with a valuable insight into the care system in Tanzania and the background of the placement. Some workshops are held at the placement itself so that you can learn from the local supervisors and share ideas.

Volunteering Abroad on a Care Project in Tanzania

Whichever volunteer Care project you join in Tanzania, the children will keep you busy and demand your full attention. Some placements are more challenging; there may sometimes be children in your care who have health problems or who need special attention due to disabilities. 

It is in your role as a volunteer - spending quality one-to-one time with a child, playing games with a group of children and finding a way to put a smile on their faces - that Projects Abroad volunteers are so valuable.

Whether you are feeding and bathing babies and toddlers, taking a group of children out for an afternoon trip, helping older children with school homework or playing a game with the younger ones, you will be an essential part of their development. Please let us know about any extra interests or skills that you have and inform us if you have a preferred type of Care placement.