Experience report on volunteering in a primary and primary school in Tanzania

I spent a total of 7 weeks in Tanzania. Of these, I did 4 weeks of voluntary work in a “Pre- and Primary School”. There is a baby class, in which the children are about 3 years old, a middle class, a pre-unit class (pre-school) and classes one to six. I was in pre-unit class for a few days and first and fourth grade for about 2 weeks.

Tasks in preschool and elementary school

At school, I helped the teachers a lot with correcting, since the children have to hand in the work they have done directly to the teacher. Before school started, all the children lined up in the schoolyard and prayed together. Then they went class by class to their classroom. Around 10 a.m. there was a thirty-minute porridge break and around 13 p.m. there was lunch. Some classes had lessons until late afternoon. But it was up to me how long I wanted to stay.

To get to school, I went to the Dalla Dalla Station every day for about 10 minutes, at half past 8, and then drove to school for about 5 minutes with the Dalla-Dalla. By late afternoon, all the volunteers got back home with Caroline and we exchanged each other for our day.

Leisure time in Tanzania

At the weekend we always did something together - I can highly recommend the "Hot Springs" in Boma/Moshi and the "Shanga" workshop for the disabled in Arusha! Caroline also offered us to go to church with her. One weekend we even went to an African-Christian wedding with her. After my four-week project, I went on a 5-day safari.

You can always ask Caroline for help in planning and organizing your safari. She knows a very good safari provider and will be happy to help you with the planning. After the safari tour I flew to Zanzibar to end my trip there. Since I was unsure whether I should take the plane from Arusha or the bus from Arusha to Dar es Salaam and then the ferry from there to Zanzibar, I contacted Lukas briefly, who was able to help me immediately.

Conclusion

Nevertheless, let me tell you: If you are planning to do voluntary work in Africa or Tanzania, be aware that you are also in Africa, where there are hardly any asphalted roads, where the power can go out at any time or suddenly there is no water more coming out of the line! But "Hakuna Matata!" (No Worries) - It was my first big solo trip and I would recommend it to anyone!! After this time you will have a lot to talk about as you will come home with many experiences!

Report on Volunteering in a Primary and Primary School in Tanzania, by Sophia R., March 2019