Children look after Tanzania experience report

My big adventure started on September 01st last year – four months of volunteer work in Africa! I've been thinking about taking this step for years because it has always been my dream to travel to Africa and help people there.

In the end I decided to spend two months in Tanzania and immediately afterwards another two months in Uganda. Since I really enjoy working with children and have had a bit of experience in this area through many years of babysitting and giving music lessons, it was very clear to me that I would like to work with children in social projects.

The arrival in Tanzania

After finally arriving in Dar es Salaam after two long stopovers, I could hardly believe that I was in Tanzania. I was picked up by Emanuel with a bajaji (a kind of TukTuk) and taken to temporary accommodation where I was supposed to stay for two nights. On the way there, I've already taken pretty much every African stereotype: The Bajaji; the bad road conditions; the many market stalls and small shops along the street; infinitely many people; Women carrying baskets and other things on their heads and just a lot of colorful life and bustle. All of this was immediately incredibly likeable to me and reasons why I felt so good.

The volunteer work in a kindergarten in Dar es Salaam

Compared to many other volunteers, I didn't travel further to another place in Tanzania, but was directly assigned to a project in Dar es Salaam. I worked for two months in a kindergarten with a preschool. I will definitely never forget my first day at school! As soon as I got off the Boda Boda (motorcycle taxi), the children came out of their classrooms and ran towards me. Unfortunately, I only had two arms, but fortunately I also had ten fingers, so that each child could cling to one of my fingers.

It was nice to see that you could make the children happy just by being there with them. I had so much fun with the project! I worked as a substitute teacher and counted, did arithmetic, sang and played with the children. I also drew and painted a lot of posters for a classroom that was still empty, with pictures and English terms on various topics. It was a great feeling to find a colorful and child-friendly classroom at the end of my time and to see how happy the children and teachers were about it.

The accommodation in Dar es Salaam

During my time in Dar es Salaam I lived in Teddy's House. There is enough space to accommodate volunteers, but at the same time it is also a hostel for backpackers. So there is always something going on there. Teddy is a super sweet young woman and I really had a lot of fun and a great time with her and the other roommates - they were like a second family to me. On the weekends I did a lot with Teddy, her family and friends and other volunteers. Tanzania is a beautiful country with a lot to discover. We often went to the beach, visited markets, attended traditional events and of course I didn't miss out on a safari.

My conclusion on volunteering in Tanzania

Unfortunately, the two months went by far too quickly and it was time to say goodbye to my new home, the friends I had made, and above all the children of the project. Saying goodbye was very difficult for me, but at the same time I was excited as I knew my adventure would continue, as I would still be spending two months in Uganda.

Children supervise in Tanzania field report, by Elena S., February 2019

Here it goes to Elenas Report from Uganda!