Teaching in Tanzania Volunteering Experience Report

Arrival and arrival in Tanzania

On June 4th, 2013 I landed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in the middle of the night. It was my first big trip alone. I had absolutely no idea what to expect from volunteering at school! I was picked up from the airport and immediately welcomed warmly! I was shown straight away that I am absolutely welcome in this very foreign and completely different culture. I spent a total of 2 months in Tanzania.

Distribution of international time and location

Of these 2 months, I traveled 3 weeks through the country (Zanzibar, Safari etc. Fantastically beautiful!!! ) and 5 weeks I worked in Tanga in a preschool. RGV has a total of 3 locations in Tanzania (Dar es Salaam / Morogoro and Tanga). I was deployed to Tanga for my volunteer work. Tanga is a very manageable and beautiful place right on the coast of Tanzania! I liked it there right away! There are simply so many beautiful locations where you can have a drink in the evening and other things that can be done in Tanga in your free time are absolutely interesting!

Volunteer project at the school

I worked from 8 a.m. to around 12 p.m. In the first few days of my project, I had everything shown to me in great detail. And then it started! I was allowed to teach myself, in math and English! I really liked the fact that I was able to work independently. I was allowed to decide for myself how I would structure the lessons and in general I was accepted into the teaching team as friendly as if we had known each other forever.

Accommodation in the Student House

During my volunteer work in Tanga I stayed in RGV's new student house. It is beautifully furnished and has everything your heart desires! We were a total of 6 girls and had a lot of fun. I found it a great advantage that I was not alone in my assignment or in the student house. With the other participants I just had a great time in Tanzania!

Joint recreation with the other volunteers

In the afternoons we often went to the beach resort, which was about 200 meters away from the student house, to swim. Some evenings we cooked together and we spent the weekends on cool trips! For example, on a Saturday we went out to sea in a wooden boat to snorkel at a sandbank.

No wishes were left open!

There was also a housekeeper in the house who prepared breakfast with fresh juice for us every day and cooked for us in the evening. Each of our requests was received, which concerned the food or the general help with all concerns.

My conclusion about volunteering in Tanzania

Anyone who is open to and respectful of a whole new culture will be welcomed with open arms to this beautiful country of Tanzania! You are so welcome there and that is confirmed again and again every day! This trip has made me a whole lot more mature and I am very grateful and happy that I got to know the Tanzanian culture, the country and the people!

Teaching in Tanzania Volunteering Review by Marie K., July 2013