Affected by extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS, along with the lack of opportunities for self-improvement, hundreds of orphan children leave their villages and travel to Dar, Arusha, Moshi and other cities of Tanzania in search of new lives, new beginnings, hope, and other positive possibilities. Unfortunately, the lives of many of these children further suffer over-exposure and exploitation in these fast-paced cities. In Tanzania , various organizations, churches, and individuals are constantly setting up much-needed orphanage homes to protect these neglected children, simultaneously affording them invaluable opportunities of love, home-lives, education, and further personality development.

Presently, Global Crossroad has been collaborating with 7 orphanages in the cities of Dar, Es Salaam, Arusha, and Moshi in attempts to provide the best efforts to support these orphanages by sending volunteers, making donations, and supporting their other varying programs/activities. Most of the orphanages in Tanzania are greatly lacking in resources as well as under-staffed resulting in a constant struggle to run, maintain and possibly improve their programs. There is urgent need of any kind of help and support. There are many areas where volunteers can use their individual education, skill, and time, similarly making meaningful, lasting contributions in the somewhat shattered lives of these orphaned children of Tanzania . Assistance is urgently needed in education, skill-training, sanitation, as well as filling various roles in administration.

Role of Volunteer

Orphanages in Tanzania focus primarily on offering formal and informal schooling opportunities while offering the children a safe room for both living and studying. There are many areas where volunteers can support the ongoing activities of these orphanages. Depending upon the individuals' interests and skills, volunteers may usually be involved in any of the following activities:

•  Teach English (3-4 hours a day) in orphanages or schools (when the children of the orphanages go to their respective schools during the day)
•  Help children with sanitation issues such as: brushing teeth, showering, and establishing and maintaining personal hygiene
•  Organize games, drawing lessons, singing sessions, dancing, and other creative, educational and extracurricular activities
•  Help with homework; monitoring academic progress, and ensuring children complete their next day's homework
•  Child care services for orphans who can not go to school (i.e. games, singing, praying, etc.)
•  Skill-training for the children who cannot go school (due to being over-age)
•  Help in food distribution, kitchen work/duties, garden maintenance
•  Help in other activities or programs designed for children (if any)

Skills/Qualifications Needed

There are no specific qualification needed to participate in the various orphanage projects/programs in Tanzania . However, interested volunteers must possess an unwavering, devoted willingness to work for and help these orphaned children as well as a desire to share their time, passion, and love with the nurturing of these children.

Room/Food/Supervision

Global Crossroad manages room/food for volunteers. In most cases, volunteers stay with the children in the orphanage where managed accommodations include a separate room and local food three times a day. Alternatively, some volunteers stay with host families.

Global Crossroad maintains a present total of four (4) local staff members, an office, as well as a hostel in Dar Es Salaam . Three (3) staff members reside in the city of Dar with one additional on-site coordinator residing in Moshi. In Arusha and Moshi, our partner orphanages are located near a highway, enabling our local coordinator to visit and maintain contact with participating volunteers. However, most of the orphanages located in Dar Es Salaam are located approximately 30-40 miles away from our main office. A number of these orphanage are located within an estimated 8-10 mile-radius of the major highway. In this case, is somewhat difficult to visit volunteers on a routine basis. However, our local staff members will stay in touch by phone/email. In said situation, the head of the orphanage will serves as a reliable, local contact person for participating volunteers.

Location Descriptions

In Tanzania , the orphanage projects are located in Dar Es Salaam , Arusha, and Moshi. Serving as both the capital and as a also a major port city, Dar Es Salaam is the natural starting point for volunteer experiences in Tanzania . Located near Mount Kilimanjaro, Dodoma and Zanzibar , Dar boasts numerous, beautiful beaches which are usually easily accessible from the city, namely Kunduchi, Mjimwena and Mbwa Magi.

Arusha is one of the bigger cities in the north of Tanzania  at the base of Mt. Meru , not far from the border with Kenya . It is well known as an African congress center containing the site for the International Tribunal for the Rwandese Genocide. Safari tours to the Serengeti, N'gorongoro, Manyara, and Tarangire usually begin in Arusha. The city is also an excellent base for visiting the Arusha National Park , where volunteers can experience a wide range of habitats: from the lakes which serve as a gathering point for a kaleidoscope of waterfowl, to the highland montane forests, all the way up to the imposing summit of Mt. Meru . Moshi is approximately an hour-and-a-half (90 minutes) drive from Arusha.

A typical day's occurrences/activities of a volunteer in an orphanage project

A typical day of volunteer life in the orphanages of Tanzania varies from orphanages and locations. However, volunteers generally engage in following activities.

Morning (8-12 AM): Breakfast time for kids. Volunteer can distribute food for kids and help in the kitchens. Volunteers take breakfast after the children. Following breakfast, volunteers assist in preparing children for school (sanitation, dressing, packing necessary materials). Volunteer accompany kids to school, or simply help kids to reach school safely

Volunteers interested in teaching do so by instructing in conversational English-skills as well as other subjects pertaining to the children's educational needs. Small children (ages 2-6 years) remain in their respective orphanages where volunteers who choose not to teach in the schools teach English, play games, encourage physical activities, organize and teach drawing and/or paining lessons, as well as and other extracurricular activities

12 PM - 1PM: Lunch break for volunteers

Afternoon (2- 4 PM): Children return from school; volunteers accompany children safely back to orphanage. Volunteers help the children to change their clothes, and tidy their rooms. This is play time for the children where volunteer are encouraged to join in their play. Volunteers may organize a variety games, ensuring the children have some fun, in addition to learn something new and exciting. A period where children begin their schools' homework assignments follows playtime. Here, volunteer can help the children complete their homework as well as prepare ready for the following day of school

7:00 PM: Dinner time followed by children's bedtime. Volunteers can help in food distribution as well as and cleaning and maintaining the kitchen.

NOTE: This itinerary provides a generic, proposed picture of the daily life of volunteers. BUT, the daily activities can sometimes vary from orphanage to orphanage.