Women's Empowerment Project - Volunteer in Tanzania

I gave myself a "gap year" for my 60th birthday and spent four months of it in Africa.

I arrived at Give a Heart to Africa the beginning of October 2022, which is springtime in Tanzania. I was surprised by how lush and beautiful Moshi was. There were so many flowering trees and plants. (It reminded me a lot of Southern California.) And the views of Kilimanjaro from in front of the school were spectacular - when it decided to show itself!

As a older, solo female traveler, I was very concerned about safety. Now that I've been to GHTA, I can tell you that you will be 100% safe and sound. The volunteer house is within the school's complex, which features a high wall, an alarm system, and two wonderful security guards who you will quickly think of as family. (Seriously, they are the nicest guys.) It's also within a university complex, which has its own security. AND, you will quickly realize that Moshi itself is a pretty nice town. Tanzanians treat everyone like family. You will feel very welcome. I also appreciated that the vendors were not super aggressive. Just say you are a volunteer and they will leave you alone - and thank you for coming to Tanzania.

The volunteer manager and her grandson live in the house with you. The volunteer bedroom has a bunk bed and I was very happy to discover that the mattress was well-supported on wooden slats. The volunteer bathroom has a western-style toilet! (You will appreciate that in East Africa.) And there's an electric point of use water heater on the shower. Because I was the only volunteer, I had it all to myself. Although there was no air conditioner, the ceiling fan had a turbo speed, so even as spring turned into summer, I was comfortable under my mosquito net. (And it drowned out the time-challenged rooster next door - LOL!)

I taught for the last two months of the school year and was able to attend graduation (which involved a lot of dancing) and help interview students for the next school year. I travelled during the December summer break, then returned to GHTA for another two weeks in January. The Tanzania co-workers are so nice, helpful, and welcoming. I still keep up with them on WhatsApp and social media.

Besides my December overland tour (camping in seven southern and eastern African countries), I took some short trips on weekends, led by a fabulous and enthusiastic guide who was once a GHTA student. I also hired a Swahili tutor for a couple of hours four days a week. It was lots of fun and helped me understand some of the problems my students might have learning English.

Whether you travel with friends or solo, whether you are young or older, and whether you have teaching experience or not, GHTA will be an unforgettable experience and you'll make lots of friends. I'm already thinking about returning!

So glad I was able to come to GHTA and help at the school where my Aunt & Uncle have been volunteering at for years. All the students welcomed me with open arms, many of them came to me to practice their English or ask me math questions. The school's staff and volunteers I met were equally as welcoming, and I felt at home. GHTA really does make a difference improving the education and lives of it's students. The volunteers brought me to several stores in Moshi that were run by past graduates, it was wonderful meeting the former students! Sadly, I learned that in Tanzania most citizen's education ends at standard 7, which is the American equivalent of 6th grade. It is very expensive to attend private high school in Tanzania, and the majority of families can not afford it.
The women that attend the school work extremely hard. In my short time here I've watched students stay late for extra help, hold their baby in their arms while writing notes in class and help other students. I can't wait to come back and stay for longer next time. Everyone here feels like family, and it's so amazing helping women in another country change their lives for the better.

This was seven years ago and continues to be an amazing experience. I always leave feeling the women have given me more than I was able to give to them. They arrive at school each morning full of smiles and enthusiasm and as each week goes by you see them grow in confidence and ability. The weekly 'home visit' is such a special event, having each one of the women invite you into their home is so special and humbling.
If you want a hands-on experience that really makes a difference then GHTA is the most amazing experince.

I volunteered with Give a Heart to Africa for two months teaching English and helping out with the vocational studies and family care. I really enjoyed getting to know the students during small group study while preparing for the midterms. It was also very rewarding to get to know the student’s families and home life through the home visits where volunteers have an opportunity to try home-cooked Tanzanian food and experience the day-to-day living of the students.

GHTA provides lots of support for volunteers from airport pick-up to tours of the town and surrounding areas to a well-developed curriculum on which to base your classroom activities. I made truly great friendships with the staff, students and other volunteers while at GHTA. The program at GHTA is not only rewarding for the volunteers but truly makes a positive impact on the women who become entrepreneurs and the local community.

I arrived in Moshi in June 2010 for my first volunteer experience with Give A Heart To Africa (GHTA), after much research and debate about which volunteer project to choose. I had never been particularly engaged in women’s issues before, but the fact that GHTA focused on women felt good to me, and was definitely one of the deciding factors in my choosing GHTA. In addition, at that time, the school was in great need of volunteers, which was another of the deciding factors for me, as I wanted to feel needed and to be kept busy. GHTA was promising a truly hands-on experience and that is what I was looking for. I did not want to volunteer for a large organization; I wanted a more “cohesive” type of experience, which is what GHTA offers, where the staff, students, and volunteers form one big family. That is the experience I got, and that is what has kept me going back! During my 4-month stint, I became a teacher for the first time in my life and had a blast! I taught English and then entrepreneurial skills (i.e., how to start a small business and be successful). Of course, I had major jitters in the beginning, but the help and kindness of the Tanzanian translators (all former students), a curriculum and lesson plans to guide me, and -- importantly -- the students’ enthusiasm, warmth, and smiles, soon put me at ease. The students were so grateful and eager just to be in school, that I knew that anything I could help them learn would be appreciated. The weekly visits to students’ homes were definitely a highlight of my volunteer experience, giving me the opportunity to see Tanzanian life up close and, importantly, get to know the students better. When it was finally time for me to return to my life before GHTA, I was definitely not ready to say good-bye! My time at GHTA helped put a lot of things in perspective in my life, and I returned to GHTA 9 months later to take on the role of general manager for one year – and what a year it was! I now live in Tanzania and visit the school when I can, and help interview prospective students. Please join our GHTA family. We need you!

I left my heart in Tanzania for the first time in 2013. Since then, I have traveled back to Give a Heart to Africa, four more times. During my most recent visit in the summer of 2019 I was in awe of how much impact this program has had. It has grown from a school, and a business cooperative, to a school with expanded programming, and three local businesses that grew out of GHTA, employee GHTA graduates, and continue to benefit from mentoring from volunteers and the local staff. I loved the teaching, there are lots of resources and supports to help. I also truly loved experiencing the local culture, which included weekly home visits to the students homes to meet their families. If you are looking for something that has impact that you can see, this is the place for you.

I spent 4 weeks at GHTA in 2011 and I always remember the words of Monika, the founder, as she personally dropped me back at Killi airport and saw how sad I was leaving. She said kindly, “you’ll be back”. Well she was right. I’m writing this in 2019 from the GHTA school itself. Probably the biggest reason why I returned is the integrity and impact of this NGO. I saw first hand how volunteer skills are maximised and our fees directly fund the running of the GHTA school, empowering women’s though education and the support and security of every volunteer.
Moshi is in a romantic location at the foot of Kilimanjaro. It’s is a mid sized town with tourist business opportunities but unfortunately there are still a few hardships experienced by some of the residents, particularly women who, for various reasons, couldn’t complete their schooling and may have little or no work but have mouths to feed. This school is specifically for these lovely women who actually have huge potential (and smiles), teaching them English, business and vocation skills.
As a volunteer you live in the school. Sounds odd but that cuts out any travel hassles. We work Monday to Thursday mornings teaching and spend afternoons reviewing or helping at local business, started by ex GHTA students, organising extra tuition for those that need it or on Fridays we have home visits which is a great way to see how the ladies live. You don’t need to be a teacher to volunteer but thinking on your feet a bit helps. Moshi isn’t a raving social town from a foreigner perspective but there are some nice coffee shops and local restaurants to try. The curry here is actually really good. There is also a new 4 star hotel with a roof top bar here if, like me, you need to get your tourist vibe fix on occasion. You are also 5 hours away from Norongoro National Park (amazing), Tarangeri NP and 7 from the Serengeti. It’s easy to organise safari weekends while here and even bolt on a Zanzibar trip if you fancy. I’m here for 6 weeks as part of a longer trip through Africa and it’s going so fast! I know I will be sad to leave again. The women have been so wonderful and my experiences at GHTA have enriched my life.

I chose this volunteer placement after extensive searching. I did NOT want to end up in a program catering to Gap Year students, rather one that is geared to adults with workforce skills. I DID come to this very concerned with my own safety, as i had never travelled solo in Africa. The fact that GHTA caters to women's education and economics (my career and passion) and is at the foot of Kilimanjaro (I am a mountaineer) sealed the deal. I decided to drop in for six weeks, live and work in a safe place, get the lay of the land, gain some knowledge of local ways and language, and take off for travelling adventure.
Instead: I spent my entire African stay of five months at GHTA, and extended as long as my life in the States would allow. At GHTA i was able to work closely and meaningfully with local women; spend long afternoons driking tea in their homes, meeting their families, playing with their children; live long enough in a town that i learned my way around and felt at home; met some fascinating young people who have become long distance friends; travelled to stunning safari and hiking locations on the weekends; spent long evenings in the hot humid dark talking with GHTA staff members about their lives and mine. Aide work is humbling and complicated. We will spend our lives wondering if we made a diffference in our students' lives. But one thing for sure: the students and staff of GHTA made a huge difference in my life. I long to return (and will do so!) and encourage anyone looking for a program deeply embedded in a community to check out GHTA.