Voluntary Project Overview

This programme offer the opportunity to volunteer abroad supporting our partner NGOs, typically small community based organisations in rural Tanzania, in achieving their development aspirations. These organisations do fantastic work in the fields of adult education and training, and providing impoverished individuals and families with the means to set up and sustain livelihoods. However, they face huge challenges to deliver their community development agendas with the minimum of resources and often without established operating processes and procedure. Many of those people who set up these organisations have not had prior experience of running businesses or charities and need the help of career break volunteers to become more effective.

The Volunteer Abroad Role

The volunteer role of our career breakers on these business projects is simply to assist an NGO partner to deliver their community development programmes more effectively. This generally involves organisational capacity building with career break volunteers understanding the local issues and suggesting and implementing improvements. Specifically volunteers with business experience might be engaged with work on financial accounting systems, fundraising, marketing, logistics, training and IT. This is a great way for career break volunteers to use their skills and experience and work directly with a local community organisation to help communities overseas.

Other Volunteer Abroad opportunities

While this is a full time project, volunteer work abroad relies upon your initiative and interest. There are opportunities to get involved with teaching English at local schools or to help in after school clubs or even at adult English classes. Some volunteers also assist directly with the work of their partner organisations, helping with vocational training, livelihood work and health awareness.

Voluntary Programme Requirements/Eligibility Criteria

We suggest a minimum of 4 years business experience to participate in an NGO capacity building volunteer project abroad. Volunteers need good communication skills, an open mind, lots of enthusiasm and a good sense of humour! For career break volunteers with limited time availability, this is an ideal way to get involved with volunteer work engaged on real community development, and the volunteer project can be structured on a timescale from as little as one month.

Volunteer Accommodation and Living arrangements

We work with a number of community based NGOs in and around the towns of Arusha and Moshi as well as in the Pare Mountains. Volunteers are placed in an area depending upon the need. Living conditions are fairly basic in some parts with volunteers generally being accommodated with local host families where they have their own room. All meals are provided with the local family allowing you to be totally immersed in African life and culture and even learn some Swahili! For placements in and around Arusha a wider range of accommodation options are available. While planning your career break you could discuss your requirements and the options available when booking your volunteer programme.

We do have some specially prepared travel journeys for career break volunteers to explore more of Tanzania.

What’s included in your Programme Fee?

• Project selection and placement - Our in-country teams work constantly to identify and select projects that are doing exemplary work in developing countries but need your skills and effort. Our staff are in dialogue with you to ensure that we choose a project that really needs you, where you will use your skills and contribute, because at MondoChallenge, we believe that a great volunteering experience is largely dependant on matching you with the right project
• Pre Departure Briefing - Before you leave, we will arrange for a pre departure briefing where we help you with small but extremely helpful details on your chosen destination. Things like: what to pack, local culture and customs, food, safety and precautions if any - simple things to make your life easier!
• Guidance for processing visa - MondoChallenge will arrange for any relevant documents and guide you through the visa process.
• Airport Pick Up - Arriving in a new city and not knowing where to go and how to go can be quite unnerving. A MondoChallenge representative will meet you at the airport and take you to your place of stay where you can put your feet up after a long flight.
• In country Orientation and Welcome Pack - When you arrive in the city, you will be given an orientation where you could meet other volunteers from MondoChallenge, know all about the city, how to find your way around, where to get SIM cards for the phone, small bits that you will need help sorting out in the first few days.
• In Country Support - Our local co-ordinators are there to guide you through out your stay. They will make sure that you are settled at your project, are comfortable with your accommodation and provide guidance on local culture and customs to ensure that you have a memorable and rewarding experience.
• Accommodation - In most cases you stay with a local host family. It gives you a taste of the daily life of a local. You will be sharing a room with another volunteer, however if you prefer to have a single room to yourself, this can be arranged but a cost supplement may apply. If you prefer totally independent accommodation, this may also be possible in certain areas at an additional cost and our Programme Managers will be able to assist you with this.
• Breakfast and Dinner - Local home cooked food, will be provided at the home stays. This gives you a chance to experience local dishes.

Not Included:

• International Flights
• Visa and Travel insurance Costs
• Vaccination
• Local Transport and Travel
• Personal Expenses

Project photos

Testimonials