Location:

Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic of

Program Type:

Volunteer Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Work Types:

Health

Duration:

1-3 months

Program Overview

Program Description:

Programs start every 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, with arrival Sunday prior to the program start at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Upon arrival you will be picked up at the airport and driven to your accommodation. During the first 1-3 days, you will get an orientation in town and some Swahili lessons, while the coordinator organizes your work permit.

The Pamoja Project focuses on teaching and raising awareness of HIV/AIDS for community members and schoolchildren. Most of your time will be spent teaching, lesson planning, and training peer educators. You will also be involved in community assessment work within villages.

Peer to peer learning has proven to be an effective model for behavior change communication among adolescents. Peer education is a particularly powerful method for reaching young people. This educational program targets both government and private primary and secondary schools. Educators are nominated and elected by teachers and fellow students, and they are among the brightest, most outgoing students in their class.

Volunteers and program officers provide training for peer leaders, and a three day seminar for peer education teachers. Our partner and field officers stay in touch with schools and different community project stakeholders - helping peer educators organize special events such as sports days, exchange learning visits, and competitions within and among schools.

These students use dynamic education techniques such as songs; drama, debates, and poetry to engage other youths and encourage them to think critically so they can choose behaviors that lower their risk of getting HIV / AIDS. This requires that we teach the basic biological facts about the virus, the progression of the disease in the body, the primary modes of transmission, and the most effective methods of prevention. Volunteers participating in this project will have to count with extra transportation expenses.

Most volunteers prefer to stay at the “House for Volunteers” in Arusha with: TV-room, showers and sanitary facilities. There’s a guard and a cook who prepares 3 meals a day. Here it is possible to have more of a social life with other volunteers. The coordinator – who also arranges Safari Trips – has his office in the house.

If you prefer more authentic surroundings, you can chose to live with a local host family instead, where you also will have 3 meals a day. Here you will share all facilities with the family members, of whom at least one speaks English.

Tanzanian food includes a little meat, chicken or fish with rice and some fruit. Showers do no not always have hot water. Don’t expect luxury!

Setting Description:

Tanzania has one of the most varied and unique landscapes in the world. Here you'll find mountains - amongst them, Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, great lakes and numerous wildlife reserves. Serengeti National Park is famous for its annual migration of millions of wildebeest and also has a large population of lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and African Buffaloes.

Near the Park is the Olduvai-Ravine, where many of the oldest hominid fossils and artifacts have been found.

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 Rwandan Genocide. Tucked at the foot of Mount Meru, the town of Arusha is the first stop on the northern safari circuit and is the undisputed safari capital of East Africa. Moshi lies one hour and a half drive from Arusha, set on the edge of the plains which ascend towa