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Life as a volunteer or intern in Ngaramtoni - Arusha

Areas of application

We are a small, young aid organization that has its main location in Ngaramtoni - a village that lies at an altitude of approx. 1,600 meters at the foot of Mount Meru at 4,565m. Ngaramtoni is part of the Arusha area and is approximately 20 minutes from the city of Arusha.

For us it is very important that you, our protégés and us supervisors learn from each other, benefit and support each other. That is why we have made it our principle to only use 2 volunteers with us at the same time!

You don't know what task you could take on, what knowledge you could impart?

Trust us, you surely bring enough knowledge with you! The most important quality you need is a loving, warm nature and patience!

There is always something to do:

Visit a family with Martha, Mafi or Gabi to mediate. Because the young person lives on the street, how we can support them so that he or she lives at home again and goes to school
Visit a family with an albinism child with Martha and support you with any necessary help of a social or psychological nature
Help with organizational or office processes
purchases
Organize knowledge transfer in everyday areas such as cooking, sewing, small repairs, drawing, making music, etc. - be creative in our Step Up Development House (only after prior consultation with our on-site team)
Perhaps a child needs tutoring or assignment assistance
Visit our protégés on the street
Document and take photos
Motivate and strength
Bring your knowledge into our work

These are just a few of the places we can really use your positive energy! Your creativity knows no limits! We would just like to ask you to inform us in advance about planned activities, because communication is everything!

How and where do you live ...

In the house of our founder, which is right next to the Step Up Development House, you share a twin room with a bathroom and toilet and a small cooking area. The residential unit is separately accessible.

The garden is available for free use.

Since the power supply in Tanzania is not always guaranteed, you should be prepared for the fact that it can often happen that you have to do without hot water or light for a day! In addition, electricity is very expensive by Tanzanian standards! It is advisable to bring a British adapter and a power cable with a distributor plug.

Another thing to note is that you shouldn't be afraid of dogs, because Kali and Lady scurry through our garden.

Internet and cell phone

In Arusha you get a Tanzanian SIM card for your mobile phone, which you can also use to buy internet access.

Volunteer & support team

A contact person from the team on site is available to you around the clock and everyone speaks good English! On the day of your arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, a team member will be happy to await and pick you up. At our weekly meeting at the latest, you will get to know our entire team and an ideal time to work out solutions and clear up any ambiguities.

Communication in Tanzania

The Step Up Development Team and some of the protégés you will be dealing with speak English. In larger towns and cities in the country you can also communicate in English, but in the country this becomes more difficult. The official language in Tanzania is Kiswahili, but there are around 125 different regional languages. A few important phrases in Swahili can be learned quickly on site, but if you want to get to know a few words beforehand, we recommend the dictionary of gibberish. (ISBN: 978-3-8317-6426-)

Clothing & climate

Ngaramtoni is at an altitude of approx. 1,600m and Arusha approx. 1,400m, so it usually cools down in the evening and at night. Long pants, sweaters and rain jackets must be packed. Sturdy footwear is highly recommended, both for the many possible hikes or excursions in the area, as well as for the poor road conditions in the rural areas. In Tanzania, it is not common for women to walk around in shorts or miniskirts. Please remember when packing your suitcase! The clothing should be hard-wearing and withstand permanent sunlight and dust.

The hottest month of the year in Arusha is January with an average daily high temperature of 28 degrees. 34 degrees is the highest measured temperature. At these temperatures the sun shines up to 5.7 hours a day. In the worst case, it cools down to 5 degrees at night. However, the average night temperature is 13 degrees. It is coldest in June. The lowest temperatures measured in the last few decades are 5 degrees. The sun shines only 5.7 hours per day in April, which can be described as the wettest month with an average of 223 l / m² of precipitation per day.

Trips. To travel. Safari.

We are happy to help you organize leisure activities, excursions and short trips within Tanzania. In consultation with the team, you are welcome to take 1 to 2 weeks off for a 3-month stay as a volunteer for leisure activities.

Catering

There is the possibility of self-sufficiency in the helper's accommodation, as a cooking area is available. There are a number of small shops in the village where you can buy basic necessities. Friday is always market day, where, among other things, fruit, fresh vegetables and much more are offered. The water from the tap can only be drunk after it has been boiled. You have to pay for drinking water yourself. Water bottles are available everywhere. In the city, with a short walk and a ride on the Daladala (public bus), reachable in about 25 minutes you will also find 2 large supermarkets as well as nice cafes and restaurants.

Vaccination and medication

The Tropical Institute and your family doctor will certainly give you useful information on vaccinations and the composition of the first-aid kit. The first-aid kit should be tailored to personal use. Most tropical institutes recommend the following vaccinations:

Hepatitis A + B (good if it is already present, but not absolutely necessary.)
Rabies (good if it's already there, but not absolutely necessary.)
Yellow fever is usually checked upon entry, but if you emphasize that you have entered from Europe, you do not need the vaccination. Vaccination only necessary if you travel overland. Also applies to Zanzibar.
Malaria: To prevent malaria, you should take the appropriate means such as Malarone or Atovaquon / Proguanil with you to be on the safe side. In case of signs, take 4 pieces / day for 3 days. However, this is seldom the case. There is no malaria in Ngaramtoni, however, in some national parks and other areas of Tanzania
Others: Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio, Typhus We ask you to inform yourself about vaccinations before your departure.

Flight and visa

The destination airport is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) near Arusha. KLM (via Amsterdam), Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul), Ethiopia Airlines (via Addis Ababa) or Qatar Airlines (via Doha) are the most common airlines. With KLM, Ethiopian Airlines and Turkish Airlines you have 2 x 23 kg baggage free and can rebook relatively cheaply; the flights go daily. If your luggage does not reach the permitted kilograms, please contact us, maybe you can help us to bring urgently needed things to the project in Tanzania.

To volunteer at Step Up Development, you need a Business Visa - Class C Permit for 250 dollars in cash for a stay of 2 weeks to 3 months. You will either receive the visa directly at the airport in Tanzania or we will do it for you after arrival at the project, whereby you have to pay our trustworthy agent 100,000 TZS (1 € = 2,600TZS) for this additional effort. Your passport must be valid for up to 6 months after leaving Tanzania. At the airport an “Arrival / Departure Declaration Form” has to be filled out on arrival and departure, which is available directly at the airport.

Volunteering under a tourist visa is illegal and can result in heavy fines!

insurance

There are various options for travel, health and property insurance: Credit card (if the trip was paid for by credit card) - When booking the trip - European travel insurance - ÖAMTC travel insurance - Health insurance. Please weigh up yourself which insurance is suitable. In any case, it is always advisable to read the fine print as well.

If you have any questions, please send us an email.

We will be happy to answer them for you!

If you have any questions, please send us an email.

We will be happy to answer them for you!