Become Apart Of The Maasai
Community In Tanzania

Background to the childcare programme

The Maasai in Lemiti village have approached our local team requesting to help their community. With the rapid development of Tanzania as a tourist destination and the emergence of national parks and safaris, the Maasai can no longer simply continue with their traditional nomadic ways and customs.

With a long-term view in mind, we believe that with the help of you and other volunteers, we can create a sustainable plan to assist the village. We are hoping to grow their community through the children and women to catch up with the fast-developing times in Tanzania and to preserve their tribe for many generations to come.

Where will I be volunteering?

Lemiti Childcare Centre - You will spend your time volunteering within the purpose-built kindergarten that was constructed to provide day care for the children within the Maasai community. Part of your programme fee goes to paying the wages of the two teachers here, as well as providing lunch to all of the children that attend every day - without the volunteer fees, the kindergarten simply wouldn’t exist. There are currently over 55 children that attend each and every day, aged between 3 and 6 years old.

Soweto Kindergarten - The kindergarten is part of Soweto Government School and located next to the teaching project our volunteers assist at. The government started the kindergarten nearly 30 years ago to look after children based in and around Moshi.

The class welcomes between 50 and 60 children aged between 4 and 5 years old each and every day. You will be assisting the two local teachers to ensure all of the children are happy and looked after.

What is my role?

Your main role within the kindergarten will be to help run basic lessons that are centred around games and activities to keep the children engaged. You will provide much needed support and assistance as you plan and provide simple English lessons, get involved with music, dance, art and play an active role with the general care of the children.

If you’re not looking to stand up in front of the class, then do not worry! Just spending time with the children, giving them attention and playing will do wonders for their confidence and make their time at the kindergarten so much fun.

You can spend a lot of your time outside with the children, where you will be surrounded by sugar cane fields and can enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains.

Interested volunteers can also take part in the local women’s empowerment programme and advance the initiatives already in place to help the Maasai community even more! Not only this, but you can assist the village with coming up with new ideas on how to progress the community and become an integral part to their survival.

Longer term volunteers may also be invited to stay with the tribe for a few nights to see exactly how they live – an unforgettable experience.

What will a typical day look like?

You will be expected to volunteer from Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 12pm – with at least 2 hours per day dedicated to sports and games. You are more than welcome to stay later or also assist on the teaching programme if you are looking to spend longer volunteering each day.

Once you have finished your placement for the day, all volunteers (across all programmes) always meet back at the accommodation and spend the rest of the day together.

Transport to and from the kindergarten is included within the programme fee and is provided by tuk tuk or private car. The journey takes around 25 minutes, depending on traffic.

Where will I be staying?

You will be staying within our volunteer house just five minutes from the centre of the tourist town of Moshi. We cannot think of a better base for your stay in Tanzania, where you will have access to all of the local amenities as well as enjoy spectacular views out to the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro from your bedroom window.

During your free time, you can easily head out on safari in search of the famous Big Five, relax on the golden sandy beaches in beautiful Zanzibar, climb Mount Kilimanjaro (or just look in awe from it’s base!) or trek through the rainforest to find hidden waterfalls.

Other things to consider

Resources and donations - Resources can be very limited on our programmes in Tanzania and we would really appreciate any additional support that can be provided. It would be amazing if you could bring any materials associated with your project, including pens, paper, colouring books and anything else you think will aid your time on the programme.

Helping on multiple projects - Whilst in Tanzania, you will also have the opportunity to assist with our teaching and dog programmes for no additional costs. All of our programmes in Tanzania are located in the same region and everyone shares the same accommodation.

Weekends and free time - You will have every weekend off from volunteering and this is the perfect time to explore everything this beautiful country has to offer. You are more than welcome to simply relax around the accommodation and amenities in Moshi, but most volunteers will use this time to travel and see the country. Further down this page you will come across many suggestions and ideas on where you could go. Alternatively, if you are looking to see as much of the country as possible during this time, travel with other volunteers and be accompanied by one of our local team members, then you may be interested in one or more of the organised weekend trips we run.