volunteer projects in tanzania
Extraordinary Volunteer Opportunities
Welcome to Viva Tanzania’s hub of volunteer projects in Tanzania, where every program is built for genuine community impact. Explore a wide range of volunteer opportunities Tanzania offers, from classroom teaching to wildlife rescue, each vetted for ethical standards and cultural respect.
Whether you’re seeking short-term service or long-term volunteering placements Tanzania trusts, you’ll find clear project details, inclusive support, and flexible start dates. Scan the list, choose your passion, and step into a role that changes lives, yours included. Ready to make a difference? Start matching your skills to the projects below and apply when you feel the spark.
Teach in Tanzania
Home of Malaika's Day Care
Tiny hands, big smiles, that’s what awaits every childcare volunteer in Tanzania at Home of Malaika. You’ll sing songs, share stories, and guide crafts while giving local staff much-needed support. Perfect for anyone seeking a role abroad as a daycare volunteer or aiming to build skills as an early childhood volunteer in Arusha, this placement blends fun with purpose.
Arusha Modern School
Chalk in hand and smiles all around, you’ll teach English in Tanzania while gaining unforgettable classroom experience. Arusha Modern School welcomes volunteers from abroad who are eager to teach English in Tanzanian style, mixing playful phonics with cultural exchange. Lessons are small, resources are humble, yet curiosity is endless, making this the ideal school volunteering experience in Africa placement for aspiring educators or gap-year adventurers.
St. Thadeus Primary School
Step into a lively classroom where curiosity buzzes and every lesson feels like discovery. As a primary school volunteer in Tanzania, you’ll guide reading circles, craft math games, and foster creativity at St. Thadeus. This placement is perfect for anyone seeking a volunteer primary school teaching role, providing lesson support while soaking up Tanzanian culture.
Empower in Tanzania
Jithubutu Cultural Center
Step inside Jithubutu Cultural Center and feel Tanzanian culture come alive through music, dance, language, and storytelling. As a cultural exchange volunteer in Africa, you’ll co-lead creative workshops, practice Swahili phrases, and trade ideas with passionate local artists. Every day brings new insights and friendships, turning simple interactions into powerful intercultural learning moments with local Tanzanians.
Arydo Football Project
Lace up your boots and guide tomorrow’s stars with Arydo Football in Arusha. As a volunteer football coach in Tanzania, you’ll run drills, plan tactics, and mentor boys and girls who live for the beautiful game. Beyond skills, you’ll teach discipline and teamwork, essentials of any great sports coaching volunteer experience in Africa.
Home of Malaika's Ulinzi Wa Kike
Periods shouldn’t pause potential, and your voice can help make sure they don’t. As a women's health volunteer in Tanzania, you’ll guide honest conversations, teach hygiene basics, and distribute reusable pads that keep girls in class. The project also welcomes anyone passionate about period and poverty volunteer opportunities in Africa, blending advocacy with hands-on outreach.
Pamoja Basketball Program
The Pamoja Basketball Project in Arusha, Tanzania, is a community-led initiative dedicated to empowering youth through sport, mentorship, and teamwork. Support the Pamoja Basketball Program by coaching basketball clinics, mentoring youth and using sport as a tool for leadership and personal development.
WEHAF
WEHAF welcomes compassionate travelers ready to fight stigma and spread knowledge. As an HIV awareness volunteer in Tanzania, you’ll co-host workshops, distribute nutrition packs, and guide home visits that uplift families living with HIV. Beyond health talks, you’ll help grow widow support projects that some Tanzanians rely on, teaching budgeting, craft skills, and small-business basics so women can thrive independently.
Perfect Vision
The Perfect Vision Women Project empowers women and girls through tailoring, design and craft‑making classes, business mentorship and English practice. Volunteers teach skills, mentor small enterprises and support sessions on health, menstrual hygiene and women’s rights. This holistic approach promotes sustainable livelihoods and confidence.
Home of Malaika's Sewing Group
Step into a buzzing workshop where fabric scraps become dreams come true for local artisans. As part of this women’s sewing project in Tanzania, you’ll coach design, quality control, and budgeting while cheering on every stitch. It’s the perfect placement for a women’s craft volunteer who wants to blend creativity with impact, or anyone keen on social enterprise volunteering in Arusha
Healthcare in Tanzania
Seliani Hospital
Step onto the wards of Seliani and feel the pulse of Tanzanian healthcare in action. As a hospital volunteer in Tanzania, you’ll rotate through departments, assist with basic procedures, and observe local doctors during rounds. The placement doubles as an immersive medical experience in Arusha, as you shadow Tanzania doctors, giving you insights that textbooks can’t match.
Milestones Clinic
Milestones Children Therapy Clinic is a specialist centre dedicated to empowering children with neurological, developmental, and congenital or acquired challenges. The clinic provides multidisciplinary, holistic, and fun-focused services, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, for children from all social backgrounds. The aim is to support as many children and their families as possible, regardless of their financial situation.
Oltrumet Hospital
Imagine standing beside Tanzanian doctors as you check vitals, assist with wound care, and witness healthcare resilience first-hand. This medical internship in Arusha program at Oltrumet Hospital places you in busy wards where curiosity meets compassionate service. Whether you’re completing a required nursing internship in Tanzania rotation or exploring a broader healthcare volunteer experience abroad, you’ll log meaningful hours while learning local protocols and resourceful care.
Conservation in Tanzania
Elang'ata Agrovet
Swap office walls for open skies and dig into work that heals the planet. As an environmental conservation volunteer in Tanzania, you’ll plant indigenous saplings, build seed beds, and share eco-friendly tips with Maasai farmers. The program is perfect for anyone eager to become a tree planting volunteer champion or dive into a sustainable farming volunteer program in Arusha.
Mbwa Wa Africa
Every wagging tail and soft purr tells a comeback story at Mbwa Wa Africa. Step into the kennels as an animal rescue volunteer in Tanzania and help transform fear into trust with daily walks, feeding, and plenty of cuddles. You’ll join a dedicated team of caregivers and vets, making this the ideal placement for any animal shelter volunteer in Tanzania hopeful, eager to learn basic treatment skills.
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Why Do People Choose Viva Tanzania For Their African Adventure?
We Provide Experienced, Locally-Led Volunteer Programs
Our Tanzanian team grew up in Arusha and has been running locally-led volunteer programs & tours in Tanzania since 2015. We match you to experiences that genuinely need support, schools, clinics and animal welfare partners, so your time is well spent. Expect clear role briefs, classroom resources and on-site mentors. Whether you’re interested in education, volunteer in Tanzania placements, or medical volunteer in Tanzania experiences, we’ll guide you from enquiry to impact with practical training and cultural insight.
Personal Support & Safe Volunteer Accommodation
From airport pickup to your first day at project, you’re backed by 24/7 in-country support. We provide a city orientation, help with SIM cards and transport, and arrange ethical weekend trips like a safari from Arusha. Our hostel offers safe volunteer accommodation in Arusha with Wi-Fi, meals and friendly staff. You’ll focus on your placement while we handle logistics, ideal for gap year Tanzania volunteering or short-term stays.
Unforgettable Tours & Cultural Experiences In Tanzania
Beyond volunteer projects, we offer safari tours and mountain treks from Arusha and cultural excursions that bring Tanzania’s beauty to life. Spend a weekend spotting elephants in Tarangire, climb Mount Kilimanjaro, or relax on Zanzibar’s beaches. Our team also arranges day trips in Arusha like waterfalls, hot springs, and local markets. These adventures are ethical, guided by locals, and designed to complement your volunteering. It’s the perfect way to combine meaningful work with once-in-a-lifetime travel.
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Explore What Else You Can Do With Viva Tanzania
We lead you through the breath-taking experiences that Tanzania has to offer. Marvel at the most beautiful places of the country, experience the different tribes and ethnic groups up close and enjoy a hike through the impressive mountain landscape in the North. Whether it is a camping safari in the vast expanses of the Serengeti, a day trip to the Moshi Hot Springs, a hike to the summit of Kilimanjaro, or a yoga retreat on the beaches of Zanzibar - We are ready for any adventure with you! No matter what you decide, we guide you all the way from the start to the end of your trip! This is the best way to get your individual memories of wonderful Tanzania. Explore now!
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Frequently Asked Questions
There are two airports near Arusha, Kilimanjaro (JRO) and Arusha (ARK). Kilimanjaro is an international airport, and Arusha is a domestic airport. You can often find cheaper flights to JRO, so that should be your first choice. We will pick you up at any time, day or night, so please choose the flight that suits you best.
Information about travel vaccines and health advice for Tanzania can be found on your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, and on the World Health Organization’s website. We recommend you visit a doctor who specialises in tropical diseases before your trip, to get any vaccines or medicines you may need.
To volunteer in Tanzania you will need an Ordinary visa for the purposes of humanitarian and charity activities. Most countries can easily obtain the visa on arrival at the airport. It costs $US50 ($US100 for American citizens), is valid for three months and can be renewed once. If you plan to stay longer than six months you need to apply for a Resident Permit.
We recommend you have health insurance for your trip to Tanzania. Health care is not expensive here, but in case of an emergency your insurance can arrange for you to return to your home country for better treatment.
Fluctuation in the exchange rate is common but currently it is:
1 Euro = 2.700 Tsh
1 GBP = 3.000 Tsh
1 Dollar = 2.500 Tsh
English and Swahili are both official languages in Tanzania, although English is not widely spoken. At your project we will make sure that there is at least one person who speaks English. Also we offer Swahili lessons for a small fee to make your everyday life easier. Read more about Tanzania here.
Our house has a secure two-meter-high wall, a daytime watchman, a night guard and our guard dogs. Arusha is generally safe but it is best to take a taxi in the evenings rather than walking. When you arrive we will give you all the tips you need to know on how to stay safe.
We welcome anybody who is open to new cultures, and who wants to contribute to meaningful projects in Tanzania. Work experience in the chosen field is welcome but is usually not a requirement. If a project has specific requirements they will be listed on the project page. A basic knowledge of English, and the willingness to learn some Swahili words are necessary.