The world is full of people, and everyone has problems in their lives. We as human beings are taught to help each other during difficult times. Volunteering involves giving our time, skills, and heart to help develop communities that need support. Volunteering does not involve any financial gain, because we do it out of our will to help people around the world.
You give what you have and help society. So, no prior experience is needed in this case. Anyone can volunteer if they are willing to help. Dive into this blog to explore all the opportunities you get in volunteering in Tanzania.
Why Volunteering Without Experience is Possible
Volunteering is the giving of skills, time, values, and help to a community to help it develop. Anyone can do this task; you do not need specialization or experience.
You need to have a positive attitude towards life and be able to accept people and their beliefs. Only then will you be successful in creating a remarkable difference in people’s lives. All volunteer roles do not require experience or a background in studies.
Most volunteering opportunities in Tanzania seek volunteers with workforce support, basic teaching skills, and childcare abilities, and offer structured programs and accessible roles anyone can play.
Skills You Can Offer Even with No Experience
The main purpose of volunteering is to help people in need. Major opportunities do not require any specific skills that can be gained via a course or program. So, there are a few areas to volunteer with no experience:
Childcare and Education
As a volunteer, you will care for the kids at the orphanage and help them with their homework. Teaching the kids basic English is also a task volunteers need to do. This is especially helpful because primary schooling is in Swahili, and in secondary school, the kids learn everything in English.
Next, you will find teaching opportunities in schools with many students and few teachers. There, you have to assist the teachers in managing the classrooms and ensuring every student is focused.
Sports and Youth Coaching
Apart from education, the kids also need help with sports and after-school activities, such as running, cricket, kabaddi, and badminton. Today, physical and sports activities are equally important as education.
Games will help the kids get stress relief and perform better in their studies. This will also help the kids discover their passion for sports, and, if they want, pursue it as a career.
Community Development and Environmental Conservation
As volunteers, you will also have the opportunity to organize and manage women’s empowerment and agricultural programs. In this way, you can guide the women to explore new opportunities to start small businesses to support their livelihoods.
Although Tanzania is rich in natural resources, help is needed to conserve the environment it has now. There are many new tips and tricks for saving the environment.
Other volunteering opportunities include administrative work, such as assisting local NGOs and healthcare facilities, as well as supporting the construction of houses. You will have many volunteer options, and you need to choose one that benefits you the most.
How to Start Volunteering Opportunities for Beginners
There are many volunteer opportunities in Tanzania, but you need to find the right one for yourself. Start looking for volunteering opportunities in Tanzania through trusted NGOs and international volunteering opportunities.
You need to start searching for volunteering opportunities in places like Moshi and Arusha. In these places, you get to work on a lot of different volunteering opportunities. So, you can choose from many volunteer opportunities.
As a beginner, you can choose any of the programs, such as teaching, childcare, or community work. Go through the reviews on the volunteering organization’s page, the safety measures, the accommodation, and the transparency around the fees. Then contact the organization through their website or email. Start with small-scale programs to gain some experience and confidence in that path.
Hostel Hoff is a volunteer organization in Tanzania that offers many opportunities to its volunteers. Plus, our charges for accommodation are also affordable. Along with these, we also help the volunteers with their work, as the volunteers are new to the place. Also, we will help you arrange short trips to nearby places in Tanzania.
Tips to Stand Out When Applying for Volunteer Roles
To stand out in the crowd when applying for volunteer positions in Tanzania, pick roles in education, healthcare, or working with physically disabled kids. Along with this, also focus on your adaptability, patience, acceptance, and communication. This will help you perform better in your volunteering roles.
Along with doing your work, also make sure you connect with the people there. Doing this will help you better identify the issues and find a real solution. Adapting to the new place and its people will help you better understand their culture.
Benefits of Volunteering with No Experience
Volunteering does not pay you, but it gives you valuable experience. For people without experience, volunteering is a great way to gain experience. You will get opportunities in education, community development, environmental conservation, and childcare.
Below are the benefits of volunteering without any experience:
- You get to connect people with very different cultural backgrounds. Their way of living, culture, food, clothes, traditions, and behaviour are all different, and you need to approach them with an open mind, accepting them as they are first. Only then will you be able to make a lasting impact on people’s lives.
- Come out of your comfort zone to experience life in Tanzania in a much better way. You will have to mingle with the people. Only then can you learn the most about Tanzania.
- You will come to Tanzania without experience, but when you leave, you will have many experiences from the work you did, the people of Tanzania, your fellow volunteers from different countries, and the places you visited. All the experiences you gain add to your profile and enhance it for future opportunities.
- You will work on a particular project, but you can learn about many different projects at the same time. So, you will know about multiple projects, which will help you choose your career path.
- You have an amazing opportunity to create a positive impact on the lives of people in Tanzania and solve a problem in real time. This makes you feel self-confident, and you also project a very good image to the people of Tanzania.
Common Mistakes to Avoid as a First-Time Volunteer
Volunteering for beginners in Tanzania should be about the following:
- Tanzania is a conservative place; dress modestly and avoid inappropriate clothing styles.
- Make sure you greet the people well. Earnn, the way they greet and then communicate is the same.
- Never show any disrespect towards the people or their traditions. You need to win the people’s confidence because they will only listen when they trust you.
- Never forget to get your vaccinations for Yellow fever, malaria, typhoid, and other diseases a few weeks before your departure.
- Take care of yourself. Do not drink tap water or eat street food that may be contaminated.
- Go there, then assess the situation. Do not commit to anything before you reach the destination. Not being able to finish your daily task may lead you to get depressed.
Volunteering is very rewarding and opens up opportunities you would never have otherwise. Volunteering without experience allows you to explore new career opportunities and to study people and their behaviour. You give your time and skills, and in return, you take a box full of experiences.