volunteer tumaini Childrens foundation

Orphanage in East Africa, Tanzania - Tumaini Children's Foundation


VOLUNTEERING AT TUMAINI HOUSE! Not only do the children and staff at Tumaini House require your financial support, we can also put your skills to good. We have private quarters at Tumaini House for our volunteers and have already welcomed four from different parts of the world. WHAT DO YOU DO? First things first. Please send me, Cherie Szucs (or Mama Dee as I’m called in Tanzania) an email, (cheriemszucs@gmail.com) outlining your dates of availability (can be a minimum of two weeks but usually up to two or three months at a time), your own personal skills, and what it is you are hoping to achieve while with us. Many volunteers want to teach the children, working on English or reading or math skills. Some prefer to work with the two AIDS groups we are affiliated with, one being adults living with AIDS and the other AIDS orphans. Some people may wish to work in our gardens or on some of our businesses and some of you may wish to help us with bettering Tumaini House itself. Many options are available and we can fine tune your volunteer experience to your own preferences AND, should you wish, tie it into a safari (many national parks including the Serengeti are very close), or a climbing expedition (Mount Kilimanjaro is less than one hour away by vehicle), so that you experience both the natural elements Africa offers AND a most rewarding experience of working with some very lucky children.


WHAT DOES IT COST? You will need the required shots and malaria prophylactics in order to travel to Tanzania and we can help you with that. Further, you will need to calculate your air fare and travel costs to Arusha. Flights are usually cheaper into Nairobi, Kenya, or Dar Es Salam, Tanzania, but if you can find your way to Kilimanjaro Airport or the city of Arusha, we can pick you up! We will help you get your visitor’s visa which ranges from $50.00 U.S. to $100.00 U.S. depending on how long you intend to stay in Tanzania. Finally, you will pay us (Tumaini Children’s Foundation) $500.00US per month (or the equivalent), which will cover the costs of your very comfortable accommodation (our volunteer quarters house six with a private balcony and bath, three very good meals per day, plus a small contribution towards the ongoing support of our children. Having said all of that I would budget in some extra money. I haven’t met a person yet who hasn’t found a need (always related to money in such a poor country) they haven’t desired to fill. Further, you will want to shop for carvings, batiks, art, etc., while here!





THINGS YOU WANT TO KNOW Tanzania is considerably safer than many African countries and I have not, in my travels, even into the cities and the hearts of villages, ever experienced a problem. You do need to respect the state of the nation though. Mzungus, as we are called (non-blacks) are an obvious minority and are often the targets for beggars, pickpockets and snatch and grabs. I do not wear flashy jewelry or carry expensive cameras or large amounts of money around. I dress modestly, especially during Ramadan. Your room at Tumaini will lock and you do not have to give access to the ladies who will clean it if you choose but you may be sharing your room with up to five others and so we will provide you with a locking trunk for your personal valuables. We have a computer with internet (electricity is inconsistent though) so you can stay in touch with home. You can purchase a cell phone for about $50.00 US and purchase time for international texting (calls get expensive but you can call on SKYPE on the computer for a relatively small fee). Neema, our cook is VERY capable and always willing to try a new recipe or two so bring something you love from home. Spices are a problem so bring those also! Please let us know in your initial email if you have any serious health issues or allergies. We have a VERY capable doctor (Dr. Lyimo) who speaks perfect English and whose dispensary is relatively well stocked. I have been sick before when there and he took remarkably good care of me. Your bank ATM card and/or Visa/MC should work at most banks in Arusha and you can always hook a ride with Peter who generally goes in to town once per week for provisions. The local buses or dala dalas are safe alternatives, although it is very easy to get turned around in Arusha or “town” as it is called locally. We can arrange tours, expeditions, and safaris on your behalf at considerable discounts. We can, as I said, pick you up, should you arrive at either the city of Arusha, or Kilimanjaro Airport. There are many, many issues needing further discussion and we will be happy to provide answers to your enquiries . . . just include them in your initial email . . . other than that, “Karibu sana”, “Welcome” to Tumaini House and Usa River, Tanzania! We wait to hear from you! Asante, (thank you) from Mama Dee!




A little note about volunteering at Tumaini. We, Christine and Lea, are Tumaini’s first volunteers and have been teaching and living at Tumaini for 2.5 months (from April – mid June, 2010) doing teaching and care. All in all we had a great experience staying there. The first month we were at Tumaini the schools were closed for Easter holiday which was why we had tuition with Tumaini’s ‘old’ boys (13-15 years) who normally go to day school. With this group of kids we focused on English in general (which is really important to master down here); teaching grammar, having conversations, doing presentations, reading etc. However, from May, after the schools opened again we had tuition with Tumaini’s ‘small’ kids (3 years old). These kids were very small and (obviously) barely spoke any English which was why it was hard to keep them focused. Therefore we gave them ‘private lessons’ teaching them numbers, basic words, colors and in general just did creative activities with them. Besides teaching at Tumaini (which we did from around 10-14 every Monday - Thursday) we had tuition in the nearby church with the OVC group (Orphans and Vulnerable Children). Our days ‘off’ were Friday and Sunday. While being (and living) at Tumaini we spent a lot of time playing with and caring for the kids. We drew, made pearls, danced, read, played football and once we even took the oldest kids to the pool which they loved. The facilities for the kids at Tumaini are so great, so there are tons of opportunities for different activities. At Tumaini we had our own room which was great! We also had our own balcony and a bathroom with shower and western toilet. Our own room was a great place just to chill out in the evening or whenever needed. It should be mentioned that we came to Tanzania together and that it was really nice to have someone to share the experiences with while being in a foreign, yet very exciting country. The food we got at Tumaini was traditional Tanzanian but very great. We got a lot of beans, rice, makande, fruit and vegetables. The Mamas (the staff) there are very kind and helpful at all times. We could always ask if we needed something. Once we went to the local hospital with the kids. It was a pleasant place, and even though we (luckily) at no time needed it, it was nice to know that help was always possible. As mentioned we had two days ‘off’ every week which was nice. We spent our time discovering the big near by city Arusha, going for walks, doing home visits, relaxing and just enjoying the African culture. If needed you can easily arrange taking some days off during the week; once we went to Nairobi (Kenya) for 5 days - a prolonged weekend. Almost everything is possible if you just arrange it with the Mamas at Tumaini and the founders; Cherie (Mama Dee) and Oddo. At Tumaini there is a computer available which was very nice for checking e-mails. However we didn’t succeed in skyping home because of the slow connection. We primarily used the internet at the nearby “Danish Center’ which worked just fine. When coming to Tanzania make sure to bring lots of patience since everything there is running on Hakuna Matata Time (no worries). This means waiting a lot, but you’ll get used to it. We really enjoyed staying at Tumaini and being a part of a new project and a big and loving family. All the kids are so great, and it was incredible experiencing their development and seeing their smiles grow bigger each day. It is something you’ll never forget. While being in Tanzania and learning how the average Tanzanian lives it was really obvious how good life is for the kids now at Tumaini. They are so happy and we definitely believe in the possibility of a nice and bright future for all of them. Before heading to the completely different culture of Africa we were definitely excited, but of course a bit nervous as well. However the whole experience was fantastic and we can only recommend people to come.

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