New volunteers enjoying Swahili Classes

Yesterday our volunteers Jana, Annabel (both from Belgium) and Glynis (from UK) arrived in Arusha.
They are enjoying their first Swahili class right now 🙂
Thank you for coming!

Volunteer Anette

Today we welcome our new volunteer Anette from Switzerland!
She is going to work as a physiotherapist at Mawenzi Hospital in Moshi for six weeks and will stay in our volunteer hostel.

Mawenzi Hospital started in 1920 as a small military dispensary for German soldiers before it became a hospital in 1956. With about 300 beds, 152 nurses and more than 20 doctors, the hospital is very big and busy. The clinic’s services include eye, dental, ultrasonic, physiotherapy, laboratory, general surgery, psychiatry, maternity, mother and child care and family planning. The workers speak English which makes Mawenzi Hospital a very good practical training placement for volunteers with medical experience.

Going Bongo

Did you watch this movie?

If you want to experience volunteering in Tanzania yourself – how it really is – contact us and we will send you more information about our different projects!

Today it’s Girls Day!

Today October 11, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. This year, the theme is ‘Empowering adolescent girls: Ending the cycle of violence.’

The sad reality is that:
– Nearly one in four adolescent girls experience physical violence
– Around 120 million girls under the age of 20 worldwide have experienced forced intercourse or other forced sexual acts.
– Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday – about 250 million entered into union before age 15.
– Approximately 28 million adolescent girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation or cutting in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where it is most common.

Thanks to Unicef Tanzania for sharing these information!

You want to support girls and women in Tanzania?
Volunteer with us in a safe house for girls or women groups against AIDS/HIV!

Volunteer with Projects Overland!

You want to do something good? And help the Tanzanian communities?
Come to volunteer with us! We offer volunteer placements in different areas.
For more information, please contact us or check our website www.projectsoverland.org

14 Things People Who Volunteer Overseas Are Tired Of Hearing

1. You’re so brave

This is something you hear again and again when you tell people you are going to volunteer overseas. In actual fact, at least as far as my experience goes, those of us who have volunteered overseas would not class ourselves as brave. Adventurous maybe, but not necessarily brave. So, the more people who tell you that you are brave for volunteering abroad, the more nervous it actually makes you.

2. There’s no point in volunteering overseas as you won’t make any difference

I think most people who volunteer with an international development agency recognise that they are not going to change the world drastically whilst taking part in a short-term placement, but they know how to celebrate the small wins, and those small wins are important to the bigger picture – lasting, sustainable change will not happen without them.

3. You should help those in need here first, before going abroad

I am sure everyone who has ever volunteered for an international development charity, whether overseas or at home, has faced this at one point or another. In my experience those who volunteer overseas are actually more likely to go on to volunteer or work for charities within their own country too.

4. You are so good for going, you are going to make such a difference

While this phrasing is well-meaning, it has certain connotations that can actually cause more harm than good, particularly as it brings to mind the ‘hero complex’, with the volunteer from the global north swooping in to save the day. For all the good work international volunteers do in the global south, it is nothing compared to what those from the global south actually do to help themselves.

5. Is it not really dangerous?

There seems to be some kind of misconception that if you are volunteering in the global south you must be going to a dangerous country. This is not true at all, extreme poverty does not necessarily equate to extreme violence.

6. You will look after yourself, won’t you?

I feel as though I am just as likely to suffer from a horrific injury whilst walking through the streets of London as I was whilst I was volunteering overseas, so why do people not feel the need to tell me to ‘look after myself’ when I am going to London but they do when I volunteer abroad?

7. I don’t understand why we should fund you to go away on a holiday

For the vast majority of people who volunteer overseas it is anything but a holiday. You generally work five days a week, often for longer than ten hours a day, and you do so whilst having access to few resources. You also become highly skilled at problem solving and being resourceful, as it is the only way to ensure that you can get the work done.

8. Their culture must be so different to ours, what do you even have to talk about?

While cultural differences are a real thing when volunteering overseas, the similarities vastly outnumber these. There were two topics of conversation in particular that transcend cultural boundaries whilst I was volunteering in both South Africa and Tanzania, and they were relationships and football.

9. By volunteering overseas you are actually becoming part of the problem, not part of the solution

While this may be true for some of the volunteer tourism that is so popular nowadays, it is a sweeping generalisation to say it to anyone who does volunteer overseas.

10. Why should we send volunteers to help those suffering abroad, when volunteers do not come over here to help us?

This is not true. There are actually a number of organisations, such as the homeless charity Nightsafe, that host international volunteers from countries all around the world – including those in the global south.

11. Why are you going to volunteer overseas when the people you are trying to help are not helping themselves?

This is simply not true. The vast amount of life-changing work happening in the global south is coming from grassroots organisations and from local people who understand the issues that need addressing.

12. If you are staying with a host family they are probably only doing it for the money they will get

I cannot speak for everyone but this is definitely not my experience. My host family in Tanzania probably spent more money whilst I was there than they received. They wanted us to be there, not for the money, but for the experience and to share their home with someone from a different culture.

13. You won’t know how to do this because you are English

This is something I actually heard a lot whilst working as an international volunteer and it just highlights how important volunteering overseas is in regards to dispelling myths about our own culture as well. For example, as amusing as it is that my host family thought they had to show me how to use a clothes peg and wash a plate, it is also shows that there are cultural stereotypes about westerners that we should be tackling.

14. You could have spent your time doing something better

If I had the time all over again I still do not think there is anything better I could have done than volunteering in South Africa and Tanzania. I learnt so much and I met some of the most amazing people. I cannot express how much both experiences changed my life for the better.

Thanks to WE ARE RESTLESS for this text!

Another review!

Our volunteer/intern Alexander sent us a review:

“Interning at the African Court was an exciting and educational experience, as was living in Arusha, and I am glad to have traveled to Tanzania with Projects Overland. The staff of the organization have tremendous kindness and warmth; Peter, Eva, Katharina, and Abyudi all treated me like family and made me feel very welcome in Arusha. One of the things I was looking for in this trip was an authentic, culturally immersive visit, and I am pleased that Projects Overland provided that: learning basic Swahili (allowing me to converse with neighbors, shopkeepers, and others), commuting via public transportation, and staying with a local host all contributed to a rich experience in which I was integrated into the local community. I appreciate Projects Overland providing me a fulfilling and rewarding introduction to Tanzania.”

Thank you so much for your kind words!

Our Arusha Volunteer Hostel

You don’t want to stay in a host family, but prefer living with other volunteers? No problem! We have a volunteer hostel in Arusha, which is close to our office and has good security. The house is divided into two apartments for five to ten volunteers each. It has a small, very green garden where you can relax and enjoy the Tanzanian sunshine. Inside there is a living room where you can sit together and watch TV or talk about your experiences, a kitchen with all important utensils, and of course bed- and bathrooms.

It is always two to four people per room. The beds have a mosquito net to protect you from insects and you have a small shelf and wardrobe for your personal stuff. The two bathrooms are both spacious and have a shower / bath tub, a mirror, toilet and a shelf for towels etc. The area around is really safe and you walk only few minutes to the main road where you find the dala dala (small mini bus) stop to the city center and other directions. There are also some nice restaurants and small supermarkets in a walking distance. Plus our office! So if you have problems or questions, you can come to consult us anytime. But there is also someone at the hostel who takes care for you, cleans the house and gives her best to make you feel home.

See photos on our website: http://www.projectsoverland.org/volunteer-hostel

It’s hard to say goodbye!

Today it was Janina’s last day with us! She is going to spend some few days in Zanzibar now before she goes back to Switzerland.
It was a great time with her and she also enjoyed volunteering at Pippi House. We will miss her a lot!

And another goodbye! Chris, one of our Swahili students, is leaving Tanzania. Her Swahili is perfect now and we hope to see her again next year 🙂

Our volunteer Alex left last week – back to the US. He was absolutely happy about his internship at the African Court and we already miss him!

 

Visitors from the UK

Yesterday we had a group of visitors from Leicester Grammar School in the UK.

Abiyudi and Eva were happy to receive this group of guests and were introduced as our placement and host family coordinators.

We were surprised how many people can fit into our small office! 🙂

Peter telling our guests about how they can volunteer with Projects Overland.

We are looking forward to a great cooperation with Leicester and their partner Pasua High School in Moshi.