Environmental Conservation Assistant

Youth In Action Against Poverty and HIV/AIDS (YAAPHA) is a non profit organization that strives to stop environmental destruction and raise conservation awareness in Tanzanian society. We have limited funding for such activities and welcome volunteers who are willing to help at Urambo District in Tabora Region and Gombe National Park in Kigoma Region.

An environmental conservation assistant works together with the organization's coordinator to develop and implement programs, lectures and seminars geared at raising awareness on environmental conservation issues. These sessions would take place in Urambo District and Kigoma in Tanzania mainland including visits to village communities and schools.

Each presentation is targeted at the conservation issues at that particular location. Presentations at different sites are both in theory and practice (whenever possible).

For example, schools may require school ground clean-ups, tree planting tasks in the school yards etc. These projects may include a small reward for the student or group of students that accomplish the most in their conservation tasks.

Environmental conservation assistants should have a keen interest in environmental conservation issues. Enjoy working with large groups of people and school age children. Someone with environmental skills/knowledge would be a bonus but not mandatory. However, volunteers should have the stamina to work outdoors in the Tanzanian climate.

Volunteer Tasks Required

Prepare Presentations

An environmental conservation assistant first works with the director of the organization to determine which communities most need environmental conservation assistance. Then the volunteer works on preparing presentations according to the needs of the targeted communities.

School Presentations

An environmental conservation assistant works with the coordinator of the organization to develop and implement environmental education presentations and projects for schools requiring conservation knowledge. The organization's staff will first consult personnel in these schools to determine if they are agreeable to such arrangements and if so what school grades would be involved so that the presentations could be directed at the right grade and age level.

 Organize Prizes for Students

An environmental conservation assistant may work with the organization's staff to determine if some type of reward or prize could be given to the student or group of students that accomplished the best success on their assignment. This encourages the students to learn fast and pay attention during their presentation training.

 Community Presentations

You work from Monday to Friday.

Free time activities provided to our volunteers are as follows:

• drawing and painting with children
  
• social activities like cleanliness to our schools, visiting people living with HIV/AIDS and elders (home based care)
  
• gym 
  
• riding 
  
• swimming 
  
• cooking: Our volunteers will learn how to cook different type of Tanzanian food during their free time. 
  
• sports
  

Note: During the free time the volunteer will do whatever he/she wants to do. It's not mandatory.