The project
The
Pippi House Foundation was founded in 2011 by Aristides Nshange, who
saw a great need to care for homeless girls and young women and their
children. The foundation runs a women’s shelter, where more than 50
girls and women between the ages of twelve and twenty-six are being
taken care of together with their children. They are all given the
opportunity to attend school or to get an education depending on
their age.
The girls and women came to the shelter to escape poverty, homelessness and other dangerous living conditions. Many of the inhabitants were forced to marry and/or are victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and physical and/or sexual abuse. All girls and young mothers can get medical assistance, counselling, and advocacy. The hope is that all girl go to school, finish their education, and start vocational training as tailor or hair dresser to support the Pippi House itself, in their own workshop and saloon, or learn any other profession to be able to make a living.
Your work
The start of work is flexible at any time between 9am and 10am. The tasks of the volunteers are diverse and mostly freely selectable. You can start your work day with taking care of the young children, giving a hand at the sewing shop or the hair dresser, or helping to approve the administration work at the Pippi House. At around noon, most of the older girls and women will come back from school, and in the afternoon you can help them with their homework and tutoring. Additionally, they are even open to some educational games you might bring along and introduce to them. You will work together with the director Aristides, the grown up girls, and the young children based on your interests and the needs of the project. Some days you might be asked to give a helping hand with the daily cooking, shopping, or cleaning of the compound.
Some
days might not come with a special task to do for you, so you have to
be a bit creative and ask where your help is needed. Once in a while,
you can take some of the girls on a walk through the neighborhood
and listen to their stories and problems. You can help them to
prepare for the next market where they will sell their products, or
you could even start a fundraising campaign. Since most of the girls
were not able to finish school or to attend college, donations are
always needed to ensure a better future for the girls after their
graduation, since schools and colleges in Tanzania are not for free.
Note
Keep in mind that the girls and women were victims of human trafficking, were raped or experienced other horrible things. Please be confidential about what you are being told by the girls and be sensitive about their background. Don’t ask them anything that could make them feel uncomfortable. The women shelter has to remain a safe space for them!
We offer a wide range of activities at affordable volunteer rates like:
1. Hiking/Walking
tours to waterfalls, through forests and around a lake.
2.
Swimming in paradise like hot springs with a glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
3. Cultural tours to Maasai markets and the
possibility to visit different ethnic groups.
4. Coffee plantation
tour to learn about the process from the bean to the finished
product.
5. Safaris to the national parks of the Northern Circuit
(Arusha NP, Lake Manyara NP, Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro
Conservation Area). 6. Climbing Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro.
7.
FREE town tour for all our volunteers!
All pre-arrival support, two airport transfers, orientation tour in Arusha, being taken to the project on the first day, donation to the women shelter in form of our Viva Tanzania volunteer's fund, 24/7 in-country support, accommodation in a dorm, daily breakfast and dinner, lunch is usually provided in the project.
In your program fee the pick up and drop off from/to the airport/bus station are included. One of our friendly staff members, will be at the airport/bus stand with our "Viva Tanzania"-Pick-up-sign, just in time when you plane or bus arrives. And after your volunteer experience - when it's time to say good bye - we will take you to the airport/bus stand for the farewell.
The volunteer house has dorms; each contains
comfortable beds & shelves to store belongings, the maximum is
four people in one room. We try to keep the rooms separated by gender
but can not guarantee this. As storage space is limited in the rooms
please consider packing light, too. Accommodation in a single room is
possible (extra charge).
The hostel is located 25 walking minutes
from the city centre. Although the house is close to the busy town
and is surrounded by a green environment. In the garden we have
different fruits, like bananas and avocado. Our hostel dogs Takwa and
Nala are part of the family and stay in the compound as well. The
house is equipped with hot water showers and the possibility to use
the kitchen through out the day.
Moreover we offer you the possibility to stay with a host family during your volunteering with us. The charges remain the same, but you will get the unique experience of sharing your daily live with and in a Tanzanian family. They will provide you with everything that's necessary. All family members speak English fluently and are very welcoming. As their new family member you will have your own lockable room, featured with a bed and access to the living room, kitchen, bathroom and the beautiful compound. If staying with a guest family, we will of course still provide our 24/7 in-country support by our staff members. For further information please let us know that you are interested in staying in a guest family within your application on Volunteer World.
Breakfast will contain tea and coffee, bread, margarine, honey, jam, peanut butter, as well as fruits and vegetable. Dinner will be international as we cook Tanzanian as well as Western Food. Don‘t worry if you are vegetarian (like Tizia), vegan or have any allergy, we can cope with everything - just let us know. The hostel is also equipped with a fridge and shelves to store your own groceries.
You can start working at
this project any day of the week that suits you.
On your first day
we will do a town tour showing you Arusha, how to use the buses,
where to find ATMs, exchange money and much more.
The next day
one of our staff members will take you to your project showing you
the way and making sure you are always safe.
Women Shelter Activist
Help fighting discrimination and violence against women and children through educating them and support them with their every day life.
$162/week
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