Dog and Cat Shelter Assistant

We are STEP Africa – Exchange for Change, a Tanzanian social enterprise that was founded in German-Tanzanian cooperation in 2014. We organize and supervise meaningful and ethical volunteer placements and internships in Arusha, Northern Tanzania. Till date we have hosted over 500 interns and volunteers from all over the world.

With our programs we aim to contribute towards international understanding and give our participants intercultural and global ability to act. With the support of our participants we are committed to worthy projects and initiatives in Tanzania. We believe that working together in intercultural teams by exchanging ideas and viewpoints will let everyone involved, Organizations such as volunteers and interns, benefit in the long run.

Our team combines relevant qualifications and many years of experience in project coordination, volunteer mediation and social work in Tanzania and abroad. Our supervisors are available as contact persons on site at any time for our volunteers and projects. We offer our volunteers the opportunity to use their knowledge in Tanzania to get involved in meaningful projects and to gain valuable professional experience in different fields such as Social Work, Women’s Rights, Primary Schools, Daycare Center, Health Care, Animal Welfare and Environmental Protection.

We firmly believe in the power of change through intercultural exchange. With our programs we promote and demand equal rights and cultural tolerance. We place our volunteers exclusively in projects in which they can gain valuable experience for their future. Our volunteers do not replace local employees. Volunteers are assistants who offer support to local staff and, for example, perform tasks for which there is otherwise too little time. It is important to us that we only place our volunteers in projects that share our values towards international volunteering.

Our Volunteers are encouraged to start fundraisers for their respective institutions in Tanzania before, during or after their stay in Arusha. We have experienced great success with this in the past and present and saw our volunteers making great impacts in this area as well. We are connected to several European NGOs founded by our former volunteers that are continuing to support and promote their former work institutions here in Tanzania.

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Project description 

Mbwa wa Africa ("African dog") is a small animal shelter on the edge of the Arusha National Park, which was founded in 2012 by two Germans. The shelter takes in injured and abused street dogs, treats them and then places them in responsible hands. In the first year, more than 100 dogs were brought off the streets and placed in a species-appropriate home. Often also cats are taken into the shelter until they have found a good home.

The shelter is the only one of its kind in Arusha. With an estimated street dog population of over 100,000 dogs in Arusha alone, it is understandable that the shelter is constantly overcrowded. For this reason, Mbwa wa Africa plans to build a larger animal shelter in the future, which can offer more dogs a safe haven. A suitable piece of land was already purchased and in the first phase the construction of a veterinary clinic is planned. Mbwa wa Africa is also carrying out systematic castration and vaccination campaigns to put an end to the government's current practice of regularly shooting street dogs to control the population. The biggest challenge of the shelter is to find a new and above all appropriate and safe new home for the dogs. For most people in Tanzania, dogs have less the status of a family member than that of a protective dog. As a result, they are often kept on chains or locked up during the day so that they become particularly aggressive at night. For this reason, the team is always happy when their dogs find families or future owners all around their world that are willing to adopt a street dog from Tanzania.

STEP Africa offers you the opportunity to volunteer for animal protection in Tanzania. This project is also particularly suitable for volunteers who come from the veterinary field or are aiming for a corresponding education / degree. All volunteers are always welcome in the shelter!

Many of the dogs are traumatized and require special attention and care. Orphaned puppies are sometimes also taken in and need to be fed and cared for regularly. All dogs are walked twice a day, and helping hands are always needed here too. The care of sick and injured dogs, as well as the teaching of basic commands are among the tasks of volunteers.