Baby Safe Home - Child Care Worker

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

The Cradle of Love Baby Home is a children's home founded in 2004, which only cares for babies and toddlers aged 0 - 3 years. 34 children are currently being looked after in the children's home. Most of the children living there have either been rejected by their biological family or have lost their mothers to complications during childbirth or diseases such as HIV / AIDS and tuberculosis. Cradle of Love is a temporary place to stay for the kids. The aim of the children's home is either to reunite the children with living family members or to find responsible adoptive families for the children without family members. The children's home was founded by an American couple.

The need for care facilities for babies is very high in Tanzania. The maternal mortality rate is 1 in 39, which is why many children have to grow up without their mother. Since the care of newborns is very time-consuming and also expensive due to the milk powder, many children's homes only accept children from the age of 2 years. But the infant mortality rate is also very high in Tanzania, which means that many babies have little chance of surviving the first few months within their biological family without expert care and without breast milk. Cow's milk is often used as a well-meaning substitute for infant milk, but this is extremely harmful to newborns. As soon as the children have “grown out of the worst” in the children's home, they can be reunited with their family.

Many of the children who live in the Cradle of Love Baby Home were left as newborns in the hospital or abandoned on the side of the road, in fields and in front of houses. The reasons for this are varied and often go hand in hand with the boundless despair of mothers who are unable to raise their child due to poverty, illness or due to family pressure among underage girls.

For these children, the children's home is looking for foster and adoptive families who can offer the children a safe home. Unfortunately, the adoption law in Tanzania is very strict. According to this, only married couples who are at least 25 years old, at least 21 years older than the child and live in Tanzania for at least 3 years can legally adopt. Volunteers should be aware of these hurdles when working in the children's home, because you usually inevitably fall in love with a certain child.

The Baby Home is located out of the Arusha City Center in a suburb called Usa River. Usa is like a small town on its own and you can even find a german bakery and cafe to relax during your lunch break (when all the little ones are having a nap). The house where the children stay is modern and clean with green gardens all around. The staff is super friendly and well organized. 

Baby Home Volunteer Policy 

We are looking for people who are:

PROACTIVE - Join in and organize activities for the toddlers, see what needs to be done for the other babies or to assist the staff.

PATIENT - Things move slowly in Africa. Relax and enjoy the slow pace. Remember that life here is not as organized and predictable as life in America or Europe!

FLEXIBLE - Plans change and we need you to "go with the flow" so to speak. For instance, you may be working with the toddlers for the most part, but we may need to have you work with the babies, if a caregiver is not at work.

CONSIDERATE - We do not have a lot of rules and restrictions for our volunteers. However, we do ask that you respect the ones that we do have.

RESPECTFUL-There are times when you may not agree with, or understand our decisions or direction. Although your suggestions are welcome, your faith, respect and consideration for our long-term work and commitment will be appreciated.

FRIENDLY-Tanzanians are warm and friendly people. Don't be afraid to make friends and learn some Kiswahili. You may learn more about Tanzanian life and culture than you ever thought possible.

TOLERANT - The food, culture, smells and sounds will be unfamiliar to you at first. We recommend that you experience Tanzanian life to it's fullest. You will be surprised at how quickly you will adapt.

SENSE OF HUMOR - Once again--Life here is NOT what you are used to! The electricity WILL go out. The water supply WILL cut off. You WILL have to take cold showers and use candles from time to time. Service WILL be slow in restaurants, banks, supermarkets... Keep cool and use your sense of humor while still being respectful. Learn to handle difficult situations with patience, tolerance and a SMILE.

DEDICATED - We trust that you are coming to volunteer to truly reach out and touch the lives of others. This is not a vacation (although you will have time to travel and see around), and this is not a way to escape issues that you may have with family or situations back home! Volunteering is about helping others and learning that when you do that, you will find happiness in your own life. “

The Cradle of Love is our only project where volunteers work in shifts. These include day and night shifts all 7 days of the week, as helping hands are needed around the clock at the baby home. Volunteers who want to work full time attend 5-6 shifts a week, a part time assignment consists of 2-3 shifts respectively and can be combined with another of our projects. Day shifts typically start at 8am and end at 4pm.Night shifts go from 5pm until 7am the next day. It is mandatory for all volunteers to follow the shift plan in order to support the babies and staff in the most effective way. 

Between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. there is usually a longer lunch break during which the children take their afternoon nap. This time can be used at leisure or to help employees with household chores, manage fundraisers etc. During the night the biggest need is in the nursery room, where the very young babies live and need their bottle and diaper change every other hour. 

Upon arrival you will sign in at the baby home office and head to your allocated age group. You will there receive news and updates on the children from the nannies of the night shift / day shift. 

The project is based in Arusha, Tanzania. There are several free time activities volunteers can engage in. We organize Safaris, mountain climbs and shorter tours like hiking, horse riding, visit to a nearby massai village, trip to the hotsprings and waterfalls, coffee tours, etc. to the nearer surroundings at affordable rates. We always make sure, that all guides and staffs are being paid fair wages. At the same time there are lots of things you can do during your free time or at the weekends in Arusha itself. There are different markets like second hand market, spice markets or massai market, as well as typical african restaurants and bars. Furthermore, the area you will live is very beautiful and you can either go to a lake and do canoeing or you can go to a lodge with a pool near to the hostel to relax for little money. Our other volunteers from the hostel will be happy to show you everything and if you join them at your free weekends!