our projects
Our Current Projects
We aim at placing each of our volunteers into projects that best suit their skills and interests. Our partner projects are selected based on criteria of sustainability and their efforts towards education and, above all, based on their credibility and transparency. We are critically aware that not every aid project is a good project! We build on mutual acceptance and tolerance. At STEP Africa we do not make a conceptual difference between voluntary work and internships abroad because we believe that you are always both: A helper and a learner.
STEP Africa Community Outreach
Since 2021, we have been organising the STEP Community Outreach Program – our very own project – in the rural areas of Arusha to reach people who hardly benefit from services in the city. Our social worker Juma organises field visits 2-3 times a week. The outreach program ranges from medical and sexual education, conservation and tree planting, self-determination training, sports and games to handicraft activities. We focus on the skills of our volunteers and the needs of our target group. For these reasons, the Outreach Program is one of the most diverse, sustainable and experiential of our projects and our pride and joy.
Childcare - Babies and Toddlers
We support several day care centers / crèches that look after babies and toddlers from vulnerable families such as single mothers and caregivers, foster families and other difficult living situations who need one thing above all else: A lot of love and attention. The children’s mothers often spend long days at work, where they are not allowed to bring their children, and are therefore dependent on safe care for their offspring. Working with Babies and Toddlers is perfect for volunteers who want to work in a less academical setting and love to spend time with children and offer care and age appropriate activities.
Childcare - Pre-School & Kindergarten
Kindergarten and pre-school in Tanzania are very much influenced by the British school system where teaching starts at age three. Accordingly, the days are already structured rigidly for the young pupils. All our preschools have teachers who teach the children the basics they need to know, yet it is almost impossible to meet the learning needs of all children. And often, fun and games fall by the wayside. This is where our volunteers come in. As assistants, they are mainly responsible for fun and games, artistic and musical elements in the day-to-day care. Teaching assistance, individual support, designing the classrooms and conceptual activities also fall within the scope of our volunteers duties. The children from our free pre-schools live in families who cannot afford private care. Public kindergarten places are virtually unavailable in Tanzania.
Teaching Internship
In particular, trained educators, aspiring teachers and volunteers with a love of teaching and imparting education will enjoy our school projects. Our partner schools all have English as the first language of instruction, so communication with students and teachers is easy. Our schools support students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds who often cannot afford expensive school fees for private schools. Even students who have not reached the national selection process for secondary schools, which guarantees only 20% of students nationwide a free school place after grade 7, are taught in our partner schools free of charge through sponsorships and scholarships or for very affordable school fees. In Tanzania’s schools there is a lot of frontal teaching, which you should be prepared for as a volunteer. In addition to assisting with lessons, there is also a lot of work in the area of supplementing musical, sporting and creative activities on the programme.
Medical & Therapeutical Internship
A medical internship in Tanzania can provide (prospective) professionals with an immeasurable value of experience, because many diseases that are commonplace here are only known from textbooks in the western world. We have already supervised many nursing interns, famulants, nursing trainees but also volunteers from the fields of physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Recognition by the training institution is usually possible without any problems. However, an internship in a medical or nursing facility also means learning one’s own limits, because there is a lack of many things and improvisation is often necessary when caring for patients. A high degree of empathy and pragmatism are basic requirements for an assignment in a hospital.
Girls & Women Empowerment
Our women’s and girls’ projects aim to promote and demand gender equality. The distribution of roles and education in Tanzania are still very conservative for the most part, which means a great danger for many girls. Genital mutilation for cultural reasons, child marriages, rape with resulting teenage pregnancies and absence from school due to lack of menstrual products are part of the sad everyday life for many girls and women. Our projects fight for a change in people’s minds and for women to learn to use their voice. Our volunteers support our projects through education in schools, skill training (e.g. sewing of washable sanitary pads) and the all-round care and provision of young women. The women’s project can be perfectly combined with the STEP Community Outreach Project.
Animal Welfare
Street dogs and cats are a common sight in Tanzania. In Arusha alone, the street dog population is estimated to be in the millions. In a country where people often do not know how to put food on the table themselves, it is not surprising that there is not much left over for the animals. Dogs in particular do not have the status of pets here, but are often locked away and mistreated as guard dogs. It is not common practice to castrate animals, which is why the street dog population keeps growing – and with it the misery of the animals. Our animal welfare project works to help the animals by taking in dogs and cats, providing medical care and placing them in good hands. Helping with vaccination and spay and neuter campaigns is also part of this rewarding program.
Construction Work
Construction and renovation projects are suitable for all volunteers who are skilled and experienced in handicrafts and would like to use their knowledge on site and pass it on to local craftsmen. We almost always have acute renovation or construction needs in at least one project, so volunteers in this area are always welcome. If you have specific skills, please contact us directly so that we can find a suitable place for you to work. Participation in construction projects is only possible after a successful fundraising campaign. Building materials are much cheaper in Tanzania than in western countries, so a lot can be achieved with comparatively little.