The Msamaria Center For Street Children is currently working on several different projects which aim to improve the lives of the children at the center.
However, at this time please refrain from making monetary donations. It would be better to visit the center and become a part of the projects that you envision creating. In this way you can see how your investment directly benefits the children while taking a more active role in the physical creation of a specific project and transferring knowledge in the process.
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COMING TO TANZANIA
Before you come to Tanzania there are a few things that you must do before you leave.
- Vaccinations
- Prior to your departure make sure to talk to your doctor to review all the necessary vaccinations required for living in Tanzania for an extended period of time.
- In order to enter the country you must have a vaccination for Yellow Fever.
- It’s recommended to get both Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccinations
- It’s also very important to speak with your doctor about taking Malaria prevention medication.
*The healthcare in Moshi is first-rate. There are many small clinics that maintain good quality standards and Moshi is home to one of Tanzania’s largest hospitals the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (http://www.kcmc.ac.tz/).
Employment Visa
- You can apply for an employment visa in Tanzania, BUT you are not allowed to work until the day you get the visa. So if you want to be sure of that you can start work as soon as you arrive in Tanzania, then its best if you apply for the appropriate visa while you are still in your home country.
- To apply for the visa you have to contact The Embassy of Tanzania in your country. Sometimes it can take a long time to get your visa, so make sure you plan accordingly.
*Currently an employment visa costs $120 USD (April 2009
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LIFE AS A VOLUTEER
There are many different ways a volunteer can decide to live in Moshi. As a volunteer you have the opportunity to have a wide selection of housing options. You can choose between staying with a family, in a guest house or have your own apartment/house.
Family Housing
- If you are interested to see and experience the real Tanzanian culture we would recommend you to stay with a family. The family will help you with all the things you need. If you have an interest in learning how to cook local dishes, the family will be more than happy to show and teach you.
- If you want to find out more about living with a family in Tanzania read about Anja’s experience. à (LINK HERE)
Private Accommodation
- If you want your own place and privacy we would recommend you to choose a guest house/apartment/house. A guest house means that you will rent your own room but you will share toilet and shower with the rest of the people who are living there. This option is for someone who wants to stay for a very small amount of money, but also meet new people since a guest house can be compared to a hostel. Though, since you are only renting one room there is no possibility for you to cook (if you don’t buy your own gas cooker).
- If you are looking for something bigger, then you have the possibility to rent an apartment or house. You can either rent one room or a whole apartment/house. This may seem very expensive but it is not. Depending on the location and standard you prefer the prices start from 3000 tsh per night and up.
*OBS! Don’t forget that cheap is good but safety is better. Always make sure that the place where you are staying is a safe place and that the security is good before you move in.
RELATIONSHIPS
As a volunteer at Msamaria it is important to think about keeping a “distance” from the children. “Distance” means that you should keep all children on the same level of personal relationship. You should not reject them, but at the same time not keep them too close. This can sometimes be difficult, since by nature people tend to get along better or less better with different children and adults. But it is at the same time inappropriate to show that you prefer one child more than another child.
If you provide special attention to one child it often creates more damage than good to the group. The other children can get jealous and begin thinking bad thoughts about themselves. This will lead to various self-esteem issues.
They may think:
“What am I doing wrong?”
“Why does he/she get more love and care then I do?”
“Why can’t I get that kind of attention?”
Sometimes it can happen that the child who receives extra attention gets bullied by the other children – which can cause many social problems in the long-run.
As a volunteer, your purpose is to assist these children develop in a healthy environment. It is extremely important to treat all children as equals. Often street children come from rough backgrounds that may be difficult for you to understand, but should certainly not result in unequal or bad treatment from volunteers in reaction to the child’s rough behaviour.
With simple guidelines it is easy to prevent these kinds of problems:
- Treat all children equally.
- Do not buy things for one child, or a small group of children. If you buy or do something for the children, give the same amount to all.
- If you lend the children something, lend to everybody, and make sure that it is not a gift.
- Listen and talk, or do any other activity, with all children. Don’t reject or just spend time with “the favorite”.
- Read the signals that the children are sending; No is No & Yes is Yes.
- USE COMMON SENSE!
This may seem to be obvious, but sometimes it is hard to recognize. The Msamaria staff and volunteers will help you if you feel uncomfortable or need some kind of guidedance.
Don’t forget that you are only there for a short-period of time. If a child creates a special bond with you the child can get very hurt when you eventually leave him/her and the Msamaria Center. We do not want to create trust issue between the volunteers and the children.
Never make promises unless you are 100% sure that they will come true!
A common question is:
“Can I come with/come to visit you in your country?”
Instead of answering yes or no – try to encourage them to do something good, by saying something like:
“Education can open many doors for you, if you study you can earn a scholarship to come visit me.”
It is also important to remember that whether you want to or not, during your time at Msamaria, you will become a part of the center. How big a part you become depends on various situations, but never-the-less you will become a major influence in the lives of the children.
Your time at Msamaria will be unforgettable and when you go back home, always remember the children and your experiences because the children will most certainly never forget you.
Hello!
We are three women from Germany presently volunteering at Msamaria-Center for street children, and we would like to tell you a little something about our work and experiences.
But first of all let us introduce ourselves:
Tanja (25) is studying social work in Berlin. She decided to do her 5-month lasting internship at Msamaria.
Veronika (22) is studying medicine and takes advantage of her holiday break to get insight in a field beyond her studies.
Anja (26) studied special education. The experiences within the work in the center also prepare her for the Master study “education for street children” which she will start later this year.
So what exactly are we doing at Msamaria?
Our main job is to teach the informal classes in the center, which prepare the children for state school. Mainly we are teaching English and Mathematics. Because our students are between 8 and 17 years old, it is necessary to provide individual and differentiated assignments and coaching. In addition we offer various leisure activities like creative working or sports activities.
However, not only our children learn from us, it´s also the other way round:
Our job at Msamaria not only demands self dependent work and flexibility from us, but also a lot of empathy and understanding for the present disposition and the special needs of the children. Beyond this we also extend our Kiswahili-skills by being and communicating with the children.
To work with the children at Msamaria means many impressions and experiences and it changes and contributes to our points of views in different ways. Although there are also frustrating or disappointing moments (for example due to the language barriers) we really enjoy the work in total and none of us would like to miss the time at Msamaria!
If you are also interested in volunteering in a center for street children: karibuni sana Msamaria – welcome to Msamaria!
Teacher For Non-Formal Students
At The Msamaria Center For Street Children we have non-formal students that need teachers in mathematics, English and Swahili.
You can also teach them in arts, music and dance. We have a small collection of drums (djembe) which can be used for teaching purposes. Arts, music and dance are often very appreciated by the children.
Volunteers from all over the world are welcome to teach the non-formal students. By doing this we prepare them for government school.
Project Management
Many volunteers come to Msamaria and want to run a project. It does not have to be a big project, but you should however try to do it properly and seriously.
If you choose to run a project which costs money, you will save both time and energy by doing the fund raising prior to your start at Msamaria. Sometimes it may seem hard and difficult to do fund raising, but you will open many doors and save time and energy if you have the possibility to raise adequate funding. It is a pure pleasure to witness first-hand where and how your funds are invested.
Before you start your project, be sure to discuss/plan with the Msamaria staff to make sure your idea is needed at the center and how best to approach the situation.
Describe Your Project:
- What do you want to do?
- Why do you want to do this?
- How are you going to do it?
- How can the center continue what you started, if it is needed?
Project Planning
If someone decides or has decided to donate money to your project, how will you present your results to them?
Work together with the local staff. They know how things work best in their community. The thing you have in your mind might work out differently from what you are used to.
The staff is also willing to listen to your ideas. Share your opinions and vision openly and make sure that your ideas are expressed in a clear and concise manner.
Ideas are good but to make them reality you must make sure all sides clearly understand what the outcomes will be and what is necessary to achieve them. AND by all means, don’t make promises that you cannot live up to.
At the Msamaria Center the staff is open to new exciting ideas – Please don’t hesitate to contact our partner if you have any activities or interests that you would like to share with us that may improve the lives of the children living at the center.