Volunteers | Gap Years | Working holidays | Volunteer work abroad

Building projects - Tanzania

Join a variety of local building projects in a beautiful rural location, working with a small charity called Village Africa.

Start date	Flexible
Duration	2-12 weeks (can be extended)
Price	2 weeks: £628, 3 weeks: £692, extra weeks £60 per week
Number of volunteers	1-6

About the building projects and your work

In the villages of Yamba and Milingano there are a number of building projects that are being undertaken with the assistance of Village Africa. These are all 'local' projects so volunteers will work closely with local builders, carpenters and labour.

The project you will do depends on what is in progress at the time but ongoing work includes the building and renovation of classrooms, health posts, accommodation and toilets.

You will receive training appropriate to the project and you will work under the supervision of Village Africa staff. Volunteers work Monday to Friday with weekends off to explore the local area.

Click here for more information about the charity Village Africa.

Lifestyle and accommodation

A huge part of the adventure of Tanzania is the environment you will live and work in. The villages are in an extremely beautiful area with a mixture of forest and farmland. There is lots of wildlife including dikdiks, rabbits, chameleons and birds. The people who live here are subsistence farmers and, despite it being fertile, are incredibly poor.

Volunteers live together in simple houses in the village. A housegirl is employed to fetch water, shop, cook and clean and a watchman is employed to oversee the houses at night.

You will soon adapt to the Tanzanian way of life that is dictated by the hours of daylight. With the absence of electricity, waking hours become fairly similar to daylight hours. You will have plenty of free time to relax, enjoy Africa and get to know local people. There are also some great hiking opportunities in the area including viewpoints of Kilimanjaro and the Tanzania/Kenya border, waterfalls and historical caves.

What's included

Travel advice and assistance
A comprehensive information booklet
Pick up and drop off at Tanga
Transfers to the village
Local introductions and tours
Training for the building project, including health & safety
Accommodation (shared with other volunteers)
Food (main meals) is included for 2-3 week placements
Ongoing support, help and advice from the Village Africa team

What's not included

Flights (£450-£600), visa (£38), general living costs (£40-£50 per week), travel insurance.

The benefit and requirements

By providing new and renovated buildings there is great benefit to the local community, schools, healthcare and the running of the charity.

The volunteer fee for this placement has been kept as low as possible, so volunteers are encouraged to do additional fundraising towards the costs of the building projects themselves.

Volunteers need to be in good health and able to undertake the physical nature of building work.

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.

Next steps and how to apply

Please contact us if you would like to discuss the placement, or go to the how to apply section where you can apply online or download an application form. For views from past volunteers see our testimonials.