Watoto Wetu (TZA-4)


Type: Socially Excluded Groups: Street children - Country: Tanzania

Brief description and main aims

Watoto Wetu is an orphanage that hosts orphans and street kids. It provides non-formal education to children who have never attended any classes so they can later join secondary school. The orphanage is home to more than 50 children from the age of 3 to 18, and it supports another 100 children by paying tuition and boarding school for them.

The orphanage runs a nursery school, tuition classes and a form one preparatory course. It also offers computer classes, drawing classes and various leisure time programs.

Evans Tegete, who at the time was an English teacher in a governmental secondary school, founded the project in 1998, and registered it as an NGO in 2001.

Main Activities

Watoto Wetu's mission is to provide better living conditions to orphans and street children by giving them a place to live and by offering them the education they need in order to later become independent adults.

Local and international volunteers work in the project, including some of the people who used to live in the orphanage and are now studying at university. The matron and the cook are the only paid staff and they live in loco.

Most of the previous volunteers sponsor one or two children and pay for their school fees. Offering training courses to students from the neighbourhood, who pay a small tuition fee for the classes they take, also finances the orphanage.

Volunteer tasks

Volunteers are welcome to support the orphanage and training centre in all areas, depending on their interests and skills, including:

  • Childcare
  • Teaching a class in pre-school or nursery school
  • Teaching English or other courses, such as Math and Science to older students
  • Helping the children with their homework
  • Supporting the management with accounts and project development

Daily tasks are flexible. A typical day at Watoto Wetu starts at 8 a.m and until 2 p.m, volunteers can help teaching classes. In the afternoon, volunteers can play with the orphans and help them with their homework, otherwise they can run English classes or other courses to older students.

Volunteer requirements / Skills

This project is suitable for both skilled and unskilled volunteers who:

  • Are at least 18 years of age at the time of arrival
  • Have a good knowledge of spoken and written English
  • Enjoy spending time with children and youth

Location

After shifted from Kimara because of the road construction, the project has office in Dar es Salaam at Mbezi as sub office; and in Coastal region, Chalinze at Mazizi the way to Arusha as a head quarter.

Hosting Situation (Board and Lodging)

The volunteer can stay in the project that offers a shared room with another volunteer sometimes, three meals a day and boiled water.

More Information

  • ATMs are available in the area
  • Volunteers can bring toys, clothes and books for the children

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