Join our Volunteer Team!
“I’ve never seen so much gratitude and hope” - Eduardo Lins Henrique (Karimu volunteer)
“We received more than we gave” - Viviane Oliveira (Karimu volunteer)
More than two hundred volunteers from around the world have enjoyed this life-changing experience, and for many of them a Karimu trip is not a once-only event. They make friends that they want to see again and they want to keep helping Karimu do meaningful work.
Karimu trips can be organized year-round and we invite anyone who wants a cultural immersion and wants to make a difference in a community. The trips can be tailored for a specific group, such as an organization or company.
Karimu also offers remote volunteer work throughout the year. In fact, outside of Tanzania everyone who works for Karimu is a volunteer, so almost all of our donated funds go to Tanzania.
But whether you want to travel with us or volunteer in other ways, we welcome you.
There is a lot of value to joining a volunteer trip as you can see from these testimonials by past volunteers. Your presence is enormously appreciated by the community. Tanzanians often say “feel as if you are at home” and they mean it because they are grateful that you have traveled far to work with them on eliminating poverty and offering a better future for their children.
Immerse yourself in local culture as you take part in the community’s daily life and work side by side with our Tanzanian staff.Activities may vary yearly depending on the community's needs and what they prioritize. We emphasize that a Karimu volunteer trip does not always fit the mold of what many think of as “volunteer work.” A Karimu volunteer often serves as an ambassador, ror example by visiting a Karimu-trained entrepreneur and his/her business and accepting hospitality in their home, you will strengthen the bond between Karimu and the community. The entrepreneur takes great pride that Karimu volunteers have taken the time to come to his home, and he is uplifted as a model in the community encouraging others to reap the benefits of working with Karimu.
Activities – chosen to suit your talents and interests – may include the following:
-
Assist a lead volunteer teacher in classes in primary schools
-
Assist in construction or painting of a Karimu project in progress
-
Paint murals on Karimu constructed schools
-
Perform maintenance checks for past construction projects
-
Check and map all water assets
-
Update Karimu’s Google Map to include Arri sights and projects
-
Train medical staff or provide general first aid training for teachers
-
Create of video content and pictures for Karimu social media and website
-
Organize and participate in a sports day with local children
-
Play games with high school students
-
Attend movie night at Ayalagaya Secondary/High School
-
Audit Karimu inventory and accounting
-
Train staff or others in using Google tools (calendar, drive, etc.) on your smartphone
-
Purchase clothes for donation (requires willingness to bargain at the market in Babati)
Other activities may included
-
Attend a savings group meetings
-
Attend an entrepreneurship training
-
Visit the clinic on vaccination day
-
Visit some entrepreneurs
-
Meet vanilla and/or green bean farmers
Daily Schedule and Accomodations
Volunteers are hosted at the Agriculatural Institute which used to be an agricultural college in rural Tanzania. Accommodations are basic and comfortable. Each chalet where the volunteers stay includes two bedrooms, a living room, and an outdoor courtyard where the washing sink, bathroom, and shower are located.
Meals are simple, but nutritious. Generally they will consist of a kind of meat with rice or Ugali (a traditional porridge made from white maize) and beans.
A typical daily schedule is as follows:
-
07:00 - Breakfast
-
07:45 -Walk to the different project sites (taxi can be arranged if needed at additional cost)
-
12:00 - Lunch: served a central location where wifi will usually be available
-
16:30 - Walk back to the institute
-
17:30 - Time to shower, relax, wash clothes, etc.
-
18:30 - Listen to a cultural talk by our staff or by another volunteer
-
19:00 - Dinner, debrief the day, games, practice group dance
Trip Oversight
Dominic Parker (Dom), Director of Operations Green Light Ventures (GLV). will organize the trip, logistics, schedule, and your safety and well-being. Dom has direct experience with Tanzania culture as he has lived in the country for two years. He now divides his time between the UK and Tanzania. In addition, Green Light Ventures offers a three-day safari at the end of your trip—if you so choose.
Participation requirements — Trip dates for 2025 June 29 to July 11
-
Adult volunteers must have donated at least $3,000 in the last three years or $1,000 in the last year, but exceptions can be made for individuals with skills specifically needed to run a project on the ground who have volunteered a hundred hours or more for Karimu in the last year
-
Cost: $1,450 (excluding airfare) for transfers to and from the airport, meals and accommodations, and the services of Tanzanian staff members acting as guides and translators. .
- Safari and other activities are optional and vary in price. Karimu does not organize safaris, but we partner with Greenlight Ventures (www.greenlightventures.co.uk) who organize groups and can point you to other safari companies.
Join our Volunteer Team!
“I’ve never seen so much gratitude and hope” - Eduardo Lins Henrique (Karimu volunteer)
“We received more than we gave” - Viviane Oliveira (Karimu volunteer)
More than two hundred volunteers from around the world have enjoyed this life-changing experience, and for many of them a Karimu trip is not a once-only event. They make friends that they want to see again and they want to keep helping Karimu do meaningful work.
Karimu trips can be organized year-round and we invite anyone who wants a cultural immersion and wants to make a difference in a community. The trips can be tailored for a specific group, such as an organization or company.
Karimu also offers remote volunteer work throughout the year. In fact, outside of Tanzania everyone who works for Karimu is a volunteer, so almost all of our donated funds go to Tanzania.
But whether you want to travel with us or volunteer in other ways, we welcome you.
There is a lot of value to joining a volunteer trip as you can see from these testimonials by past volunteers. Your presence is enormously appreciated by the community. Tanzanians often say “feel as if you are at home” and they mean it because they are grateful that you have traveled far to work with them on eliminating poverty and offering a better future for their children.
Immerse yourself in local culture as you take part in the community’s daily life and work side by side with our Tanzanian staff.Activities may vary yearly depending on the community's needs and what they prioritize. We emphasize that a Karimu volunteer trip does not always fit the mold of what many think of as “volunteer work.” A Karimu volunteer often serves as an ambassador, ror example by visiting a Karimu-trained entrepreneur and his/her business and accepting hospitality in their home, you will strengthen the bond between Karimu and the community. The entrepreneur takes great pride that Karimu volunteers have taken the time to come to his home, and he is uplifted as a model in the community encouraging others to reap the benefits of working with Karimu.
Activities – chosen to suit your talents and interests – may include the following:
-
Assist a lead volunteer teacher in classes in primary schools
-
Assist in construction or painting of a Karimu project in progress
-
Paint murals on Karimu constructed schools
-
Perform maintenance checks for past construction projects
-
Check and map all water assets
-
Update Karimu’s Google Map to include Arri sights and projects
-
Train medical staff or provide general first aid training for teachers
-
Create of video content and pictures for Karimu social media and website
-
Organize and participate in a sports day with local children
-
Play games with high school students
-
Attend movie night at Ayalagaya Secondary/High School
-
Audit Karimu inventory and accounting
-
Train staff or others in using Google tools (calendar, drive, etc.) on your smartphone
-
Purchase clothes for donation (requires willingness to bargain at the market in Babati)
Other activities may included
-
Attend a savings group meetings
-
Attend an entrepreneurship training
-
Visit the clinic on vaccination day
-
Visit some entrepreneurs
-
Meet vanilla and/or green bean farmers
Daily Schedule and Accomodations
Volunteers are hosted at the Agriculatural Institute which used to be an agricultural college in rural Tanzania. Accommodations are basic and comfortable. Each chalet where the volunteers stay includes two bedrooms, a living room, and an outdoor courtyard where the washing sink, bathroom, and shower are located.
Meals are simple, but nutritious. Generally they will consist of a kind of meat with rice or Ugali (a traditional porridge made from white maize) and beans.
A typical daily schedule is as follows:
-
07:00 - Breakfast
-
07:45 -Walk to the different project sites (taxi can be arranged if needed at additional cost)
-
12:00 - Lunch: served a central location where wifi will usually be available
-
16:30 - Walk back to the institute
-
17:30 - Time to shower, relax, wash clothes, etc.
-
18:30 - Listen to a cultural talk by our staff or by another volunteer
-
19:00 - Dinner, debrief the day, games, practice group dance
Trip Oversight
Dominic Parker (Dom), Director of Operations Green Light Ventures (GLV). will organize the trip, logistics, schedule, and your safety and well-being. Dom has direct experience with Tanzania culture as he has lived in the country for two years. He now divides his time between the UK and Tanzania. In addition, Green Light Ventures offers a three-day safari at the end of your trip—if you so choose.
Participation requirements — Trip dates for 2025 June 29 to July 11
-
Adult volunteers must have donated at least $3,000 in the last three years or $1,000 in the last year, but exceptions can be made for individuals with skills specifically needed to run a project on the ground who have volunteered a hundred hours or more for Karimu in the last year
-
Cost: $1,450 (excluding airfare) for transfers to and from the airport, meals and accommodations, and the services of Tanzanian staff members acting as guides and translators. .
- Safari and other activities are optional and vary in price. Karimu does not organize safaris, but we partner with Greenlight Ventures (www.greenlightventures.co.uk) who organize groups and can point you to other safari companies.