Highlights
• Experience social entrepreneurship in a local community
• Share in a multicultural experience and expand your world view
• Contribute your business and/or creative skills to improve our work
• Live the Tanzanian life. Hakuna Matata! Enjoy the cultural and tourist attractions in and around Arusha Tanzania
About the program
You will be working at Afrikan Wear Design, a small social enterprise project with the mission to train community members in handicraft and entrepreneurial skills and help improve the living standards of our community.
Us
Since our founding in 2009, we have trained over 500 community members and helped them become financially independent. At our workshop in beautiful Arusha Tanzania, we create a variety of handicrafts, including woven scarves and throws made with locally sourced cotton using historical weaving methods, beaded jewelry, and handbags and other sewn products made from elaborate traditional African prints in bright exuberant colours.
Mama Hokororo, along with other mamas, came together to begin a crochet group to help enrich the lives of local women. This once small textiles group quickly grew into a local business, supplying hand-crafted woven goods, jewelry, printed fabric and clothing. Afrikan Wear employs community members who have faced struggles with poverty, providing an opportunity for women to achieve independence, a profession for young men and women who had to leave school early, and a place of refuge, with hot meals and a place to stay. Their door is always open to their community for a delicious ’Tamu’ plate of ugali and veggies.
The program
Our volunteers help us improve the lives of our community members by contributing their unique skills and fresh ideas to our business, with opportunities to learn new skills. Volunteers stay at The Woven House, a small guesthouse in a quiet neighborhood located approximately 6 km from the Afrikan Wear workshop and 7.5 km from Arusha city center. Room, full board and airport transportation are included in the program fees. You will spend most weekdays at the workshop, with plenty of free time to enjoy the many sites in and around Arusha or relax at the Woven House. On weekends, we can help you arrange a variety of sightseeing activities.
You
We are looking for anyone who is eager to contribute to our project’s success. In particular, we welcome individuals with business experience and skills, including marketing, social media content creation, management, and product development. Creative skills, including fashion design, graphics design, photography, and videography, as well as experienced jewelry makers, weavers, sewers, and carpenters are also much needed. In addition, we invite those wishing to learn how to create traditional African handicrafts. Our program is open to anyone who is interested, open, and passionate about contributing to our community.
Choosing this program will give you the chance for a unique and authentic experience, living the Tanzanian life and gaining first-hand experience in serving our community and operating a small business in Africa.
Location
The Afrikan Wear workshop, your workplace, is situated in Moshono, a safe and green neighborhood of Arusha (Arusha Region, Tanzania). Located 2.8km (1.7 miles) from the busy city center, it is easily reachable by public transportation or taxi.
Arusha is the third largest city in Tanzania, located at the foot of beautiful Mt. Meru and a hub for popular tourist attractions, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, Sarengeti National Park and the other safari parks of the Northern Circuit. The city is also a diplomatic hub for East Africa and features museums, bustling markets and modern cafes. Arusha enjoys a temperate climate with low humidity year-round and little rainfall most of the year.
Typical day
We tailor our volunteer experiences to the unique skills and interests of individual volunteers, so their days vary. A typical day would begin with breakfast at the Woven House, followed by a short ride to the Afrikan Wear Design workshop. At the workshop, you might learn to make jewelry and other handicrafts, help cook a traditional Tanzanian lunch, and help out with other business and design projects. You will also have time to chat with your colleagues and learn about the struggles people face in Tanzanian society. In the afternoons, you will have time to explore Arusha or relax at the Woven House, before enjoying a delicious dinner.
What’s Included
Services by Woven Connect
Volunteer fees include the following:
• submission fees
• accommodation
• food (full board)
• airport pick up and drop off
N.B. Volunteer World only allows stays up to 12 weeks for our project. If a volunteer wishes to stay longer, we can discuss possible arrangements. The visa extension will cost $250 (for a 3-month visa), to be covered by the volunteer. Volunteers will receive a 40% discount on room and board for the remainder of their stay.
Airport Pickup at Kilimanjaro International Airport
Someone will be waiting for you at the airport with a sign with your name 🙂
And you will be dropped at the airport at the end of your time with us!
Accommodation
We offer accommodation in our volunteer house, Woven House.
The Woven House is a hostel located in Block D, Njiro Arusha, in a quiet well-secured neighborhood. The house is 7.5 km from Clock Tower, Arusha’s city center, 54 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport, and 22 km from Arusha Airport. Public transportation, as well as shops, are within walking distance less than 1km/0.5mile away. Supermarkets, ATMs, bars, and a cinema are between 2.5km to 4km from the house. On clear days, you can see Mt Meru – the second tallest mountain in Tanzania from the house. Views of Mount Kilimanjaro are a short distance from the house.
The space is really clean and cozy waiting for you!
Full-time staff at the Woven House will make you feel at home!
Transportation from Woven House to the Afrikan Wear project workshop is a short taxi or dala dala (bus) ride away.
Food & Beverages
Breakfast and dinner are provided at the house. Lunch is provided at the project workshop.
Internet Access
Good wi-fi access is available at the Woven House.
Free-time activities
We can organize a wide range of activities at affordable volunteer rates, including:
1. Hiking/walking tours to waterfalls, through forests and around a lake
2. Swimming in hot springs with a glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro
3. Cultural tours to Maasai markets and visits to different ethnic groups
4. Coffee plantation tour to learn about the process from the bean to the finished product
5. Safaris to the national parks of the Northern Circuit (Arusha NP, Lake Manyara NP, Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Conservation Area)
6. Climbing Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro
7. FREE ARUSHA TOWN TOUR for all volunteers!