Volunteer Programs in Moshi, Tanzania

As I have my own business, I thought that GHTA might be an option for me to do some volunteer work, so I did a short stay with them with the idea to go back if the program suits me and the answer is a resounding yes. The program is excellent and the students are all highly motivated, enthusiastic and fun. I left wondering whether it was not me that learned more from them than the other way around. The staff are all friendly and extremely helpful. The living accomodation is excellent.I am planning to go back in November and again in 2027. I am happy to recommend this programme to anyone who is looking for a rewarding and interesting program with goals that work.

I am motivated, responsible, and eager to learn from every experience. I am open to feedback and always ready to improve my skills. I value teamwork, communication, and adaptability, and I aim to contribute positively to any project or organization I join while continuing to grow both personally and professionally.

Traveling half way around the world to volunteer effort, time and energy on marine conservation takes trust. GoEco delivered, far exceeding any preconceived expectations and hopes we had before arriving on Naifaru. The entire team provided thorough support, training and guidance so that we could participate, contribute and perform to our utmost potential. We left with a tremendous sense of achievement, accomplishment and countless unforgettable memories.

Hi guys here the feedback I sent to AOA:<br><br>Jule and Gércia are doing an outstanding job! The program was very well organized, and all questions were always addressed – whether directly related to the tasks or more general matters. I felt well supported at all times.<br><br>I especially want to highlight how valuable it is to have a local Mozambican staff member like Gércia on the team. She not only brings maritime knowledge but also shares important insights about local customs and culture – a huge asset!<br>When Jule was away for a few days with another group, Gércia took over the leadership of our group, smoothly managed any changes to the plan, and handled everything very professionally. You truly have a fantastic team, and that deserves to be appreciated!<br><br>Food & Meals<br>The food was consistently delicious – thank you, Brodie and the Tilak Lodge team!<br>However, after two weeks, I noticed that some meals repeated quite often. It would be great if AOA could give Brodie a bit more flexibility and resources to offer more variety in the menu. I'm sure with more freedom, Brodie could surprise us with even more creative and diverse meals!<br><br>Scuba Diving<br>The guides at Tofo Scuba were excellent – professional, experienced, and always supportive. Whether it was the Advanced Open Water course, ocean safaris, or fun dives, I always felt safe and in very good hands. They made every dive a great experience, and I appreciated their clear briefings, calm presence, and strong awareness of safety and the environment.<br><br>Suggestions for Improvement – Equipment<br>There is definitely room for improvement when it comes to technical equipment:<br>There are clearly not enough GoPros/underwater cameras for the volunteers.<br>The printer is currently unusable due to empty ink cartridges – and no replacements were available.<br>Coming from a technical/IT background myself, I was honestly surprised at how outdated and overused some of the devices are. One or two new laptops or computers would make a real difference and improve the workflow on site.<br><br>Final Words of Appreciation<br>I usually don’t give such detailed feedback – but Jule, Gércia, Brodie and the Tilak Lodge team, as well as Ross and the Tofo Scuba crew, all deserve a big compliment. Thank you for this valuable and enriching experience!

I was a little uncertain about booking a volunteer trip with an organization I didn't have personal experience with, but wow! I'm thrilled I took a chance on GoEco. Their staff were incredibly communicative, helpful and supportive throughout the process - they patiently answered all my questions, guided me to a location that suited me and made sure I had all information I needed to ensure a wonderful trip. The Giant Tortoise Breeding Center volunteer experience in the Galapagos Islands was more than I could ever have imagined... filled with ideal balance of hard work, interesting learning, plenty of free time for diving/snorkeling/relaxation, connection with the local community and endless opportunities for Spanish practice. I felt supported by both GoEco and the IOI program. I'm already looking forward to my next GoEco travel opportunity.

I spent three months at GHTA in Tanzania between August and November 2025. I taught business studies to three classes, about 15 students per class. The students were keen to learn and a joy to teach. Teaching took place four mornings a week, giving plenty of time to relax, review the day's work or plan for the following day. Each Friday, the volunteers, accompanied by a GHTA representative, would visit one or two of the students at their homes. This was always a special occasion. The students and their families were so welcoming, and it was an ideal opportunity in a relaxed environment to swap our cultural experiences. The staff at GHTA were both friendly and supportive. I had never taught in a classroom before, and was concerned about my lack of experience. But with the help of the GHTA experts, I really felt I'd contributed by the end of my time there. Would recommend this project to anyone.

The local connections the volunteer house provides for us is amazing. I can basically go to buy clothes, having surfing class, and getting a massage with discount from those connections. It feels like we’re embraced by the local community, and it feels absolutely wonderful!

The most memorable experience for me was to have a beautiful encounter with an enormous manta ray. It circled us for more than 20 minutes on our dive and it was absolutely incredible! But that was only one out of so many amazing, memorable experiences with animals as well as people!

I have to say swimming with the whale sharks was one of the most amazing things I’ve done in my entire life! Everyone in the boat with the same enthusiastic energy celebrating every time we would find a whale shark and jump with them, it was a trip I’ll remember forever!

My most memorable experience was looking forward to feeding the beautiful elephants each day and seeing their excitement when we would arrive. In even those little interactions, you got to know a little more about the elephant’s personality each time.

This was my first time volunteering in Africa, and I felt safe with my experience going through Give a Heart to Africa. Even prior to volunteering, I had a lot of questions that were answered by Monika, and you can tell you're not getting generic responses, but thorough ones addressing my specific questions. It was important to me that I choose an organization, that uses my volunteer fees to good use, and you can see it go a lot towards the students for school resources for them, and funding for them to start their own business ventures. Every day was very structured, as to which lessons to deliver on, and we had flexibility on how we wanted to deliver our lesson plans as well. Monika also knew the right tour operators to connect me with for any sightseeing I wanted to do as well, and it was easy to make friends at the volunteer house, I'm still friends with them several years after volunteering! This was a very rewarding experience.

Of course, the most memorable was visiting the schools in the near by villages. I loved the bus ride to the schools because I was able to get a glimpse of the daily lives of the people of Zanzibar. I enjoyed staying in the home with the other volunteers. I got to meet people from Portugal, Spain, Belgium, France, Finland, and the Netherlands. I am not going to lie, when I first arrived I was nervous and was asking myself what had I gotten myself into especially because I had gone alone. But it was one of the best decisions I’ve made and I will remember this experience for many years. I enjoyed meeting the coordinators who were locals as well as the ladies who went to cook and clean each day. The children at the school were lovely and so welcoming. I got the chance to stay for 2 weeks and wish I could have stayed longer. If I did it again, I’d for sure go for at least 3-4 weeks and I would recommend others to that as well.

Individual experiences are not what make a trip of this sorts memorable. It’s all the people you meet. From this trip, so many individuals of varying backgrounds have touched my heart and greatly impacted my life.

Working with the elephants was amazing hand and experience of a lifetime but it's not for the faint hearted it is hard work especially in the heat and humidity but so worthwhile. The Thai people are lovely and the staff that worked there are two it is a very well run organisation

In 2014 I volunteered with a volunteerism organization in Tanzania and later Ghana. It gave me a taste of the huge demand of help the people needed in these countries, but I came away feeling as though I hadn’t made a lasting impact in any way. I felt like I was just observing in my volunteer positions instead of actually helping. Then I found Give a Heart to Africa the following year. I was thrilled to learn that I would be teaching business to female entrepreneurs. Being a sole proprietor myself I was eager to pass on all that I had learned. All of the course content was laid out for me, I had a safe house to live in ( gated with security) nutritious food to eat and the companion of other volunteers. I didn’t need to cook or clean for 5 weeks! I could focus solely on my mission which was to depart wisdom and encouragement on the women. The largest hurdle I had was my own self confidence in delivering the material in an effective way. There was a translator available for almost all of my classes, this helped tremendously. Our goal was to have the women create a business plan for a business that wasn’t their usual domestic activities but something courageous they had never done or had hoped to always do. We came to a happy medium which was making chapati for the tourists at the local hotel. This blended their comfort zone with a little “get outside of the box” The business was a success. The very best part was watching the transformation of the women’s concept of self. There is nothing greater than watching a woman overcome her cultural norms and rise above to the person she never dreamed she could ever be. I highly recommend this program. There is so much good work being done here. It is a perfect blend of academic material and practical skills for both the student and the teacher. You will have free time in the afternoons and weekends to explore the surrounding area also so it is a perfect mix of work and play.

I volunteered at Give a Heart to Africa as an English Language teacher. The students were all women above the age of 18 and were highly motivated to learn English and vocational skills for their future lives. It was an amazing and very rewarding experience. Give a Heart to Africa GHTA is a very well administrated empowerment project for women. The women apply each year to be part of the project. There are three areas of study - English, Business Management and Vocational skills. The project is located in Moshi at the foot Kilimanjaro in a beautiful part of Tanzania. The home base offers a home for volunteers with a modern kitchen as well as three well supplied classrooms adjacent. It is a very rewarding volunteer experience because the students are welcoming, motivated and hard working. The coordinators are experienced and skilled and will go the extra mile for GHTA volunteers. It's really excellent volunteer placement in a beautiful part of Africa.

When I retired from a teaching career in 2010, I had a couple ideas for what was next: learn another spoken language, use my experience to teach students with a motivation to learn. Little did I know that 30 days after that I would be flying solo to Tanzania with the opportunity to do both. I was in my mid-60's, so don't think that this is just a place for 20 or 30-somethings. I taught English and also filled in briefly for the director who took a few weeks' change of scenery. I still tell people today how appreciated and loved by the students I felt. Their enthusiasm and energy and pure desire to learn was incredible. The lesson plans guide instruction and I had Tanzanian translators to help as needed. One of the most amazing things is that GHTA today employs some of my own students in their program of instruction. I don't say that to boast but rather in admiration of how hard they worked then and now have the chance to sustain the program. The vision to raise the educational level of women has made so much difference in the lives of GHTA students past and present. You do NOT have to have a background in teaching to volunteer at GHTA. You will truly feel needed at GHTA. This is not a place where you'll stand around and feel you are not helpful. I volunteered alongside men and women of diverse backgrounds and training; some stayed a few weeks, others several months. I spent 2 months in each of my 3 trips to volunteer at GHTA. Each time volunteers from around the world shared this home and dinner table. I had amazing teachers for learning some Swahili, too. Just a few words brought smiles (ok, sometimes laughs) to my students, and I learned how they felt learning another language! I was able to make friends each time and spend the time I was not teaching on all kinds of things like a trip to a coffee plantation, a day trip to local waterfalls, taking a Tanzanian friend on a day safari, helping our students in the co-op; observing business projects; the marvelous home visits to students; trips into Moshi or to Arusha; getting to know staff and neighbors. I was able to visit the Usambara Mountains as well as go on a safari near the end of my visits. You will grow in so many ways by volunteering at GHTA and living just outside of Moshi. It's a beautiful neighborhood in every season with a very safe and comfortable house to live in. When you return home, you just might start planning for the next trip to GHTA. You will see your surroundings through a different lens and truly feel that you have left family behind at GHTA. It is such a worthy investment of time, energy and resources.

GHTA is an amazing organization! I had signed up to volunteer for one month, but I loved it so much I stayed for three. That was a few years ago. Then I went back again and volunteered for three months a second time. The women in this program are amazing. They are working so hard to improve their lives, and the lives of their children, in very difficult circumstances. Getting to know them was an honour. I was a bit nervous about teaching but I absolutely loved it. The lesson plans are easy to follow and the local teachers are fantastic support. The highlight was definitely going on home visits on Fridays. Being invited in students’ homes, meeting their families, and understanding more about their day-to-day lives was a beautiful experience. Moshi is a great little town and being able to see Mount Kilimanjaro every day is incredible! I can’t say enough good things about this organization. I recommend it so highly!

I wanted to be involved in a program that was small, grass roots, and where the impact was lasting. Give a Heart to Africa checked all of those boxes, so much so that I have been volunteering there since 2012 and have returned 5 more times! Based in Moshi, Tanzania, Give a Heart to Africa is a free, one-year program that allows women to improve their skills in business, literacy, math and vocations to allow them to grow their abilities, and support their families. The school is staffed entirely by local Tanzanians and most are graduates of the program. They are the only paid positions in the organization; all others in Tanzania and abroad are volunteer positions. Moshi, where GHTA is located, is a small city, where I could access the comforts of home (latte!), and also immerse myself in the local culture. Tanzania is a diverse country, and I was able to travel to different parts and experience the beaches of Zanzibar, (I highly recommend!) the city life in Arusha (the restaurants, the Shanga, the local markets), and the wildlife safaris in the national parks. The volunteer house is attached to the school. There are three shared bedrooms, two shared bathrooms, a kitchen, a common area, and a dining room. The kitchen has everything you need to make this your home away from home (stove, microwave, shared fridge) The bathrooms are western style with flush toilets, and showers. There is a beautiful courtyard that is the perfect spot to enjoy some sun, read, plan for tomorrow's lessons, and hang your laundry out to dry.

The school is run totally by volunteers and the only people who get paid are local translators/teachers and some of the local administrative help. One of the reasons we keep volunteering is because we know that the fees actually go the the operation of the school and not to someone living in another part of the world. While in Tanzania you'll also have a chance to see Mount Kilimanjaro (daily) as the school is in the shadow of the mountain and climb it if you would like the adventure (I have, twice). You can also visit some of the best national parks in Africa--including the Ngorongoro crater and Serengeti. All this while helping women make a better life for themselves and their families. If you are looking for a wonderful place to volunteer, I recommend Give a Heart to Africa! Like us, you may find yourself planning you return trip before you leave.