Volunteer Africa was entered onto the UK Register of Charities (Charities Commission registration number 1097963) on 12th June 2003.

Volunteer Africa's Aims

Unlike other volunteering organisations, we are run by a team of committed returned volunteers with the dual aims;

1. enabling people to make a difference to the lives of rural Africans

2. to raise funds for our partner NGOs.

Volunteer Africa is a not-for-profit organisation.  We do not spend any money on paid advertising. Our operating costs are minimal meaning that more of the money you pay to participate is spent in Africa enabling community development.

Hundreds of volunteers have participated since 2002 from all over the world including Denmark, Brazil, Mexico, Ireland, Canada, US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Volunteers come from all walks of life and ages.

For details on how to apply for programmes in Tanzania in 2011 and 2012 check out the "Volunteering with Volunteer Africa" of this site. Applications are welcome from throughout the world.

You Make the Difference

Around 60% of the fee that volunteers pay to Volunteer Africa goes to support our development partners in Tanzania. The remainder goes on the costs of your participation. For example, in 2009 we donated £31,160 (approx US$50,000) to Tanzania NGOs. This was almost half our total income and does not include the money that we spent in Tanzania running the volunteer programme. Below is an example of how money was spent in 2009.

You can find out more about how we use your money here.

About Tanzania

  • Around 44 million people live in Tanzania, including 1 million on the islands of Zanzibar. Population growth is about 3% a year. (Source = Tanzania Government , 2011).
  • In 2001, 36% of people lived below the national poverty line. (Source = Household Budget Survey report, NBS , 2002)
  • The average national income (GNI) per person is US$340 (compared to US$34,000 in the UK). (Source = World Development Indicators, World Bank 2006 ).
  • Economic growth has been strong since 2000 with annual GDP increases of between 5% and 7% each year. (Source = Poverty and Human Development Report, Government of Tanzania, 2005 )
  • Tanzania had its last elections in December 2005 and they were declared 'free and fair'.
  • Primary school enrolment is high with 96% of children enrolled. (Source = Basic Statistics in Education, Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, 2006)
  • More than 1 in 10 children dies before their fifth birthday, although this rate has fallen by a quarter in the last five years. (Source = Demographic and Health Survey, NBS, 2005)
  • For every 1,000 births almost 6 women die in child birth. Tanzania has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Africa. (Source = Demographic and Health Survey, NBS, 2005)
  • Just over 1 million adults aged 15 to 59 (7%) are infected with HIV. (Source = HIV/AIDS survey, NBS, 2005)
  • Only half the rural population has access to an improved water source. (Source = Poverty and Human Development Report, Government of Tanzania, 2005 )

  • Tanzania continued to take measures to achieve MDGs by 2015. In some areas the prospects of achieving the set targets in the remaining period is minimal, particularly the health indicators. Infant and under-five mortality rate continued to decline though not fast enough to achieve the 2015 target. Government continues to scale up efforts to ensure that health services are improved at all levels. To combat malaria, in 2011 the Government distributed a total of 17.6 million treated mosquito nets to households in all mainland Tanzania regions free of charge. The Government continued with the construction of a biolarvicide plant at Kibaha in Coast Region to control mosquito breeding sites. Those measures, coupled with the provision of subsidies for Artemether-Lumefantrine (ALU) to treat malaria strengthened efforts to control malaria.

The Tanzanian Government website is useful reading.

SCAM ALERT

It has been brought to our attention that a person calling themselves Rev Sola Thomas is requesting money and affiliating himself to our Charity. This is not the case. Please note Volunteer Africa has no connections to a Rev S Thomas. Nor do we request money to be sent to him.