Alina
Task: Social workOctober 2019 - March 2020
I’m the new volunteer. My name is Alina. As part of my degree in social work, I will complete a practical semester from October to March. As a student in the field of “social work”, the internship abroad in Tanzania allows me to apply and implement the knowledge I have learned so far and expand my knowledge again. I am looking forward to bringing my social work experience to another country, and I am even more excited about the experiences I will gain there. I also consider myself lucky to get to know a new culture.
Hatice
Task: Social workOctober 2019 - March 2020
I’m the new volunteer Hatice. As part of my social work studies, I will – together with Alina – do a practical semester in the “Happy Watoto Home”. The internship in Tanzania enables me to gain personal experience. I would also like to stand up for political and moral ideals, practice humanity and take responsibility. I hope to be able to expand and deepen my knowledge and skills in Tanzania. I look forward to the time. Your Hatice
Christine
Task: High school graduateOctober 2019 - March 2020
After graduating from high school, discovering the world, getting to know another culture and helping people were the reasons that made me want to work in the Good Hope Center children’s home. The time I was allowed to spend there was the most exciting and, at the same time, most instructive of my life. I found the people in Tanzania to be exceptionally warm-hearted and hospitable, and I didn’t meet any bad-tempered people. The firm belief of the people has fascinated me from the very beginning. Although they have to make do with less than the basic necessities and have sometimes suffered significant blows of fate, it does not prevent them from holding on to God and trusting him blindly. Working with the children has enriched me a lot, and I am sure that I was able to learn more from the children than they did from me. The happiness, courage, warmth and love that the children exude is hard to believe when you consider their tragic and sad past. It is all the nicer that the children have now found a safe haven in the home, which helps them to process the past and look to the future with hope. I learned an incredible amount in the four months, about myself, about people, about another culture and about life. After my return, I planned and carried out various campaigns to make people around me aware of the living conditions in Africa and to collect donations for the home.
Charlotte
Task: Primary school teacherOctober 2019 - March 2020
My name is Charlotte, and I am 25 years old. This summer, I completed my master’s degree in primary school teaching and would like to use the time until my legal clerkship to gain more experience abroad. I was already in Tanzania three years ago, so the decision to travel to this country again was not difficult. The flight is booked, and the final preparations are underway. I’m looking forward to getting to know the facilities and people on-site, and I’m excited about the next six months.
Selina
Task: Social WorkJanuary - June 2017
As part of my studies in social work (University of Mannheim), I completed my practical semester from the end of January to June 2017 at the “Happy Watoto Home Ngorika”. The internship semester gave me the unique opportunity to gain practical experience for my studies and, at the same time, get to know a new country with a completely different culture and way of life. My time in Tanzania was very exciting and thrilling. I am very grateful that I was able to gain so many instructive experiences. I especially enjoyed the activities with the children. The infectious laughter of the children showed me how happy and content one can be with few resources.
Vivian
Task: Art therapyJanuary - April 2017
For a long time, I have had the desire to travel to a country, to get to know its culture and the people up close, to live with them, learn from them and at the same time give them something of myself. In January 2017, the time had come, and I travelled to the beautiful country of Tanzania, where I did a 3-month internship at the “Happy Watoto Home”. During this time, I experienced a lot and got to know and love the children within a very short time. We played, danced, painted, did handicrafts together, laughed a lot, and put the children’s ideas into practice whenever possible. It was a wonderful, unforgettable, colourful and interesting time, which I look back on with joy. I am grateful for every moment and every experience I was able to have together with the children, teachers and caregivers.
Alina
Task: Sports studentMay - August 2015
Since my bachelor’s degree was slowly coming to an end and I definitely wanted to get to know and do something completely new, I decided to apply to Good Hope Center e.V. Through my studies, I was particularly interested in how physical education is taught in a developing country like Tanzania. Getting to know an entirely new culture and supporting people were further reasons for my application. The three months that I lived and worked in Ngorika/ Kikatiti were a huge adventure. I can say that I don’t regret being there for a single minute, and I gained many new experiences, saw unique places and animals and got to know a completely different life and culture. I grew very fond of the teachers, supervisors, and children because they were like family to me. I learned from them that you could live a happy life with few things, and it was nice to see how happy, cheerful and open-minded the children were, despite the difficult life situations.
Julia
Task: Social workAugust - December 2014
I wanted to do my practical semester abroad to get to know a different life, culture and religion. I also felt the need to work where help was urgently needed and accepted. It was the best time in my life so far. I was able to immerse myself in a different life and a completely different culture. I have met people who had nothing, who were afflicted with illness and who lived in the most adverse conditions. Nevertheless, these people always made you feel welcome. They were grateful for every word and every help they could get. The unique thing about my stay was, on the one hand, the children, who I fell in love with so quickly. On the other hand, there are also the families and people outside the home. Getting an insight into this culture and life was enriching for me. I am grateful for every tiny step that I achieved there (HIV class, HIV workshop, working with parents, working with the kids).
Cindy
Task: Student teacherOctober 2013 - September 2014
I wanted to experience something different after school, work with children, have fun, and make them happy. I took the happiness and serenity of the children and Tanzanians with me. Many beautiful memories and experiences will never let me forget this year. I made new friends and found a second home! I have become much more relaxed, calmer and more open, and I hope to be able to keep these qualities. Every day was special and unforgettable, and I hope to be able to visit the “Happy Watotos” as often as possible.
Verena
Task: Student teacherMay - June 2014
I lived with the Happy Watotos in Tanzania from May 30th to July 30th 2014, and had an unforgettable time with the children. With the organisation “Good Hope” I realised my long-awaited wish to travel to Africa as a volunteer. After my teacher training, it was the best decision to travel to Tanzania to work in a school there, support the children in their learning, pass on my knowledge to the teachers, and gain valuable experience for my later profession as a primary school teacher. Even if the time was very short in hindsight and passed quickly, it was a time that was formative and very exciting. The cohesion among the Happy Watotos and the people in Tanzania, their joie de vivre, warmth and sincerity were particularly impressive and showed me how important these values actually are.
Ramona
Task: primary school teacherOctober 2013 - January 2014
Even during my studies, I wanted to spend some time abroad. But it quickly became clear to me that I didn’t just want to go on vacation. I wanted to get to know the country and the local people better and ideally do something for them and support them. As a big and little sister, as a trainer in a sports club and as an intern in various schools, I was able to gain a lot of experience in dealing with children and young people. The weaker and neglected children were particularly important to me, which was probably one of the reasons why I wanted to work in a children’s home. Tanzania has long been the country of my dreams. It was then feasible after graduation to bridge the time before the legal clerkship. Above all, I took one thing with me: It was worth it, and even though I was only there for three months, it changed me and my life. More than before, I am now more aware of what I have, and I place even less value on the material things in life. In retrospect, I would like to do something for the home, the school and the local children. Through my job as a teacher, I see the long-term opportunity to start small campaigns around Tanzania and collect donations, for example. The best thing for me was playing and cuddling with the little ones from Kikatiti and introducing them to completely new ways of spending their free time (games, handicrafts, baking cookies). It was always particularly fascinating to see how little is enoug
Justine
Task: Student teacherAugust - December 2013
August 30 to December 15, 2013, in Ngorika Volunteer Justine. Due to my studies (teaching degree for elementary school), I had the opportunity to go abroad for at least three months. Since I’ve always wanted to get to know life away from our familiar European world, I now have the great opportunity to do so. I particularly enjoy working with children, and because an acquaintance who had been there before had told me a lot about the Happy Watoto Home, I was all the more pleased to hear about the promise to work as a volunteer. Teaching the children something, but also learning something myself from the children and employees of the Happy Watoto Home and all other new acquaintances, was a great reason for me to travel to this distant and yet so beautiful country. From my time at the Happy Watoto Home, I have certainly taken with me that you can lead a happy life with just a few things. Seeing how happy the children are and how grateful and interested, they are makes you even happier. Even if it was often small things, like talking together or playing Mau-Mau, it was often precisely these moments that were very intense and will be remembered fondly. The whole 3.5 months were extraordinary and a great adventure. I got to know a fascinating culture, gained new experiences and made new friends. That’s why I can recommend everyone to make a trip to Tanzania at some point.
Susanne
Task: Volunteer CoordinatorOctober 2011 - January 2012
From October 15, 2011, to January 15, 2012, I was in the “Happy Watoto Home” in Ngorika/Tanzania. Why did I want to work as a volunteer? I tried to get out of the hectic agency world and work with children. Just do something useful. I don’t have a pedagogical background, but I like to do handicrafts and play. The remarkable thing about my time with the “Happy Watoto” was that I took a lot more than I could give. It’s the little things that make you happy. After my return, I decided to do voluntary work for Good Hope Center e.V., and I still take care of the volunteer coordination, among other things.
