Hi! My name is Emma, and I am a high school teacher who has always believed that small acts of kindness can have a huge and lasting impact. In May 2026, I will be travelling to Arusha, where I will live in the community and volunteer with International Volunteer HQ as part of their Childcare project in Tanzania.

About the project:

The aim of the project is to provide assistance in childcare centres as they are often under-funded and under-resourced. These centres cater to children from low-income families, providing them with education, interaction and food. A lot of these facilities have a portion of children that attend for free and often the food they get there is their only food of the day. The facilities get no government support, therefore they always need additional help. Some of my tasks will include: assisting with teaching, caring for children, arranging activities and games, helping with feeding and mealtimes and other general duties. The most important and expected activity is to support in teaching the alphabet, numbers, shapes and colours in English.

Additionally, I have also offered up my assistance and time in their Teaching program, where volunteers assist local teachers with teaching English, math, science, geography, history, art and physical education.

Why I am fundraising:

I would like to raise funds to take with me to Arusha that can be used to help out the centre I am placed at. The reason I am aiming to raise money, opposed to goods, is so that the money can be utilised based on the specific needs of the centre and support their economy in the process. Some examples of what the money could go towards include: renovation, food supplies, teaching/learning resources, play equipment, clothing/shoes, teacher salary, and so much more.

I would like to note that I am paying all personal costs associated with me participating in this experience (e.g. program costs, flights, accommodation, visas, etc) and all money raised through fundraising efforts will go towards improving the educational facilities and outcomes of the children.