The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania is dedicated to assisting the Tanzanian government in conserving and protecting flora, fauna and the environment. Tanzania contains approximately 20 percent of Africa's large mammal population. WCST has created over a 140 different projects that involve training, research, monitoring, institutional support, education, reforestation and planning.
The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania needs volunteers to help out with grant writing and the organizing and implement of fundraising events. All would be under the supervision and assistance of the director of WCST. Many of the donors are westerners and grant proposals would be in the English language; as this is not the first language in Tanzania most citizens have some difficulty in writing proposals in English.
A grant writing volunteer who is assigned to this placement would work with the members of the Wildlife Conservation Society to learn what different types of funding they are currently looking to receive. Once the volunteer understands the present needs of WCST, he/she would be responsible for creating proposals or submissions to different donor agencies in Tanzania and internationally.
A volunteer does not need to have had previous experience grant writing but should have good organizational and communication skills and be willing to devote quality time towards researching and then producing informative proposals for different organizations.
A grant writing volunteer would write proposals in the fields of WCST needs; addressing various organizations who have provided donations in the past and/or may be willing to provide donations in the future.
The volunteer would be working under the guidance of the director and would spend most of the time in the office.
A grant writing volunteer would be expected to assist the director in communicating with donors and members of organizations. The tasks would include emailing and sending newsletters to update them about ongoing projects.
A grant writing volunteer may be asked to develop and implement fundraising events. A volunteer may organize: a race, a bike rally, a rafting, trekking or hiking expeditions. They may decide to organize a bake sale or other events. It is up to the volunteer to exert enough effort and time in fundraising activities to make them successful.
A grant writing volunteer may be required to write reports on different projects that WCST is doing. These reports would include details about what stages the projects were currently at and information about their next phases.
The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to assisting the Tanzanian government in conserving and protecting flora, fauna and the environment. The Wildlife Conservation Society has created over a 140 different projects that involve training, research, monitoring, institutional support, education, reforestation and planning.
Planning is an important part of this organization's goals as they have been major contributors in the planning process for a number of National Parks. These parks includes: Arusha National Park in 1962, Ruaha National Park in 1964, Tarangire National Park in 1968, Lake Manyara National Park 1989, and Kitulo National Park in 2002. At all national parks the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania completes research projects on endangered species, the impact that tourism has on the wildlife in Tanzania and about how the national parks are doing to ensure that illegal poaching or hunting is not occurring.
The reason why the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania is an important organization is because it's mission is to protect the vast number of large mammals, birds, fish and plants that can be found all over the country. Tanzania contains approximately 20 percent of Africa's large mammal population. Many are found in the 14 different National Parks. The National Park, conservation areas, marine parks and protected reserves consist of approximately 1/3 of the land in the entire country. As city boundaries continue to shift and people continue to illegally hunt endangered species many migration routes for animals have been destroyed and those that still remain are threatened.
The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania was founded in 1956 as a small group of people who wanted to help preserve the diverse ecosystems and wildlife that is found throughout Tanzania. The initial founders were concerned that if they did not start a program with the mandate to preserve the natural resources and biodiversity of their country the environmental impacts would be permanent.
With the dedication from this original group of volunteers the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania has grown to include 46 different branches located throughout the entire country. The BaseCamp Volunteer Abroad Program has partnered with the branch located in Arusha.
The challenges that the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania encounters when trying to implement some of their projects or initiatives are vast. The following are the primary challenges that this organization is trying to address while promoting conservation programs that focus on protection of endangered flora and fauna throughout Tanzania.
Poverty is a major factor in deforestation and the continuing decline of animals and plants within Tanzania. Because of the rare and exotic animals that are found in Tanzania there is a huge market for these species. For example, even though it is illegal to sell the tusks from an elephant there are still ways that they can be purchased at a high price if sold through the right channels. Due to the number of people in Tanzania that are dependent on subsistence agriculture and live well below the poverty lines hunting exotic animals is very tempting. Especially for hunters who used to rely on being able to hunt a wide variety of animals and now have many restrictions which as a result reduces their ability to generate an income. Even though the poaching of protected animals has decreased, it still happens, as poverty levels in some areas continue to increase. For example, in 1990, the illegal poaching and selling of specific animals was valued at approximately $50 million USD.
Unsustainable resource extraction should be included. When there is a major demand for a certain type of plant or animal many people decide to change hunting strategies towards that demand, to increase their income. However, if an animal or plant is extracted too quickly then problems will surely occur with the flora or fauna as they begin decreasing at a rapid pace.
Alongside poverty is education. Many people throughout the country do not have access to educational seminars or workshops that explain the importance of preserving the environment or the animals and plants that grow throughout their region. Although the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania have created a number of educational workshops and have been presenting them throughout the country they are finding that it is hard to really enforce the impact this issue will have on generations to come. This topic is especially difficult to address to tribal communities who have relied on hunting various animals for generations to ensure that they have food to eat. What the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania is now including in their workshops are alternative ways to make a living so that participants in these workshops may decide that there are different ways to produce an adequate income and not participate in illegal poaching. They have also included the animals that are not illegal to hunt to ensure that hunters know what animals they can still catch to sell or feed their families.
Another challenge that this organization must take into consideration while implementing their programs is the growing population, thus the growing pressures of development of the land. As the population is expected to grow by another 2.02 percent this year it means that more people will populate the land, therefore, the need to increase urban centres and rural communities will continue to occur. This puts pressure on various ecosystems, which can result in traditional migration routes for animals to be destroyed or threatened.
The other challenges this organization encounters when implementing their programs include governance issues, the need for more modern technology and access to financial resources so that they have enough money to continue to run the program in a successful and effective manner. To overcome these challenges and to continue to implement a number of environmental projects that throughout the country have had great success.
In the past five years, (WCST) was responsible for finding 12 new species in their country. One of the new species that they found is called the Kipunji Monkey. This monkey is only found in Africa and it is the first new species of monkey found since 1923. These findings are very helpful as it allows the organization to learn about each new species, collect data on each and help create conservation programs especially if the species is rare and could easily become extinct.
A few of the major accomplishments that the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania have achieved include: raising over thirty thousand dollars for biodiversity conservation. They have used these resources to hold more conservation workshops, complete a coastal forest conservation project in which they planted over two million tree seedlings, and also helped to save the important Kazimzumbwi Forest. In the Arusha branch they have regular workshops that are open to the public and to all members of the organization. The workshops focus on different environmental topics such as: pollution, industrialization, illegal hunting that is happening at that location, information about the different plants and animals in their area, especially the endangered species and how they can get involved in their protection. This grass-roots project invites members to learn more about plants and wildlife through educational seminars and field trips so they can become environmental enthusiasts and tell their family and friends what they are learning in regards to conservation efforts in their region. This initiative aims at inspiring the local community of Arusha to protect their beautiful region and it empowers their people to know the ways and means of doing so.
This organization was founded in 1956 in Dar Es Salaam, where their headquarters still remain. The Arusha region branch,(located beside the Natural History Museum of Tanzania), reopened in 2002 after 8 years of dormancy.
The branch was revived to revitalize WCST's efforts to achieve its mission in the northern part of the country and to respond to pressing conservation issues in the region as perceived by a growing number of past and present WCST members. The Arusha Branch is still in the process of revitalizing its memberships and activities in the region.
The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania is a nation wide organization that operates in 46 regions across Tanzania. The branch within the Arusha region has been in operation since 2002.
The Arusha branch of the WCST works mainly on environmental conservation. They are currently focusing on public awareness, with a campaign to share the importance of nature conservation through local schools. They also currently have a project in the Lake Natron area as to learn about the water quality and find out how many different species live in this lake,
Although their main focus is on environmental conservation, this organization also strives to support the fragile bird population in Tanzania, as they depend greatly on their environment to survive. Without the help of the WCST, many birds would be forced out of their natural environment, or even die due to forced relocation.
The other project that WCST is working on at the moment is a flamingo project. Arusha National Park has a large number of flamingos that migrate through the national park. The project they are working on is collecting data about the flamingos and rescuing any injured flamingos and nursing them back to health.
The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania is funded by DANIDA of Denmark, as well as, through membership contribution. The Arusha branch is given a yearly budget from The Wildlife Conservation Society for their administrative and project costs. In addition, the Arusha Branch is funded by private donations.
Your time, energy and your ideas are the best type of donation that you could give to this organization. Some volunteers like to bring a few donations to the organization they will be working at, however, this is in no way a requirement.
Types of donations that the Arusha branch would benefit from include: binoculars, bird and plant identification books for East Africa, a camera for documenting activities, office stationary, pens, pencils, rulers, compasses, paper, light rain jackets, hats, microscopes, used computers, geography sets, laminated maps of the world and/or Tanzania and Arusha, interesting books about the wildlife that is found in either Arusha or all of Tanzania would also be greatly appreciated.
In addition, the Arusha branch would really benefit any types of donations that would help with their educational seminars. This includes flip chart paper, markers, pens, paper, pencil crayons, crayons, sharpener, prizes for students during wildlife presentations, construction paper, rulers, large poster paper and notebooks.
Any of the donations above would be greatly appreciated!
The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania is located in Arusha, where they have a small office at Boma Road about two minutes from the Clock Tower area and it is on the same compound as the National Museum of Tanzania. The office is quite small with only two desks. The office is one single room which has four chairs. Two of the chairs are for the staff and the other two are for guests or volunteers so there is no sitting area and not a lot of space for extra people in the office.
Outside the office of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania is a very big area that contains an attractive garden with nice flowers and grass. This is a beautiful place for volunteers to sit and have lunch or complete tasks - if it is not too hot.
The office is located in the center of town. There are many shops, cafes and restaurants around, including Via-Via a popular restaurant and cultural activity center. Previous volunteers have enjoyed the convenience of the location; being so close to numerous attractions for an after work excursion.
Arusha, is surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscape on the planet; with easy access to the Arusha National Park, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Park, it is a haven for nature lovers.
Volunteers who are involved with the Flamingo Project will be working at Lake Natron. Lake Natron, is a salt lake where about 2.5 million endangered Lesser Flamingoes come to make their nests. The Wildlife Conservation Project in Arusha, plays a very active role in helping to preserve the environment and ensuring that the water sources do not become polluted. It is important that all the fish in the river are alive so that the Flamingoes have something to feed on and continue to come to this secluded spot to nest. One of the staff from the organization will go with you to your field projects.
Walk toward the Clock Tower and turn right on Boma Road. At the end of the road are the Wildlife Conservation Society's Offices. This is a twenty-five minute walk from the BaseCamp center.
You can also take public transportation, which will take about ten minutes. To do this just hop on any daladala passing by the Mount Meru Pretrol Station (across the street from the BaseCamp Center). All daladalas will be heading to town. Get off at the “Naaz” stop and walk pass the Clock Tower, up Boma Road. The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania's office is located at the end of the street, behind the Museum.
Distance from BaseCamp: 1km
Travel Time from BaseCamp: 0:10
Despite its closeness to the equator, Arusha's elevation of 1400 mm on the southern slopes of Mount Meru keeps temperatures down and alleviates humidity. Cool dry air is prevalent for the majority of the year. The temperature ranges between 13 and 30 degrees Celsius with an average of around 25 degrees.
Arusha has distinct wet and dry seasons and experiences an eastern prevailing wind from the Indian Ocean, a couple of hundred miles east. Highest average rainfall occurs in March, April and May.
The city of Arusha has an estimated population of around one million people and sits at the foot of Mount Meru. Mount Meru is the fifth highest peak in Africa; it is a few hundred meters shorter than Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain in Africa and encompasses three volcanic cones; Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira (don't worry, they're not active!)
Arusha is surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscape on the planet. With easy access to the Arusha National Park, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Park there is never a shortage of things to do!
Arusha is considered to be one of the best African cities when it comes to great weather and tourism combined.
Arusha is a busy industrial and administrative centre. Some of the main manufacture products include textiles, beverages, processed foods, plastics and electronic equipment. It is well known for the African Congress Centre and the International Tribunal for the Rwandan Genocide.
AICC Hospital
Old Moshi Road
Arusha
TEL 1: 0744299381
TEL 2: 2544113
Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania
Boma Road
Arusha
Tanzania
All of our volunteers begin their stay in Tanzania at our BaseCamp Center in Ngaramtoni - Arusha. Given that this placement is less than a 1 hour and 15 minute commute from BaseCamp, volunteers working here will have the option of living with us at BaseCamp or living with a host family.
The following information outlines a brief description of life at BaseCamp and also what someone can expect living with a host family in Tanzania. Once you have completed our application, you can let our staff know if you would prefer to live with a host family. Otherwise, your application will default to having you live with us at BaseCamp.
If you have any questions about the difference between life at BaseCamp or life with a host family in Tanzania you can always give us a call or send us an email. Our contact details are listed in the footer of every page of the site.
Nelson Mandela Road
Kijenge Ya Chini Mt. Meru Gas Station
Ngaramtoni - Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: 255 719 177 084
Mobile: 255 754 683 347
BaseCamp Tanzania is located in the Kijenge area of Arusha. The centre is located just a few minutes from the famous Clock-Tower and many amenities such as banks, internet cafes and international calling centres. You can also find some great local markets selling everything from fresh fruit and fish, to beautiful wooden carvings and amazing East African paintings! Arusha is a comfortable place to live with many of the conveniences of home, while still allowing travellers to experience the African way of life.
BaseCamp Tanzania is set up with a number of dormitory style rooms. Pillows, sheets and blankets are provided. The house has a large covered balcony on the main floor with a spectacular view! There is also a large common room on the lower level with a small resource centre containing books, magazines, movies, games and other African publications. Outside is a beautiful lawn and garden that overlooks the city and is an ideal setting to catch up on email, review some Swahili or just enjoy a quiet afternoon. Wireless internet access is available throughout the house, making it easy to stay in touch with friends and family back home.
The meal plan at BaseCamp is a 14 day rotating schedule of a variety of traditional dishes from around the country. This allows volunteers to try a wide range of Tanzanian dishes and to gain some knowledge of the food served and meal etiquette before living with a host family. For those who stay on in BaseCamp, the 14 day schedule allows for lots of variety.
BaseCamp Tanzania is also the training and orientation centre. Each day volunteers will spend part of the day in lectures or workshops at BaseCamp and part of the day exploring the city and learning how to get around comfortably on their own.
Living with a host family in Tanzania is a fantastic way to gain a deep understanding of and appreciation for the people and customs of the country. Each home-stay will provide a bed and three meals per day for our volunteers. The majority of host families offer private rooms with only one or two volunteers living with the family.
Living with a host family can greatly enhance your performance at your placement. For one, it will have a huge influence on the speed with which you gain familiarity with the local language. This, along with your deeper understanding of cultural practices and beliefs that you are likely to gain in this environment, can go a long way to improving or strengthening your relationships with your team mates at work. Furthermore, a significant percentage of our host families are closely affiliated with the organizations with which our volunteers work. As such, even the evening meal or hanging out around the house can become valuable time during which volunteers can share their ideas and continue their support of their host organization.
All of this being said, living with a host family is not for everyone. It is very important for volunteers to honor the house rules in their host family and to be punctual. Also, depending on how remote your placement location, host families can be very rustic. Our staff in country can give you a better idea of what exactly you can expect from a host family in any particular community. However, in general, if these things sound like they might pose a challenge for you, we strongly suggest that you look at a placement within commuting distance from BaseCamp Tanzania.
Our program structure and costing is completely flexible which lets our volunteers ensure that they only pay for exactly the degree of support that they want.
Some volunteers prefer to coordinate their own accommodation, meals and other support while overseas.
Anyone is welcome to use our volunteer placement search tool to help in finding a placement that is well suited to their interests. Once someone finds a placement that they wish to work with, they are welcome to make all the rest of their arrangmeents on their own.
As well, our team of staff overseas are often able to offer a few helpful pointers for volunteers 'doing it on their own'. Just send us an email with your questions and we will put you in touch with our team abroad. We only ask that you keep your requests fairly general, as this type of advice is exactly how our team earn their living. :)
Other volunteers would like assistance in selecting and confirming their placement, but they plan to manage their own accommodation and other expenses on their own.
These volunteers have the option of choosing to only have our assistance with selecting and confirming their placement. This option also includes ongoing placement support while abroad, so a volunteer would be able to ask our team for help if things at their placement were not working out.
In providing Placement Support, our team works with each volunteer through email, telephone and either Skype or Google Hangouts, to ensure that each volunteer has a clear understanding of their placement options. Our in-country staff will put together a custom list of placement options for each volunteer that they believe are the most appropriate matches with the volunteer's background, skills and interests. Then each volunteer can work with our team both in Canada and abroad to go through each of the options and narrow-down their selection.
For most volunteers who are volunteering for less than a year, they are looking for an option that includes their accommodation, meals, airport reception, country and program orientation and placement support. This is what our Program Fees are designed for.
We are proud of how over the years we have ensured that our program fees are amoungst the most reasonable of any program in the world while we continue to provide exceptional volunteer support both at home and abroad.
Our Program Fees and listings of what these do and do not include are listed below:
| Registration Fee | 250 |
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| 1 Week | 395 |
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| 2 Weeks | 505 |
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| 3 Weeks | 615 |
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| 4 Weeks | 725 |
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| 5 Weeks | 830 |
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| 6 Weeks | 935 |
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| 7 Weeks | 1,040 |
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| 8 Weeks | 1,145 |
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| Additional Weeks | 100 |
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| All program fees are listed in US Dollars. | |||
The following is a list of all months during which this placement is not available.
Our regularly scheduled program start dates are the first Friday of each month, every month of the year. We strongly recommend beginning your program on one of these dates as this will allow you to go through our orientation alongside other international volunteers.
If you would prefer, our application will also allow you to select a custom start date for your program. Keep in mind that there is an additional fee for a custom start date which ranges from 50 to 75 USD.
| Jul 01, 2022 | Aug 05, 2022 | Sep 02, 2022 |
| Oct 07, 2022 | Nov 04, 2022 | Dec 02, 2022 |
| Jan 06, 2023 | Feb 03, 2023 | Mar 03, 2023 |
| Apr 07, 2023 | May 05, 2023 | Jun 02, 2023 |
| Jul 07, 2023 | Aug 04, 2023 | Sep 01, 2023 |
| Oct 06, 2023 | Nov 03, 2023 | Dec 01, 2023 |
| Jan 05, 2024 | Feb 02, 2024 | Mar 01, 2024 |
| Apr 05, 2024 | May 03, 2024 | Jun 07, 2024 |
These dates are the day that volunteers should plan to arrive on the ground in country. We can accommodate arrivals in-country at any time day or night on these dates.
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