I volunteered as part of the Community Development project in Tanzania April 2016 for 4 weeks and the experience has been amazing.
Once you get past the culture shock, there is so much beauty in the country that it's hard to be anything but happy during the whole duration of your stay. I fell in love.
I was staying at the hostel owned by the NGO the whole 4 weeks I was there. There is running water, security, electricity, 3 meals a day and Wi-Fi, although inconsistent and you'd be better off getting a SIM card with a data bundle if you'll be there for a while. The staff are all extremely friendly and fairly helpful in giving tips and advise to aid you.
We did a couple of projects in my time there which included building a pond, planting vegetables and painting the playground of a local self sustaining orphanage, planting trees at a couple of primary schools and around the streets where the hostel is located. Each completed day was met with smiles of gratitude and appreciation by the locals which definitely made it more rewarding. The only thing was the scheduling. Tanzanians are quite relaxed with the concept of time so you might get frustrating sitting around and just waiting to get started.
There are plenty of ways to get around town on fairly cheap public transport too if transport is a worry to you. The local buses only costs you TSH400 (USD$0.20) per ride and if it's too cramped, there are taxis, tuk tuks or motorcyle taxis to choose from.
I definitely suggest budgeting a couple of trips during your stay in Tanzania as well. Safaris are a must do in Africa and in Tanzania, I highly recommend Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park. Unrivalled experience. If you're keen on climbing mountains, Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, is there too. The hostel staff can help you book these trips for cheaper so wait till you arrive to decide.
I've met great people along the way and have received so much support and help from both the NGO and Love Volunteers themselves. It is my first volunteering experience and I wouldn't have wanted it to have happen any other way.
Overall I had an amazing experience and don't have any bad things to say.
Response from Love Volunteers
Dear Ashley,
Thanks so much for this fantastic review of our program and partner in Morocco.
It's always such a pleasure reading these reviews and knowing that we played a part in placing fantastic volunteers like yourself where they can do so much good.
So great to see and hear about the culture, food and peoples of Rabat from a first hand experience.
Thanks again and we hope you do manage to get back to help out again!
The Team @ Love Volunteers