Children Under School Age Development Internship in Africa

Children's Agenda Program — Art in Tanzania

Every child in Tanzania deserves safety, education, and the chance to thrive. This programme fights for exactly that.

In Tanzania, millions of children face preventable challenges — malnutrition, lack of access to quality education, inadequate sanitation, HIV exposure, teenage pregnancy, disability-related exclusion, and vulnerability to violence and exploitation. These are not abstract statistics. They are the daily reality of children and families in the communities Art in Tanzania works within.

The Children's Agenda is Tanzania's most comprehensive, coalition-driven response to these challenges — and your placement puts you at the heart of it.

About the Program

Since 1996, Art in Tanzania has placed approximately 250 participants annually in hands-on community programmes across Tanzania. The Children's Agenda Programme was developed by a coalition of 40 Tanzanian NGOs — including UNICEF and Save the Children — and prioritises the fundamental rights of Tanzanian children to education, healthcare, sanitation, and the full range of conditions they need to grow, learn, and be protected.

Art in Tanzania is an active member of this coalition. Your placement connects you directly to one of the most significant child rights initiatives in the country.

The Ten Investment Priorities

The Children's Agenda is built around ten clearly defined areas of action. Your work will contribute to one or more of these priorities, depending on your background, skills, and placement focus:

1. Save the lives of children and women — reducing preventable maternal and child mortality through advocacy and community health support
2. Good nutrition — addressing malnutrition and food insecurity among children and their families
3. Hygiene and sanitation in schools and health facilities — improving the basic conditions that protect children's health and enable learning
4. Early childhood development — supporting the cognitive, emotional, and physical development of young children in their most formative years
5. Quality education for all children — expanding access to and improving the standard of education across Tanzania's village schools.
6. Safe schools — creating learning environments that are physically safe, inclusive, and free from harm
7. Protecting infants and adolescent girls from HIV — prevention, education, and care programmes targeting the most vulnerable
8. Reducing teenage pregnancy — community education and advocacy that empowers young people with knowledge and agency
9. Protecting children from violence, abuse, and exploitation — advocacy, family support, and systemic change to keep children safe
10. Children with disabilities — ensuring that disabled children are included, supported, and given the same opportunities as their peers

What You'll Do

Your daily work will combine direct community engagement with advocacy, education, and communications — the full toolkit of effective child rights work.

🏘️ Community & Family Work: Engage directly with children and their families to understand and address their specific needs — building the relationships and trust that make community development effective and lasting.

📚 Education & Early Childhood Support Contribute to early childhood development activities and school-based programmes — supporting learning, child protection, and wellbeing across nursery, primary, and secondary settings.

📣 Advocacy & Public Awareness Support awareness-raising efforts through field activities, school sessions, and Art in Tanzania's social media platforms — including a Facebook audience of over 50,000 followers — to educate the public and build momentum for children's rights across Tanzania.

📋 Planning, Reporting & Visibility Contribute to programme documentation, weekly reporting, and visibility work that demonstrates impact, supports funding, and keeps the coalition accountable to its targets.

Structure & Supervision

Academic-level team leaders supervise your placement daily, and a weekly planning and reporting system ensures your work is structured, purposeful, and aligned with your academic requirements. Your placement is tailored to your background, discipline, and professional interests.

The internship outcome is direct: hands-on experience applying your education in a developing-country context — alongside some of the world's leading child rights organisations — and a first-hand understanding of what it takes to create meaningful change for children living in poverty.

How It Works

Hours: 6–8 hours per day, Monday to Friday. Start date: Flexible — the programme runs continuously year-round. Duration: Adjustable to your academic schedule and goals. Group size: 15–40 international students at any time, drawn from 400+ partner universities worldwide

Social work, child development, education, psychology, public health, nursing, human rights, international development, nutrition, and related disciplines are all excellent fits. We welcome students from any stage of their training.

Life in Tanzania

Beyond your placement, Tanzania offers an experience that stays with you — vibrant culture, extraordinary wildlife, and landscapes of remarkable natural beauty. Affordable, sustainable safaris and tours are available for you and visiting friends or family.

Funding

Erasmus+ funding may be available for this placement. Speak with your student office about grant options that could fully or partially fund this experience.

Ready to Apply?

📋 Apply now 🌐 Visit our website 📷 See the compound ✈️ Pre-travel info 📖 EVOLVET volunteer development program 💬 Read testimonials

Get in Touch

Have questions? We'd love to hear from you.

📧 kari@volunteerafrica.fi 📱 WhatsApp: +255 767 777 73 🎥 Schedule a Zoom meeting

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The Benefits and Perks are as follows:

Accommodation with breakfast and dinner is EUR 175 per week and is a personal expense. However, the cost drops to €125 per week after the first 13 weeks. Please have a look at https://volunteerafrica.fi/african-safaris/questions-and-answers/ and https://volunteerafrica.fi/our-compound/

Airport transfers from and to EUR 120 are a personal expense.

The charity visa for immigration is USD 50 and is a personal expense. A visa with multiple entries of less than 12 months is $250.

We pay you a USD 50 per month stipend. It is small, but equivalent to twice Tanzania's national minimum wage. The minimum participation time for assistance is four weeks.

Flights are a personal expense.

Local transportation in Tanzania is a personal expense, but it is small if needed.