Teach Children at Bethlehem Star Primary School

Bethlehem Star Pre & Primary School is a community school in Usa River, about 30 minutes from Arusha city in northern Tanzania. It was founded in 2013 by the late Mrs Janeth Adam Nyoni to give orphaned, disabled and low-income children from Usa River and the surrounding villages access to good education at a cost their families could manage.

The school teaches children aged 2 to 13, from Baby Class through to Primary Class VII, following the Tanzanian national curriculum. Pupils receive two meals a day and a school minibus brings them to and from home. Facilities include classrooms, a library, a computer laboratory, a dining and assembly hall, and an infirmary.

The school is still growing, and it is underfunded and understaffed. Every volunteer makes a difference. You do not need a teaching qualification — qualified teachers and students are both welcome.

What you would do

• Teach English, maths or science, alone or alongside a Tanzanian teacher
• Help children build spoken English through conversation and practice
• Support pre-school children with reading, writing and early numeracy
• Teach computer skills in the school computer laboratory
• Run sports, games and playground activities, and help with field trips
• Help with small maintenance or building work at the school
• Support fundraising and the school online presence

You will work with Tanzanian teaching staff and other volunteers, and you are encouraged to bring your own ideas, games and teaching materials. Volunteers work five days a week, Monday to Friday. Weekends are free.

Free time

Usa River sits between Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. The school can help arrange safaris in Arusha National Park, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, hiking on Mount Meru, weekend trips to waterfalls, hot springs, coffee farms and Maasai villages, and beach holidays in Zanzibar.

Getting there

The nearest airport is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), about an hour by road. We recommend arriving at a weekend so you can start on Monday morning. Please send us your flight details before you travel.

Morning. Breakfast, then classes from around 8:00am. You teach your own lessons or assist a local teacher.

Lunch. Around 1:00pm, shared with pupils and staff in the school dining hall.

Afternoon. Classes or project work, often with sports and games. Teaching usually finishes around 3:00pm.

Evening. Dinner with your host family, or with volunteers and staff.

Weekends. Free to rest or explore Arusha, Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro and the national parks.