Boresha Maisha Global Adventure Academy is an immersive 6 or 12-week internship, learning and travel experience in Tanzania. You’ll combine hands-on experience with a locally led organisation, Global Citizenship education, personal development, cultural immersion and some seriously unforgettable travel—all alongside an international cohort.
It’s designed to be much more than simply volunteering abroad. You’ll live here, learn here, travel here and become part of life in Tanzania.
Most volunteer programs focus primarily on your placement and leave you to organise the rest yourself. The Academy turns your time abroad into a complete learning and travel experience, combining your internship with structured Global Citizenship education, ethical volunteering training, personal development, cultural experiences, a partner-led Legacy Project, accommodation, meals, support and travel throughout Tanzania.
Most importantly, we don't believe meaningful contribution starts on Day One. You’ll spend time listening, learning and understanding the cultural and social context first, before working alongside your placement partner to identify where your contribution can actually be useful.
The 6-Week Fast-Track Academy follows the same philosophy but moves much faster, taking you from orientation and placement learning into your Legacy Project within the first few weeks. It includes one major overland safari journey through northern Tanzania to Lake Victoria.
The 12-Week Flagship Academy gives you significantly more time to build relationships, develop your skills and create a deeper Legacy Project. It also includes two signature overland journeys, including the extended journey from northern Tanzania through the mountains and Swahili Coast to Zanzibar.
We’ve designed the Academy to take care of almost everything: international flights from Europe, accommodation, most meals, airport transfers, your internship and placement fees, Diploma and Academy learning, visa arrangements, cultural experiences, scheduled transport, Adventure Days, major overland travel and 24/7 in-country support.
That means you aren't constantly paying for additional activities once you arrive. Your internship, learning, travel and everyday Academy life are all built into one experience.
You’ll be part of a set Academy cohort, with participants beginning and completing the program together. You’ll live at the same Academy home base, join workshops and adventures together and share many of the experiences that make Academy life what it is.
You can absolutely arrive solo—in fact, many people will—but you won't be doing the experience alone.
Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast
Our Arusha Academy currently offers pathways in Childcare & Early Education, Women’s Empowerment, Youth Sports & Wellness, Veterinary & Animal Welfare, and Mental Health & Psychiatric Care.
Each placement is different, but all are built around working alongside Tanzanian professionals and locally led organisations rather than replacing local staff.
It depends on your internship. Community, childcare, sports and animal-welfare programs can accommodate participants from a range of backgrounds, while clinical mental-health placements require you to be studying or qualified in a relevant field.
Your responsibilities are always matched to your experience, skills and the needs and boundaries of the placement.
That depends on your chosen pathway, which is why each internship has its own detailed program page. You could be supporting early childhood education, working within women’s empowerment programs, coaching young people, accompanying veterinary outreach or gaining supervised experience within a mental-health department.
You’ll receive a clearer placement plan before arrival, while still allowing flexibility for the realities and priorities of locally led organisations.
Your Legacy Project is something you develop with your placement—not for them. After spending time listening, learning and understanding the organisation, you'll work together to identify something genuinely useful that can be developed, tested and ultimately handed over to the local team.
Its about leaving something genuinely beneficial, and tangible behind that can contribute to development well after your departure.
The goal isn't to arrive with a predetermined idea of what a community “needs.” It is to practise responsible, collaborative and sustainable contribution.
Working internationally requires flexibility. Tanzania operates differently from Europe, Australia or North America, and schedules, priorities and day-to-day activities can change.
That's part of why the Academy provides ongoing local coordination, reflection and Global Citizenship learning—we help you understand and navigate those differences rather than simply leaving you to figure them out alone.
Tanzania is one of Africa's major tourism destinations and welcomes large numbers of international visitors every year. Arusha in particular is a major gateway for safari and Kilimanjaro travel, with a well-established international tourism community.
As anywhere in the world, there are risks such as petty theft and situations where sensible precautions are important. You'll receive detailed safety guidance on arrival and have an experienced local team available throughout your stay.
Yes. Your Arusha Academy home base is within a private gated compound with 24/7 security in an established area of Arusha. You'll also be living alongside your Academy cohort rather than being placed alone in independent accommodation.
The property has staff and support on site, giving you a secure home base to return to throughout your program.
You’ll have an on-the-ground Academy team and local placement support throughout your stay, alongside pre-departure guidance before you travel. Our team coordinates your placement, accommodation, scheduled travel and Academy activities and is available for support when something doesn't go to plan.
You'll also have the reassurance of travelling and living alongside your cohort rather than navigating the entire experience independently.
Our local team can help you access appropriate medical care and navigate what to do if you're unwell. Arusha has private medical facilities and pharmacies, and we'll provide practical health and emergency information during orientation.
There are several private hospitals close by, that can provide quality care.
All participants are required to have appropriate comprehensive travel and medical insurance for the duration of their program.
Women travel throughout Tanzania every year, and many of our participants travel to us independently. Part of the reason we work here, is due to the friendliness and overall safety of Tanzania for young people.
As with any international destination, local cultural norms and sensible personal-safety precautions matter, and we cover these thoroughly during pre-departure preparation and orientation.
Once here, you're also living and travelling as part of an Academy cohort with local support available.
Participants receive 24/7 in-country emergency support and clear contact information when they arrive. Our team can assist with medical situations, travel disruptions, placement issues and other genuine emergencies and help coordinate the appropriate next steps.
Your Academy home base is a modern, social property in Arusha where you'll live alongside your cohort. Participants share comfortable rooms with one or two other Academy travellers, with private bathrooms, hot showers and Wi-Fi, alongside a restaurant and bar, gardens, social spaces and an indoor movie room.
It's not simply somewhere to sleep—it's where workshops, yoga, dinners, movie nights, drinks and a huge part of Academy social life happen.
You'll generally share with one or two other Academy participants, and we'll organise rooming arrangements before arrival. Where possible, we take individual circumstances and preferences into consideration.
Yes. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included Monday to Saturday, with breakfast and dinner on Sundays, as well as relevant meals during scheduled Academy travel according to the itinerary.
You'll still have plenty of opportunities to head out for cafés, restaurants and meals with friends when you feel like something different.
es. Wi-Fi is available at the Academy home base. Tanzania's internet and power infrastructure may occasionally be less predictable than you're used to at home, but staying connected for everyday communication is generally straightforward.
Local SIM cards and mobile data are also inexpensive and easy to arrange during orientation.
Yes, we can cater to Dietary Requirements in most cases. Please let us know during the lead up to your trip so we can plan accordingly, and any that cannot be catered to (specific needs or allergies), can be planned around in advance.
There is a washing machine available at the Academy home base, and there are also local laundry services nearby if you'd rather have it done for you.
Sundays and free time are deliberately built into Academy life for laundry, shopping, calling home and all the other very unglamorous realities of living abroad!
Very social. You'll live with an international cohort and share workshops, meals, travel and everyday life, with Academy Social Nights, games, movie nights, drinks, music, nights out and spontaneous plans naturally becoming part of the experience.
Arusha and Zanzibar also offer many trendy cafes, resteraunts, bars and nightlife where you can also meet others.
You don't need to be an extrovert or party person either—there's plenty of space to recharge when you need it.
For our standard European departures, return international flights are included within the Academy package, which allows us to coordinate arrivals and make the journey much simpler for participants.
Participants travelling from destinations where airfare is significantly higher—including Australia, North America and some other regions—may have an additional flight supplement. Any applicable supplement would be clearly confirmed before you commit to your place.
The only expenses to consider outside of your program fee would be your own spending money for gifts, souvenirs, additional drinks, going out, etc, whilst in Tanzania. We also are not able to cover your vaccinations or personal travel insurance as this can only be arranged by you from your home country before travel.
Tanzania's local currency is the Tanzanian shilling (TZS). ATMs are readily available around Arusha, including within easy reach of the Academy home base, and cards are increasingly accepted at established restaurants, supermarkets, hotels and tourism businesses.
We recommend travelling with a good international/travel bank card and keeping a small amount of backup USD cash.
Arusha is generally relaxed: everyday casual clothing is fine, while long trousers or an appropriate skirt with a T-shirt or modest top works well for most placements. Safari and Adventure Days call for comfortable, practical clothes and shoes.
Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim, so more modest clothing is appropriate when exploring towns and local communities. Swimwear is completely normal at beaches, pools and ocean activities—just bring an easy cover-up for moving between them.
Be sure to bring a few nice outfits for celebrations & nights out.
We'll send you a detailed Academy packing guide once you're signed up, but you can generally pack as you would for any other overseas trip — comfortable clothing, toiletries, devices and chargers, and any personal medications you need. If you take specialist or prescription medication, we recommend bringing enough from home for your full stay.
Our Academy home base has international power outlets, although a UK-style travel adapter can be useful when you're out and about. And don't worry about packing for every possible scenario — Arusha is a well-established city and Zanzibar is a major tourism destination, with supermarkets, pharmacies, markets and shops readily available. If you forget something or need something while you're here, chances are you'll be able to find it.
Vaccination requirements and recommendations vary depending on your medical history and travel route, so we recommend speaking with your GP or a travel-health doctor before departure.
Common recommendations for Tanzania include ensuring routine vaccinations such as tetanus are up to date, alongside vaccinations such as Hepatitis A/Typhoid. Malaria is also present in Tanzania, so your travel-health professional can advise whether antimalarial medication is appropriate, alongside mosquito-bite prevention.
Rabies vaccination is required for participants joining our Veterinary & Animal Welfare program due to the nature of the placement.
Yellow fever vaccination is generally not required for travellers arriving directly into Tanzania from a country without yellow-fever risk. Most flights with us do not transit through Kenya, so its not typically required.
Wake up to the peaceful sound of water the shore. Lakeside Safari Tent. Wake up.
* Sign up to receive curated travel ideas, seasonal discounts.
Copyright © 2026 Boreshaacademy. All Rights Reserved.
