If you want to volunteer in Tanzania as a student, a MEDLIFE Service Learning Trip lets you do it with a team that works in the region year-round. MEDLIFE’s Tanzania trips are based in the Kilimanjaro region, where students support mobile clinics alongside local healthcare providers and community members. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare.

What You’ll Do When You Volunteer In Tanzania

On clinic days, you’ll help at stations like triage, recording basic patient information under the guidance of local staff. Clinics run wherever there’s space. One student, Leilani, remembers doing triage at a children’s play table. She also noticed how many older patients said it was their first time seeing a doctor, a reminder of how hard it can be to reach care in some communities around Kilimanjaro.

Local doctors and nurses lead the care. Your role is to support their work, listen closely, and learn how healthcare runs when resources are limited.

Respecting Local Healing Traditions

In Tanzania, many patients use both traditional healing practices, such as herbal remedies, and modern medicine. Healing is often understood as something that involves the whole person and their community, not just a symptom. As a volunteer, you’ll see why cultural respect matters: patients are more likely to trust providers who take their beliefs seriously. You’ll also practice explaining health information clearly to people with different levels of health literacy. Swahili is widely spoken, so learning a few greetings before you go is a good way to show respect.

What To Pack

MEDLIFE staff who have traveled with students recommend packing these before you volunteer in Tanzania:

• Waterproof trekking shoes, since you’ll walk on everything from city streets to rural paths
• A raincoat or umbrella, because showers can arrive without warning
• A power strip for your adapter and two portable chargers, since power outages are common in towns like Moshi
• Your own shampoo, sunscreen and insect repellent
• A reusable water bottle to stay hydrated and cut down on plastic waste

Health And Travel Prep

While it is not required, it is recommended to visit a travel clinic well before your trip. Ask about the yellow fever vaccine, which some doctors recommend depending on your route and connecting countries, and about medication to prevent malaria, which is a risk in many parts of Tanzania.

What Students Take Home

A trip like this doesn’t have to change your future plans to be worth it. For Leilani, it merely sharpened them. She told MEDLIFE the trip “didn’t change the direction that I wanna go into but it did confirm it.” She came home convinced that the best way to support a community is to focus on things people can use regularly, long after volunteers leave.

That idea is at the heart of MEDLIFE’s approach. You’re joining work that local staff and community partners carry on year-round, not starting something that ends when your flight does.

Ready To Volunteer in Tanzania?

If you’re curious about global health and ready to learn in an environment that challenges your preconceived beliefs about healthcare and access, consider joining a service learning trip! Fill out the form below or download our brochure to learn how you can get started today!