At a glance
- Gain practical experience helping local female entrepreneurs who need to contribute to their family’s income.
- Help create business plans, set up marketing strategies, and present workshops for entrepreneurs.
- You’ll do all of this with the guidance of a supervisor who has a wealth of experience in micro-finance and working in local, disadvantaged communities.
Is a Micro-finance internship in Tanzania right for me?
Would you like to pursue a career in finance or international development? Are you passionate about entrepreneurship? Would you like to support women in disadvantaged communities? Then this project is perfect for you!
As a Micro-finance intern in Tanzania, you will work with our local staff and help female entrepreneurs build their businesses. You will also get the opportunity to offer your own insights and advice. This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in business and finance. You’ll be able to talk about what you learned in Tanzania during interviews and add this practical work experience to your CV.
An internship of this kind also prepares you for the working world. It helps you practice the skills needed to be a successful businessperson. You don’t need any prior experience to join. All you need is to be punctual, professional, and hard-working. Our staff will teach you everything you need to know, and you can ask questions and for advice.
Our Micro-finance internship in Tanzania runs year-round and you can join at any time. You are required to spend at least two weeks on the project, but there is no time limit beyond this. The longer you spend on the project, the more you will be able to gain from it. You’ll also gain even more micro-finance work experience while in Tanzania.
What will I be doing as a Micro-finance intern in Tanzania?
During your Micro-finance internship in Tanzania, you can expect to:
- Run weekly workshops to provide general business guidance and support
- Do house visits and interviews to see if women can apply for the loans
- Manage loan accounts and monitor targeted individuals who have already received loans
- Develop marketing strategies based on the business plans of local entrepreneurs
Your work will focus on the following areas:
Run workshops
Along with your fellow interns, you will run weekly workshops for the entrepreneurs.
During these workshops, you will be able to share your own insights and knowledge of business. You will also teach the women basic English, literacy, and numeracy.
Do house visits
During house visits, you will interview women to see if they qualify for the loans. If so, you will create profiles for them on our database.
Manage loan accounts
The central aspect of this project is the fact that we help local entrepreneurs build their small businesses through interest-free loans. As their businesses start taking off, they are required to pay us back in small instalments.
You will get the opportunity to manage and monitor various loan accounts. You will do this with the guidance of your local supervisor, who is a qualified loan officer. You will mostly do this after workshops.
Develop marketing strategies
The work you do will be focused on helping entrepreneurs build small businesses. You will help them put together their business plans and develop marketing strategies.
Recent small businesses that interns have been working with include rearing chickens and making and selling jewellery.
Where in Tanzania will I be working?
Arusha
You will be based in the city of Arusha. It’s located in the north east of Tanzania, close to the border of Kenya. The city serves as a gateway to a variety of popular tourist attractions, including the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Because of this, you will find an interesting mix of locals and tourists. This also makes Arusha a good city for small businesses to flourish.
You will be working in the Projects Abroad Micro-finance office in Arusha alongside a dedicated local team. Your time is split between the office, and doing house visits and running workshops in local communities.
Your work will be guided by an experienced loan officer. Together, you will help ensure that the individuals and groups taking part are given the chance to secure financial independence.
A typical day as a Micro-finance intern in Tanzania
You will start your day with a hearty breakfast around the table of your local host family. After this, you will set out to the office using public transport known as a dala dala. Projects Abroad staff members will accompany you on your first day to familiarise you with the route.
Working hours are normally from 8am to 5pm. For the first part of the day, you will be doing administrative tasks in the office. This might include reading through business plans, working on marketing strategies, and going through loan account statements.
Between 12pm and 1:30pm, you will get a lunch break. If your host family lives close by, you can head home to eat and rest. Alternatively, you’ll enjoy a packed lunch at the office.
Your afternoons are usually spent working with local entrepreneurs. This might include helping them work on their marketing plans or running workshops.
Once your working day is done, your evenings will be your free time to do what you like. Be sure to spend as much time as possible with your host family to learn more about the local culture. Enjoy meals with them and even join them for family outings.
Evenings and weekends are also the perfect opportunity to explore the city and the surrounding national parks with your fellow interns.
What are the aims and impact of this Micro-finance internship?
The main of this project is to support local entrepreneurs in Tanzania and help them achieve financial independence. We do this by providing them with small, interest-free loans and helping them lay the groundwork for their business.
All the beneficiaries are women who need loans to develop their business and contribute to the family income. In many cases, her husband’s income is not enough to support all of the family’s needs, or she is the sole breadwinner for her family.
Because of the loans, the woman are able to set up a small business, which can help them earn enough money to pay school fees or for school uniforms, for example.
As a micro-finance intern, you will also play an invaluable role in supporting them with skills training and knowledge transfer. At the same time, you will learn a lot about micro-finance in developing countries.
Join us as a Micro-finance intern in Tanzania and help more entrepreneurs break the cycle of poverty.
Volunteering for professionals
This project is also perfect for qualified professionals. With your skills backing up our ongoing efforts, we can make an even bigger difference together. We'll match you to the placement where your skills are needed most.
This means you can share your training and and knowledge with others. You can work hand-in-hand with our partner organisations and local communities to support sustainable development.
If you have relevant skills or qualifications, read more about how you can make use of them with Projects Abroad.
Measuring our impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
Food and accommodation
You'll stay with a host family in Arusha. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Tanzania and have a truly unique experience.
We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe.
Your programme fee includes three meals a day.
Find out more about our accommodation.
Leisure activities and free time
A trip to Tanzania is the chance to experience life in the heart of Africa. There’s plenty to see and do here during your free time on your project.
A project in Tanzania wouldn’t be complete without a safari! This is a chance to see the beautiful wildlife of this country, like elephants, rhinos, and lions.
What’s more, Tanzania is home to the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. Hiking around the base through lush vegetation is a peaceful way to spend an afternoon.
Browsing through a vibrant, local market is a must while you’re there. You can also spend time in a Maasai village, getting to know a completely different way of life.
There will likely be many other volunteers in Tanzania with you. This means you have the option to explore the country independently or with a group of like-minded volunteers from different projects.
Safety and staff support
Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. Our Projects Abroad staff are available 24 hours a day to help, and will be on-hand to make sure you settle in well at your accommodation and placement. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.
Find out more about safety and backup.
Meet the team in Tanzania
Not quite what you’re looking for?
Take a look at the following pages where you'll find collections of similar projects:
Enquire Now
Our accreditations
