Business to make a difference! Intern abroad and gain experience while helping others

HIV/AIDS is one the major reasons for loss of life in Tanzania. Over the years, many people have lost breadwinners in the family due to AIDS. At GapGuru; we aim to help these people to build sustainable livelihoods.

We constantly identify people who need aid, with the help of gap year interns we identify what local business these people could run and what support they need from our end. Through our registered charity, the FutureSense Foundation (Charity No: 1106237), we provide a small grant to designated recipients, allowing them to set up small businesses that lets them support their families. All livelihood options are selected on the basis of what is available locally like rice cultivation, rearing poultry, selling fruits and vegetables, ironing etc.

Older volunteers with business experience can provide advisory support to these recipients on how to run business effectively – be it where to buy things from, how much to sell them for, what to do with the money etc.

Over the years, we have helped over 250 people, each having at least 4-5 dependants and our aim is to help many more in years to come.

Gap year volunteer role: An important part of the programme is to record correct data and analyse it to help make sound decisions. The decisions could be life changing as they may involve – whether someone should be given a second grant, how much to be given, what’s the success rate etc.

As a business intern on this programme, your role will be to:
1. Meet the people who have received the grant and evaluate whether their business is doing well.
2. Identify the parameters of success and measure performance against them.
3. Look at all the grants given in the past and the information that is recorded
4. Present improved ways of capturing information.
5. Analyse data and provide information on

• How many people grants have been given to
• How many people need more grants
• How many people need advisory support
• What’s the average grant given out
• What type of businesses are proving successful

The business internship role will further develop depending on requirements that exist at the time of your project. If you are studying Maths or Statistics this project would particularly benefit from your skills.

Your gap year experience: A gap year internship in Tanzania gives you the opportunity to learn how small businesses work in developing countries. It also gives you the opportunity to apply what you have learnt in school/uni in a real life scenario. Moreover, you will be using your skills to make a meaningful difference to people. Interns in Tanzania can also use their weekends to visit local attractions such as the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.