• Voluntary service

Volunteering with Us

Volunteering is a wonderful way to contribute your time and skills, meet new people, and learn about different cultures.
At our projects in Namibia, we truly value the energy, ideas, and dedication that volunteers bring into our daily work. Whether you’re looking for a full year abroad or just a short-term internship, we’re happy you found us!

Duration of Stay

We recommend a minimum stay of 2 to 12 months.
Why? Because volunteering is more than just showing up – it’s about understanding the culture, connecting with learners and colleagues, and becoming part of the project’s daily rhythm. This takes time and reflection. Shorter stays often don’t allow for a meaningful exchange – unless you’re bringing a specific skill or a planned program with you (such as an arts course, workshop or similar). In that case, you can prepare at home, and we will provide dedicated time slots and learner groups for your project.

As a volunteer teacher, you’ll assist in primary school or ECD classrooms to support interactive learning and create a positive, inclusive environment.

Main Tasks:

  • Assist with basic reading, writing, and math in Grade 1-4
  • Offer individual or small-group support
  • Develop and use creative teaching tools
  • Join extracurricular and school activities
  • Foster participation and inclusivity
  • Assist in Homework Support Groups from Grade 1-12
  • Background or strong interest in education or child development
  • Experience with children is an advantage
  • Creative, independent and team-oriented
  • Open to different learning styles and working with vulnerable communities
  • Able to communicate in English

Lead physical activities that promote teamwork, discipline, and self-confidence among children and teens, while fostering healthy, active lifestyles.

Main Tasks:

  • Plan and lead sports sessions (e.g. football, athletics, netball)
  • Encourage fair play, inclusion, and gender equality in sports
  • Support physical education classes and youth sports clubs
  • Organize tournaments and school sports days
  • Promote teamwork and build youth leadership through games
  • Assist with equipment care and help create a fun, safe training environment
  • Experience in sports coaching, fitness, or physical education
  • Ability to motivate and include children of all skill levels
  • Energetic, fun-loving, and respectful of all participants
  • Comfortable organizing and leading group activities
  • Basic English and good communication in a team setting

Assist in providing emotional, academic, and social support to children and youth while promoting safe spaces, personal growth, and resilience within the TSN community programs.

Main Tasks:

  • Provide homework support and tutoring
  • Assist in organizing life-skills workshops and mentoring sessions
  • Offer emotional support and serve as a trusted listener to children and teens
  • Work with staff to identify and respond to vulnerable cases
  • Help create inclusive, welcoming environments for all participants
  • Background in social work, psychology or education
  • Experience with youth mentorship or support programs
  • Empathetic, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed approach
  • Ability to maintain boundaries and handle sensitive situations with care
  • Able to communicate in English

Assist in contributing to community health by providing basic first aid, delivering hygiene education, and supporting the well-being of children in collaboration with school and center staff.

Main Tasks:

  • Deliver health workshops on topics like hygiene, nutrition, and menstrual health
  • Provide basic first aid support and monitor children’s well-being
  • Support children with chronic conditions under staff supervision
  • Promote safety and health awareness in school and home settings
  • Assist with referrals to local health services as needed
  • Registered nurse, medical student, or background in public health
  • Experience working with children or in community health settings
  • Ability to respond calmly and supportively in health-related situations
  • High level of cultural awareness and empathy
  • Basic English; ability to communicate clearly with staff and children

Support our mission by creating engaging content and helping to grow the visibility of our programs. You’ll help shape our public image and share the stories that matter.

Main Tasks:

  • Develop content for social media platforms, newsletters, and the website
  • Capture and edit photos and videos of daily activities and events
  • Create engaging stories that highlight the impact of our work
  • Support the planning and promotion of events and campaigns
  • Assist with donor communication and volunteer outreach
  • Maintain consistent branding and messaging across materials
  • Experience or strong interest in PR, marketing, media, or communications
  • Creative mindset with basic design, photo, or video editing skills
  • Confident in writing and storytelling in English (German is a plus)
  • Organized, proactive, and able to work independently
  • Comfortable working closely with staff, volunteers, and community members
  • Able to communicate in English

Assist in supporting the smooth functioning of school and community programs by assisting in office tasks, communication, scheduling, and program organization.

Main Tasks:

  • Assist with data entry, reports, filing, and document preparation
  • Help coordinate schedules, meetings, and community events
  • Support communications with families, staff, and volunteers
  • Organize supplies and support logistical planning
  • Contribute to smooth internal operations and team communication
  • Support with welcoming visitors, guiding guests
  • Experience in admin, communications, or office work preferred
  • Strong organization and multitasking skills
  • Comfortable with digital tools (email, Word, Excel)
  • Detail-oriented and reliable in time-sensitive work
  • English proficiency; written clarity is a plus

Possible Fields of Volunteering

Our work is broad and diverse – and so are the ways you can contribute!

We’re always open to individual applications and creative ideas. If you bring a special skill or passion, let us know – we’re excited to hear from you.

OFFICIAL PARTNER OF

Our association is an official recipient organisation in the “weltwärts” programme. Our Projects welcome several volunteers annualy. We as a recipient organisation benefit greatly from the support of volunteers – a real enrichment for us.

You are a German Citizen and want to do a one-year voluntary service, then have a look at the weltwärts-program. You don’t have so much time, the program “Weltwärts” is no option or you are just planning a short internship? Then apply online! Note, however, that we do not offer any financial support.

WHAT DO FORMER VOLUNTEERS SAY?

Felix Färber , 2010/2011
Felix Färber , 2010/2011

“What still characterizes me to this day is the “thinking outside the box” during my voluntary service in Namibia. It was an incredibly enriching experience to get an insight into the everyday life of the children and it was a lot of fun learning to do handicrafts with the kids or playing a round of soccer. Here, I have developed an awareness and appreciation for a number of privileges that in Germany seemed perfectly natural to me. An example for one of these privileges is access to education and sufficient school places for all children, which unfortunately is not always given in the DRC. It is all the better that the DRC School Project & Community Center is making a small but important contribution here and has even been expanded, renewed and improved since my time on site.”

“A year in Namibia and at the DRC School Project taught me many important things, including: “There is always a Plan B. ” If something doesn’t work in one way, you try to do it in another, and at some point you find a way that leads to the goal. But most of the important things that I took with me from this year have an impact on my inner life and are difficult to put into words. They are based on experiences and encounters with unique people and are a treasure for which I am grateful.”

Malina John, 2014/2015
Theresa Rhode, 2015/2016

“When colleagues become friends and this friendship lasts for many years and over 8000 km, this describes my voluntary service. I am very grateful to have become part of a community, to have met inspiring personalities and, together with the children and local people, to have used the available time as meaningfully and fun as possible. I have learned to question my European education and to be more optimistic and open to new things. For me “weltwärts” was a guide to my professional life, but also to voluntary work and I am looking forward to supporting the project and the community on site since my volunteer service. ”

“The unique thing about voluntary service was that I learned a lot of new things and changed my way of thinking. Among other things, I became more sensitive to topics such as racism in everyday life. Thanks to the DRC project, I had the opportunity to get an insight into life in Namibia. I also enjoyed working with children because they perceive the world differently than adults. The children had at least as much fun during the joint activities and excursions as I did. Through the expansion of the project library, which we carried out together with the teachers on site, the children now have access to more children’s books as well as school books. ”

Franca Sailer 2016/2017
Franca Sailer 2016/2017
Carolin & Veronica Koess, 2017/2018

“We have grown together with the kids over time and have really taken them into our hearts. At the same time, it was also nice to see how they have accepted and trusted us more and more. The project is an important part of their everyday life and a place where they can feel comfortable. We will not forget our colleagues, with whom we often chatted, held joint days of action and excursions and who always stood by our side. What was unique about our work was not only the great responsibility for the children, but also the creative possibilities we had in everyday life and other activities. The Voluntary service has challenged us in many areas in which we have been able to grow and learn. It also gave us an insight into the reality of life in Swakopmund and the DRC. And at the same time, we were able to contribute to enriching the everyday lives of some children and thus supporting them. This was a very nice and impressive experience, which we appreciate very much. ”

“My volunteer work at the DRC School Project & Community Centre was mainly shaped by the children and colleagues I worked with almost every day. They have shown me that together you can achieve a lot and that you should pursue your goals.

It was always an unforgettable experience when a trip was due and you could see the children excited and full of joy in front of the project. They came to me with a gratitude and openness that I had never experienced before in this way, and this was an incredibly enriching experience for me.

Completing my volunteer service at the DRC School Project & Community Centre was definitely one of my best decisions in my life.

Kira Harting, 2018/2019
Alicia Krug & Fynn Fröndhoff, 2022/2023

“Eventful, formative and unforgettable – that was our year in the DRC School Project!

Although our own class presented us with many challenges, we are grateful for all the hurdles we were able to grow from. We have learned that not everything always goes according to plan and that a plan B is at least as important as flexibility, positivity and openness for what is to come.

Through our work and new friendships, our world has become a little bigger and we are very grateful for this unforgettable and instructive year!”

“We can look back on an incredibly wonderful and eventful year that more than exceeded our expectations!
Our tasks were very varied: both working with the children and helping with lesson preparation were a lot of fun. The really wonderful and incredibly warm colleagues played a major role here. We were welcomed as if we were part of a big family. We were able to learn a lot from them about dealing with children, as well as what good teamwork means. It was exciting and very instructive to immerse ourselves in one or many new cultures and to question our own behavior. It was particularly great how we were able to contribute our own ideas, try things out for ourselves and were always supported in doing so. For example, we started a tooth brushing project and began brushing teeth with the children every day at school. Thank you very much for a wonderful and above all unforgettable year!”

Johanna Quadt & Lisa Dreher, 2023/2024
Johanna Quadt & Lisa Dreher, 2023/2024
Wir haben das OPEN DOORS Education Centre (ODEC) in Namibia gebaut. Hier klicken für mehr Informationen.
We've built the OPEN DOORS Education Centre (ODEC) in Namibia. Click here for more information.