Safeguarding Policy

Effective and Active: Applies to all TotoAfrica programs and personnel

TotoAfrica works with children, young people, and vulnerable adults. Safeguarding is not a compliance exercise for us, it is the architecture of everything we do. This page is the public-facing summary of our Safeguarding Policy. The full policy document is available to schools, partner organizations, and community leaders upon request.

01.

Our Commitment

TotoAfrica is committed to creating and maintaining safe environments for all children, young people, and vulnerable adults who interact with our programs. We believe that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility not just the coordinator’s, not just the social worker’s, but every volunteer, partner, and staff member without exception.

Zero Tolerance TotoAfrica has zero tolerance for any form of abuse, exploitation, or harm toward children, young people, or vulnerable adults whether from volunteers, staff, partners, or any other person connected to our programs. Any safeguarding concern will be taken seriously, investigated promptly, and reported to the relevant authorities where required by law.

02.

Definitions

For TotoAfrica’s purposes, a child is any person under the age of 18. A vulnerable adult is any adult who, due to mental health, disability, addiction, or circumstance, may be less able to protect themselves from harm or exploitation.

Safeguarding concerns include but are not limited to physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, exploitation, grooming behavior, inappropriate contact or communication, and failure to report a known or suspected risk.

03.

Non-Negotiable Safeguarding Standards

Background checks: Every volunteer who works with minors or vulnerable adults must pass a criminal background check before their first session, no exceptions.
Two-adult rule: No volunteer is ever alone with a minor. A minimum of two adults must be present at all times during any program session involving children
Parental consent: Written parental or guardian consent is required before any minor participates in a TotoAfrica program or before any data about them is collected
Photography consent: No photograph or video recording of a minor may be taken or shared without separate, explicit, written parental consent. Consent for program participation does not imply consent for photography.
Communication boundaries: Volunteers do not communicate with minors through personal channels. No personal WhatsApp, phone calls, social media, or direct messaging outside approved program platforms
Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO): TotoAfrica maintains a named DSO who is the first point of contact for any safeguarding concern. The DSO’s contact details are shared with all volunteers, partner schools, and community organizations before every program cycle

04.

How to Report a Concern

Anyone Can Report. And Should You do not need to be certain that abuse has occurred to make a report. If something feels wrong, report it. It is always better to raise a concern that turns out to be unfounded than to stay silent about one that causes harm. Reports can be made by any volunteer, community member, student, parent, or partner organization.

Step 1: If a child or vulnerable adult is in immediate danger, contact the Tanzanian Police Force (112) or the nearest health facility immediately.

Step 2: Contact TotoAfrica’s Designated Safeguarding Officer as soon as it is safe to do so. DSO contact details are provided to all volunteers and partner organizations in writing before every program cycle.

Step 3: Write down what you observed exactly what was said or done, when, where, and who was present. Do not investigate the concern yourself. Do not confront the person you are concerned about. Pass the information to the DSO.

Step 4: The DSO will assess the concern within 24 hours and determine what action is required — including whether to notify the relevant Tanzanian social welfare authority.

Anonymous reports can be made to TotoAfrica’s anonymous reporting channel that will be provided before programs begin.

05.

Safeguarding Training

All TotoAfrica volunteers who work with minors or vulnerable adults must complete safeguarding awareness training before their first session. This training covers: recognizing signs of abuse and neglect, appropriate volunteer participant boundaries, how to respond if a young person discloses harm, and the reporting process.

Training is delivered as part of the volunteer onboarding process and refreshed annually for returning volunteers.

06.

For Parents and Community Members

If your child is participating in a TotoAfrica program, you have the right to:

Know the name and qualifications of every volunteer who will work with your child
Withdraw your child from the program at any time without giving a reason
Raise any concern about your child’s experience directly with the program coordinator or DSO
Request to see our full Safeguarding Policy document at any time
Contact our anonymous reporting channel if you prefer not to identify yourself

Safeguarding concern? Contact us immediately.

For immediate danger: Tanzania Police — 112
For child protection: Tanzania Department of Social Welfare

Full Safeguarding Policy document available on request:

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