Maddie Newman (centre) with some of the senior kids at The Small Things, located an hour outside of Arusha, in Tanzania. “It’s always the children’s laughter that gets me. Whether they’re laughing at my terrible attempts to pronounce Swahili words or at a silly joke, their joy is completely infectious.”
There’s a large and irretrievable portion of Maddie Newman’s heart sitting in a village in Tanzania, East Africa. That’s where this Otago graduate left it after her latest stint volunteering with The Small Things (TST) – a non-profit organisation which works with orphaned and vulnerable children.
“It was one of the most heartwarming and heartbreaking experiences I’ve ever had,” Maddie says.
“It gives you an entirely new perspective on the world when you meet families who have had to focus simply on surviving because of hardship. It really makes you appreciate that, in New Zealand, our conversations are so often about how to thrive rather than how to survive.”
It wasn’t Maddie’s first stint at volunteering.
“As a teenager, I completed a training course with a homeless shelter in Australia. So, when the chance came up to volunteer at the Dunedin Night Shelter, it felt like the perfect opportunity. It allowed me to use the mental health and wellbeing skills I’d developed, give back to my local community, and build meaningful connections with people who are often marginalised and overlooked.”
Though raised in Australia, Maddie chose to study at Otago because she wanted an absorbing, all-encompassing student experience.
“I wanted university to be my whole life – not something that just fitted around my existing life. I loved the idea of living in a student city, learning in person, and building strong relationships with staff and the wider community.”
Tanzanian children sporting some of the 80kg haul that Maddie gathered from her local community in Australia. “I was able to get sponsorship from Qantas to get lots of shoes, clothes and raincoats over to the kids. It was so amazing.”
She excelled both academically and relationally at Otago, taking on two or three voluntary shifts per week at the night shelter while acing a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Finance.
It was during her time at the shelter that Maddie voiced a keenness to find volunteer work in East Africa after graduation. Dunedin’s super-connected social network promptly obliged, and Maddie was put in touch with a former Otago staff member (Josh Lowry) who was on the board of TST.
In 2025, she spent two months volunteering in Tanzania, helping to introduce new learning-through-play initiatives at the TST preschool. She also worked alongside children with disabilities to provide additional academic, social, and developmental support.
“What really drew me to the organisation was that their focus isn’t simply on caring for children, but on doing everything possible to reunify them with their families wherever safe and appropriate. The work they do is truly life-changing – taking kids out of rough situations and providing the skills and opportunities to turn their life around.”
One trip to Tanzania wasn’t enough for Maddie. She recently returned for a second visit, and when she arrived at TST carrying four duffel bags of donated goods from her home in Australia, it wasn’t just the young ones who were thrilled to see her.
“As special as it was to see the children’s excitement, it was the reactions from the mummas (their caretakers) that really stayed with me. They were overwhelmed with genuine gratitude. Seeing their excitement over new, good-quality raincoats and shoes was incredibly moving. They kept saying how wonderful it was that the children wouldn’t need to worry about shoes for the next few years. It was a simple gift, but one that made a real difference.”
In between trips to Tanzania, Maddie stays in touch by reading to the children online, sending photos, and helping financially when projects or urgent needs arise.
Maddie (second from left) with full-time staff members at The Small Things.
The crew at TST have clocked the depth of her generosity, saying, “This is what it looks like when someone doesn't just remember the kids after they leave, but keeps showing up for them”.
Unsurprisingly, Maddie’s Tanzanian time has prompted a seismic shift in her thinking.
“Working at a grassroots organisation in a developing economy has completely shifted my perspective on the world. It’s made me appreciate the privilege of opportunity in a completely different way and reinforced the importance of not wasting the opportunities we’ve been given.”
It’s also given her academic interest in economics and finance a much deeper purpose.
“It’s shown me the power of strong economic institutions, sound financial systems and good governance to improve quality of life. Looking ahead, I’d love to build a career where I can combine my passion for finance with development, using strong economic and financial institutions to help improve opportunities and living standards in developing countries.”
She thinks the biggest lesson she learnt in Tanzania was that money isn’t the only salve for communities in need.
“Financial resources are important, but knowledge, skills, education and genuine relationships can be just as transformative. Seeing this firsthand has changed how I think about economic development. It’s made me realise that the true value of economic knowledge isn’t simply in creating wealth for ourselves, but in using it to improve the lives of others.”
For now, Maddie will concentrate on sharpening her skillset in a corporate finance graduate position in Sydney. That won’t dim The Small Things thud in her heart though. The likelihood of further duffel bags arriving in Tanzania attached to a Maddie, seems fairly high.
-Kōrero by Claire Finlayson, Communications Adviser (Otago Business School)
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