Info

Volunteers will have the opportunity to become involved in local community development projects, including teaching English as a foreign language and sustainable tourism programs.

"Elimu maisha si vitabu" - You can't learn everything you need to know from books. Some things you learn from living. This Swahili proverb perfectly sums up the opportunity available to you through the volunteer teaching program in Kenya. You're going to find out first hand what it's like to become fully immersed in their culture.

You'll live and work within a small community, experiencing for yourself the charms of rural, rustic Kenya, teaching English to children in the local school and helping with community development projects.

As a volunteer, armed with your box of books, you will arrive at the school and help give the students the extra support that they need. You do this by helping with difficult words, encouraging them as they read and offering the opportunity to practise their literary skills outside the limited lessons available.

Volunteers will plan their own art club using suggested lesson plans, their initiative and creative ideas. Here you can encourage students to deal with a variety of issues through art. For example; you can hold an Anti Drugs campaign using your art club to produce posters, or your art club could make demonstrative models in order to educate them on many different topics. You could also produce seasonal art e.g. Christmas Cards, Christmas decorations, Easter Masks etc. Have finger painting sessions or papier mache - the possibilities are endless!!

Volunteers will also be required to run an adult literacy club. Not only a very popular activity amongst volunteers but also an extremely important project aimed at helping adults become more employable through literacy. This is a structured syllabus with beginners / intermediate / advanced classes, lesson plans, tests and a certificate upon successful completion. The course will improve the students understanding of English both written and reading, as well as mathematics.
Volunteer, Medical, Community, Livingstone, Zambia

Program Highlights

* Visit and provide care to ill people in their homes, as well as to residents at the local old people's home
* Work on school refurbishment and building projects
* Train local people how to care for the sick in their communities
* Immerse yourself in local Zambian culture
* Make friends for life
* Visit Victoria Falls and enjoy some of the amazing tourist activities that Livingstone has to offer including Bungee Jumping, White Water Rafting on the Zambezi, Helicopter Flights over the Falls, Zambezi River Cruises, visits to Botswana’s Chobe National Park to experience Africa’s highest density of elephants and weekend excursions across to Zimbabwe and much more.

Start Dates

Various dates throughout the year. Check out the Smaller Earth website for further details.

Costs / Benefits

2 weeks - £595
4 weeks - £895
6 weeks - £1095

This includes:

*Airport pick-up and transfer to base
*All food and accommodation
*Training materials and teaching materials
*Introduction to TEFL (Teach English as a foreign language) certification
*24-hour in-country support and a 24-hour emergency phone line
*All normal Smaller Earth pre-departure support and services

Requirements

No previous experience is required, but volunteers must be able to work as part of a team, speak English fluently, have a strong interest in community development, a sense of adventure and be prepared to enjoy Africa in a rustic way. Days are hot and dusty, and volunteers can expect to experience all the adventures and rigors of Africa on a continual basis. You must be enthusiastic, adventurous and respectful of your host country’s culture and environment. Minimum age limit is 18 years old