Our program
Our volunteer program aims to give the children in the surrounding villages a more sustaintable education. The schools are not as organised as western schools and with our program we want to try to close the gap. Private schools have 50-100 students with classes ranging from 5-30 pupils, whereas public schools can have up to 1500 students with classes of 50-80 pupils. When the number of pupils in a class becomes too high, the schools can't always afford to split the class because they don't have enough teachers. This is where you come in. After an introducton period alongside a professional teacher, when you feel comfortable, you will be able to teach a class by yourself.
What you can expect
Books are scarce. Usually there are 1 or 2 books per subject per class. Students will copy from the blackboard but they don't all have the same pace. Individual attention is required sometimes but the teachers lack the time between writing on the blackboard, making corrections, and going around the classroom to check for themselves. With the help of the volunteer, we can avoid having some of the students just sitting in class when they're finished writing, and more importantly, we can get those students that need individual attentention up to speed with the rest of the class. We embrace all the ideas coming from volunteers to improve the schools, teaching methods, etc... We welcome all input and this has shown to be very useful in the past. Teachers gladly adapt to improved structures and processes, even after the volunteer has left. Together with professional teachers, the role of the volunteer and the aim of our program is to make sure that the time in school is spent as efficient and effective as possible, so that the students can get the maximum out of their education and have more opportunities in their future.
There also is an after school library where volunteers can teach. Students from all over the villages come here to study more and improve their skills, so as you can tell, they are very eager to learn. Since these children are all in different classes, volunteer help is definitely welcomed: giving exercises, making corrections, explaining different subjects,... The library has plenty of teaching material and exercises. It also has a small playground with a basketball hoop right outside where volunteers can play educational games with the smaller children or organise P.E. classes.
The location
The schools are all walking distance from the host families. They have a sufficient number of classrooms, with a playground and a teachers room. The playgrounds of the smaller schools can have swings, seesaws, climbing jungles; and public schools playgrounds can have a soccer field or basketball court as well; so volunteers will definitely not get bored during breaktime. Tea and cake is also provided during breaktime at the school, which volunteer can enjoy together with other teacher and volunteers. The host families are located in the nearby villages, in a quiet and peacefull surrounding, but still walkable distance to Arusha town. They are plenty of shops around in the villages, but if volunteers need something specific, Arusha city is only a 20 minute walk away. The scenery here is beautiful with plenty of green and a view of Mount Meru. Even short hikes can take you to the most scenic viewpoints, that regular tourists don't get to see. Volunteers will get to know and befriend people living around, and truly become a part of the tight knit community. Not a day will go by without a friendly greeting on the streets, that is guaranteed.
What we expect from you
Volunteers don't have to bring any special equipment for the program (check the website of tour organisations if you are planning to do a tour though). If they wish to bring any material, school supplies like books (school books or reading books for the library), pens, pencils,... are always greatly appreciated; but these can also be purchased here.
The children are very eager to learn and they really look up to their teachers, so it is important that volunteers are aware of that. We expect volunteers to be open-minded and act with respect towards both the schools and the host family. Common courtesy is appreciated. The volunteers can count on us to be around for basically any problem you are facing. We will support you and listen to what you have to say. We will take care of you in your free time and help you make arrangements for anything you need, from buying phone credit to organizing tours. You will have the local insight and knowledge that regular tourist do not have, thereby learning so much more about our culture, surroundings, traditions, and way of living.
