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This project is a wonderful community programme, combining a variety of teaching opportunities in six schools, whilst also allowing you to partake in a range of after-school activities with young children.
This programme works alongside a large number of local children from the surrounding villages and towns to help develop literacy, sports and education to those who need it most, living in Zambia’s poor communities.
Located just 6kms from the amazing Victoria Falls, you will also have a wealth of opportunities to explore the local area, and take part in a whole number of activities, from Elephant rides and Safaris to Bungee Jumping and white water rafting!
Please Note: On Community Projects, we recommend you volunteer for at least 4-8 weeks, so as to ensure you settle in well and get the most out of your stay, getting to know the people and children as best as possible.
The Volunteer Programme
Typical schools in Livingstone work on a system known as ‘hot-seating’. Having too many children to accommodate and severe shortages of staff and facilities, schools run two or even three school sessions per day.
As a volunteer you will work as a teaching assistant in the classroom, or with sports coaching programmes within and around the schools to help keep children off the streets. You will find that most of the schools have very ill-equipped facilities, but a wealth of children with a desire to learn.
In the afternoons, you will have the opportunity to run informal educational workshops, sports games and activities or take part on one of the many community projects that this exciting programme has to offer.
Highlights of the Zambia Project
- Assist in vital teaching programmes
- Sports coaching to keep children off the streets
- Work with a large number of children from very disadvantaged backgrounds
- Immerse yourself in local Zambian culture
- Visit the Victoria Falls and take part in a number of excursions and activities
- Make friends for life
Your Role as a Volunteer
As a volunteer, your working day will be divided into morning and afternoon activities, with teaching being your main focus. These programmes are as follows:
1) Teaching Project
During the week each morning, you will assist teachers and contribute to our effort of providing children with a better education, ensuring that you can give children the individual attention they desire but hardly ever get. In addition, you will have the opportunity to organise your own classes.
During this time, you will be placed in one of the many schools in Livingstone that require your help. The first school for example, has more than 2000 pupils. Since the school only has 17 classrooms, there are four sessions per day, which means children only get three hours of education each day. There is a large sports field, which is an ideal place to organise sports events. Moreover, the number of children in a class is often very high and as a result the children get very little individual attention.
Due to a great shortage of teachers in many of the schools, classes are often cancelled or taught outside and children often have to share their books and pens. You will find that, despite all these challenges, the children at the Community Schools have a great desire to learn and your help is very much appreciated.
As a volunteer on the teaching project, you will be involved in the following activities:
- Assistant in teaching: While the teacher is in front of the class teaching a lesson, you will go around the room and give children individual help
- Mark tests
- Organise special needs classes for children who have not been able to keep up with the pace of the classes
- Organize and coach sport events
- Help with giving the children their meals. Every child receives a meal at most basic schools, which is often their only meal a day
- Help clean and maintain the classrooms, most of which are quite run down
- It is also possible that you will actually take some lessons yourself, so please be prepared for this opportunity and bring along some basic materials.We are currently involved in a number of exciting extra projects in these schools, as and when
funds are available. Some of these tasks include:
- Re-painting the schools
- Building the last classroom. We will then begin painting the rest of the school
- Football and Netball coaching in the afternoons
- Reading clubs in the afternoons.
School Holidays
In Zambia, the children have school holidays at certain times of the year. There is still plenty for you to do in this time, but the daily activities will be a lot less structured than normal. This means that you can be very creative and bring loads of ideas with you to implement with the children each day. Please make sure you use your initiative during this time and get the kids involved: They love your interaction and love to be kept busy!
2) Zambia Community Projects
After having spent the morning at a school, you will have the opportunity to help out the local community in different project areas in the afternoon. You will rotate between some of the following community projects:
- The Elephant Pepper Project: This is aimed at reducing the conflict between farmers and elephants. Elephants raid the local crops, which often causes farmers to loose their whole year of income and the elephants are often shot as a result. This project is seasonal and not available all year round
- Home-Based Care Project: This is run by local women who spend their mornings visiting patients in the local community. The patients generally have HIV, TB and Malaria and cannot afford to go the hospital. As well as bringing food and medical supplies, the patients are given advice on nutrition and the correct way to take their medication.
• HIV and AIDS education
• Building and Painting Schools
• Sports Coaching and Art Clubs
• Reading Clubs and Adult Literacy schemes
Project Support
Throughout your stay in Africa you will have the support and guidance of experienced volunteer coordinators. They will be able to help you with any questions or advice you may need during your time on the project. In addition, you are also able to contact our UK staff 24 hours a day should you need to, via our emergency contact number.
Project Orientation
Upon arrival in Livingstone all volunteers are involved in comprehensive 1-day orientation programme. This orientation is facilitated by your project volunteer coordinator and entails:
- An introduction to the town of Livingstone and surrounding areas
- You will also see where your fellow volunteers will be spending their days
- You will visit Mukuni Village, a traditional African village just outside of Livingstone.
- At the orientation, volunteers will also receive our detailed ‘welcome pack’, which will contain further useful information for your time with us
Accommodation and Meals
During your time at the project, you will be staying at one of our three volunteer houses, which are simple, clean, comfortable and suitable for your needs. Our houses are located in the quiet suburbs of Livingstone, within walking distance of each other and just a 5 minutes drive from all the projects that we are involved with. Each bedroom will be shared between 3-8 volunteers (though we try to keep these numbers as low as possible) and there are comfortable dining areas and lounge areas to relax in with your friends after a hard day of work. The toilets and showers are clean and western style.
The houses have gardens and access to swimming pools, BBQ areas and Satellite TVs. The houses are staffed with a fantastic cook and laundry/cleaning ladies. There is also a safe for you to store your valuables at the programme. Regardless of which house you end up staying at, all meals, laundry and transportation to and from schools/clinics and tourist activities will be provided and organised by your volunteer co-ordinator.
You will be provided with three meals a day throughout your stay in Zambia. Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals/porridge, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked for you by one of our chefs at your volunteer house.
Sometimes on weekends you will need to cook your own meals with ingredients that will be provided, as our staff will need to be given time off. Weekends are a good time for tourist activities and exploring the surrounding area, so most volunteers are out and about during this time.
Please Note: There are domestic pets at 2 or the 3 houses. Please discuss this with us at the time of booking if you do have any allergies to animals so that we can place you accordingly.
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