The information in the gapyear.com placement database is provided by each individual company. Gapyear.com claims no responsibility for inaccurate, misleading or libellious information. Please ensure that you check all details with the specific organisation before booking or accepting placement.

GYC1107 - Teach English with local community charity Country: Tanzania Cost: £1070.00 Cost Includes: The price includes accommodation and pickup from airport but does not include flight, insurance, food, kit or visas    Duration: 3 months Company Rep Nearby: All 0845 344 7535 or

 

	This placement would suit... you if you want experience of real Africa, helping incredibly poor kids in a stunning location in one of the most outstanding countries in Africa. Please contact us to find out more and we can direct you to our website which has all the details or give you a call to tell you all about it. Introduction Teach English to local Tanzanian children from 4-14 years old in villages in a beautiful rural location, working with a small charity called Village Africa. About the schools We work with two primary schools, in the villages of Yamba and Milingano in the West Usumbara Mountains. Yamba Primary School has about 240 students in class sizes of 25-35 students. Milingano Primary School is much larger and some of the classes have over 100 students (volunteers teach the smaller classes)! Both schools also have a kindergarten class. Although the facilities are very basic and there is a severe shortage of teachers, the schools are incredibly welcoming. Education is highly valued by families and some children walk up to 10km to attend school each day. Orphans and children from one parent families also attend school, rather than being kept at home for chores. A typical week A normal week will have around 15 hours of English lessons. During lessons you may work with a Tanzanian teacher or you may have a class all to yourself. Your role is to focus on improving speaking and listening skills and building the children's confidence to communicate. This means lots of fun and interaction, including games, songs, art, sports, dressing up, and any other creative activities that get the kids using English. There are also roles in the kindergarten where the children are normally between the ages of 4-7. There is a great opportunity for someone who loves playing with and entertaining children as well as teaching them basic English. The kindergarten is a less daunting environment but equally challenging and rewarding. Lifestyle A huge part of the adventure of Tanzania is the environment you will live and work in. The villages are in an extremely beautiful area with a mixture of forest and farmland, much more lush than the classic savannah picture of Africa. There is lots of wildlife including dikdiks, rabbits, chameleons and birds. The people who live here are subsistence farmers and, despite it being fertile, are incredibly poor. Volunteers live together in basic houses in the village, with a short walk to school. A housegirl is employed to fetch water, shop, cook and clean and a watchman is employed to oversee the houses at night. You will soon adapt to the Tanzanian way of life that is dictated by the hours of daylight. With the absence of electricity, waking hours become fairly similar to daylight hours. You will have plenty of free time to relax, enjoy Africa, get to know local people and learn more about yourself. It is important that you come equipped to entertain yourself with books, musical instruments, paints, walking shoes and a host of ideas that can be swapped with other volunteers. There are also some great hiking opportunities in the area including viewpoints of Kilimanjaro and the Tanzania border, waterfalls and historical caves. At weekends Village Africa organises transport to allow you to do some travel and exploration and have a change of pace and scene. Popular choices are the ancient trading port and beaches of Tanga, and the friendly town of Lushoto. Both offer good facilities, including email, bars and restaurants. Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world and as such the standard of living appears very low to us. The Tanzanian way of life is extremely laid back, relaxed and friendly. Society is generally not money driven and provides a very different view on how to live. This can lead to a degree of culture shock for people visiting, but more often leads to culture shock on the return to the UK at the end of an extended period of time living in a local environment. Longer term this can help to produce a much deeper and more mature understanding of our own society and a more tolerant and caring view of other peoples and societies. What's included Travel advice and assistance A comprehensive information pack Being met on arrival at the airport 2 nights acclimatisation and orientation (by the beach near Dar) Transfers to the village Local introductions, tours and training 1 week teacher training course (TEFL) Accommodation in a house shared with other volunteers (your own room) Transport for 5 weekend trips away (including Tanga and Lushoto) Ongoing support, help and advice from the local staff. The benefit and requirements English is very important to the Tanzanians and those with a good command of the language will have much better opportunities. The number one request from local teachers and parents is that we help the children to improve their English language skills. Teaching in an environment like this is extremely challenging and rewarding. It takes a lot of hard work but the results can change the lives of the children that you are working with, as well as your view of yourself. The programme benefits you, the work of Village Africa and importantly the local population. The idea of teaching students in Africa can be a daunting one, but we provide training and continuous support and monitoring to ensure that you enjoy your work and do it well. You don't need to have any previous experience, just energy, enthusiasm and a love of working with children. Dates and duration This placement last for 12 weeks, but can be extended. The placement starts in January, April and September. Our users say: "Yamba and its people are simply magical. The people are an inspiration and I truly will go home a better person because of all that I have learnt from them. The school is incredibly well organised and the pupils are amazing - their eagerness to learn is so encouraging. Yamba and its people are simply beautiful and quite unforgettable!" - Tina "I've dreamed of coming to Africa for about 10 years, but never thought it would live up to my expectations. I can't imagine having a better experience than Yamba, what a fantastic place and what an honour to have been so accepted into their community so warmly." - Jo "Living and working in Yamba has been incredible as has the opportunity to see such a wonderful country. The whole experience has been amazing, the people so welcoming and the children so fun. I hope to return before too long. I can’t believe how much Yamba feels like a home to me now. I cannot thank the villagers and the project enough, there was nothing more I could have asked or wished for during my 3 month experience." - Rebecca 0845 344 7535 POD - Personal Overseas Development: PoD provides the opportunity for people to volunteer and make a difference overseas, while experiencing incredible parts of the world that are rich in culture, variety and natural beauty. We also arrange placements and courses for people wanting to develop their skills in amazing locations. Great value 1 week to 3 month placements in Cambodia, Belize, Malawi, Nepal, Peru, Tanzania and Thailand. PoD is a small non-profit organisation that focuses on quality and safety rather than quantity.