Mozambique Pre-School Teaching And HIV/AIDS Awareness Detail

Mozambique Pre-School Teaching And HIV/AIDS Awareness

Rural Pre-School Learning Centre

Volunteers visit the pre-school every morning to assist the local teachers and educate the children in creative ways.  Volunteers teach in small groups of about 8 children and if they are interested or comfortable, can chose to work one-on-one with children who display learning difficulties or require extra attention.

Volunteer involvement at the pre-school
Singing and dancing with the children in English, Portguese and Xitsua
Developing the children's imagination and creative skills through crafts such as painting, drawing and coloring
Teaching basic lessons about colors, numbers, letters and knowledge of the world in English with the assistance of a  translator
Giving the children the opportunity to let off some steam through fun games and structured physical education classes
General upkeep of the school to keep it a pleasant environment in which to learn
Some basic work at the preschool farm, aimed at providing a source of sustainable income for the pre-school

 

HIV Education Workshops

Volunteers demonstrating HIV transmission methods at a community awareness day

Volunteers, with the assistance of a trained translator, will be responsible for planning and leading HIV Education workshops in the secondary schools of Vilanculos.  Each workshop includes four sessions spread over the course of two weeks, to allow the volunteers to foster close and trusting relationships with the students.  The workshops will be a dynamic combination of presentations, dialogue and interactive drama and arts as a means of conveying information about the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.  The goal of the workshops is to liven up and deepen the very basic HIV/AIDS education provided for Mozambican young adults in the government school system.  Prevention is the way forward in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa, and we believe these interactive workshops can be hugely instrumental for that cause in Vilanculos.

During school holidays the HIV Education project will still run but in different locations and with a different structure. Volunteers arriving over the school holidays should be prepared to be involved with workshops in a variety of settings, from a group of youngsters in the local market to church groups.

Other opportunities possible with the HIV project includes participating in a community testing and awareness day, conducted through our partnership with CARE International.  Volunteers are responsible for putting together a dynamic
presentation about HIV/AIDS while CARE International simultaneously provides on-site testing and counselling.  These amazing days are able to affect so much change in the local community and give the volunteers a unique opportunity to see a difference being made in the course of one afternoon.

Volunteer involvement in the HIV Education Project:
Planning fun, interactive, and informative workshop sessions for the students
Conducting these sessions dynamically and responsibly in the schools of Vilanculos
The opportunity to form close bonds with the youth of Vilanculos, in the hope that it will form a strong bridge upon which to convey vital information about HIV/AIDS
Once-monthly community awareness and testing days with CARE international.  Volunteers are involved in all aspects of these days, from the planning of the presentation to the local marketing in anticipation of the event.

Community Projects
After having spent the morning at the pre-school, you will help out the local community through a wide array of projects that are outlined below.

1. Orphan Care and Development

We visit the orphanage once a week to visit with the twenty-two children that live there.  The orphanage is also the site of our once-monthly cultural immersion days (local cooking and song and dance!)

Volunteer Involvement at the Orphanage
English and Portuguese lessons with the children with the assistance of visual aids and a translator.
Developmental playtime where the children get to learn new games and play with toys to which they wouldn't normally have access.
Constructive sports games such as Frisbee and Soccer.
Giving the children the one on one care and attention that is so critical for their development

2. Rural Home-Building

Cyclone Favio hit the Mozambican coast in February 2007 and devastated much of the local area. African Impact was involved in the initial relief work and assisting AID agencies. Through our local contacts we have continued with rural home-building for those who do not have the means to build for themselves (monetarily or physically)  We work in close conjunction with community leaders to assess the most critical housing needs and then act accordingly.

 

We are currently managing to build 1 home every 2 to 3 weeks. They are simple and rustic structures typical of construction in the Inhambane Province.  The work is sometimes challenging but always rewarding and offers an amazing insight into rural Vilanculos as well as the chance to meet and form working relationships with members of the local community.  Other building projects that we undertake include refurbishment at the preschool, such as new classrooms and amenities.

3. Language Club

Saturday mornings are spent at the language club, an informal learning group open to the community just up the hill from the volunteer camp.  The students that attend include young children, young women, and adults, all of whom perhaps have missed out on other formal learning opportunities.  The language club is an amazing opportunity for these individuals to pick up some English that can help them procure employment and therefore a more stable lifestyle.  Also, what better way to get to know and form close bonds with your neighbors than learning together?

Volunteer involvement at language club:
Play creative language learning games with the littlies, such as bingo and pairs game to encourage fun learning.
Arts and crafts as a means of increasing vocabulary, with themes such as sea-life and the animal world.
More formal English lessons with advanced students, keen to further their education in their spare time.
Singing in English and Portuguese
Volunteer Expectations - Please read carefully
Africa provides an ever-changing environment and power failures, water shortages, temperature fluctuations and other uncontrollable situations do occur, particularly in the rural location of this project. You will need to remain flexible, understanding and in good humour. "African time" can be difficult and frustrating for those used to a very structured life so this is something to keep in mind!

Once you arrive in Africa, your care is the responsibility of African Impact and our project managers. We always aim to provide you with all your daily needs, keep you out of harm's way and support you in your volunteer work. In exchange, we ask you to attend work punctually and to behave consistently in ways that reflect well upon African Impact and our project managers.

The African Impact projects rely on networks, and those networks are held together by good relations. If a case should arrive in which our staff feels that volunteers have repeatedly behaved in ways that contradict the basic spirit of this agreement, we reserve the right to remove you from the program.

We view the volunteer experience as a commitment that includes a willingness to overcome challenges of various sorts. In cases where volunteers are experiencing difficulties, we strongly encourage creative, collaborative solutions. At the same time, we respect the ability and freedom of our volunteers to make their own judgment and understand that volunteer work only functions well when volunteers retain the will to participate fully and energetically. 

Vilanculos, Mozambique, Pre-school teaching, HIV/AIDS awareness, community development.