Pre-School Orphan Teaching & Community Project Detail

Pre-School Orphan Teaching & Community Project

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PRE-SCHOOL LEARNING CENTRE

Volunteers visit the pre-school every morning to assist the local teachers and educate the children in creative ways.  There are currently approximately 70 young learners enrolled at the pre-school and volunteers teach in small groups of about 8 children. Your role at the pre-school is as a teacher, preparing the children for their next steps into primary school and involves the following:  

1. Singing and dancing with the children in English, Portguese and Xitsua

2. Developing the children’s imagination and creative skills through crafts such as painting, drawing and coloring

3. Teaching basic lessons about colors, numbers, letters and knowledge of the world in English with the assistance of a translator

4. Giving the children the opportunity to let off some steam through fun games and structured physical education classes

5. Helping to prepare lunch for the children

6. General upkeep of the school to keep it a pleasant environment in which to learn

7. Some basic work at the preschool farm, aimed at providing a source of sustainable income for the preschool

1. Planning fun, interactive, and challenging lessons for the students
2. Conducting these lessons with the help of a translator in a patient, creative, dynamic and passionate manner
3. Assigning and correction of homework assignments
4. Getting to know an amazing group of individuals with an inspiring dedication to learning
   

The English lessons are free for the students and open to the community at-large.  They offer an amazing and rare opportunity for the people of Vilanculos to increase their knowledge of English, which greatly increase their chance of securing employment in Vilanculos’ growing tourism-based economy.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

After having spent the morning at the Preschool, 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 twice a month on a Saturday afternoon to visit with the 15 children that live there. As a volunteer you will be involved in the following:

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

2) Language Club

Saturday mornings are spent at the language club, an informal learning group open to the community surrounding 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? You will be involved in:

1. Play creative language learning games with the littlies, such as bingo and pairs game to encourage fun learning.
2. Arts and crafts as a means of increasing vocabulary, with themes such as sea-life and the animal world.
3. More formal English lessons with advanced students, keen to further their education in their spare time.
4. Singing in English and Portuguese

3) 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 approximately every 2 months (dependent on volunteer numbers!). 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.

4) Other Community Projects

There are a number of other community iniatives that we are involved in the afternoons. These include maintaining the farm at the pre-school, painting projects, beach clean up days and cultural immersion day.

Click HERE to read past volunteer Oliver Warner's feedback on this project.

Community Work - Pre-School and Orphanage Volunteering with Children, Bazaruto Island Adventure