Education Supporter

One strategy of community conservation is co-management or joint management of a protected area. Co-management combines local peoples’ traditional knowledge of the environment with modern scientific knowledge of scientists. This combination of knowledge can lead to increased biodiversity conservation strategies for a sustainable management of the protected area. Ignorance has been one of the driving factors of illegal activities. This programme aims at providing opportunity of sharing knowledge, experience and to develop/ upgrade skills through sensitive programme such as adult literacy, financial literacy, language literacy, advocacy and raising awareness for Gender Equality and Human Rights, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene projects, training in tours-guiding and hospitality, public health, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights etc.

The programme

The key point of this programme is to build a just world by providing beneficiaries with necessary knowledge and skills for them to be part of the society.

Through this programme, applicants can either share their knowledge through the provision of needful training or conducting researches and surveys of their choice in a bid to help the organisation acquire improved tool for effective intervention or simply help applicants placements fo opportunities for capstone/practicum. Further to this, applicants may also participate in the following programmes:

• Teaching in kindergartens, nurseries, primary, junior and senior schools, universities, vocational schools,
• Teaching adult literacy
• Teaching music, languages and other subjects at your convenience
• Raising awareness on burning issues (the relevance has to be approved by Partners For Conservation)
• Communication skills
• Information and technology
• Vocational skills (fashion design, sewing etc

Applicants for this programme will be working with local beneficiaries and Partners For Conservation field staff including (Project Manager, and Technicians) and other stakeholders including conservation and development agencies as well as the local authorities. In order to provide applicants with many learning opportunities to better contribute to community conservation efforts in Rwanda, applicants may be authorized  to join the team that represents Partners For Conservation in functions, meetings and other conservation gathering.

Interested applicants must be pro-active and ready for intense fieldwork. There’s no-specific equipment required for this programme.

The location

The volunteer will be based in Musanze. Musanze is a district in the Northern Province of Rwanda. Its capital city is Ruhengeri which; is also sometimes known as Musanze. Musanze is Rwanda's most mountainous district, containing the largest part of the Volcanoes National Park and its head office at Kinigi. Five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga chain (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura) are within the district boundaries. It is also in this district that most of Rwanda's mountain gorillas are found, making it the most popular tourist destination in the country. Musanze's capital, Ruhengeri, is one of the largest cities in Rwanda and serves as a hub for tourists.

It is easy for a volunteer to access the rest corners of the country from Musanze for example Musanze is at 1h drive from Gisenyi and the Democratic Republic of Congo border. Gisenyi is known for its super weekends for water sports lovers. Musanze is also at 2h30 drive from Kigali and at 25 minutes to the Cyanika, the Uganda border.

A day as a volunteer varies on a daily basis. Normally, the day stars at 8:00 am with a debriefing at Partners For Conservation HQs and after which volunteers drive for the field. Applicant needs to carry some snacks and drinks because the lunch is served after the field work and most of the time is beyond the lunch time. After the field work, they drives back to the office to put together the field minute and prepare the next day. The day ends at 4:30pm.  Partners For Conservation makes sure that the volunteer/intern intervention supports the necessary need and where a volunteer is happy to intervene.  Partners For Conservation supports volunteer’s intervention by providing a comprehensive team involving among others a driver (where necessary), a local interpreter and senior officer/ project manager.  This is key to ensure there’s excellent communication on and off the field for a successful intervention and teamwork. 

A volunteer is free agent on the free, public day and on leave. However, volunteers are required to follow rules provided by where they stay this implies that they are called to communicate about their time in and out of the lodge for example. Partners For Conservation recommends the best activities based to those available in and around the town although volunteers are free to choose according to their preferences. For volunteers looking to travel away from their bases (for holidays for example,) they’re requested to dully fill leave application forms available at Partners For Conservation. Volunteers are free to do whatever they want except political activities.