Teaching & Education Assistant

About the Program

With more than half of its population living below the poverty line, Malawi is considered one of the world’s poorest countries. The infant mortality rate in Malawi is extremely high, due to the poor health care and malnutrition. At the moment a preschool system is non existent. This means that for children under the age of 6 there is little access to any form of education. Our volunteers provide vital support by improving the level of education and assisting the teachers improve their English and teaching methods. For this project a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) degree is not necessary; however, it would be a great asset.

The project is situated in the Mangochi District of Malawi, which is situated on the edge of the beautiful Lake Malawi. Volunteers will work alongside other volunteers, volunteer leaders, and local teaching staff on a daily basis.

Typical Tasks

The preschool groups that we support exist of about 50-100 children and are run by one or a small number of local volunteer teachers. Volunteer tasks will vary from:

• Teaching basic English, including the alphabet, counting, days of the week, shapes and songs
  
• Serving meals to malnourished children daily as part of a feeding program
  
• Recording children’s weight to monitor their improvement
  
• Teaching the children all the benefits of good health and hygiene (e.g. washing hands, brushing teeth)
  

Mornings will be spent assisting in the nursery and schools. In the afternoons there are various extra-curricular community projects volunteers will assist with. Some projects that volunteers can assist with after school include:

Library Workshops
The library workshops we organise give the children the opportunity to do activities they would not usually have the chance to, such as art and crafts and reading. Volunteers will assist with these activities as well providing extra English and maths tutoring.

Wildlife & Environment Club
This entails educating the children about the environment, conservation, and the importance of preserving the wildlife in Malawi.

Sports
During the sports activities volunteers will get the opportunity to coach a variety of sports, including football, netball, volleyball and rounders. There are also other activities we organise, such as ball games, skipping, parachute games, and obstacle races, which the children love! We encourage volunteers to instruct their own games and activities as well.

• Work with disadvantaged, orphaned and vulnerable children
  
• Help improve the education of children who are willing and eager to learn
  
• Teach extra classes to smaller group sizes allow more individual attention
  
• Run fun afternoon activities, such as wildlife clubs, arts and crafts, reading clubs and drama
  
• Provide adult education sessions, helping them develop skills and vocational training to rural communities
  
• Teaching the teachers and students computer skills
  

In the mornings volunteers will assist teachers with the curriculum subjects, including English, Maths and Sciences. Most days you will finish teaching in the morning between 11:00 and 12:00 and have a lunch break back at the volunteer house during the hottest part of the day.

In the afternoons volunteers will have the opportunity to plan and run extra curricular classes.

The afternoon activities may vary between schools and can consist of:

Library Workshops
The library workshops we organise give the children the opportunity to do activities they would not usually have the chance to, such as art and crafts and reading. Volunteers will assist with these activities as well providing extra English and maths tuition.

Wildlife & Environment Club
This entails educating the children about the environment, conservation and the importance of preserving the wildlife in Malawi.

IT lessons
These lessons will initially be taught to the teachers and introduces to the students as soon as the teachers have achieved basic knowledge (specific computer skills are not necessary for these lessons)

Drama, Music, Arts & Crafts
These activities are open to be filled in however you would like, depending on your personal interests.

You can be involved in the activities that interest you most. However, a certain amount of flexibility is required in order to maintain the continuity of the after school clubs and activities.

During free time, volunteers can relax at the volunteer house, swim in the sparkling waters of Lake Malawi, and explore the local area.
Weekend trips can be organized by the project staff. Some exciting places you can visit include:

Liwonde National Park-Offers a variety of wildlife and large herds of elephant, where you can enjoy the combination of a vehicle safari, walking safari, and boat safari in search of the numerous hippo in the rivers.

Cape Maclear-A popular tourist village at the edge of the lake. Enjoy snorkeling, boat rides on Lake Malawi, exploring the craft stalls, and sunbathing on the beach during the day. In the evening there are a couple of lively bars to let your hair down.

Zomba Plateau-Is a cool forest where you can relax, take in the great views, trek, and even go horse riding if you wish.

*Although organized weekend excursions are not included in the program price, we do recommend doing a couple of these group trips during your stay. This way you will be able to see a little more and make the most of your time in Malawi.