African Impact - Livingstone Community Projects

  Zambia

Livingstone

Length of Position: 1-3 months
Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: year-round

Description: Assistant teaching or sports coaching at local schools and an AIDS orphanage in the Zambian town of Livingstone, 6km from the magnificent Victoria Falls.

Teaching
Typical schools in Livingstone work on a system known as hot-seating. Having too many children to accommodate, and shortages of staff and facilities, they run two or even three school sessions per day. As a volunteer you will work as a teaching assistant in the classroom, or with sports coaching programmes which keep children off the streets. You will find that most of the schools have meagre and ill-equipped facilities, but a wealth of children with a desire to learn. As a volunteer, you will assist teachers and contribute to our effort of providing children with a better education. You will find that most of the schools have meagre and ill-equipped facilities, but a wealth of children with a desire to learn. You will spend most of your time assisting teachers, so that you can give children the individual attention they desire but hardly ever get. In addition, you will have the opportunity to organize your own classes. These are the ways in which you will assist the schools:

* Assistant teach. While the teacher is in front of the class teaching a lesson, you will go around the room and give children individual help.
* Mark tests
* Organize special needs classes for children who have not been able to keep up with the pace of the classes
* Organize and coach sport events
* Help with giving the children their meals. Every child receives a meal at most basic schools, which is often their only meal a day.
* Help clean and maintain the classrooms, most of which are quite run down.

We currently work in three different schools:
Dambwa Basic School: The school is located in the area of town called Dambwa, and has more than 2000 pupils. Since the school only has 17 classrooms, there are four sessions per day, which means children only get three hours of class each day. Dambwa Basic School has a large sports field, and is therefore an ideal place to organize sports events.

Zambezi Basic School: Located in the middle of the town center, this school has approximately 1100 pupils. Similar to Dambwa Basic School, Zambezi has a great shortage of classrooms and runs several sessions a day. Moreover, the number of children in a class are often very high, and as a result the children get little individual attention.

Linda Community School: Unlike Dambwa and Zambezi, Linda Community School is not run and financed by the government. This school is initiated and run by the community in the part of town called Linda, and offers education to approximately 150 children who cannot afford the tuition of a government-run school. Due to a great shortage of teachers, classrooms, and textbooks, classes are often cancelled or taught outside, and children often share books and pens. You will find that, despite all these challenges, the children at Linda Community School have a great desire to learn, and your help is very much appreciated.

Community Project
After having spent the morning at a school, you will help out the local community in different areas in the afternoon. You will rotate between the following community projects:

* LISCA Orphanage/Linda Community Centre
The orphanage, run by LISCA (Livingstone Street Kids Community Association), is a place that will warm your heart. Not only is it home to 20 boys who have lost their parents to AIDS, it also serves as a community centre for dozens of disadvantaged children in the neighbourhood. Volunteers have the chance to make a real impact on the lives of these children and to assist with their learning experience. Whether it is by organising simple classes, drawing pictures, playing sports, or simply sing songs, the attention you give to these children is of invaluable importance to them.

* Build and Paint Schools
Schools in Livingstone deal with a great shortage of classrooms, as a result of which most children do not receive the full day of class they need. With the help and guidance of professional builders, we are building new classrooms for as many schools as possible. As a volunteer, you will help with mixing cement, laying bricks, laying floors, plastering walls, and painting. It is hard, but highly rewarding work! In addition, we refurbish and paint existing classrooms.

* Elephant Pepper Project
The Elephant Pepper Development Trust is an organisation that aims to reduce the conflict between farmers and elephants. Particularly in the dry season, elephants raid peoples crops, which often causes farmers to loose their whole year income in one night. The elephants are often shot as a result. To save the lives of both people and elephants, the Elephant Pepper Trust has developed ways to use chilli pepper to keep elephants away from peoples land, as the animals dont like the taste and smell of chilli. The project gives farmers free seedlings and explains to them how to use the peppers. Moreover, Elephant Pepper buys the surplus of the chilli peppers back from the farmers, which gives the farmers a good extra income. As a volunteer, you will be involved in the project by helping build green houses for the seedlings, setting up demonstration sites around town, and building shops where women can come and sell their peppers.

* Home Based Care Project/Farming
The Maramba Home Based Care Project is run by a group of 30 local women who are all volunteers. The women spend each morning visiting patients in different 'zones' in the local community. The patients generally have HIV, TB and Malaria and often cannot afford to go the clinic or hospital. As well as bringing food and medical supplies, the patients are given advice on nutrition and the correct way to take their medication. The support group also sometimes cooks and cleans for patient's who have no family. The women have their own land that they use to farm for the purpose of raising money for the project, which they then spend on food and medical supplies for the patients that they support and visit. As a volunteer, you have the opportunity to join the women on their visits to patients in the community, and contribute to the help they offer. In addition, you will help the women out with the farming.

Please note that as this can be a shocking experience, this project is entirely optional. This is a relatively new project, but so far the feedback from volunteers who have been taken part has all been positive! We visit some very deprived areas which can be quite upsetting, but all the volunteers so far have said that it's been a valuable experience that offers a deeper insight into the lives of those suffering from terminal illness, and the chance to bring a small glimmer of hope into their difficult lives.

Highlights: Highlights of this Zambia volunteer project
* Assistant teaching
* Sports coaching
* Work with AIDS orphans
* Immerse yourself in local Zambian culture
* Make friends for life

"I volunteered in September 2006 in Livingstone, and it was the most amazing experience of my life and I only wish I was out there for longer!"
Stephanie Keatley, UK.

"My time in Livingstone was amazing, so much more than I could have ever experienced. I was 100% happy, in fact 110% happy with my whole experience"
Mandy Beech, Australia. August 2006.

Zambia Travel Highlights
* Experience the 'adventure capital of Africa'
* The world's most exciting white water rafting on the Zambezi River
* Bungee jumping and gorge swings over the Batoka Gorge which the water cascades into below the Falls
* Sunset Cruises on the Zambezi River above the Falls - this tranquil activity transports you back in time to the Africa of old and the excitement of cruising amongst crocodiles and hippos
* Elephant back safaris (half day or full day excursions)
* Canoeing Safaris on the Zambezi River above the Falls with experienced guides

Qualifications: A minimum of High-School education is needed, as well as open-mindedness, enthusiasm, commitment, and the ability to work in teams and in support of the community work that African Impact is undertaking.

Cost in US$: 1 month placement USD 2,270

Project Fee Excludes
* Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement which must include cover for repatriation
* All transport by air or bus to Livingstone
* All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other)
* Email/Internet and telephone calls
* Soft drinks, wines and spirits
* All visas for border crossings
* Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in Zambia e.g. visit to the Victoria Falls, white water rafting, etc

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: An adventurer, a traveller who is open to having their perspectives changed and immersing themselves in the local culture of Zambia and experiencing Africa first-hand.

Age Range: 17 and over

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Zambia Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of up to 10

Application Process Involves:

• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

African Impact's Mission Statement: African Impact facilitates cultural exchange programmes through volunteer work. We awards you the opportunity to immerse yourselves in local schools, health institutions, communities and wildlife conservation programmes. In this way as a volunteer you are able to leave your mark on a corner of Africa whilst at the same time experiencing a lifestyle that will shift your perspectives and allow you to see our world in a different light. We invite you to join us on a journey to Africa to explore, to inspire and to impact. We invite you to be more than a tourist, but to be a traveller, a conservationist and a humanitarian.

Year Founded: 1999