The following is a list of activities our volunteers can get involved with. It should provide you with a rough idea about what you could do during your stay. However, if there is anything you would like to suggest that is not mentioned here, please let us know, as we are always open for new ideas.
Teaching
Teaching activities may include:
- Teaching English (Reading, Grammar, Speaking, Pronunciation, etc)
- Teaching Mathematics or any other subject of expertise
- Helping the students in completing the syllabus
- Helping the students in completing their home-work
- Problem-solving sessions with students
- Group-discussion sessions with the students & managers
Information Technology
IT activities aim to give the students practical experience and technical knowledge they need in an Ethiopian society where computer skills are becoming more and more important in professional life.
Most of our students had never touched a computer before joining our programme and what they need most is the basic understanding of what a computer can do for them.
You will be working on old donated laptops to help students learn basic computing tasks such as:
- Learning how to type
- Basics skills using Microsoft programmes
- Setting up an email account & learning how to access email
- Processing, structuring, and managing various kinds of information
- Conducting internet research
- Creating and using communications and entertainment media
We are also always in need for second hand laptops as they are extremely hard to get in Ethiopia. If you could donate an old machine we would be extremely grateful.
Sports
Sports activities may include:
- Introducing students to new sports
- Teaching rules and regulations of various sports
- Participating in sports after school
- Participating in organised runs (for example the Great Ethiopia Run in November)
- Enhancing team spirit
- Championing a “healthy mind in a healthy body” spirit
- Organising sports competitions and tournaments, for example table tennis
If you are an expert in a particular sport or even if you just like to get involved, our students always welcome anyone to join in.
Construction and Beautification
Our student hostel requires regular maintenance, renovation and beautification work. Many of these jobs are carried out by contractors. However, we also involve students (and volunteers) in some of the easier tasks. This is so that they can more appreciate living in a healthy, neat and pleasant environment.
Activities may include:
- Teaching awareness of keeping the building to a high standard
- Introduction to Interior Design
- Wall painting
- Wall decorations (illustrations, murals, stimulating signage)
- Electrical checks
- Plumbing and Drainage check
- Small level construction work
- Bathrooms repair & maintenance
These activities will allow you to leave lasting marks on our hostel and improve the living conditions of our students. If you are good with a screwdriver or a paint brush, we’d love you to get involved.
Environmental Awareness
These activities aim to teach our students about the fragility of our environment and the importance of its protection. Teaching to be more environmentally friendly is easier than you think. Small steps can make a massive difference to our lives.
Activities may include:
- Evoking necessity and responsibility in our students to respect, protect, and preserve the natural world
- Teaching students how future problems may affect them and their lifestyles
- Discussing use of hybrid cars, energy-saving appliances, and solar panels
- Helping them foster a sense of responsibility and “proactive citizenship”
- Teaching the importance of saving water – taking short showers, fixing leaking pipes, keeping water tap closed while brushing teeth, recycling water in the hostel
- Instruct the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) waste hierarchy
- Introducing the students to composting
- Educating students to stop littering. The pile of garbage on road hampers the beauty of city and also pollutes the air
Whether you are an environmental expert or just someone who cares, our students will love to talk to you about your experience and your thoughts on how to protect our planet.
Gardening and Landscaping
These activities help our students to practice growing and cultivating plants for decorative purposes and also for food creation. We grow vegetables, herbs and fruit at the hostel.
Activities may include:
- Teaching how to prepare the soil and finding the right seeds and plants
- Developing organic gardening
- Working with nature, and creating beautiful surroundings
- Understanding weeds
- Maximizing plants propagation
- Understanding plant care
- How to make the most of your garden
- Feeding and caring for chicken (we currently have eight hens)
If you have green fingers or you just enjoy digging and watering we welcome you to get stuck in.
Health & Wellness Coaching
Organising activities to help our student to understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and a balance of body, mind and soul is really important, particularly given the difficult origins many of them have come from.
Organising activities to help our student to understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. A balance of body, mind and soul is really important, particularly given the difficult origins many of them have come from.
Activities may include:
- Teaching yoga, meditation or any well-being techniques
- Paths to developing positive relationships
- Encouraging a healthy lifestyle
- The importance of practising mindfulness for a health life
- Ways to deal with bullying, harassment and conflict
- Understanding the significance of equality and diversity in the modern world
- How to handle stress and anxiety
Singing and Musical Instruments
Musical activities allow our students to explore their creative talents. In Ethiopia, (& worldwide), music is an important part of people’s way of life, as it plays a key role in religious rituals, rite of passage ceremonies, social and cultural activities. Students really enjoy learning musical traditions from volunteers & sharing their own musical culture.
Activities may include:
- Technical skill associated with singing such as breath control, intonation, range and interval training
- Teaching harmonies and theory classes
- Song-writing and sight-reading lessons
- Improvisation workshops
- Understanding how to read musical notes
- How to play a musical instrument
- Organising a choir
- How to perform on stage
- Preparing a talent show
Our students have a very academic focus and these creative activities in particular will allow them to open their minds to new ideas and experiences. You do not need to be a musician to make singing with our students a fun and enjoyable experience. Please bring your own musical instrument if you wish to teach something specific – there are no musical instruments / resources at the hostel.
Women’s Empowerment
In Ethiopian society today women still take a back seat. Whilst our female students are used to taking an active part, they could definitely benefit from additional sessions about women awareness and empowerment. And of course these sessions are not only for our girls!
Activities may include:
- Educating our girls (and boys) about women rights
- How to fight shyness and lack of confidence
- Build self-confidence and providing emotional support
- Educating them about important female role models
- Opening their eyes to modern view of society in terms of the role of women
- Learning that satisfaction does not necessarily mean getting married and starting a family straight after finishing education
This is a fantastic opportunity to work alongside strong and effective women and to raise awareness of the importance of feminism in a country where many women are still very much treated as inferior.
Art & Photography
These activities are great opportunities for the students to develop their creative skills. Learning about visual arts – painting, sculpture, etc, as well as photography, and being taught to come up with the ideas for a great piece of artwork are as important as the art creation itself. Art and photography changes the way you see things. Suddenly you notice light, shapes, colours, textures, people, buildings, trees, flowers… Everything looks different around you when you start seeing the world as an artist.
Activities may include:
- Helping the students to discover their creative potential in a stimulating environment
- Discussing practical, creative and critical techniques
- Producing and analysing pieces of art and design
- Developing the students’ creative and analytical senses
- Exploring various media such as: drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, digital media, printmaking, video and installation
- Allowing the students to express their ideas and develop their creativity.
- Developing skills in the basic techniques of photography
This project is perfect for anybody willing to explore the whole range of creativity! You do not need to be Michelangelo to show our students the beauty they can find in everyday situations. At the hostel, we have some basic art materials, but please bring any specific materials you might require to run workshops.