Volunteering with children can be the ultimate rewarding experience as you develop deep relationships with them in a short time. Community volunteering really allows you to get to know the locals and the area you are working in all the while helping to make it a better place.
You can find placements in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and worldwide.
FAQ
What do I need to take for the children?
A couple of activity books and a ball will not keep you going if you are participating for more than a couple of weeks. For teaching, bring along children’s activity books for the 7 to 12 age group. You can easily copy the activity onto the blackboard for the children to complete in their notepads or get photocopies at the Post Office. A few of the schools will have text books for you to use but this is rarely the case for the poorer primary schools where most volunteers choose to work, although previous volunteers may leave some spares in the volunteer house.
If you are staying for a longer period and working with younger children bring different props which are reusable to avoid running out of equipment and some craft/art activities. A great investment brought from home would be a ream of coloured sugar paper, cellotape, string, glue sticks, felt tips, crayons and pairs of scissors. And don’t forget some ideas on what the children can make and ensure you are taking or can obtain extra resources in Ghana by contacting the coordinators shortly before travel.
Nursery schools and orphanages are often lacking in materials, so anything will be welcome.
At most schools there is not a secure supplies room so you should take your materials each day in your back pack or a holdall so they are ready to use if the need arises.
In the summer months volunteers often share classes so if you only take 5 activities and stay for 2 weeks you should be covered with the materials other volunteers have taken.
Popular activities with children and volunteers when stuck for an educational activity include spelling tests, geography quizzes and maths questions in teams as a class together.
Why not take an old suitcase (so the things you take do not get squashed) of cereal boxes, toilet roll holders, yoghurt pots, anything that can be reused for an art project to make houses, robots. Start asking family and friends to start collecting now! In primary schools where most volunteers choose to volunteer, there is a considerable amount of freedom on activities. Just don’t forget some numbers (adding, taking away and timetables)and writing at some point between activities!
When there is a surplus of unused materials leftover when volunteers depart, day trips to a project or community in need are made to distribute them.
Other items in need outside of the classroom include underwear, shorts for boys, skirts for girls, girl’s bras and sanitary pads (often girls do not go to school for lack of pads – Tampons are not used in poorer areas). Flip flops, rehydration sachets, painkillers, antiseptic cream and cheap reading glasses also handy.