Volunteer with Together in Sport 2019

Volunteer with Together in Sport

Volunteer Highlights

Project Activities

  • Teach PE, Numeracy, Literacy, Science, Expressive Arts and more! – to the 500 pupils at Faith and Hope Primary School aged nursery- P6.
  • Deliver quality sports sessions – to all pupils, including planning and delivering a sports festival.
  • Work alongside local teachers – sharing expertise and improving the overall education at Faith and Hope primary.
  • Create a fun learning environment – to support the pupil’s education and make pupils school lives fun and exciting!
  • Be a part of the charity food programme – preparing in local kitchen, and serving a hot school meal to the pupils.
  • Be hands on with the charities Girls Vocational Hub- Be inspired by local girls who are a part of our new exciting project!
  • Immerse yourself in Rwanda’s culture – learn about Rwanda’s history, what a day in the life of a Rwandan looks like, taste local Rwandan foods and meet lots of local people.

And there is more!

  • Spend the weekend climbing Mount Kigali – meet local people and visit rural Rwandan villages (maybe even spot some monkeys!)
  • Spend the weekend at the Rainforest – Take part in a canopy walk across the rainforest!
  • Spend the weekend Kayaking on Lake Kivu– Overnight Kayaking trek camping on a remote island. 
  • Visit local Markets – experience the unique atmosphere of the local markets. Choose some brightly-coloured material and get some Rwandan clothes made!
  • Learn how to prepare your own Rwandan meal – Visit a women’s cooperative and take part in a cooking class.
  • Train with local sports teams
  • Make Friends for Life – with local people and with the other volunteers!

About the project

Background

Together in Sport Rwanda is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), and was founded in Scotland by Kari Spence, a 27-year-old PE teacher.

The charity aims to improve the lives of local school children attending Faith and Hope Primary School in the rural village of Gako in Rwanda. Faith and Hope has 500 pupils from nursery to Primary 6. Most pupils live in severe poverty, and lack both food and water daily.

The charity aims to assist, through a range of programmes- food, water, health and education. All of the charity’s projects are designed to address the key needs, which the community of Gako have identified for themselves.

If you have a love of working with children, believe in the importance of education and want to be part of making a difference, then this is the project for you! You will be privileged to meet some of the most incredible, happy, enthusiastic children and staff, who are so eager to learn and who are sure to have an impact on you for the rest of your life.

Your Volunteer Work

Key Activities

Teaching at Faith and Hope:  Monday to Fridays will be spent at Faith and Hope School. Each volunteer will work with each class for one day, working alongside the local class teacher. The classes range from Nursery (aged 3) to Primary 6. During the residential weekend all volunteers will be put into curriculur teams and they will work together to prepare lessons which will be delivered at Faith and Hope. The lessons will include PE, Numeracy, Literacy, Science and Expressive Arts. Each volunteer will be paired with another volunteer each day. This means that they can team-teach and/or divide the class into two smaller groups. Guidance will be given to those who need support in the planning stage.

Teaching Training Programme: Volunteers will be involved in the preparation and delivery of a teacher training programme at Faith and Hope. Due to the location of the school, the local teachers have had very little training, therefore this is a vital part of the programme to help enhance the overall education provision at the school. Prior to the trip, the volunteers will be invited on a residential weekend, where planning for the teacher training programme will take place.

Sports programme: Throughout the two weeks at Faith and Hope the volunteers will deliver a variety of different sports lessons to the pupils, to enhance the quality of Physical Education provided at the school. The volunteers will also prepare and deliver a sports festival to all 500 pupils at Faith and Hope.

Food Programme: Volunteers will be involved in helping to prepare and serve a, much-appreciated, hot school meal for the pupils. This will involve working with the school cook, experiencing cooking in a traditional Rwandan kitchen.

A day in the life of volunteering with Together in Sport…

  • 7am: Get up and have breakfast at Mijo Youth Hostel, Kigali
  • 7:45am: Transport pick up and travel to Faith and Hope Academy
  • 8:30am: Arrive at Faith and Hope Academy
  • 9-1pm: Volunteering Projects
  • 1-1:45pm: Lunch with Rwandan teachers/ visit some local families
  • 1:45-3pm: Teacher training programme
  • 3-3:45pm: Travel back to Kigali
  • 4-6pm: Free time, visit local markets, relax in a coffee shop, visit genocide memorial sites
  • 6-10pm: Evening meal, visit local restaurants/bars

The Important Bits

Where will you be staying..

You will be staying in Mijo Youth Hostel which is situation in Kigali city, the capital of Rwanda. Kigali is a very westernised city, with many restaurants, coffee shops and hotels.

Mijo hostel is situated in a very safe area of Kigali, and our staff delivering the trip have stayed there regularly over the last few years. Volunteers will be staying in spacious dorm rooms with other members of the volunteering team.

The hostel has free WiFi and access to free clean water. It is within walking distance of a variety of restaurants, coffee shops and swimming pools, for volunteers to visit in the evenings and in free time. For those volunteers who like to keep fit, there is a gym 200m away from the hostel, which you will be able to pay to use for the two weeks you are there.

The hostel is clean and comfortable, and our volunteers will have access to showers each day (not promising they will be hot!). It has a very relaxed environment, with plenty of areas for volunteers to chill out during their downtime, to relax and reflect on the day’s events.

 

Dates and Cost

  • When:  TBC- 2 weeks in July 2019
  • Duration: 2 weeks
  • Cost:  £2000

What does the cost include?

  • Return flights Edinburgh to Kigali booked through an ATOL registered company
  • Accommodation
  • Breakfast and Lunch
  • Water during the school day
  • Transport
  • Tourist activities
  • A team residential weekend prior to the trip

What does the cost NOT include:

  • Visas
  • Dinner
  • Alcohol and extra drinks
  • Spending money
  • Extra relaxation activities- swimming pool, coffee shops etc
  • Vaccinations and malaria tablets

Visas

All volunteers are responsible for getting their own travel Visa’s. Advice will be sent out to volunteers to help support this.

Travel Insurance

Each volunteer is responsible for organising their own travel insurance. You will be asked to provide evidence on travel insurance before the departure of the trip.

Health

Each Volunteer is responsible in ensuring they have received the appropriate vaccinations prior to travel. You should contact your GP, or arrange a visit to the travel nurse who will provide you with all the relevant information regarding appropriate vaccinations prior to travelling to Rwanda. Volunteers must also ensure they have a supply of malaria tablets, which will be taken each day of the trip and after their return.

Fundraising

Each volunteer will be set the challenge of raising a minimum of £400, through an individual fundraising effort. All money raised will go directly towards projects run by Together in Sport Rwanda.

What we expect from our volunteers

  • Energy, enthusiasm and a love of working with young people.
  • The willingness to be a team player, and be a part of a large volunteering team.
  • To want to be a part of making a difference

The commitment we need from YOU!

  • Commitment to prepare lesson plans to deliver at Faith and Hope prior to the trip
  • Commitment to attending volunteering team get togethers throughout the year.
  • Commitment to attend a team residential for team bonding, and to plan the teacher training programme.

Why volunteer with Together in Sport Rwanda?

We believe that volunteering is a two-way thing. Volunteering with TiSR is not all about the hands-on help which our volunteers bring, but instead it’s about experiencing the amazing country, the privilege of meeting incredible, happy, enthusiastic people and what all this can bring to you. You will make memories which you will never forget, and you will return home learning more about yourself, and maybe having a different outlook on life.

  • We want our volunteers to have an incredible life changing opportunity and experience all Rwanda has to offer.

  • We want our volunteers to learn as much as possible about the Rwandan history and its culture.

  • We want out volunteers to be a part of making a difference at Faith and Hope Primary

#MakeADifference