Join our children's library and help inspire young (and older) ones in the Dominican Republic

Details

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  Description

  Welcome to our library!
  
  This is a small non profit organisation, funded by local and international sponsors. Our project is in Mao, a small city in the in the northwest of the Dominican Republic. We just opened our library in July 2023, so we are quite new in the business :-)
  
  We want to improve the reading, writing and language skills children and young people, both in Spanish as in English. We aim to increase interest in and enthusiasm for literature through various activities. In our library work both local and international volunteers and teachers. This way we try to create an exchange of culture, language, ideas and inspiration that benefits everyone.
  
  We offer a range of books for children and youngsters in Spanish, English and other languages (French, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, etc.). Our library opens every day from 2:00 until 8:00 pm. Every day at 4:00 pm we have levelled reading moments. We test and monitor the reading levels of the children in order to better guide them in their choice of books. At 5:30 pm we organise a storytelling session. At 6:30 pm there are board games.
  
  In the future we would like to organise English language lessons for all ages.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Teaching
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Mao is a town in the northeast of the Dominican Republic. Tourist don’t come here, so you'll experience the real Dominican lifestyle. Obviously you can improve your Spanish skills. You will be able to get to know many different people from all ages. They are all very curious to meet you!
  
  On your free days you can go on a trip to the beach, go diving, surfing, swimming, dancing bachata, merengue and salsa or explore the rest of the Dominican Republic.

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  Help

  As a volunteer you will help in the library, together with a Dominican librarian. We have our daily activities like the storytelling and English initiation lessons, and the general organisation of the library, receiving people, etc. Schools will come to the library in the early afternoon.
  
  Since we are also open in the weekends, we can arrange a schedule that allows you to travel around as well. So it won’t always be Monday until Friday.
  
  The idea is that children, younsters and adults gain a love for literature, stories, writing and languages. Let us know your own approach, ideas, vision so we can learn from each other and make your Workaway experience as wonderful as possible for everyone. Maybe you’d like to write a book together with some kids? Teach some English? Organise a chess contest? Do you have other ideas? Let us know!
  
  There will always be someone to help set up in Mao. But it won’t always be the founders of the project (Emma and Janne). Depending in your arrival dates, we will let you know who your local contact person will be. We do ask at least a basic level of Spanish, because our volunteers open the library independently twice a week. So you’ll have to be able to help people in Spanish..

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  We have a flat where volunteers can stay. You’ll share the kitchen, bathroom and living room with a Belgian teacher, but you’ll have your own bedroom. There are two single beds. So if you are travelling alone and there already is another volunteer, you’ll share the bedroom.
  
  We can’t provide you cooked meals. But there is a fully equipped kitchen in the flat. There are also many places where you can buy a warm meal for about €4, fresh fruit juice included.
  
  The flat is about 25 minutes walk from the library. You can also take a “motoconcho” (a motor taxi) for 50 pesos one way.
  
  We’ll give you a weekly budget of 1,500 pesos.

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  What else ...

  There aren’t many things to do in Mao. It is a very local Dominican town. There are supermarkets, all different types of shops (hairdressers, clothes stores, shoemakers, taylors, etc.), hospitals, pharmacies.. In your time off you could go to the river, get to know the bilingual school, dance, do some arts class.
  
  We have a car that you could rent for a good price (only for volunteers) if you would like to go further away. You can also take Caribe Tour buses or smaller “guaguas” (vans) for long distances. Santiago is a big city one hour drive away with bigger supermarkets, cinemas, museums, etc. Monción has a lovely dam, about 45 minutes from Mao. The closest beaches are around 1h30 away.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 6 hours a day, 4 or 5 days a week. Since the library is open every day, we can make a schedule that allows you to travel during the week or when best suits you. Depending on our activities and your expectations, we can work something out.

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