Join us and learn about a unique desert culture at a refugee camp in Tindouf, Algeria

Details

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  Description

  This is a human rights and arts charity that works with Saharawi refugees living in the refugee camps in southwest Algeria. Since 2016, we have run our flagship after-school programme, , in the Boujdour refugee camp. children take part in English language learning, music education, and creative arts activities, while local women are supported in developing as educators.
  
  Volunteering with us offers the chance to live and work with Saharawi communities in Boujdour and to contribute to a meaningful, community-based programme shaped around the needs, realities, and strengths of life in the camps. You will work directly with refugee children and teachers and become part of a programme that values creativity, quality education, cultural exchange, and long-term impact.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Self development

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  Culture

  

  Charity work

  

  Languages

  

  Music

  

  Nature
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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

  This is an opportunity to experience one of the world’s longest-running and least widely understood refugee situations, while learning about a rich and deeply rooted desert culture.
  
  The Saharawis are an indigenous people of Western Sahara with a culture shaped by nomadic traditions, poetry, music, storytelling, hospitality, and strong community ties. Saharawi culture reflects influences from Arab, Berber, West African, and Spanish histories, and the local dialect, Hassaniya, carries a strong oral and poetic tradition.
  
  If you come with openness, humility, and curiosity, this exchange can be deeply enriching. We strongly encourage anyone interested in volunteering with us to learn about Saharawi history, the current political situation, and the refugee context before reaching out.

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  Registered charity

  This host is a registered charity in their country and is looking for volunteers to help with their project(s).

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We are currently looking for volunteers who fit into three main roles:
  Experienced English Language Teachers
  Teach English to primary-aged children in our after-school programme.
  You may teach either:
  Levels 1–2 (ages 8–10)
  Levels 3–4 (ages 11–12)
  We are looking for:
  at least 3 years of substantial experience teaching English to primary-aged children
  formal training or accreditation in English language teaching or education
  strong lesson planning, classroom management, and curriculum adaptation skills
  confidence working in a low-resource, cross-cultural setting
  Commitment
  Minimum: 2 months
  Preferred: 3 months or longer
  Timing: mid-September 2026 to mid-June 2027
  Important
  This is not an entry-level teaching role. CELTA, TEFL, and TESOL certificates alone are not enough without substantial classroom experience.
  
  Experienced Teacher Trainers
  Support and help lead a teacher training programme for local women preparing to become English language teachers.
  We are looking for:
  10+ years of English language teaching experience
  strong experience mentoring, observing, or training teachers
  a strong formal background in English language teaching and/or education
  confidence working collaboratively in a low-resource setting
  Commitment
  Duration: 3.5 months (full training programme period, plus some preparation time)
  Timing: likely between December 2026 and May 2027
  
  
  Creative Arts and Expression Educators
  Lead creative workshops for primary-aged children through areas such as:
  music
  visual art
  dance
  theatre
  photography
  movement / performance
  We are looking for:
  strong skills in a creative field
  at least 2 years of experience leading creative workshops for children
  confidence planning and leading your own workshop ideas
  adaptability in a low-resource setting
  Commitment
  Minimum: 1 month
  Preferred: 1–3 months
  Timing: mid-October 2026 to early June 2027
  Some examples of workshops that past volunteers have led:
  art from trash workshops, where children used recycled materials found around the refugee camps to create collages, instruments, and other artworks
  
  movement and performance workshops, combining play, confidence-building, theatre games, clowning, and basic acrobatics
  
  
  We are now recruiting more selectively than in previous years. These roles are best suited to people who already have strong skills, substantial relevant experience, and the confidence to work with a good degree of independence in a low-resource, cross-cultural setting. We warmly encourage you to read the role descriptions carefully before reaching out.
  
  Before you contact us
  Please reach out only if your background is a strong fit for one of the roles above. We receive many messages, so this helps us focus on the candidates who best match the programme’s needs.
  At the moment, in-person opportunities are only available from mid-September onward. We do not currently have regular in-person summer vacancies.
  If you are only available in summer but have particularly strong and relevant experience, we would still be happy to hear from you. In some cases, we may be able to explore future opportunities or virtual support.
  Language requirements
  Fluent English is required for all roles
  Spanish is very useful, but not essential
  
  **Please reach out to us at least 1 month, ideally 2 months +, before your desired start date. Acquiring an Algerian visa, which is required to enter the refugee camps, can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks, depending on your nationality. We will provide you with clear steps to aquire your visa and as much support as we can, but be aware that not all visas are approved. The more time you have to work through any issues that may come up while trying to get the visa, the better.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Arabic: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  If you are interested in learning the local dialect, Hassaniya, or Arabic while you are here, we are happy to set you up with a language tutor! It's a great opportunity for you to teach them a little bit of English, French, Spanish, or whatever language you come with- people are very curious and eager to learn here! A local tutor costs about €3 an hour - you will be expected to pay this
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  Accommodation

  Volunteers stay in the refugee camps with a local host family, most often with our administrator and her family. Staying with a local family is a special part of the experience and offers daily immersion in Saharawi life, including shared meals, tea ceremonies, language, music, and community life. Accommodation is basic but comfortable, with running water, showers, electricity, and outlets. You may have your own room or share with another volunteer depending on numbers, and mattresses, blankets, and pillows are provided. We will do our best to ensure that couples, friends, and family members can stay together where relevant.
  
  Costs covered
  For English Teacher and Teacher Trainer volunteers, this will cover the cost of accommodation and food during your time in the camps. We will also cover flights to and from Europe and the refugee camps, and provide a stipend during your placement, reflecting the high level of skill and experience required for these roles.
  
  For Creative Arts and Expression Educator volunteers, this will cover the cost of accommodation and food for up to one month, as well as in-country transport between the local airport and the refugee camps. Creative Arts volunteers are responsible for covering the cost of their international flights.

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  What else ...

  In their free time, volunteers will be able to explore the 5 refugee camps, including the local cinema school, the artisan shops, go on picnics to the desert oasis, and make friends with all the wonderful local families!

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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?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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