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 Saharawi refugee camps based in South West Algeria. Since 2016, we have worked primarily with our flagship programme, an early learning initiative in the Boujdour refugee camp that provides English language skills to participating children and teachers. We are also proud to offer music lessons to Saharawi children from an early age. Our students study their traditional instrument, the Tidinit, as well as learn to read, play, and eventually compose music in the international musical notation, based on the innovative and effective Stave House teaching method.
  
  Volunteering with us offers you the chance to live and work with the Saharawi communities in Boujdour. This is an opportunity to contribute to a sustainable and high impactful program that targets the specific needs of the refugees and is tailored to the context of their experience. You will get to directly work with and support the refugee women who have been trained as teachers and have a huge impact on the lives of the children (around 45 in our program) who have grown up in exile, only ever knowing life in a refugee camp.
  
  Join us and volunteer your time and skills to either: teach English, music, or art to children, train the local teachers in pedagogical skills, or teach adult English to the teachers and local parents (these roles are further explained below).
  
  Our volunteer placements run for a minimum of three weeks and a maximum of one month, with food and accommodation provided.
  
  This incredibly rewarding experience is perfect for anyone looking to do something special on their gap year, sabbatical or are looking to gain more experience in sharing their skills in a creative field , teaching English, and/or refugee support programmes!

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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 will be an opportunity to experience one of the world's least-known, long-term refugee situations and to learn about a unique desert culture. The Saharawis are a formerly nomadic people, indigenous to Western Sahara, with an ancestral culture rich in music, arts, poetry, and centuries old traditions.
  
  The Saharawis represent a fusion within the Arab world of Berber, Arab, West African roots and Spanish influences. They speak the dialect of Hassaniya for anyone interested in learning a fascinating dialect with an incredible poetic tradition; this work exchange will enrich you life in multiple ways if you are open to it.
  
  We highly encourage you to educate yourself of the Saharawi history, current conflict, and refugee situation before you reach 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

  Join us and volunteer your time and skills to either:
  1) Assist local teachers in teaching English to the primary-school children or hold English workshop to teach children through creative means
  Minimum 3 weeks, recommended one to two months
  Must have previous teaching experience, preferably TEFL/TESOL certification and 3+ months teaching experience
  
  2) Teach music, art, photography, theatre, or another creative skill to the primary-school children through creative workshops
  Minimum 2 weeks, recommended one to two months.
  Must have previous artist educator or music educator experience or extensive skills as an artist or musician that you believe you can channel into teaching; must feel comfortable planning and implementing your own unique workshop with the kids with some support from our local staff (mainly translation and scheduling).
  
  3) Serve as Teacher Trainer and train the local teachers in various pedagogical skills
  Minimum 2 weeks
  TEFL/TESOL certification, 5+ years teaching experience, including substantial experience training teachers and strong ability to adapt to diverse cultural backgrounds while teaching
  
  3) Teach adult English to the teachers (who have B2 level English) or to local parents with little to no English
  Minimum 1 month
  TEFL/TESOL certification and 6+ months teaching experience to adults
  
  *Fluency in English is a requirement for all of these roles
  *Proficiency in Spanish will be very useful but not necessary
  
  Ideal time to Volunteer:
  September-April is the ideal time to plan to come in person. If you would like to come in May-September, you must be prepared for it to be EXTREMELY hot (40-50 C, 100-120 F) and must be a self-starter and very flexible. School is closed June to late September so we will discuss with you other projects you may be able to help with if you would like to come during this time.
  
  Please reach out and tell us which of these areas interest you the most and the previous experience and skills you have that you feel make you best suited for the role. You will always be supported by our local teachers and given resources and guidance on what to work on with the teachers/adults, but you are expected to work well with some degree of autonomy while you're here.
  The duration of stays vary based on the role, but the longer you stay the more constructive your time here will be. Most past volunteers say staying 3 months between October and March was the perfect amount of time.

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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

  We can offer you free accommodation and food for up to one month of your time volunteering. You’ll live with a wonderful refugee host family and eat your meals with them. Staying with a local family is truly a life-changing experience; you will be staying in either a traditional tent or adobe house and get to experience their rich tribal culture, tea ceremonies, and traditional music and dance. Saharawis are some of the most friendly and loving people you will ever meet, and you'll even get to learn some of the melodic local dialect, Hassaniya, only spoken by a few hundred thousand people in the world.
  We will try to ensure that couples, friends, and family stay together. Accommodation is basic and clean with mattresses, pillows and blankets provided. We advise you to bring your own pillow as the pillows here can be quite hard and scratchy.
  
  Check out of Volunteer Info Pack for more details:

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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!
  
  
  **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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  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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