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

Infos

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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.
  
  We are currently recruiting for two main roles:
  
  Experienced English Language Teachers
  Creative Arts and Expression Educators
  
  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.
  
  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 d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Bénévolat

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Enseignement

  Aide informatique/internet
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Politique/justice sociale

  

  Culture

  

  Bénévolat

  

  Langues

  

  Musique

  

  Nature
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  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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  Association caritative

  Cet hôte est une association caritative déclarée dans son pays et recherche des bénévoles pour l'aider dans ses projets.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  We are currently looking for volunteers for two main roles in our after-school programme: Experienced English Language Teachers and Creative Arts and Expression Educators.
  
  Because our needs have changed, we are now mainly looking for skilled and experienced volunteers for these roles. Please read the role descriptions carefully before reaching out.
  
  1) Experienced English Language Teachers
  
  We are looking for two experienced English language teachers to join our after-school English programme for Saharawi refugee children in southwest Algeria.
  It teaches around 50 to 60 children across Levels 1 to 4, with children aged roughly 8 to 12. Students begin with little or no English, and over four years we aim to help them build toward a strong A2 or early B1 level. Classes are small, with a maximum of around 15 students per group.
  This role is not only about teaching English. The two international teachers will work closely with our two local Saharawi teachers in a team-teaching model, helping strengthen lesson planning, classroom practice, and confidence over time. The aim is for this to be a genuinely collaborative role, where international teachers bring pedagogical experience and local teachers bring cultural, linguistic, and contextual knowledge.
  We are looking for people who are native or fluent English speakers with at least 2 years of experience teaching English as a second language to primary-aged children, formal accreditation in English language teaching or education, confidence in lesson planning, class management, and adapting activities, experience of co-teaching and collaborating closely with others, and the adaptability to work well in a low-resource, non-Western setting.
  Formal English-teaching qualifications are important for this role, and we are mainly looking for candidates with substantial classroom experience rather than entry-level teaching certificates alone.
  Commitment
  This is an in-country role in Algeria, with teaching usually taking place for around 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, alongside planning and collaboration. The main onsite placement runs from 25 September to 18 December 2026, with virtual preparation meetings from 7 to 14 August 2026. There may also be short follow-up visits in 2027, likely one before and one after Ramadan, with exact expectations still to be confirmed.
  This is not an entry-level teaching opportunity. We are looking for experienced, thoughtful teachers who are excited by collaborative work and the chance to contribute to a meaningful, evolving programme.
  
  
  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 before the end of July 2026, which is when our official recruitment period ends.**
  
  Our main in-person opportunities are focused on the 2026 to 2027 school year, from August and September 2026 onward. If you are only available in summer but have particularly strong and relevant experience, we would still be happy to hear from you. For creative volunteers, reach out at least 1-2 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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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Arabe: Courant
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Courant
  Français: Intermédiaire

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  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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  Hébergement

  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 Language Teacher volunteers, Sandblast will cover the cost of food and accommodation during the placement. In addition, for the main 12-week onsite period, teachers will receive a €600 stipend, and Sandblast will cover round-trip flights up to €500, as well as an additional €140 toward external transport costs outside Algeria and travel insurance. For confirmed follow-up visits in 2027, Sandblast expects to again cover flight costs, food and board, and offer a €100 stipend for each two-week visit.
  For Creative Arts and Expression Educator volunteers, Sandblast 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 generally responsible for covering the cost of their international flights.
  
  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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  Autres infos...

  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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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Mes animaux

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