IFRE Volunteers Abroad

My volunteering program, come to an end. It was really a special experience.
The teaching activities in Shalom Primary School went over my expectations. When I arrived at school on the first day, I discovered that I was supposed to be in charge of the “7th Grade” of primary school. In Zimbabwe, primary school lasts 7 years and so at 13 years old you take exams and then you go to high school. August is a sort of revision period in which the students, who had finished lessons in July, go to school to review and prepare for the September exams. The principal decided to put me alongside the “7th Grade” teacher to give the kids the opportunity to have additional support in preparing for the exams. I had a very nice interaction with the teachers and with the class. As long as the languages spoken at home are Ndebele and Shona, all subjects are taught in English. After discussing the program with the teacher, we decided that I would review ICT "Information and Communication Technology", basically computers and software. It seems that my ICT (Information and communication technology) lessons were useful even for the teacher; kids always asked me questions and the "final test" showed a good understanding. It was a huge satisfaction, it means that they understood me and despite they having had very little time to study, they assimilated my lessons, there could not have been a greater emotion. I was happy to have been able to donate some of my time to these African kids, they, with the affection they showed me, certainly gave me much more than I was actually able to give them. I therefore reap the benefits of these very few weeks of volunteering, with the certainty that I will want to make myself available again, because yes, I taught them a bit of ICT, but being able to participate in their lessons, enriched me, a lot, listening first-hand to what they teach in a school in Zimbabwe was the deepest cultural immersion I have ever experienced.

I want to thank you all and all the local staff that supported me in everything at the house and in town, I felt at home.

I joined the volunteer program in Kathmandu and had the amazing experience of teaching in both a school and a monastery, the latter being one of the best opportunities I've had. I've learned tremendously with the monks and the children were the best students I could have ever asked for. I also had the chance to go trekking the Himalayas, namely the Annapurna Sanctuary Circuit, and all the preparations were very good. I loved my daily life of exploring the city and spending time with my "didi" in the hostel, with amazing food, fun conversations and impromptu dance moments and dramatic turns. I was not alone in the hostel and saw a good number of other volunteers coming and going, and definitely created frienships for life. The coordinator of the program was very nice and organized everything very promptly. I recommend anyone to join this program, especially if you would like to go on a spiritual adventure and self-discovery trip as well.

The HIV Care project just outside of Nairobi is exceptional. Run by a social activist with an infectious personality and endless energy, the experience felt like a graduate-level course in social work. I was given a detailed orientation to learn about the history, purpose and organization of the program. On day one I was also given a schedule for my two week volunteer work, which I greatly appreciated. My work was a mix of teaching/assisting at the school, doing home visits of clients and writing up success stories for social media to fund raise. I also participated in a weekly support group with new clients. The office staff is kind and vivacious, treating one another and guests like family. Accommodations are comfortable but basic a d food provided varied and high quality home cooked meals. I will treasure the work I did here and always remember the resilient women I met who have overcome so many adversities.
I did have some communication issues with the IFRE representative regarding arrival and the location of my placement, so I recommend to future volunteers to be mindful of this and ensure proper arrangements are made in advance. That said, this was an invaluable program and I encourage anyone considering it to take the plunge and work with Living Positive Kenya.

It's the kind of volunteer program that grows as you reflect. We were only there a week and the first few days were difficult. We didnt feel welcomed by the teaching staff who used us as time off. We were given little training and no level of expectation. So we worked a few classes a day, mainly sitting in on a teacher if the was one. The resources were good but often the class being taught wasn't what was timetabled and it was hard to teach without the text book. We felt a bit displaced to be honest. But the other volunteers were great and so we're the moms, both young ones and the seniors monks. We went to prayers when we wanted and respected their culture and kindness. It's an open minded monastery with girls as well and the volunteers are able to chat amongst all the monks. By our last two days, we had grown in confidence and took decisions about what and how we would teach. And the teachers then sat in on us.
All.in all it was such a privilege to get close to such a different environment and be privy to conversations and experiences so different to home. Without realising it at the time, we have learned so much, both from a teaching perspective and from a visitor one. It's an experience we will treasure.

My experience teaching and living in Nairobi was rewarding and unforgettable. I taught 6th and 8th grade “learners” at St. Paul’s public school and collaborated closely with a wonderful teacher. The head teacher, all the faculty, and the beautiful children welcomed me with open arms.
Most of the “learners” are impoverished. I was taken back by the lack of books (one book for each three and sometimes four students) and classroom size (60) and was not prepared for the amount of material which must be printed on the blackboards or on poster boards. Despite these difficulties, the students were very disciplined, polite, and curious about my presence.
There is a lack of government support which is reflected not only in the paucity of books but also in the number of learners (60) in classrooms and lack of individual desks that required many learners to sit together on benches with very narrow desktops. Student sitting at the back of the room had difficulty seeing the blackboard, and I had difficulty hearing them at times in their accented English. The line up for daily porridge for students who did not bring lunch was very large, and even larger when it was announced that learners whose parents did not contribute to the porridge fund (that pays for porridge and the cook) could receive porridge due to a surplus. The teachers told me that the porridge may be the only meal in the day for some of the students.
Due to flooding, there were only three toilet facilities – one for girls, one foy boys, and one for faculty and staff. The toilets were outhouses which required standing up. Everyone had to bring their own toilet paper, including the learners but some could not afford it. There were not enough places for handwashing.
The largely female teachers were very enthusiastic and dedicated, and teaching was only part of their responsibility and deep commitment. The teachers routinely keep track of the tough economic and social circumstances under which most learners live and learn. I saw numerous acts of kindness demonstrated by individual teachers. I watched as my mentor teacher brought in a bag of shoes from her son to give to the “head learner” whom she noticed was having difficulty walking because his shoes had fallen apart.
There was a day of celebration when local elected officials came to deliver sanitary napkin supplies for the first time to the school to end the plague of “menstrual shame” and stop girls from missing school during their periods. St. Paul’s was chosen as a pilot project and each girl having her period would receive two napkins – one for school and one to take home. On another occasion when my mentor teacher pointed out that one boy could not see the text in the shared book, because his mother could not afford to buy him eye glasses, I had a pair of non-prescription reading glasses with me and gave them to him. A whole new world opened up.
I was surprised to learn the language of instruction for all subjects is English, although Swahili is spoken more to the younger children. One suggestion I have is for those who teach English in the volunteer program to receive more specific information about area and school where the will teach, the grade levels, and more precise recommendations on teaching English.
My room and meals in a family home were excellent. As a senior citizen, it was important that I had a single room with shower. But even better was the relationship I developed with the family who were wonderful, understanding, and accommodating. The host father, who is both a minister and a dean of students at Daystar University, was very generous and is planning two projects to assist impoverished youth in Nairobi and in his native village. He also arranged for me to give a lecture to students at Daystar. I wrote a white paper for him outlining some ideas about raising funds and setting up a non-profit corporation in the US. I pledged to donate funds to one of the projects of my host family after an organization is formed. I also plan to send some funds to St. Paul’s to purchase supplies.
As a final comment, I was struck by the role of Christianity plays in the daily life of Kenyans and even in the public schools where there is also a required course on “Christian Living” that I found fascinating. As I non-religious person and American where there is a legal separation between church and state (although changes are underway on this principle), I was not offended at all having observed what is taught which is more about discussing the importance of proper behavior rather and less about religion.