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Program Name: Teaching Abroad in Kenya
Highlights: The Soweto Academy, located in the Kibera division of Nairobi, Kenya and founded in 1988 by Pastor Chris Okumu, seeks to provide a solid educational background for the 200+ children and teenagers who attend the school. Most of the students are AIDS orphans, and some are merely bright kids from impoverished families. The school also provides education for teenage girls who would have otherwise been forced to marry or become prostitutes. Recently, the school has also been able to reach students in outlying areas through use of a school bus.
When it was originally erected, Soweto Academy was merely a collection of shacks masquerading for classrooms. After several few years, Pastor Okumu was able to travel to the United States and acquire funding via church collections. Due to those generous donations, Pastor Okumu was able to construct a proper school building with 13 real classrooms, four separate common bedrooms, an administrative building, and a church. The academy has really come a long way since its inception.
Today Soweto Academy contains a pigsty and a cow barn on its property to help students learn practical agricultural skills. The academy also has computers, donated by World Bank, and is the first primary school in Kibera to provide computer skills instruction for its students. The academy hopes to acquire in the future a library, a physics lab, and a modern kitchen.
Depending on age and education level, students at the academy either take classes in traditional subjects or focus on practical training. Practical training involves activities such as welding, growing vegetables, and arts and crafts. Every time a student sells a product they created, the money is spent directly on the children. Soweto Academy is a respectable establishment that enjoys a variety of awards for students' academic performance as well as for their sports teams.
With programs abroad, there are opportunities to volunteer abroad and teach at Soweto Academy. We are looking for caring, hardworking individuals who are fluent in English and want to make a difference for these children. Most of the students at the academy have a fairly good English proficiency level. In this volunteer abroad program, you will be teaching classes of 20 to 35 students for between 20 and 30 hours per week. Teachers at the academy will assist volunteers with lesson plans and teaching techniques.
Requirements and Qualifications: No requirements, just want to help and make a difference!
Experience: None
Languages: English
Age: 16 and up
Restrictions: None
Pay/Compensation: None
Cost: Please request more information
Cost Includes:
- Accommodation
- Airport pick up and drop off
- In-country induction with a staff member upon arrival
- 24 hour support from staff
- Pre-departure support
- Visa support
Cost Does Not Include:
- Airfare
- Visa fees
- In-country personal expenses
Living Specifications: Shared accommodations
To receive more information about this program please fill out "Request More Info" form.
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