Teach In Uganda

If you think that travel is about seeing different places, experiencing different cultures and meeting different people then this project is right up your street, or should we say dirt road! Uganda is a poor country, and some of the problems faced by children here are acute. Many kids work in the fields because they can't afford to pay school fees, which in turn leaves schools short of money, but at the Teach Inn what they lack in resources they more than make up for in enthusiasm and smiles. The project offers hundreds of children from the surrounding area the opportunity to learn skills that could help them avoid the poverty that threatens to blight their lives, and you the chance to make a real and lasting difference. We'll also provide you with TEFL certification to help you on your way.

*Project details:
This is a government school in an area where many children must work in the fields. The school draws approximately 300 children from the villages of Nyakasiru and Karorwa, and surrounding areas within the sub-county of Bukinda. They are aged between 4-15 years old and divided into classes from 25 up to as many as 50 or 60! The school has around 4 to 6 classrooms with various patches of land that are used for recreational and sporting activities. The schools are severely under-resourced and often have large class sizes due to staff shortages. As the schools cannot afford to pay its teachers a good salary it is hard for them to recruit staff and often the staff they do have are forced to take on other work so cannot be at the school regularly. This school is the children's only hope to obtain basic education and as such volunteers who attend here will be made very welcome.

Teach Inn is a part of a project that aims to help fulfil basic requirements for education, but also works to improve neglected areas of education such as creativity, culture and art. The project objectives are that children should:-

- be healthy and safe
- have integrity, self discipline, autonomy and creativity
- be a confident individual with initiative
- respect their own and others cultures and traditions
- know at least one practical skill
- feel at ease reading and communicating in Rukiga and English
- be able to express themselves in at least one form of art
- be a person with a strong community spirit

*Why the project needs volunteers:
Education is seen as a privilege in Uganda and until recently was reserved for those who could afford to pay school fees. 10 years ago, primary education became free and (in theory) universally accessible. With very little funds the schools simply cannot afford to hire new teachers or purchase resources. The support of volunteers is critical in order to continue providing the most basic of education to children.

It is important to take into account that local teachers are underpaid and not very motivated because for most of them this wasn't the career of their choice. Their teaching is based on rote and authority. Volunteers bring a different approach, open up new worlds to children.
Find out more about i-to-i, watch their short video here: http://video.i-to-i.com/site-videos/video.html