In Bolivia
Travellers’ volunteers help teach and guide students from 7 – 16+ years of
age, and your help is an important part of their development. The schools we work with
are private schools, but these are poor schools that need as much support from
volunteers as possible.
Teaching takes place in Cochabamba, the
capital of the valleys. Cochabamba has
a lovely climate and lots of attractive and very interesting features.
This delightful town is surrounded by fields
of cultivations and valuable pre-Incas vestiges. It occupies a fertile green
bowl in a landscape of fields and low hills, and was founded in 1574. It is also
Bolivia’s largest market town which makes it extremely entertaining and lively.
Bolivia is a superb country set amongst the magnificent Andean Landscapes,
and the people traditional and caring. Bolivians are extremely welcoming
and you will instantly be drawn in by the friendly locals. This will truly
be a unique experience.
You will
help teach and guide students from 7 – 16+ years of
age, in private but poor schools.
The children’s understanding of English is very basic and you will
generally be asked to help out with any age groups. The schools
themselves are quite small and incredibly basic - you will feel part of
the family immediately!
School sizes range from 60 to 150 pupils at one given time. This means
that class sizes are also fairly small and very manageable, normally
ranging from 5 to 10, although occasionally you may have smaller
classes.
One of the schools we work with has only nine
teachers and the staff all encourage the children to use English throughout the
school. They deal with a small and tight-knit student community, and their
dedication and enthusiasm have resulted in fun and lively classrooms
full of interest and activity. Your help is most needed to free time for
these hard working teachers to dedicate to other important work, and
help supplement the education of these exceptional children.
A colourful festival scene on the streets ofCochabamba
The children here
are fantastic and the hard work and attitude of the teachers is heart
warming. They really appreciate the extra efforts that volunteers give and
you will be immediately welcomed into their group.
The level of education of the children in
Bolivia does vary from very basic to advanced, and it will be up to you
and the Principal to explore how best to use your skills.
Most of the children are very shy to speak
English and it’s in this area that the help of our volunteers is needed –
to give the children to confidence to speak the language. They ask for
your support to help push the children’s’ education forward, and to help
improve teaching techniques for the existing teachers, where possible.
You will normally assist the Bolivian
teachers to start with, but depending on your ability you may be given
complete control of a particular class or group. You will receive a lot of
help and support from the Bolivian teachers and staff at the schools to
help you prepare for your lessons and settle you into your role as
teacher; and, like all Bolivians, they are very friendly and patient and
are always willing to help.
The children and teachers that we work with in Bolivia are tremendous -
You are sure to enjoy every minute of your teaching experience!
"There is no doubt in my
mind that volunteering and travelling around Bolivia is the best
experience I have ever had. I worked in the Institute teaching various
levels of English, from small children to working adults.
All the resources are
provided and those around offer great support. Working in the institute
was great fun and I
definitely met some great people I will stay in touch with.
The most important aspect
of my volunteer was the warm family environment. The supervisor, Jorge
was incredible. We met each day and any problems where sorted straight
away. He even helped plan my travel after my volunteering work. Sylvia
and her family were fantastic, I felt at home as soon as I walked
through the door. This has got to be the best hospitality around. You
become part of this wonderful family who support you in your work and
travel.
Cochabamba is a wonderful,
fun and inviting place. It has tremendous restaurants, bars, shopping
and plenty of culture. There was never a dull moment". - Samantha
Herron
SPORTS
In addition, for those of you who enjoy sports, you will be glad to
know that sports are also a very popular subject for the children, and
they would love for you to help out with the game periods which the
schools have.
The facilities are poor, but football and volleyball have
quite a following. Some sports coaching takes place throughout the day,
but most are after 3.00 p.m. for an hour or two
It is possible for volunteers to coach at
various schools, orphanages, and with special arrangements it will also be
possible to coach a local team. Although for the vast majority coaching
won’t have a direct impact on their lives; indirectly it has immeasurable
effects. Personality changes, health awareness, increased confidence and
social skills are all benefits from the coaching they might otherwise fail
to receive.
Children in Bolivia really are a joy to teach and the lack of facilities
and opportunities means that their enthusiasm for sports really knows no
bounds
SPORTS COACHING MANUALS: Our Travellers Sports Officer has put together very useful Sports
Coaching Manuals and these will be provided to you for use on your
placement, together with other useful documentation such as a manual of
Warming-Up Exercises and another containing Fun Games to play with younger
children. These excellent Sports Coaching Manuals are made available to
you for free in sports such as Football, Volleyball, Rugby, Cricket,
Basketball.
FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO COACHING WEBSITE As a volunteer
teacher/sports coach with Travellers, we have arranged for you
to get a year’s free subscription to a Coaching website. With
this membership (which normally comes with a price tag
of £39.99), you automatically become a member of the International Coaches
Association (ICA) and join a community of coaches from over 65 countries.
The ICA is
rapidly growing into one of the largest coaching organizations in the world.
This subscription will allow you access to over 4,000 pages of the best
interactive, online soccer and football coaching information.
SPANISH COURSES
If you would also like to teach and
learn Spanish, we provide a 1-Week Intensive Beginners Course in
Spanish. This can be done prior to starting your project.
.
If you already have basic Spanish and
would like to improve your language skill while on your placement, we can arrange a combination placement for
you. The combination course will integrate your teaching/work
experience placement and your 20-hour Intermediate Spanish Course during
your stay.
These courses are both
normally in groups with a private teacher.
ACCOMMODATION
You will live with
a local family and they will look after you extremely well. They are
always friendly and will accept you into their family immediately. Most
host accommodation is centrally located, which gives you ample opportunity
to explore this wondrous town.
Bolivians are
renowned for their hospitality and possibly the most enduring thing our
volunteers take with them from Bolivia is a feeling of warmth and
friendship for the local people. Many develop very close friendships with
our Bolivia manager, and almost everyone stays in contact with their
family for many years! Some volunteers have even returned just to visit
their 'family'.
Food: Local
dishes, such as the empanadas salteñas (a type of meat pie), the plato
paceño and a big variety of tuberous vegetables and sauces are just a
sampling of true Bolivian cuisine. You will get a variety of Western and
local delicacies.
There are plenty of
opportunities to socialise with other volunteers, and there will more than
likely be a group of you out there at any one time.
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the
same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other
volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up
before leaving for your placement.
We can also arrange your flight
dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling
around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!
Where possible, all flights we arrange for you
have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend
their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets
enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air
ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour
to get a changeable ticket. We meet you at the airport regardless of whether you
make your own travel arrangements or not.
Support:
You'll most likely fly directly
into Cochabamba. There you will be
welcomed by our local Manager or a staff member and introduced
to everyone.
You'll be given an Induction to familiarise
you with all things Bolivian, such as cultural issues, currency, safety, etc.,
and after that you'll be taken to your school and your host family and our staff
will ensure that you're comfortably settled in. They will be available
throughout your stay to ensure that you're receiving any help you may need.
VISAS:. In countries where visas or
immigration documents are required, we'll send you all the necessary forms and
information and make the process very easy for you.
Pirhana fishing on the Amazon
SCHOOL TERMS
Teaching is not available during
school holidays, so if you're planning to participate in a
placement, please take the school term dates
into account when planning the timing of your project. On the other hand,
if
a holiday falls during your proposed placement, you
could use this time to do any independent travelling
and sightseeing.
If you're a little unsure about the idea
of standing in front of a class and teaching, you can,
before you leave, enroll in a
1-day
intensive open teacher training course (optional) to help you teach if you
have no previous experience and would like to gain a little
teaching knowledge.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS 2008 IN
BOLIVIA:
Dates for the school terms (semesters) are given below.
1st Term 2nd July – 9th November
2nd Term 5th February – 15th June
These dates are provisional and
can be subject to change
PRICES
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in Bolivia, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
