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Gap Year Teaching - Gap-Year-Uganda - Africa and Asia Venture

Gap Year Teaching

Where?

On the shores of Africa's largest lake - Lake Victoria, surrounded by huge sugar plantations and glades of banana trees is the lakeside port of Jinja, at the source of the mighty River Nile. Tribal folk continue to live their sustainable agricultural lives, ploughing the maize fields and rice paddies with oxen, and fishing the rivers and lakes from dugout canoes.

The green lushness of the region, combined with red okra-thatched village huts; the bustling towns and the glamorous and colourful traditional dresses of the women folk, give it anextraordinary uniqueness in this part of Africa.

Dotted amongst these villages and towns are the community schools that so appreciate assistance from AVs.

Outline Experience

4 Days	About 3 months	Nearly 3 weeks	6 Days
orientation at Lake Naivasha, Kenya	teaching in rural schools in the Jinja area of Uganda, among some of the world's poorest people.	Independent group throughout East Africa	wildlife safari in Kenya's great game parks

Who?

You will be teaching mostly in primary schools or, possibly, the lower forms of a secondary school. The staff will be friendly and welcoming; the children eager to learn but like children everywhere, they can be mischievous - and they have smiles to die for!

What?

Education is a priority in Uganda and one of the success stories of the current government. More than 2 million children attend 8500 primary schools but schools are poor and they lack furniture, text books, sports equipment and even windows and stationery.

English is the official language of Uganda but only a relatively small percentage of the population speaks it. Luganda is widespread in central Uganda and has been the official language in education for a long time within the region. Consequently, most primary school children's English is limited so your help will be mostly in this subject. However, art, drama, music and sports will also be very popular.

In secondary schools you can help with other subjects that you feel able to teach, especially computers - if the school is lucky enough to have them.

Sports are generally not well organized at primary or secondary level and the management and coaching of your favorite sports will be hugely appreciated.

Ideas...

Think about running a club, decorating a classroom; painting a mural; preparing visual aids; organising a school magazine; inter-school sports matches; a school trip; bedtime stories for the boarders; extra help for less able children...the possibilities are endless. All you need is imagination, enthusiasm, commitment and loads of energy!

Gap Year Living

You will be living either in pairs or groups of 4-6 volunteers. AVs are clustered around Jinja, Iganga and Kaliro so you will have plenty of AV friends close by. Your new environment might be a wee bit of a culture shock, initially. You will be accommodated in basic staff houses, sometimes with no running water, and possibly with a pit latrine (‘long drop') at the back. Most houses have sporadic electricity.

Don't worry - after a couple of weeks you will have adapted and you will quickly make it home. You will shop and cook for yourselves, using the food allowance and recipe book we give you, and many AVs also take advantage of the basic, but filling, schools lunches. The houses are generally within the school compound or within easy walking distance of your school.

Jinja

All schools are near to main roads linking you by mini-bus to Jinja where you will be able to use the internet cafés for email, change money at the forex bureau and bank, and enjoy its clubs and local restaurants. Jinja is the centre of adventure activities in Uganda - white water rafting, bungee jumping, quad biking, horse riding and kayaking. Your weekends will be great fun!!

Gap Year Travel

Your teaching will draw to a close after 3 months at your school and you will have 2-3 weeks of independent group travel to explore further the wonders of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania (and Zanzibar!) with your AV friends. Then, before you leave Africa, we throw in an African wildlife safari to 2 of Kenya's famous national parks where you will sleep under the stars and enjoy everything the African bush has to offer.

Itinerary l Dates and Costs l Facts l Apply