Safisha Africa Welfare Foundation volunteer program takes volunteers from different countries and cultures of the world to assist the Safisha Africa School kids with skills in the charity we operate in Nairobi, Kenya. The volunteers don’t need to be professionals but in case they happen to be it is an added advantage. We accept volunteers from age 15 years accompanied by the parents to over 65 years of age. We have operated the charity for ten years and have recruited over 2,000 volunteers worldwide who have been of great help to our project.
All the classes have a teaching of 45 minutes on every lesson so that a teacher can distribute the lesson well and in between a break. They start at 9:00 a.m and end at 3:30 p.m from Monday to Friday. All the classes have the text books for guidance. The teachers give class work and homework to the classes to text the learning of the day. Volunteers are given orientation on what to do and if they want to teach how to teach. They have all the support from the organization to work.
As a volunteer you may have questions to ask or things to know we have put them done for you as below. After you have read click on the volunteer opportunity to find an application form to fill and email it to us after you scan or post it as directed on the form. In case you will still have more questions feel free to contact us
WE HAVE NINE PROGRAMS AT OUR PROJECT FROM WHICH YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM
1. Baby class
A class of babies from 3-4 years of age just starting school. And need a lot of attention and playing activities..They need to to color the pictures ,letters or numbers. Each lesson takes 45 minutes such as coloring, Joining, drawing a picture or numbers. If a child is unable you hold the hand of the kid to show how to color or join. We also have modelling using clay modeling to make a letter or a number. They learn sounds and number counting and writing. Sounds enable the kids to learn faster.
2. Nursery class (Pre-Primary 1)
A Nursery class is after a baby class where we have kids from 4-5 years .
They know how to copy and are learning how to read two letters like “in, at, on, is, if”.Three letters word as “ten, hen” just like that.
With mathematics which is called number work they can add 1+1 and draw balls and get the answer by the help of the volunteer and teacher. They do hard addition like 5+5 and can get the answer.
They also learn Environmental which is to do with fruits kinds of fruits they eat and coloring so that to remember. They also draw pictures as hen, cat, flower as well as read them.
We have lessons like reading where words are written for them to copy in the book to be able to read again before the teachers.
Nursery class lessons are English, Reading, Math which is number work,Environmental, Creative. Once volunteers chose Nursery class you can teach any of the lessons.Our program is charity in education through teaching and helping out the kids work to be perfect in what the kids do and write.Our program enables the poor, vulnerable, rejected to be received in school for lessons without any discrimination or cost sharing policy which is a hindrance to many kids to access quality education
3. Pre-Unit class (Kindergarten)
The organization enrolls every months the vulnerable kids so sometimes the kids increase in a class depending how many they have been brought to access free education. After the Nursery class we have the Pre unit class, They are capable of writing on their own ,reading and they know what they can do by themselves. The pre unit kids are from 5-6 years. They learn lessons such as English, Kiswahili, Reading, Mathematics, Environmental, Christian Religious education. A volunteer is orientated on what to teach.
They spend six hours in class and they leave the school at 3:30 p.m.
Within the 45 minutes the volunteer is oriented to teach, Check the books of the children after they finish the work of one lesson before another lesson begins. The volunteer helps in giving the class work, checking the books and correcting them, teaching and giving homework from the work covered. Then the homework is brought the next day for marking, correcting before another lesson picks up.
4. Grade 1
Is a mixed class of kids from 6-7 years of age. They are normally called lower primary class because they are above Kindergarten by one year of class.They range from 14 to around 18 children in class.They speak English,read English and write English.The participation of Grade one is class is super .
The subjects or lessons they learn are as follows;-English Language,English Reading,Mathematics,Social Studies,Science,Swahili,Christian Religious Education.
The teachers give class work as well as homework. Class work is to test the class what they have learned. The homework is done at home and brought the next day for checking and revision before another work in class is taught.
5. Grade 2
Is a mixed class of kids from 7-8 years of age from 12 to around 16 children in class. They speak English, read English and write 2 English. The participation of Grade Two is good.
The subjects or lessons they learn are as follows;-English Language, English Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Swahili, Christian Religious Education. The volunteers prepare to teach English from text books and give class work when the kids do and submit for checking the work. When they don’t get everything write a volunteer will go back to the blackboard and correct together with the kids.
All the subjects have the text books and teachers or volunteers teach from text books. The teachers give class work as well as homework. Class work is to test the class what they have learned.
When the lesson is almost over the teacher/volunteer assign the children with homework from the same work they did in class of any chosen subject to test the kid to see whether the kid can get everything right through remembering. The same work will be brought the next day for checking and revision will be done before the next lesson is taught. The volunteers therefore help in checking the books, teaching, giving work and homework and writing on the board.
6. Grade 3
Is a mixed class of kids from 8-10 years of age .They range from 10 to around 11 children with perfect participation in class.
The subjects or lessons they learn are as follows;-English Language,English Reading,Mathematics,Social Studies,Science,Swahili,Christian Religious Education.
All the subjects have the text books and teachers or volunteers teach from text books.The teachers give class work as well as homework. Class work is to test the class what they have learned.
The kids are enrolled from poor families to access quality education. We take kids from underprivileged families who need support to access education. The work of a volunteer is to teach and also to give emotional support.
The volunteer helps in the marking the exercise done by the kids, correcting what they have not done well. Giving them more same work to see if the kid has understood what they are trying to do.
7. Grade 4
Is a mixed class of kids from 9-11 years of age.They are normally called Upper primary class. They range from 10 children in a class. They speak English,read English and write English.
The subjects or lessons they learn are as follows;-English Language,English Reading,Mathematics,Social Studies,Science,Swahili,Christian Religious Education.
The class has lessons that are detailed and they require a knowledgeable teacher or volunteer to take them through topics in class.
8. Grade 5
Is a class of 11 to 13 in number from vulnerable families just as the rest of the kids.
The subjects taught are English,Composition which deals with knowing how to bring our ideas in a topic or subject in English. It allows a kid to be constructive .Then we have Mathematics, social studies, Science, Christian Religious Education, Swahili and Composition in Swahili which is Insha.
The most kids found in the street are those between 11-13 years because they require a lot of attention and love. Our social program protects the kids from loitering in the streets instead we pick them from the streets to a class room.
We secure the lives of such kids from a hurting one to that with hope. We enroll the children and give them the uniform, food, shoes, writing material and a room in the classroom. Most of the food the kids eat at the school is the only one they would have for the whole day. We offer uniform to make all kids look uniform for some do not have any cloth to use at school. Some have tone clothes and no shoes to wear. So uniformity puts all the kids into one category.
Volunteers are given all the support on teaching level,making a class lesson,presenting a lesson in class with the Director and the teachers on the ground.
9. The Grade 6
The class is between 11-15 years of age with speaking and written skills able to communicate.
As a charity we do our best to enroll them to access the quality education so as to change their lives.The class is a mixed one of both girls and boys who get education materials as books, pens, pencils from our charity.They also get uniforms, sweaters, shoes, bags in order to be motivated and forget about the life challenges in their homes and work hard in class. Apart from that the charity gives them a warm food at school during lunch break which to some is the only meal they have for a day and wait for the other day to come back to school and have another meal.
The school gives them a desk to sit on, a black board where shared notes are written and practical teaching done for them to copy and learn.The volunteers help in motivating them to study through checking how they have written if they have understood what was being taught.The volunteers also take an initiative to teach on the black board and check the work.The class also learn from the volunteers about countries in Europe and where they are located on the map.Having volunteers develops the children learning and expands their thinking that they are not centered around Kenya but outside Kenya.
Typical free day activities for a volunteer
A day full of activities sometimes is very tiring but volunteers walk around to do shopping after a tiring day for what they need, other sit on their computers to write what they have done within the day, others communicate to their friends and families on social media after school .
On Saturday and Sunday it is basically free time for volunteers to visit the nearest markets,visit the city, forests or gardens. Others plan with us to visit the animal elephant orphanage, giraffe center.
We also arrange for the volunteers going on to the safari at Masai Mara, Amboseli, Mt Kenya trekking and other places of interest.
The beach is also an attraction for the volunteers at Mombasa where when they are a number of them they move in a group using the bus, train or flight to Mombasa.We are always very happy to assist wherever we can.
Details on Arrival And airport pick up
The airport is Jomo-Kenyatta International airport. We will pick you once you send us flight details. If you are coming as a group notify us so that we arrange for a van. When choosing which months to come here is what you are supposed to know:
Our volunteer program works according to the government school schedule. Schools in Kenya are open on 3 non-consecutive months and there is a school holiday for 1 month.
Take example this calendar year 2017; schools were open from the first week of January to the end of march and currently(April) have been closed on a one month holiday after which classes will resume May’s first week till the end of July and a one month holiday in August. Classes then resume the first week of August till late November to give way for the Christmas holiday in December. In between learning terms, (eg. January to March) schools are given an allowance to have mid-term holidays that usually last about 4 days, this is not compulsory and school principals can decide to do away with it.
These rules apply to Kenyan junior schools(baby Class to 8th grade and high schools(form 1 to form 4) except for universities.
Accommodation
The House where volunteers will be staying has several rooms which include;
- A fully furnished living room, a dining room,6 guestrooms, a large dorm room with 7 single beds, and a Double Decker, a balcony, a large closet room, a bathroom with a bathtub, a hot shower, and a toilet seat. We have 4 single bedrooms with 2 beds each, A Single bedroom with 2 beds and a balcony. A fully equipped kitchen, A laundry area, and 2 other private bathrooms with hot showers and toilet seats
Also available is an extension house with a living room, one-bedroom, and a kitchen. The entire house is fully equipped and furnished. This is for a volunteer(s) who needs the privacy of an entire house.
Program fees
Your money will be used to do the following for;
- Accommodation, food that includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, WiFi, Airport pick, drop off, and drive to the project.
Visa, flights, travel insurance, and vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees.