by volunteer Zoe File In July 2023, I walked away from a secure and much-loved job as a primary school teacher to pursue a long-cherished dream of working as a volunteer teacher overseas. For years this had been nothing more than a pipe-dream, but at the age of fifty-five it finally felt that the time was right. I was motivated by two things – the opportunity to cash in a small pension which would fund a year out of full-time…
Very few children in The Gambia know how to swim, despite the fact that the majority of people live close to the coast or the river. Traditionally they are taught to fear the water, rather than how to stay safe in and near it. Last year we heard of the death by drowning of Robert Jarjue, one of the first children to enrol at Mary’s Little Lambs School. He was a clever and joyous child with a bright future. Aged…
Nicola in Cambodia Working in a busy NHS department, with the additional pressures of Covid I was at a point where I was losing my enthusiasm and enjoyment in my role as an A&E nurse. I knew I needed a ‘refresh’ and felt it was a good time to stop and reflect. I volunteered at Treak Community Centre – my brief was to provide support to teachers with an emphasis on providing practical guidance for health and hygiene for both…
In November 2022 volunteer Zara went to Cambodia to volunteer at Treak Community Centre. Zara works in the publishing industry so her placement focused on reading – the activities she did were based on instilling a love of books in the children and she ran a parents’ workshop on helping your child to read at home. On her return to the UK Zara talked to her friend Aimee, who also works in the publishing industry, about what she had been…
My goal in coming to The Gambia was to contribute altruistically to a legitimate cause with a reliable organization. After years of long hours and stressful grafting as a chef and consultant in fast paced kitchens, I felt it was time to step aside for a little while and try to decompress. I’ve always had a keen interest in politics, international development, and travel. In recent years I’ve started volunteering in London and found it extremely rewarding. With those things…
We are proud of the work done by our partners in the Gambia at ITTOG (Institute for Travel and Tourism in the Gambia), by the women of the No Woman Left Behind Association, and by our volunteers – this has led to really substantial progress in this women’s empowerment programme over the last 12 months. One year ago Sallie and I visited the Gambia and saw this programme in its early stages. Our partners had obtained funding to provide training…
Denise (an artist who creates stunning murals) volunteered at Treak in March – she has certainly left her mark. Working with local staff and children she has created beautiful murals to enhance the surroundings which can also be used to enhance the curriculum. So think outside the box – you don’t have to be a teacher to do valuable work at this school. Read on to see what she says. ‘Spending one glorious month in Cambodia creating murals was one…
Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers – those who have travelled and those who have worked from home as e-volunteers to support our volunteer programme since we have been able to travel post-Covid. Here are some great pictures of some of our volunteers at work during the last year. To learn more about all these projects follow these links to our project pages for in-country placements and for e-volunteer placements or email dianne@travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk
Joanne ‘As a previous volunteer for People and Places both in situ in The Gambia and e-volunteering, I was only too happy to continue my involvement by working closely with Dianne and Lisong on a new training program to be delivered to Nursery School Teachers, promoting the Gambian Early Childhood and Development curriculum. In 2020 myself, Dianne and Lisong held regular zoom meetings to develop the training program I have just delivered. Unfortunately the Covid pandemic did not allow for…
Volunteer Eva has just completed a three month placement at the Education for All boarding houses in Morocco. The aim of her placement was to teach mindfulness and meditation to the girls and house-mothers, in particular focusing on relaxation techniques with the older girls to help them manage their stress levels in the build-up to their Baccalaureate exams. Eva says – ‘My work was about teaching Mindfulness and Meditation skills to girls and housemothers in Asni 1, Asni 2 and…