Location
Livingstone is a town rich in history and culture. Located only moments away from the legendary Victoria Falls, the town boasts numerous attractions such as safaris, museums, historical buildings and outdoor activities such as bungie jumping and white water rafting.
About the project
From April 2008 to May 2009, project volunteers contributed over 35,100 hours to community development by participation in medical projects, teaching efforts and recreational sport activities in Livingstone. The aim of the various initiatives was, and continues to be to build a stronger community through education, medical aid, healthy physical activity, and building/refurbishing school and clinic facilities. In choosing this project, volunteers will be making a commitment to work with some of the most impoverished communities in the area, with the end goal of improving the quality of life of residents.
Volunteer work and contribution
Volunteers will have the chance to participate in a variety of projects during their stay in Livingstone. Specifically, they will focus on the following fields:
Educational work:
- Review Classes
- Marking Tests and Assignments
- Assisting teachers in class or teaching their own classes with the given lesson plan
Sports coaching:
- Physical education within schools
- Training the local soccer teams
- Work with a one-of-a-kind initiative that combines HIV education and soccer/football training
- Specialist Sports- volunteers can run courses if they have a specialty (such as yoga, pilates, etc.)
Medical Volunteering:
- Help out the sisters in the clinics, serving to alleviate some of their busy workload, particularly with taking patients’ vital signs before consultation and helping with clinic record keeping and filing.
- Visit and provide care to ill people in their homes, as well as to residents at the local old people’s home.
- Work on school refurbishment and building projects.
- Conduct HIV Education around the communities of Livingstone where the disease affects vast proportions of the population.
- Train local people how to care for the sick in their communities.
In addition to these feilds, volunteers will participate in a number of other initiatives. These include building, painting and refurbishing schools and clinics in the area, reading, art and adult literacy clubs, home based care and farming. There is even a project designed to aid farmers in planting and maintaining chili peppers on their land in order to deter elephants from stealing their crops since elephants strongly dislike the taste and smell of chili peppers.
Christmas Volunteering
Christmas Volunteering in Livingstone will be a time for all of our volunteers to bring some festive fun to some of the neglected and vulnerable members of the community by working with the local children and in the Old People’s Home and although the local schools will be closed, there will still be plenty to do, although perhaps in a little less formal way and we have also arranged a variety of Holiday Clubs and Community Projects!
In addition our Livingstone Team will provide a special Christmas meal and games to make an African Christmas one that volunteers will never forget and for those spending New Years with us there will be massive celebrations in Livingstone town hot spots to see in the 2012!
Accommodations
The volunteer house is approximately a five minute walk from the town center and is a securely fenced complex consisting of 3 separate buildings: dorm rooms that sleep up to four volunteers, a TV lounge and resource center with internet, and a dining room and bar. The volunteer house is very comfortable, has a safe for your valuables, and is staffed with a cook, laundry and cleaning service. All bedding is provided, however volunteers may want to bring a sleeping bag for the winter months (June-September) or for camping trips. Volunteers will receive three daily meals and laundry services. Transportation to and from the projects will be provided and organized by the on-site coordinators. Volunteers are required to bring their own towel and mosquito nets.
Travel Highlights
During time off, there are many exciting activities in which volunteers can partake. There are many parks and safaris for visitors to enjoy. The Zambezi River offers canoeing and white water rafting as well as the option for a sunset dinner cruise. The area also boasts exhilarating activities like bungee jumping and gorge swings. Also, no trip to the region could be complete without visiting Victoria Falls which can be enjoyed from the ground as well as from the sky through helicopter tours.
Minimum Requirements
- Min age 17 - Max age 80 (Min age for Medical volunteering is 18)
- Basic English
- Good physical fitness
- Motivation to work with animals
- Full travel &medical insurance
- Immunizations (please consult your doctor)