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Academic classes

Nyumba ya Masambiro will provide activity-based tutorials in some of the subjects covered in the Malawian National Curriculum, especially those that have the highest fail rate at secondary school level: English, Mathematics and Science. These will be taken primarily by volunteers who either have a teacher training qualification or a university degree in the subject they wish to teach.

The focus will be on group work and collaborative learning, rather than following the standard form of a classroom-based lesson. There will be many donated books and materials at the centre from English schools, however resources will still be limited so volunteers should have a lively passion for their subject and the ability to be creative with lesson planning techniques!
 

 

Farming

Crop cultivation is one of the three main life skills classes offered at the centre, which will eventually be placed on long-term rotation in order to reflect the changing needs of the community. The classes will be extremely informal and will focus on transferring skills and initiating income generating activities.

The centre now has quite sizeable gardens that it is using in order to promote new vegetables as well as generate an income. We will use these to provide classes on how to grow specific crops that are both compatible with the soil and in high demand from nearby lodges.
Sessions will take place at the centre as well as directly in Nyumba ya Masambiro’s other target areas, and will include information on what variety of crops can be grown, how to maximise produce in terms of seed planting and avoiding disease, how to irrigate, how to fertilise, and how to establish groups for selling. For these sessions we are primarily looking for creative volunteers who have good social/communication skills, leadership training experience and relevant work or academic experience.

Youth-Oriented Activities

Skilled or unskilled volunteers are most welcome to partake in the youth centre, which will be open three days a week and contains many toys and play materials for children and young people. The minimum commitment is three weeks and it is preferable to have a recent CRB (police check). There are opportunities to get involved in other youth-related activities running at the centre, such as youth clubs or art and crafts sessions, but volunteers for these sessions should be able to commit for a minimum of three months and should have relevant work experience with young people or adults.

Activities include:
Helping local volunteers to oversee the children and young adults at the youth centre in Nyumba ya Masambiro
Organising and running youth clubs for both under 18 year olds and 18-25 year olds at the centre
Organising occasional outdoor trips for the older youth club relating to health and community development, with the possibility of linking up with other nearby youth groups to embark on monthly community service.
Assist with extra groups at Nyumba ya Masambiro that stem from the youth centre, such as sports sessions, drama classes and art workshops.

Construction

Construction of Nyumba ya Masambiro was completed in February 2011 and a large part of the labour force consisted of unskilled members of the community from in and around Ruarwe that were trained in rammed earth building techniques.
In approximately March 2012 construction of volunteer accommodation will commence, therefore we are looking for a small but selective team of qualified builders and carpenters who have good communication skills in order to take charge of smaller groups and direct construction work. Those without specific skills that want to get involved in the building process are also most welcome.
In 2012 Phunzira also plans to build rammed earth laboratories at two nearby schools located outside of Ruarwe. The construction phase will be used as an opportunity to invite members of nearby communities to view and partake in the process, in order to provide a practical demonstration on how to build with cheap and easily accessible materials.
All construction projects are done in close collaboration with the community so we are looking for lively and enthusiastic individuals!
  


Please go to our Volunteers Page to download information packs with more details and contact rosa@phunzira.org for further assistance.

 

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