Introduction

During the placement, the Volunteers work with children, aged between 4 and 18, and staff in our partner schools and organisations. The Volunteers perform a variety of roles including: teaching assistant, sports coach, mentor and friend. 

Before the summer, the Volunteer Programme team works with each Partner organisation to better understand their specific needs, and create a broad outline of each work placement. Upon arrival, the Volunteer teams then collaborate with the teachers to create their individual projects and schedule. 

The Volunteers need to be flexible in their work as it typically takes several weeks to settle in and for roles to become clearer.  The placement is demanding, and there will be times of frustration and uncertainty. The key support throughout these challenges comes from the coordinators and other team members; therefore, it is important that each team has established an effective method of working together prior to departure.

It is up to each Volunteer and their team to use their initiative and work with the partner staff to determine how and where they might best contribute. The placements are not overly structured in advance; a feature that makes this opportunity both challenging and exciting. 

Placement Overview

Suas works in partnership with 6 educational organisations – 3 in Kenya and 3 in India. Suas offers year-round technical and financial support to our Partners, in addition to our annual Volunteer Programme.

Broadly speaking, all of the placements are similar; however, there are a number of differences between each of the Partners across India and Kenya. In addition, the placements vary on an annual basis as we adapt to the changing needs and challenges of the Partners and the lessons learned from previous Volunteers. 

Suas provides a general introduction to the overall Volunteer role; however, each team is expected to respond to the specific needs of their partner organisations.

 

Suas works in partnership with 3 organisations in Kolkata, India. These are: the Development Action Society (DAS); Sabuj Sangha, and Vikramshila.

So far, the Volunteers have been focused on the role of teaching assistant, to children aged between 4 and 12, in non-formal teaching centres. These centres support disadvantaged children as they attempt to mainstream into a government-run primary school. Volunteers generally work in pairs across a number of these centres, teaching English and Mathematics, as well as introducing new games, rhymes, songs and teaching techniques. The centres are generally small and typically cater for around 60 children across 1 or 2 classrooms.

Development Action Society (DAS), Kolkata: Founded 22 years ago by a group of local women, DAS provides pre-primary schooling and coaching centres for over 1000 children. This service supports access to government schools and provides additional coaching and assistance to the children throughout their school careers. DAS also works extensively in the area of health promotion and women's empowerment.

Since 2002, Volunteers have worked closely with DAS staff and have supported the teachers through: the creation of comprehensive lesson plans, data input on DAS' ‘impact assessment project’ and the organisation of staff excursions. The Volunteers have also accompanied DAS pupils to the children's parliament and assisted in the painting of schools.

For more information, please visit: http://daskolkata.org/

Sabuj Sangha, Kolkata: Sabuj Sangha is a community-based development agency which specialises in rural development, women's empowerment and education. Currently serving a community of over 5000; its activities range from agricultural training to child protection services. Suas’ support for Sabuj Sangha has focused around their railway education project; this provides pre-primary schooling to children living around the suburban railway stations. Similar to the project run by DAS, the scheme aims to mainstream local children into government schools and provides additional coaching thereafter. 

Since 2003, Volunteers have collaborated with the Sabuj Sangha teachers as they create classroom materials and teaching aids.  In addition, Volunteers have assisted in painting murals, the organisation of sports days and at Sabuj Sangha's residential centre.  Volunteers have also visited Sabuj Sangha projects in the rural Sunderbans area.

For more information, please visit: www.sabujsangha.org

Vikramshila Education Resource Society, Kolkata: Vikramshila works with: teachers, teacher educators, children, communities, government systems and educational institutions to bring about a transformation in education, and realise their goal of "making quality education a reality for all children in India.”

Since 2008, Suas Volunteers have worked with the staff and children of Vikramshila, assisting in the Nabadisha non-formal education centres by teaching basic numeracy and literacy to children aged between 4 and 14. Previous teams have also helped to develop the curriculum, organise sports days, arrange a speaking festival and run arts and craft activities.  Vikramshila also work with 5 secondary schools as part of the ‘Education to Employability Project’ (E2E); the Volunteers support these students by teaching communicative English and life skills.

For more information, please visit: www.vikramshila.org

 

Over the past 5 years, Suas has worked with our Partners in Mombasa and Nairobi to provide high quality education to some of Kenya's most under-resourced communities. Our Volunteers have focused on teaching, and teaching-assistance, with students aged between 9 and 18. The Volunteers have been particularly useful in supporting Mathematics, English, and Science lessons, as well as correcting exams.  Additionally, Volunteers have provided IT support and organised seminars on topics including: alternatives to corporal punishment (which is formally banned but still exercised at times), business techniques, study skills and public speaking.

Volunteers are also involved in extra-curricular activities such as: sports, drama and music.  In the second half of the placement, Volunteers design and deliver a three week summer camp which provides a range of extra-curricular activities and supplementary tuition.

In Kenya, we work with 3 Partners who, together, serve a population of over 4,000 students.  Suas takes a tailored approach when collaborating with each school; we work with the staff and community to identify local priorities.  Within each school, we are working on a 3 year development plan which aims to “support access, improve quality and increase community engagement.”

The impact of this work is already clear; the mean scores in the Kenyan state exams have increased by an average of 10% within our Kenyan Partners.

Gatoto, Nairobi: Gatoto is a primary school serving approximately 1000 children in Nairobi’s Mukuru Kwa Reuben slum.  Founded 17 years ago, Gatoto is recognised as one of Kenya’s foremost schools for extra-curricular achievement.  Our goal is to increase the area’s economic prospects and reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the community through education.

Since 2003, Volunteer teams in Gatoto have helped to organise an extra tuition programme to support and complement the existing class timetable. Teachers and Volunteers also design a three week camp at the end of the Programme, which includes field trips, sports days and variety shows. The award-winning school choir is supported by the efforts of Volunteer fundraising projects and, through the support of Irish Aid, Suas has assisted Gatoto with the construction of a library.

For more information, please visit: www.suas.ie/gatoto.html

Kongowea and Maweni, Mombasa: Maweni and Kongowea are neighbouring primary schools within the Kisauni District of Mombasa. As formally registered schools, Maweni and Kongowea are our only governmental partners.  With limited resources, they are currently striving to meet the government's policy of universal primary education with Suas’ aid.  Led by Mr Chivumbe and Mr Ndeda respectively, their 25 strong teaching staff provides support to approximately 1500 children in each school. 

Suas, in partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Education and the local community, are working towards enhancing the quality of education delivered in each school.  Suas has also assisted in the construction of permanent perimeter walls; this has improved the safety of both staff and students considerably.

Since 2005, Volunteers have collaborated closely with the Maweni teachers to deliver an extra-curricular tuition Programme, which supports the class timetable.  Volunteers have assisted with first aid courses, health talks and the establishment of a reading club for the pupils. They also helped to paint the staff room and create murals.

Since 2004, Volunteer teams have worked alongside Kongowea teachers to organise school trips, sports days and variety shows.  Volunteers have organised guest speakers from the nearby polytechnic college and local NGOs, such as Kwacha Africa and the Kenyan Alliance for the Advancement of Children’s Rights, to speak on subjects such as career options, children’s rights, drug abuse and the commercial sex industry.

For more information, please visit: http://suas.ie/kongowea.html and http://suas.ie/maweni.html

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