The volunteers work with children (aged from 4 -17 years) and staff in our Partner Schools and Organisations. The volunteers perform a variety of roles from teaching assistant, to coach, to mentor, to friend, to student.

Before the summer, the Volunteer Programme Team agrees a needs analysis and a broad outline of the work placement with each Partner, then on arrival, the volunteer teams collaborate with the local teachers to create their projects and schedule.

The placements are an 'in at the deep end' experience and there is a need to be highly flexible and adaptable. It usually takes several weeks before volunteers settle in and their roles become more clear.  Even then, the work remains demanding and all volunteers will have to work through periods of frustration and uncertainty.

It is up to each volunteer and their team to use their initiative and work in partnership with the Partner staff to see how and where they can best contribute. The placements are not highly structured in advance a feature that makes them both challenging & filled with opportunity!    

All the placements are broadly similiar, however there are differences between India and Kenya and then again between each individual Partner. Also, each placement varies from year to year as the Partners adapt to their changing needs and challenges. And the programme itself is constantly evolving to build on the lessons of each year.

Suas provides a general introduction to the volunteer role overall - but each team is expected to learn about the specific needs of their Partner Organisation.

To date, the volunteers have focused on the teaching assistant role in non-formal teaching centres with children aged 4 -12. These centres support disadvantaged children to mainstream into the Government run Primary Schools. Volunteers generally work in pairs, across a number of centres teaching English and Maths, as well as introducing new games, rhymes, songs and teaching techniques & tools. The centres are generally small with one or two classrooms and around 60 children per centre (although this varies significantly depending on the centre). 

3 teams will work with our Partners in Kolkata this summer: Additional activities specific to each organisation are listed below:

Development Action Society (DAS), Kolkata: Volunteers have worked closely with DAS staff, supporting the teachers to in order to create comprehensive lesson plans, assisting with data input on DAS' new impact assessment project and organising staff excursions. The volunteers have assisted in the painting of schools and have accompanied DAS pupils to the Children's Parliament.  Suas has been working with DAS since 2002.

Sabuj Sangha, Kolkata:  Previous volunteers have worked with the Sabuj Sangha teachers to make classroom materials and teaching aids.  Volunteers have assisted in painting murals, sports days and have worked with the boys at Sabuj Sangha's residential centre.  Volunteers have also visited Sabuj Sangha projects upcountry in the Sunderbans.  Suas has been working with Sabuj Sangha since 2003.

Vikramshila Education Resource Society, Kolkata: 2008 was the first year that Suas Volunteers worked with the staff and children of Vikramshila. They worked as assistants in the Nabadisha non-formal education centres, teaching basic numeracy and literacy to children aged 4-14. The 2008 team also worked on curriculum development; organised sports days; and held art & craft activities in the afternoons. In 2009, Volunteers worked with the E2E (Education to Employability Project).  Volunteers worked with the Vikramshila team in 5 secondary schools in Kolkata assisting students with communicative English and life skills. The Volunteers were also involved in organising a speaking festival which brought together 5 schools in the district and created a real sense of fun around learning.  

Kenyan Placements

In Kenya, volunteers have focused primarily on a teaching/teaching assistant role in the classroom, working with students mainly aged between 9 and 18 years. Volunteers have been of particular use supporting Maths, English, and Science as well as correcting exams.

Volunteers also get involved in extracurricular activities such as sports, drama & music.  Volunteers have shared IT skills with the teachers, held seminars on topics including: alternatives to corporal punishment (which is formally banned but used at times), business skills, public speaking and study skills. In the second half of the placement, volunteers design and deliver a three week Summer Camp with a range of extra curricular activities and additional tuition.

Gatoto, Nairobi: Former volunteer teams in Gatoto have helped to organise an extra tuition programme to support and complement the existing class timetable. Teachers and volunteers have designed the three week camp at the end of the Programme including field trips, sports days and variety shows. Fundraising projects have been undertaken to support the School Choir. Suas has been working with Gatoto since 2003.

Kongowea, Mombasa:  Former Kongowea teams have worked with the teachers to organise school trips, hold Sports days and variety shows.  Volunteers have organised guest speakers from local Non-Governmental Organisations, such as Kwacha Africa and the Kenyan Alliance for the Advancement of Children's Rights, as well as from the local Polytechnic College to speak on subjects such as career options, children's rights, drug abuse, and the commercial sex industry. Suas and Kongowea have been working together since 2004.

Maweni, Mombasa:  In previous years volunteers have collaborated closely with the Maweni teachers to deliver an extra tuition programme to support the class timetable.  Volunteers have assisted in First Aid courses for students and staff, along with Health talks, as well as organising a reading club for the pupils. Volunteers have worked with the teachers painting the staff room and creating murals. Maweni and Suas have been working together since 2005.