Link Ethiopia’s volunteering scheme has developed apace in recent months and we have had an excellent take-up of the programme from people of all ages who want to spend some time in Ethiopia helping youngsters to improve their English Communication Skills and generally supporting the community and experiencing Ethiopian culture at first hand.
Volunteers usually live in rooms in family houses but are remarkably independent in their lifestyles. Our own staff are always on hand to advise and monitor their progress, but teaching usually goes on in small groups of enthusiastic individuals who are attending classes in their own free time.
Work plans and learning materials are provided in plenty for volunteers to use, although individuals nearly always bring their own experience and interests to bear in their classroom activities. Some do debates and miniature conferences on topics of general interest, while others engage in drama projects and lots of role play. What matters is that the Ethiopian students are encouraged to speak and express themselves individually and gradually develop confidence in their own skills, while volunteers get real satisfaction from witnessing and encouraging this progress.
Recent volunteers have not only been drawn from all age-ranges but also from various wide-flung parts of the world. One recent young volunteer from the US, Chelsea, not only adored her many willing students but also fell in love with a disabled dog that she saved while there. Now Chelsea and the dog are back in the States and reports suggest that both are in blooming health!
If you know of people who would like to experience such a placement amid the very welcoming Ethiopian communities where we work, then do please point them towards our website. If they also would like to email [email protected] and express their interest, we can fill them in with all the details that they are seeking.
Whatever individual experiences are undergone by our very varied volunteers in Ethiopia, what they all share on their return to their own countries is a love and admiration for the ever-smiling and warm Ethiopian people they have left behind.