Roles Available
Teaching Volunteer
Teaching Volunteers help teach a variety of subjects including English, Maths, Science and others, depending on their skills and the school’s needs. Volunteers working with pre-school children will also do some care work and help with any extra-curricular activities.
Schools in Nigeria are often under-resourced, but you will find that the students are eager and willing to learn and the more effort you put in the more you will be rewarded. Resourcefulness, initiative and ingenuity are key attributes needed.
There is plenty of opportunity for proactive placement volunteers to get involved in more than the role of a Teaching Volunteer too. Often volunteers set up extra-curricular clubs such as sports coaching, drama or music clubs. These clubs are often very well attended by the local school children and become a great part of the week for the community and also the volunteer to enjoy.
Medical Assistant
Health worker placements are some of our most challenging but rewarding volunteering placements. Based in local health centres, volunteers help the local staff, who are usually overworked and responsible for almost everything medically-based in their community. The role of a local health centre is vital within a rural community and is greatly respected; it’s rare to find doctors or nurses at rural health centres, so the demands on local staff are great and your support and flexibility will be much appreciated.
The role does not require any technical or medical experience and you will volunteer under the supervision of local staff (although if you do have experience, that would certainly be welcomed). Typical activities of a Volunteer Health Worker will include: assisting with some of the running of a health centre, looking after a basic pharmacy and providing general administration for patient care, helping to maintain patient records, assisting with activities with babies and under-fives and monthly baby monitoring (weighing) and feeding, assisting with outreach programmes and involvement with health education campaigns.
Community Volunteer
The needs of communities and individuals around the world are varied and diverse. As a Community Volunteer, you will work within communities to provide assistance in meaningful ways, often to disadvantaged groups. This may involve working with young people with special needs, or elderly people in community centres.
Alternatively you might work with a youth organisation or undertake education and awareness programmes through partner organisations to highlight issues such as HIV and AIDS. The work can be challenging but is truly rewarding and will give you a unique insight into the life of your new community.
Sports Coaching
As yet another Community Volunteer option, some international agencies work in partnership with organisations such as the Football for Hope (FFH) movement which uses sport to re-engage young people. FFH builds on the historic hosting of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and harnesses this enormously popular sport to address education and health challenges in underserved communities across Africa. Volunteers on this placement will be helping to educate the users through a range of different sports. Volunteers on this placement should have an interest in sports and will be focusing on raising awareness, training, peer education, resources development and teaching.
FAQ
Accommodation
Most volunteers live with a host family providing a unique opportunity to live amongst local people. Nigerian society is far more traditional than western society and your hosts will expect you to live as a family member and spend time with them, whilst welcoming you with open arms. Some volunteers choose to live in staff accommodation or have a room in a boarding school. This gives you more independence, but you will still be living close to teachers and students. You are free to travel at weekends and during school holidays, provided that you let your host know that you will be away.