The project is aimed at providing volunteers an opportunity to be involved in a social work with a specific targeted group as mentally disabled children, and at enabling Morning Star Centre and its staff and beneficiaries to exchange with people from different cultures who are willing to share with disadvantaged communities.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES:
Morning Star Centre is a non-profit day care center which provides early diagnosis, care and rehabilitation to mentally disabled children in Hanoi and surrounding areas. It also aims to help parents have better understanding on how to take care and educate their disabled children and raise awareness among society about the issue. Morning Star Centre was founded by the Association of Handicapped Children of Vietnam. The Center has a staff of caretakers, teachers, cooks and doctors. Being a very caring group of people, they work long hours with little pay for the sake of the children. The Center is providing early diagnosis, care and clinical intervention, special education and vocational training for children along with counseling service for parents.
COMMUNITY CONTEXT:
Morning Star Centre is located in the outskirt of Hanoi. Located in the north of Vietnam, this capital city has over 3.5 million people and is the second biggest city in the country.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:
Volunteers should like to work with handicapped children and maturity and initiative spirit.
Preference:
Volunteers with background or experience in medical work or disability. However, volunteers without experience or background will still be able to join in different work as children are very excited with foreigners.
VOLUNTEER TASKS:
Volunteers will help with different work in the centre, mainly as follow... - Assisting local staff in providing rehabilitation exercises and therapist treatments for children. - Playing with children and entertaining/educating them with games, music, arts and other exercises. - Helping on fund raising to support the children. - Collecting useful information and documents from different sources. - Teaching English for local staff. - Typical working hours will be from 8am–4pm. Lunch along with a short nap will be between 11am–2pm.
VOLUNTEERING PERIOD:
Ongoing project. Minimum period of stay - 2 weeks.
HOSTING SITUATION:
Volunteers will stay in a dormitory with rooms shared with other volunteers. Living conditions will be Vietnamese standard with separate bathroom, single bed with mattress. Food will be provided at the accommodation. Meals will be mostly local food, which vary from the daily cooking schedule. Volunteers, especially those who are vegetarian may be required to do some cooking by themselves.
The project is aimed at providing volunteers an opportunity to be involved in a social work. Their stay in the project will help the children developing their English skills and getting in contact with other cultures.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES:
Founded in 1997 and located in Ha Dong City just less than 5 kilometres from VPV headquarters, The Ha Cau Centre For Homeless Children is home to approximately fifty children and four careers. The Centre survives on private local donors to support the children up to and through university. Those who do not make it to a university receive vocational training or are entered into a business program, to try to ensure each child can grow up with the potential for a bright and happy future.
COMMUNITY CONTEXT:
Ha Cau Centre is located in the outskirts of Hanoi. Sited in the north of Vietnam, the capital city has over 3.5 million people and is the second biggest city in the country.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:
Volunteers should like working with children, be active, be motivated and have patience.
VOLUNTEER TASKS:
Although the children receive an education from the local school, the volunteer's main task is often to help the children develop their English skills. More often than not however, during an average 9-4 day volunteers will spend a good deal of their time involved in extra- curricular activities; helping with handicrafts, chores or in the kitchen (an excellent opportunity to learn a few skills of the Vietnamese cookbook!).
VOLUNTEERING PERIOD:
Ongoing project. Minimum period of stay - 2 weeks.
HOSTING SITUATION:
Volunteers will stay in a dormitory with rooms shared with other volunteers. Living conditions will be Vietnamese standard with separate bathroom, single bed with mattress. Food will be provided at the accommodation. Meals will be mostly local food, which vary from the daily cooking schedule.
- Help street children to have the opportunity to improve their ability in integrating with society. - Help children who earn their living on the streets to know how to communicate with basic English and to use a computer. - Give cultural and social knowledge in order to gain self-confidence.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES:
Tu Xuong Center is a centre for street children that offers English and computing classes, which has developed and grown due to the help and support of the Catholic Solidarity Committee. It is also part of the Friends For Street Children (FFSC) organization. It has helped over 40 pupils in improving listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in basic English. The pupils learn English and computing and some of them can achieve English examining certificates, as well as having English conversational skills. In addition, if the pupils know basic computing-English they can receive sponsor-parents and receive scholarship from people who are introduced by the ‘Smile For Life’ organisation. This scholarship will help them continue their studies in the centre or they can learn a trade which is suitable for their needs and their abilities. Afterwards, when they grow up, they can earn and live by independent means. After a year of studying almost all pupils can communicate in English with foreigners when they are working on the streets and are competent at using a computer. They also join in festivals, cultural exchange events and picnics, which help them in developing as people and give greater self confidence in their life. For that reason, Tu Xuong Centre continues to be a place for all children who have desire to learn as well as have a healthy life in order to help them develop more and help provide them a better life.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:
Volunteers do not need experience in teaching and with the children being a little older, having a greater knowledge in English, and with the help from the centre's director, the classes are a good way to introduce teaching to an inexperienced volunteer. Volunteers should be prepared to share stories, sing and probably dance.
VOLUNTEER TASKS:
Volunteers from VPV are sent here to teach English for the children. Content is followed from a book and guided by the director of the centre. The children's age range from about 13-18 so the English level of some children can be quite good. Volunteers can also arrange extra activities such as days-out or a special day as well as join in other events offered by the centre on occasion. There are 3 different classes that are available to our volunteers. There is a classes in the morning, afternoon and evening which are 3 times a week. Volunteers are usually given either the morning or afternoon class with the evening class being optional. Classes are 1,5 hours. The classes run from Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday free.
VOLUNTEERING PERIOD:
Ongoing project. Minimum stay preferred is one month.
HOSTING SITUATION:
Volunteers will stay in a dormitory with rooms shared with other volunteers. Living conditions will be Vietnamese standard with separate bathroom, single bed with mattress. Food will be provided at the accommodation. Meals will be mostly local food, which vary from the daily cooking schedule. Volunteers, especially those who are vegetarian may be required to do some cooking. During working-days food is provided by the host placement.
The aim of the oprhanage is to provide care for the children who have mental and physical disabilities. They provide physical and mental therapy to try and give them some skills to move them as close as possible to independent living.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES:
Ky Quang Pagoda was built in the early part of the 20th Century in 1924 and is quite famous in Ho Chi Minh City. The pagoda is now a place of charity for unlucky children and also helps treat diseases. Now, the pagoda is taking care and bringing up more than 200 children in the South of Vietnam. The children here have unfortunate backgrounds as many have been abandoned by their parents and relatives. It is not uncommon for children to be found left outside the pagoda, or for them to receive a call from the hospital with the request to accept abandoned babies. At the moment, about 200 people are living in the Pagoda, their ages ranging from 5 days old to 40 years old. 90 of these are orphans that are suffering from a wide range of disabilities including cerebral-palsy, blindness or Down's syndrome. At present, about 30-40 local children have a chance to study at Ky Quang as some local teachers teach Vietnamese for them in the morning. The Pagoda Orphanage is founded and run by the Bonze Thich Thien Nhan. It has 25 staff members who stay at the Pagoda to take care and bring up these orphans. A French organisation has recently been given permission to work alongside the monks here.
COMMUNITY CONTEXT:
Ky Quang Orphanage is located in Go Vap District.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:
No experience is necessary but any time spent working with children or disabled children does have a big advantage. Volunteers should be patient, adaptable and have the ability to accept that conditions and practices may be different in Vietnam. Lots of energy is also needed. For teaching volunteers should be confident, resourceful and adaptable to student behaviour and classroom atmosphere. No prior teaching experience is needed, but is very useful.
VOLUNTEER TASKS:
Volunteers can be placed here for either teaching English or orphanage work.
For teaching English we have arranged classes with local children from the area who do not have such good opportunities to study at school. They come to the pagoda to join our English classes, which have proved very popular. The classes are open to all so attracts many different ages and English levels vary from child to child. The content of the class follows a book, and lessons are to be prepared before hand by volunteers. Local Vietnamese volunteers from VPV also join the volunteer in every class to provide translation, support and control where necessary, and to also to make our volunteers more comfortable especially when first starting.
For orphanage work the volunteers will work mainly in a day-care room inside the pagoda that rehabilitates, takes care, entertains and feeds disabled children. The children all live at the pagoda but are brought to this room in the morning, and returned in the evening, and it is this room that volunteers will spend most of their time. The main focus of the work is to help the children to develop with constructive activities, helping them to walk/stand/catch as well as playing. A large majority of time is spent feeding the children, as some children take a lot longer than others.
VOLUNTEERING PERIOD:
Ongoing project. Minimum period of stay - 2 weeks.
HOSTING SITUATION:
Volunteers will stay in a dormitory with rooms shared with other volunteers. Living conditions will be Vietnamese standard with separate bathroom, single bed with mattress. Food will be provided at the accommodation. Meals will be mostly local food, which vary from the daily cooking schedule. Volunteers, especially those who are vegetarian may be required to do some cooking. During working-days food is provided by the host placement.
English teaching for disadvantaged and remote-area children in Yen Bai
Work:
Teach English to children and create a friendly environment in order to encourage them to communicate in English; organize leisure activities in English (games, interactive activities, etc.) by providing the self-study materials; train teachers of English on speaking and listening skills, writing skills in various forms, and teaching methods.
Location:
Yen Bai Centre for Continuing Education, Yen Bai city, Yen Bai province.
Terminal:
Noi Bai International Airport.
Accommodation and food:
Meals are provided by the Centre.
Remarks:
Sleeping bag, sleeping mat, raincoat, info materials and pictures of your country. Volunteers need to be enthusiastic, full of energy and have strong English writing skills. Experience in working with children is preferred.
Project:
SJ Vietnam (www.sjvietnam.org) is an international youth Non-Governmental Organization that promotes solidarity, peace and tolerance through voluntarism. It was set up in 2004 as a non-political and non-religious organization open to all without distinction of nationality, race, philosophy, financial resources, education or gender.
SJ projects include short and longer term project placements. Workcamps seek to provide an experience that connects solidarity, intercultural learning, and community life to help disadvantaged, street, poor and blind children, needy children in a paediatrics hospital and disabled, old and homeless people. Long-term (LTV) and European Voluntary Service projects (from 2 to 12 months) are organized in Hanoi, Hai Duong, Ho Chi Minh, Ben Tre and around Vietnam with topics related to environment and society to support sustainable development. Long-term volunteers will live and work like local people. SJ Vietnam also organizes regular workshops, seminars, conferences and training for its members, which provide young volunteers with knowledge in global education including conflict management, leadership, intercultural learning and volunteering skills.
The language used on the projects is English.
Hosting fees:
E160 for workcamps and E250 a month for long term projects. This does not cover the volunteers costs in their free time.
Be a mentor for students in English club to help them improve their English speaking; organize workshops about soft skills for children; teach English in “International Education Center” at least 16 hours/week; organize social activities for students together with the staff at the university such as volunteer work, charity etc.
Location:
International Education Center - Hong Duc University, Thanh Hoa City, Thanh Hoa province.
Terminal:
Noi Bai International Airport
Accommodation and food:
Volunteers will stay in a guestroom of the university. Meals are provided at the canteen of the university or self-cooked.
Remarks:
Sleeping bag, sleeping mat, raincoat, info materials and pictures of your country. Experience of teaching English is an asset.
Project:
SJ Vietnam (www.sjvietnam.org) is an international youth Non-Governmental Organization that promotes solidarity, peace and tolerance through voluntarism. It was set up in 2004 as a non-political and non-religious organization open to all without distinction of nationality, race, philosophy, financial resources, education or gender.
SJ projects include short and longer term project placements. Workcamps seek to provide an experience that connects solidarity, intercultural learning, and community life to help disadvantaged, street, poor and blind children, needy children in a paediatrics hospital and disabled, old and homeless people. Long-term (LTV) and European Voluntary Service projects (from 2 to 12 months) are organized in Hanoi, Hai Duong, Ho Chi Minh, Ben Tre and around Vietnam with topics related to environment and society to support sustainable development. Long-term volunteers will live and work like local people. SJ Vietnam also organizes regular workshops, seminars, conferences and training for its members, which provide young volunteers with knowledge in global education including conflict management, leadership, intercultural learning and volunteering skills.
The language used on the projects is English.
Hosting fees:
E160 for workcamps and E250 a month for long term projects. This does not cover the volunteers costs in their free time.
The aim of the program is to provide English language speaking environment for children to practice and improve their confidence in using a foreign language in communication.
PROJECT'S ACTIVITIES:
Nghia Tan Primary School teaches about 1,800 children aging from 6-11 years old who start learning English at grade 3 (9 years old) and some start learning French at grade 1 (6 years old). English and French in these schools is an optional subject as the government does not have financial support though all recognize the importance of language skills.
COMMUNITY CONTEXT:
Nghia Tan Primary School is located in Cau Giay district, Hanoi, which is about 8km from the Old Quarters. There is very little chance for the children and teachers to meet foreigners to practice English and exchange communication skills.
VOLUNTEER'S REQUIREMENTS:
Volunteers should like to work with children, maturity and initiative spirit.
Minimum stay preferred 3 weeks.
VOLUNTEER'S TASKS:
Volunteers will be expected to help with the following tasks...
- Improving listening/speaking skills for children - Improving pronunciation for children - Organizing games and other activities in classrooms - Assisting local teachers in managing the classes. Normally volunteers will teach about 20 hours a week. No placements in Summer (June – July - August). Volunteers will always work with a local teacher. - Volunteers can attend as well a Community English Class in VPV office; it takes place in the afternoon, for children living in the neighbourhood. Volunteers can join this class one or two days per week, depending on their schedule.
HOSTING SITUATION:
Volunteers will stay in a dormitory with rooms shared with other volunteers. Sometimes project stay may be arranged. Living conditions will be Vietnamese standard with separate bathroom, single bed with mattress. Food will be provided at accommodation. Meals will be mostly local food, which vary from the daily cooking schedule. Volunteers, especially those who are vegetarian may be required to do some cooking by them. During working-days food is provided by the host placement.
The aim of the program is to provide French language speaking environment for children to practice and improve their confidence in using a foreign language in communication.
PROJECT’S ACTIVITIES:
Nghia Tan Primary School is one of many public primary schools in Hanoi. English & French in these schools is an optional subject as the government doesn’t have financial support though all recognize the importance of language skills. There are about 1,800 children aging from 6-11 years old who start learning English at grade 3 (9 years old) and some start learning French at grade 1 (6 years old). Teachers and children had not had many chances to meet and talk with foreigners until VPV sent its volunteers to help there.
COMMUNITY CONTEXT:
Nghia Tan Primary School is in the outskirt of Hanoi, which is about 10km from city centre. There is very little chance for the children and teachers to meet foreigners to practice French and exchange communication skills.
VOLUNTEER’S REQUIREMENTS:
Volunteers should like to work with children, maturity and initiative spirit.
Age:
18 and over.
Minimum stay preferred 3 weeks.
VOLUNTEER’S TASKS:
Volunteers will be expected to help with the following...
• Improving listening/speaking skills for children • Improving pronunciation for children • Organizing games and other activities in classrooms • Assisting local teachers in managing the classes
Normally volunteers will teach about 20 hours a week. No placements in summer (June – July - August). Volunteers will always work with a local teacher.
HOSTING SITUATION:
Volunteers will stay in a dormitory with rooms shared with other volunteers. Sometimes project stay may be arranged. Living conditions will be Vietnamese standard with separate bathroom, single bed with mattress. Food will be provided at accommodation. Meals will be mostly local food, which vary from the daily cooking schedule. Volunteers, especially those who are vegetarian may be required to do some cooking by them. During working-days food is provided by the host placement.
« I would recommend participating in a workcamp, especially with VAP, who ensured that I found a project to suit me and provided essential training for me in preparation for my trip. Being part of a workcamp really is a life-changing experience, oh, and it looks great on your CV! »
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