You are socially committed and enjoy working with Children? Would you like to get a taste of the teaching profession and teach children from precarious backgrounds? Colombia support? In this project, you can work at a school in Barranquilla and gain unique experience. Besides the Support In addition to the support of teachers and students in learning groups and educational activities, you can also organize activities outside the classroom that contribute to general development, such as art, meditation, environmental education and much more. In this way, you will contribute to the Right to education for children and young people from economically poor backgrounds by providing them with a positive learning environment in which they enjoy going to school. If you already know Spanish or are motivated to improve your skills, an exciting stay in Colombia awaits you!
The non-profit organization has already been 1997 founded by the Colombian singer Shakira and is active throughout Colombia to promote the education and social development of children and young people in Colombia through high-quality education to improve the quality of education. Since its establishment, the foundation has been working to provide children and young people in the most vulnerable regions of Colombia with a high-quality and free education. To this end, the organization works with partners to build public schools in order to reduce the deficit in school infrastructure in the country and contribute to education with modern facilities. The mission is to ensure that all children and young people in Colombia go to school, recognize and develop their talents so that they can later fulfill their goals in life.
The Educational situation in Colombia is complex: 6 out of 10 children live in economic povertymost of them in rural areas or in densely populated urban centers. Almost 70 percent of poor households have no access to the internet at home. In addition, only 36 out of 100 students complete their studies. As a result, many children and young people come from families who cannot afford a cannot afford school education or, like most of them, have to work to support their families. This creates a vicious circle in which young people cannot find a way out of poverty.
The Foundation wants to tackle this problem and support the children on their educational path so that they have the chance to find good jobs later on. With the help of donations, the organization has already 9 public schools in Baranquilla, Quibdó, La Guajira and Cartagena.
The schools offer a protective space for learning and help students with educational and psychological activities beyond the classroom.
Thus, the organization not only supports the establishment of more schools, but has also developed an innovative curriculum from kindergarten age to graduation.
As a volunteer, you can support the activities of a public school in Barranquilla which was built by the foundation. Lessons at the "Colegio" take place from Monday to Friday from around 07:00 to 12:00, with workshops and activities in the afternoon. Working hours may vary depending on the area of responsibility, but you will have weekends off.
Regular classes are held at the schools to promote the children's education and provide them with skills and knowledge. For activities that are not part of the curriculum, the organization offers Learning groups, workshops, art and sports programs at the school. This is where your help as a volunteer comes into play. Together with the organization's staff, you can support the learning groups in the areas of English, mathematics, art and music lessons. The groups can vary from math, Spanish, English, chemistry, physics or music. It all depends on your skills and interests. The groups can have between 20 and 40 children, similar to a school class, and the ages vary from 5 to 17 years. When volunteering, it is important that you enjoy taking on responsibility, are proactive and motivated. You can contribute your own ideas and also lead your own groups. Depending on your skills, you can also offer a learning group yourself. Are you interested in environmental protection, for example? Then you can give workshops on recycling, environmental protection, etc.
You can also take part in courses and Workshops lend a hand or give it themselves. These are for example in sports, music, art, dance, photography, debating club, computer or robotics club, soccer, social sciences and educational activities.
It is very important to the teachers and staff of the organization that you are trained according to your own Interests and skills can work with us. You can contribute new ideas and creativity and make your own suggestions as to how you can best help the children. It is important to give the pupils a Positive learning atmosphere support them with their weaknesses and answer their questions. The focus is also on promoting their individual talents and giving them creative freedom to develop their skills. Fun and motivation It is important for children to be involved in everyday school life so that they enjoy coming to school and graduating and don't go off the rails.
In addition to the education sector, other Activities around the school and in the local community where helping hands are welcome. Tasks such as repairs to the school buildings, improving the school environment, workshops for the local community or leisure activities.
But Barranquilla is best known for one thing: the carnival! The famous carnival in Barranquilla is actually the second largest in the world after Rio de Janeiro. This is a 4-day festival before Ash Wednesday, during which the whole city celebrates exuberantly in the streets.
The most inspiring thing about Barranquilla is the people. The charisma and friendliness of the locals cannot be beaten. The joie de vivre and energy will quickly cast a spell over you and once you get to know the people, you won't want to leave in a hurry. If you like it hot in the summer, Barranquilla is the place for you. The temperature is between 25 and 32 degrees all year round.
In Barranquilla, the school is located in a somewhat unsafe part of the city, so we always recommend taking a cab from your accommodation to the school. However, these are very cheap in Colombia.
You do not need to have any experience in the social sector to take part in the project. However, you will need a good knowledge of Spanish (approx. B1 - B2), as the children do not speak English and you will be able to support them with their Spanish lessons. You should also have at least 2 months to spare.
Of course, you should enjoy working with children and young people and be motivated and independent. Social skills, empathy and self-confidence are an advantage when working with people. You will be working a lot with locals. You should be open to getting to know a new culture and everything that goes with it.
The national language in Colombia is Spanish. You will spend a lot of time with locals who do not speak English.
A basic knowledge of Spanish is therefore a prerequisite. It is vital that we ensure that our participants have a solid knowledge of Spanish, especially when it comes to our children's aid projects. Many of the children in the projects speak little or no English, which is why Spanish is the main language.
To meet this need, we can organize a Spanish course at one of our renowned schools in Latin America in advance. This will not only improve the effectiveness of the work, but also foster a deeper connection with the communities.
If you currently have no knowledge of Spanish, we recommend that you take part in a language course in Cartagena, which we will be happy to organize for you. You can take the language course before or during your time in the project.
To fully immerse yourself in Colombian culture, we offer homestay accommodation in Barranquilla. You can live with your host family in a single room and share the rest of the living space with the family. Meals are included in the homestay in the form of 2 meals per day from Monday to Friday.
You can reach the project daily by cab.
Jan is German and has been living in Colombia for six years now. After a long journey through Latin America, he stayed in Cartagena. He has traveled all over the country, but Cartagena and the entire Caribbean coast are his jewel. He can't wait to welcome you there and show you the Colombian culture. His girlfriend is Colombian and originally from Bogotá. Jan has German roots, so he understands both cultures very well and speaks both languages fluently. Jan has been running the Café de la Mañana in Cartagena's old town for 2 years. Take a look, it's worth it! Jan also works in tourism and is therefore our local expert to show you the city, its history and all the highlights. He will be happy to answer your questions about the country and traveling in Colombia.
Jan will look after you during the introductory event in Cartagena. If you have any questions during your stay in Latin America, a German-speaking contact person will be available to you via WhatsApp in the same time zone.
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