TEACHING COLOMBIA

More than 14 years ago, the founder of the organization, who is also from Cartagena, came to the Rafael Núñez neighborhood, one of the poorest areas of Cartagena. Families and children live there who lack basic foodstuffs, some of whom have no real roof over their heads and hardly any prospects for a better future. The founder was convinced that she could change the lives of the children, youth and families and founded the organization with the help of donations. The aid project was founded in 2007 and it started with a learning center for 120 young children. Today, the aid project supports about 820 children in Rafael Núñez.

In order to improve the lives of the people there in a sustainable way, the founder has built a comprehensive offer with different programs to help the children, families and elderly in all aspects of life: There is an educational program, sports and cultural program, health program and much more. Food is donated to the families and they help them to grow their own food in their gardens. But that’s not all: the organization has also built many small houses in the neighborhood to give the families a proper home.

Many live there in old wooden houses that are on the verge of collapse or where water comes through the ceilings when it rains. A condition in which no one wants to live. Therefore, the organization takes care of the people in Rafael Núñez and makes a great contribution for a better life.

The great commitment of the organization for a radical change in the living conditions of the people consists primarily in the education of children in early childhood and primary school age. In the learning center, children aged 6 months to 5 years are prioritized. They receive attention, care, movement and education. They learn to read, get to paint, do crafts, play games, sing and have fun on the playground.

The academic strengthening program is for 7- to 13-year-old children and teens. The volunteers’ main role here is to support the school program. They are also offered a cultural and sports program and also taught to exercise enough and lead a healthy lifestyle. The staff and volunteers teach them sports such as basketball, taekwondo, soccer and athletics and motivate them. Donations can also be used to buy sports clothes, shoes and equipment for the children. Furthermore, there are also music and art lessons for the children.

The organization helps the teenagers and young adults to get an education or to study so that they can later learn good jobs to provide for themselves and their families. Families are also taught how to grow their own fruit and vegetables so that they can provide for themselves and generate additional income by selling them.

There is also a health program for the elderly population. The employees give sports courses and encourage the elderly to exercise in order to stay fit and mobile.

In order to maintain all the offers for the people in the neighborhood, many helping hands and donations are needed. As a volunteer in this project, you can be absolutely sure that your help will reach where it is urgently needed, and you will be working for a good cause. You can work directly with the locals and gain a lot of valuable experience. Working in Rafael Núñez will definitely change and shape your view of the world – an exciting time you won’t forget!

The organization is open from Monday to Friday from 7:00 – 16:00. As a volunteer you can get involved in different areas of work and support according to your skills and interests. You can choose between the above-mentioned areas and, for example, support the children of kindergarten age or help in the after-school program with the older children. Depending on the area of responsibility, the working hours may vary and you will have weekends off.

You can support the after school program for the older children and teenagers. You will help the teachers plan, prepare and deliver lessons. With the younger students, it’s about teaching them reading, writing, and basic math. With the teenagers, you’ll assist in math and English, for example. You can design worksheets, games, exercises and homework, and supervise the weaker kids during class with their individual tasks.

You can also help with the kindergarten-age kids. Here you can also plan and implement small lessons, games and exercise. The little ones are already looking forward to you!

You can also help with various workshops, art and sports programs. Basketball, dancing, art, athletics, soccer, taekwondo and computer science are offered.

In addition, there are five different areas of responsibility, but you do not have to choose one area, you can also take on different tasks.

Campaigns: Various campaigns are regularly organized in the region. Here you can develop new ideas and help with the preparation, planning and execution of the campaigns. The focus is on good teamwork to achieve a specific goal. There are campaigns on the topic of health, for example, dealing with aspects such as healthy nutrition, hygiene and diseases, or second-hand clothing collections, as well as donation and environmental protection campaigns.

Administration: Of course, an NGO also needs an office where all areas of work have to be managed.

Food Promotion: Helping with training in food handling, kitchen machines and equipment, or assisting in the management of food aid, such as distributing food donations.

Marketing: you can come up with new ideas for the website or Instagram channel. Let your creativity run wild writing blog articles and put your photography skills to the test creating new photos and videos for the channels. Add to that research tasks and campaign planning for future fundraisers.

Strategy: without donations and support, the project would not be possible, so the organization must constantly look for new funding opportunities. Help develop new, creative strategies to raise funds and register volunteer sponsors. Again, you can help with the growth and development of the organization.

Welcome to the pearl of the Caribbean! Cartagena absolutely deserves this name, because the city is one of the most beautiful in all of South America and is not for nothing a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For days you can stroll through the narrow streets, admire the colorful houses with the ornate wooden balconies or watch dance groups without getting bored. In addition, the city has first-class street food to offer, as well as numerous restaurants, bars, stores, hostels and much more. Cartagena consists not only of the charming old town, but also of a modern center, from which skyscrapers shoot up into the sky.

Of course, the Caribbean city also has its own city beach. However, it is much nicer to go to one of the nearby islands and enjoy the endless white beaches.

After work or on the weekend, Cartagena is the perfect starting point for relaxing on Caribbean beaches with crystal clear water and many excursion destinations nearby. It’s perfect for your adventure.

During the project you will live in Cartagena’s hippest neighborhood: Getsemaní. The neighborhood is located in the beautiful old town, where all the tourists in Cartagena stay in the numerous hostels, hostels and apartments.

The aid organization’s facility is located in the poor Rafael Núñez neighborhood.
The neighborhood is considered unsafe, so you should take a cab from your accommodation to the school every day.The project area of the organization is safe and you don’t have to worry about anything in the buildings. However, in your free time you should not stay there, but rather go to the safer area of the old town.

You don’t need any special qualifications to work with children. Of course, you should enjoy working with children and young people, enjoy dealing with them, and have a desire to make new contacts and friends. A certain social competence in working with people is an advantage. You will work a lot with local people. For this, you should be open-hearted and have the motivation to learn about a new culture and everything that goes with it. The work at the school will improve your Spanish skills in a fun way and will also have a positive impact on your life. A wonderful experience that you will remember for a long time.

The national language in Colombia is Spanish. You will spend a lot of time with locals who have no knowledge of English. A basic knowledge of Spanish is therefore a prerequisite. If you do not have any knowledge of Spanish at the moment, we recommend that you take a language course in Cartagena, which we will gladly organize for you. You can take the language course before or during your time in the project.

You will live together with other volunteers or guests in a guesthouse in Cartagena. There are several single rooms in the accommodation. You will share the bathroom, the common kitchen and the living room with your roommates. The accommodation in the guesthouse can be booked with or without meals. The board package includes breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday in the guesthouse. The landlord of the house will be happy to cook you Colombian delicacies. Otherwise, you can use the communal kitchen.

The house is located in the beautiful old town of Cartagena. From there, you can reach the project in about 25 minutes by car. For organization, you should always take a cab. For this, there are convenient and safe cab apps like Uber and InDriver. The cost of the ride is about 5 euros per day, which must be paid by the volunteer.

Depending on availability, you will stay in a guesthouse or similar accommodation.

Prices

Single room (with meals):

• 1st month in start package: 1.400,00 €
• Extension month: 850,00 €
• As 2nd or 3rd program: 1.150,00 €

Single room (without meals):

• 1st month in start package: 1.180,00 €
• Extension month: 630,00 €
• As 2nd or 3rd program: 930,00 €

Learn more about our services here.