Africa Orphanage Volunteering, Mutare, Zimbabwe

Location: Mutare, Zimbabwe

The projects is targeting about 66 orphaned children from our community of (between the ages of 5 to 18) with food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental care, moral training, and English language education. In addition to providing their basic needs, our focus is on education and moral development of the children. In their childhood survival the children are provided with education,so as to break the cycle of poverty and allow our children to become productive citizens, wonderful future parents, and leaders of their communities.
We are looking for people with an interest in helping out in the following:
Teaching - : This includes teaching maths, science subjects, sports, music, and agriculture, at the centre and local schools. Provide support and guidance to autistic children with extra special needs. This program also include after school orphanage program – helping the kids with their home works and storytelling. Supervised free play, assistance with homework or working with some of the disabled children at the orphanage.

Orphanage program
Volunteers will help by providing care for children and providing counseling for the children and help in a community project, working alongside locals and helping with poultry and garden projects.
Working on sites which need development, construction spots and building facilities, painting, and renovation work.(fixing windows, fixing doors, floor concreting, painting, art works and electrical work)
Social Work: Helping in the kitchen to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner, feeding, washing, drying, powdering, and, be on night duty, coaching program- conduct sports like football, tennis, basketball or volleyball.
Administration Work: Administrative volunteers will provide advice regarding orphanage programs, meeting administrative needs, help in data collection including other administrative schedules and fund raising activities. Capacity building to support the matron, caregivers and mothers in daily chores at the orphanage. Assess, monitor and support new intakes into the orphanage.
Communication; Assist with newsletter, media, Blogging, Film/ Documentary, mailings, web design, promoting events and other projects. Photographing and documentation, video shooting and other special report writing.

Nursing
Medical volunteers will help to provide routine medical checkups and treatment for the children at the orphanage, work alongside local medical personnel in a local hospital or health clinic, conduct community health outreach clinics, conduct counseling sessions with children, youth and women affected by and or infected with HIV/AIDS.

Other areas
There are lots of other invaluable skills and interests for volunteers Marketing and, Monitoring & Evaluation, Environmental, HIV/ AIDS, health worker, and many more!

Workings hours
The volunteers will work 8 hours a day (Monday - Friday) and this excludes weekends.

Short-term
This is for the volunteers who may need short terms (1-4 weeks) offers for teaching, cooking and general work at the orphanage.

Long-term
This is for volunteers who may need long terms (1-3months) offers for the following offers: - various skills but can even be longer, depending on the volunteer’s time frame, and are organized throughout the year.

Accommodation and Meals
Volunteers are accommodated in our guest houses where they can live other several other volunteers in a shared room with its own private key. With a local caretaker of the house and other volunteers. Linen and mosquito nets are provided, but it’s recommended that you bring a sleeping bag too. You may also prefer to bring your own mosquito net. All our volunteer houses are different, but certain standards are maintained throughout.
Breakfast and dinner are provided by our local care taker who is also on hand to provide care and support to all our volunteers. They can enjoy Zimbabwean dishes which are African and could experience different flavours and meals during their Zimbabwean stay. If volunteers wish to eat out, there is a Green Coucal restaurant and with food to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special eating needs (such as vegetarian), please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, volunteers should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that volunteers are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, need to be flexible.

Host Family Accommodation
Living with a host family provides a good combination of socializing with other volunteers and experiencing life with a Zimbabwean family.
We do recognize that some volunteers would prefer living with a local host family, where they can better learn the culture by observing how families live together in a traditional Zimbabwean home. This is a second accommodation option, but considering the challenges of possible culture shock and local families adjusting to accommodate a guest from a different culture for several weeks, this option is considered on special case-by-case individual basis only. If this is your desire, please let us know and we can see if we can make arrangements with a host family to host you.

Our Expectations
Volunteers should be individuals with a sincere inspiration to help those in need in Zimbabwe, especially orphaned children. Volunteers who will make the orphanage sustainable.

Before you Travel:
Make sure you have a valid travel document: Valid Passport and valid visa, from the Zimbabwean consulate in your country (although you can also get visa, upon arrival at the Harare International Airport. You will also need enough change of clothing (mainly warm weather clothes), working shoes, gloves, hiking shoes, and personal hygiene kit.

Our ground arrangements are as follows:
1.We make booking reservations and make arrangements for an appropriate host accommodation facility for you prior to your arrival and upon getting confirmation from you.
2. We make transport arrangements and our welcome team will meets you at Harare International Airport upon arrival.
3. We make arrangements for a cab, van or bus to transport you and your language from the airport to the guest house.
4. We will be responsible for you.

Health Matters:
Although medical facilities are readily available here, we recommend that you get all the necessary vaccination (Malaria, TB, Yellow fever, etc,) ahead of your travel. In addition, pack any and all necessary off-the-counter medical supplies as you may need. A couple packs of mosquito repellents, sun-burn creams, etc, will be handy. And any other personal effects will be wise. This does not mean that we expect you to fall sick (we pray and trust you won’t) but just in case, considering the change of environment and weather, prevention is always far better than cure.

Local Costs:

Airport Transfer:
Upon arrival, all volunteers will be picked up at the airport by the volunteer coordinator in Zimbabwe. He will give you a brief orientation and update on the current events and status of our projects. He will then bring you to your volunteer location. You can be placed in groups and we will not split you up if you come with a partner or friends.

Ground transport:
Daily transport is by public means using 14-seater minibuses that transport people back and forth from one part of the city to another. Normal daily within the city transport by public means is about $10 round trip, but can be less or more depending on where one is going. Traveling long distances to the countryside usually costs more depending on the distance, but ranges from $10-$15. There are also cars for hire (salon cars) commonly known here as "Special Hire Taxis", which one can hire at a fee. These costs from $5-$10, in and around Mutare, and more
Internet and Phone Communication.
BCC is installing fast internet at the orphanage. At the same time, public Internet Cafés are readily available in almost every corner of the city, at a small fee. Thus you can keep up communication with your family and friends back home, and to keep your people back home updated on how you are progressing in your volunteer project. Cell phones are another major communications medium here. New and used cell-phones are readily available at reasonable cost. You can also choose to bring your brand iphone along with you or any other cell phone. Only make sure it is Dual Band or GSM card phones that is network free and can pick any network.

Site Seeing:
Available sites include: Vumba Nature Resort,Leopard Rock Hotel,Mutare Art Gallery,Mutare Museum and Botanical Gardens.

Requirements
You should be in flexible and strong due to the some heat and conditions of transportation and facilities in Zimbabwe. Please be resourceful because you will not have the same access to materials that you may be accustomed to, especially at the orphanage. Ability to plan and be self-motivated is important, as you often won’t have direct supervision. It is also important to be flexible and patient, as it may take longer than you expect to accomplish just about anything. There is no drinking, no smoking within orphanage grounds or within sight of the kids, and not dressing in what they consider an "immodest" fashion.