Description:
Kaya provides many English teaching placements but we also provide alternative education programs such as working with blind, deaf and children with Down syndrome. Education for these minority groups is poor and they are in great need of outside help. Be ready for minimal teaching aids and know now that you will be the main teaching resource. It is a great opportunity for the children to learn from a native speaker and hear the correct pronunciation, and all you need is a good level of English to participate in many of the placements.
Public Health Education in Hospitals in Belize
Works in conjunction with a local not-for-profit hospital, which provides a complete clinic and hospital including major surgeries and dental work. The hospital is very short-staffed and focus on treatment, but it means the staff do not have time to educate their patients about the major health issues how to avoid them, manage them and stay healthy. This project is looking for volunteers to provide a counseling and advice service for patients of the hospital to enable them to improve their own health. The common conditions tend to be high blood pressure, diabetes, dengue fever and prenatal care, but volunteers work alongside the doctors to identify common complaints, research the area to develop advice, produce materials that can be distributed and provide a counseling service informing patients about how they can help improve their health.
Primary School Education and Childcare in Belize
Foster a positive learning experience for the children of the Cayo District as a teachers aide. Local primary schools usually have overcrowded classrooms which limit a lead teacher's ability to instruct students effectively. Volunteers assist with general administrative tasks, correcting school work, preparing materials, small group instruction, and other tasks as assigned, allowing the lead teacher to spend more time on lesson preparation and instruction. Getting real-world teaching experience in a developing country environment will be eye-opening and an exciting experience.
Summer Camp for Disadvantaged Kids in Belize
Provide healthy, fun and beneficial summer activities to disadvantaged kids from 7-12 years of age. This is a full day camp where volunteers supervise games, coloring, drawing, arts, sports, and educational activities. Field trips are also arranged. This summer camp allows disadvantaged kids to be involved in a summer educational and social programme to fill their free time in healthy and productive.
Environmental Education in Belize
Work in an exemplary site for environmental education in Belize. This environmental project was founded in 2005 through the joint efforts of several environmental organisations eager to cultivate a first-rate facility for environmental education in Belize. The centre includes a 12-acre preserve containing interpretive trails, a gibnut-raising project (gibnut is a local rodent-like animal), a small organic farm, and a tilapia pond.
Highlights:
Nestled between Mexico and Guatemala is the peaceful and ecologically diverse country of Belize. Spanning the length of the coastline is the second largest barrier reef on earth, which is a world heritage site. The ancient Maya ruins in the mountains date back to 500 BC, and the ethically diverse population of Maya, Mestizo, creole, Mennonite and Garifuna make for a unique and culturally rich experience.
Track Jaguars at Cockscomb Basin
The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the best undisturbed nature centers in the country and easily one of the most beautiful with 600-1000 Jaguars prowling the land. Get involved in mapping and distribution research to help protect Jaguars and their prey.
Glovers Reef Atoll
70 miles southeast of Belize City brings you to Glovers Reef, named after the pirate John Glover. The atoll is a circular necklace of almost continuous coral reef around an 80-square-mile lagoon with depths to 50 feet; the various colors of blue in the water are so intense they seem unreal. Within the lagoon, divers will find 700 shallow coral patches and the remains of at least four sunken ships.
Kayaking the Belizean waterways
Raft a 20-mile stretch of the Macal River. This small, steep, and technical route brings you through drop pools, mazelike channels, and big waterfalls in class IV whitewater. Led by guides who have rafted all over the world, you know it's got to be good when even they get excited about it. Groups are small (six people), and the wildlife abundant -- tapirs, iguanas, and river otters are just a few of the species to be seen.
Belize's fragile ecosystems are under threat from deforestation, improper agricultural practices, irresponsible tourism and development, and forest fires. The people of Belize are very conscious about conserving their natural habitat and have used eco-tourism as a means of preserving their fragile ecosystems. It is very important to the communities that these ecosystems survive as they use them for food, medicine, shelter and water.
These are just a few of the wonderful activities and experiences a volunteer will accomplish in a few weeks of their stay in the majestic Belize.
Qualifications / Skills Needed:
Experience and passion for working in the community and interacting with the people are needed. Participants must also possess enthusiasm and a willingness to learn about the environment and the place's culture.
Language:
English
Cost Includes:
Excursions,
Food,
Housing,
In-country orientation/Training,
In-country staff support,
Language instruction,
Pre-departure orientation/Training
and Registration fees
* Accommodation: Single room in a home-stay
* Food: 3 meals per day - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Airport pick up and drop off
* Training: Orientation and language classes provided
* Support: 24 hour support
* Excursions: Canoeing through the jungle, cave tubing, visit Mayan ruins, hiking, horseback riding, and visits to a Creole village
Experience Required: no
Typical Volunteer Projects:
childcare/children,
primary education
and teaching
Typical Volunteer: A Kaya volunteer shows enthusiasm, spirit and life to stimulate and bring something new to the residents; love, patience and a listening ear for the people; and a good motivator with a positive and optimistic attitude.
Age Range: Must be more than 18 years old
This Program is open to
Worldwide
Participants.
This Program is also open to
Families, Couples and Individuals.
Typical Living Arrangement:
Home-stays
Participants Travel to Belize
Independently
Or
in Groups
Typically Participants Work
Independently
Or
in Groups
Application Process Involves:
- Online Application plus Application Assessment
Post Services Include:
Kaya Responsible Travel's Mission Statement: Kaya's mission is to promote sustainable social, environmental and economic development, empower communities and cultivate educated, compassionate global citizens through responsible travel.
Year Founded: 2008