Teach English Skills to Colombia Rural Communities

location
4 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Great 4.4  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Excellent response rate

Highlights

  • Experience life in a small Colombian village
  • Gain Spanish fluency living with a host family and immersing with the local culture
  • Enhanced your curriculum vitae and career with International experience

Highlights

  • Experience life in a small Colombian village
  • Gain Spanish fluency living with a host family and immersing with the local culture
  • Enhanced your curriculum vitae and career with International experience
  • Make memories at the weekends with your fellow participants
  • Visit Cartagena, Medellín, Bogotá, Santander, Boyaca, and lets to know the most beautiful places of Colombia.


  • Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Volunteer in Colombia Teaching rural children a new language will improve their aims and goals in life. By teaching new skills volunteers are making a big difference.

    In Colombia, the children population is being hardly hit by the constant recession and social problems. And in the countryside and small villages, there is no difference. Volunteer in Colombia Assisting with Teaching English at the Schools is the opportunity to help to improve these children's aims ...

    About the program

    In Colombia, the children population is being hardly hit by the constant recession and social problems. And in the countryside and small villages, there is no difference. Volunteer in Colombia Assisting with Teaching English at the Schools is the opportunity to help to improve these children's aims and goals in life, helping them to have a broader view of the world, to open their minds, so they will have better chances in higher education and jobs opportunities, help them to understand why they should consider staying in the countryside helping their community to move on,  by teaching a foreign language and other skills we can make a difference for them.

    Volunteer teachers and assistants are needed for school-age children. *Schools are closed in Easter time and October 1 week, June and  December to mid-January winter holidays for two weeks, and every bank holiday weekend. Schools are open to attend every day from 7:00 am to 1:00  or 3:00 pm. But volunteers will assist from 8 to 12 at the schools. 

    Apart from Volunteers Teaching English volunteers also can support with sports, creative lessons like painting, drawing, crafts, dance, singing sessions and lessons on the environment and nature, prevention of child abuse, child trafficking, and drug abuse. And also to help older children in their technical careers or entrepreneurship projects. This program can be combined with day centers for children with learning disabilities or the Youth Center.




    Typical day

    A daily routine for Volunteers depends on the School and volunteers but can be as follow:

    6-6:30 am Get up and have breakfast

    6:50 am Arrive to the reception office to sign entrance. Start either at the San Javier School which holds 260 students only 15 minutes walking from the accommodation or ...

    Typical day

    A daily routine for Volunteers depends on the School and volunteers but can be as follow:

    6-6:30 am Get up and have breakfast

    6:50 am Arrive to the reception office to sign entrance. Start either at the San Javier School which holds 260 students only 15 minutes walking from the accommodation or Francisco Julian School at the town La Mesa which holds 2000 students in 4 blocks around the town, 30 minutes from the accommodation by minibus.

    7:00 am to 1:30 pm Teaching 

    Break lunch is at noon 

    Some grades finish at 5:00 pm 

    Late afternoon sightseeing. 


    Some volunteers prefer to combine this project teaching at the school in the morning and assisting at the youth center in the afternoon. 



    Free-time activities

    La Mesa town in Colombia offers a variety of activities for volunteers as it is surrounded by Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Waterfalls. Volunteers can visit the: Orchid Sanctuary at the Tequendama region, The Waterfall La Monja, Hill Walking to the La Cruz Peak, Trekking by the River Apulo, Bird ...

    Free-time activities

    La Mesa town in Colombia offers a variety of activities for volunteers as it is surrounded by Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Waterfalls. Volunteers can visit the: Orchid Sanctuary at the Tequendama region, The Waterfall La Monja, Hill Walking to the La Cruz Peak, Trekking by the River Apulo, Bird Watching, and small towns around La Mesa like Anapoima, San Antonio del Tequendama, Mesitas del Colegio, and The Tequendama Waterfall. The proximity to the Capital City of Bogota offers the opportunity to visit Museums, restaurants, bars, and discos. For the weekends we offer organized tours to go caving or visiting other Colombian Counties like Santander or Boyaca which offer a lot more to do like visiting waterfalls, lakes, caves, and extreme sports. Other volunteers have managed to visit the Tayrona Park in Santa Martha, Cartagena, The Caño Cristales in Macarena, Palm Trees farms in Armenia, and Coffee and Sugar Cane farms around. There is plenty to do here, also we are blessed with a hot climate. So be prepared. And while you volunteer you can see the world... 




    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Language Skills

    You need to speak Spanish (basic level)

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    CV, Criminal Background checks, Vaccinations, Photocopy of Visa and Insurance.

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    Volunteer in Colombia and enhanced your skills. Children of this community live in the countryside and one of the nearest tourist towns is Bogota. So skills in agriculture, livestock, and tourism will be very handful. Volunteering in Colombia can be fun and will help you understand our culture.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 08:00 - 12:00

    What's Included

    What's Included

    Services by Volunteer in Colombia

    What the fees pay for: 

    Donations for the project site and 24/7 support from the coordinator. 

    Hosting :

    Accommodation in a single room if fewer than 6 volunteers or a twin bedroom only two per room if more than 6 at once. 

    Food: 2 meals M-F. 1 on Saturday, 0 Sunday. 

    1 local tour, Orientation, and first-day guide to the project site.

    Internet,

    Washing Machine, 

    Fresh fruits from the gardens.

    Pick up from the Airport.

    All Administration costs are included

    Airport Pickup at El Dorado International Airport

    We provide Airport pick-up at the El Dorado, Bogota Airport. Please try to book the arrival for an even day as we can not drive on an odd day in Bogotá.

    Accommodation

    The living accommodation is located at Volunteer In Colombia headquarters in the Paraiso Village, the bungalow is in a small country house and it is shared with the coordinator who lives in the annexed main house. It is surrounded by Mountains and a River and can hold up to 7 volunteers at the same time.

    We offer 3 single bedrooms. Single rooms only if requested or less than 6 volunteers at one time. 

    We also have a twin room for only two volunteers. And, a double bedroom for a couple or a single volunteer if needed. 

    Bed linen is provided, but volunteers will buy their own toiletries.

    Common areas with the coordinator are the Gardens, dining room, and kitchen. Although the volunteer's house has a small sitting area.

    The Bungalow rooms are well-decorated, with a desk, lamp, electricity, and hot and cold share shower in two share toilets.

    For the hot climate and the countryside, volunteers need to be prepared: with very light and long sleeves shirts and trousers at all times,
    repellent, sun creams, hat, and torch to walk in the evening to the accommodation site if the volunteers decide to come late, bring only dark clothe as we do the laundry with cold water, and be open-minded to see little country animals like crickets, spiders, mosquitos, many birds, dust...and more.

    Please bring videos and books for your entertainment the area is very quiet and tranquil.

    Food & Beverages

    Meals provided are home cook food. Traditional dishes from Colombia.

    Breakfast: egg, hot chocolate or coffee, juice or cereal, toast.

    Dinner: a home-cooked meal that includes: vegetables, rice or pasta, salad, juice or water, soup, meat or chicken.

    Any extra food is not included in the price. 

    Sometimes volunteer decides to eat out at restaurants these meals are not included in the price.

    As we only provide 2 meals per day from Monday to Friday, volunteers can make use of the kitchen and BBQ facilities in the evening or at the weekends if preferred but will need to buy stuff to cook. 

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogota. We assist you to find cheap flights to Colombia. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Colombia provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Colombia you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Colombia. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    Arrivals is every Saturday/Sunday to start Monday. Please try to book your arrival on an even day as we can not drive on an odd day in Bogotá.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program fees

    4 weeks (min. stay) 1,149€
    6 weeks 1,724€
    8 weeks 2,298€
    12 weeks (max. stay) 3,447€
    Average fees 287€/week

    Program fees

    287€ per week 4 - 12 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES


    Duration

    4 - 12 weeks

    Deposit

    The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


    Final Payment

    Your final payment will be agreed with Volunteer in Colombia during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


    Meet your organization

    Volunteer in Colombia

    Great 4.4 rating (9 reviews)

    Non-profit - founded in 2014

    Verified by Volunteer World

      Excellent response rate

    Coordinated by

    Blanca

    Spoken languages: English, Spanish

    About the project

    By reinforcing the workforce we are working to help our community. Supporting their own projects to achieve their goals and aims, to broad their chances and opportunities

    Meet your organization

    Volunteer In Colombia social projects have been created to support the communities to stay together, to empower them,  to keep their youngster into the villages and families and to keep alive the production of sugar cane and coffee beans, and to protect the environment through increasing the beehives . Our commitment is to help and support  the community with their own social projects, to achieve their goals in order to improve their financial and socio-economic situation, their quality of life and their main income support, as well as to protect the bees and the environment.  

    There is a big shortage of staff and qualified workers to carry on maintaining small communities. Big families have found themselves behind technology losing the aim for farming, looking after the elderly or educating children.  Now day’s the youth are attracted to live and work in a big city where they feel they can become more successful, leaving behind their parents, small children and farms, but most of them cannot achieve it for the lack of education putting themselves into gangs, drug addiction, prostitution, and child trafficking among other social problems. 

    Volunteers will be able to choose the project that want to support like to help the youth at the youth center to broaden their views, by teaching them new ways of living in their own community, new skills to carry on farming, English language skills and tourism as well as support the learning disabilities, the elderly day centers, school,  farmers and bees. Please refer to each project description for more information.

    #Acommodation #Nature #Freiwillage #Volontaires #Rivers #Volunteers#BirdWatching #Coffee #SugarCane #LearningDisabilities #YouthCentre#GeriatricCentre #SocialProjects #VolunteerProjects #Voluntariados#Naturaleza #HillWalking #ProyectosVoluntariados #Ecofarm#FreiwilligenarbeitinKolumbien, #SozialProjekte, #Unterrichten, #Umweltschutz, #Weihnachten, #Naturschutz, #GastFamilie, #VolunteeringinKolumbien #FrivilligeprojekteriColombia#Vapaaehtoistyöprojektit #Volontärprojekt #Vrijwilligersprojecten #bees #beekeeping 

    9 reviews · rating4.4

    Volunteering in Colombia is a special experience. The country is incredibly beautiful, the people are friendly and the food is delicious. San Javier is a rural village outside of La Mesa, Cundinamarca. There are opportunities to support local schools such as teaching English from 1st Grade to the ...
    Volunteering in Colombia was amazing for me. I could make a lot of experience in doing creativity with elderly people as well as support children in their leisure activities in a youth center. Furthermore I could teach science in a local school in La Mesa, including experiments. The children were ...
    During my time in La Mesa I combined teaching English at the school with working at the your center. Both Programs were a great experience that I have learned a lot from. Blanca from the organisation immediately made us feel welcome and guided us through the program. I would definitely recommend ...
    Dominique Oberlaender rating4

    2022 at Teach English Skills to Colombia Rural Communities

    Ich hatte einen intensiven Monat in San Javier und La Mesa. Es war ein extrem spannender Einblick in die kolumbianische Gesellschaft auf dem Land. Die Arbeit mit den Kindern ist wundervoll und wird hoch geschätzt. ..
    I worked for three months in the school of San Javier supporting the organisation “Piedra de la Monja”. I supported Alex, the local art and sociology teacher for the classes 6 to 11. We touched on a variety of topics like geography, history and the French culture. We also played a lot of games ...
    Sinead Brereton rating4.2

    2024 at Farming and Beekeeping Support needed

    We are staying with Blanca who runs an NGO which helps the local community with farming, bees, speaking English with children in the local schools and the elderly projects. Blanca lives in a rural village about 2 hours from Bogata called, San Javier. The roads to get there are dirt tracks and Blanca ...

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