Sing With Me Happily
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To find out everything about volunteering with us click Read more.....
us
travel
· The volunteer placement with Sing With Me Happily is self funded. You arrange your travel arrangements including flights and any bus travel.
All volunteers will be picked up from Inharrime (35kms from school) by SWMH.
· The volunteer placement in Mozambique could be fitted in nicely with some travel through Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Namibia, or Zimbabwe. We can help with places of interest, onward or with prior travel arrangements, and itineraries. 2 lovely places in Mozambique to consider are Tofo/Barra beaches and Vilanculos/Bazaruto Islands. You can check them on the web and they are not too far from Inhassune.
About the placement
· The volunteer placement entails 5 days working for the project and your weekends off to explore, each week you are there. The minimum duration of stay is 14days. You are expected to be on duty every weekday, depending on task, from as early as 6am, perhaps as late as 7pm. (These hours would not be an expectation every day!)
· There are teaching, gardening, building, administration, organisation, caring, supervising and cleaning tasks which will need your time.
· Timetabled classes, in our school- Pre-School, Baby Sensory, Basic Computer Skills, English Language, Choir- will need your assistance and where possible your direction (planning can be given.) In addition there are timetabled elderly and orphan workshops, needing your culinary skills and fun ideas.
· The local government primary school always welcomes volunteers who are skilled teachers to assist with their classes too.
· We encourage volunteers to bring resources to donate to the school/villagers. The community school aims to be a resource centre that local members can use for their self development. We can supply a list of the many things we already have to assist your work in the village or those we may desperately need, which you could help us with.
the place
· The people of Inhassune are very friendly people and all work hard, to try and earn a living. They do live, typically, in wooden huts and do not have the luxury items we all take for granted. There is no electricity supply. An international farming company use generator power and some locals have their own solar panels. Water is being supplied by the farming company and can be accessed through taps dotted through the village. There is a local market selling basic groceries.
· The volunteer’s accommodation is a local build large house, very comfortable with kitchen and cooking facilities, lounging area, double and single beds with mosquito nets. There is an inside western toilet and shower. We have our own water tank.
· It is a beautiful place to walk with much birdlife, many cattle, goats, chickens and pigs!
food
· There are fruit and vegetables available locally which are seasonal, we also grow our own vegetables which we share and use to feed the most vulnerable. There are a lot of livestock, the killing of them is part of village life. Chickens are eaten the most, pigs and cattle are kept for long periods – a way of banking future funds. There are no restaurants or supermarkets! There is a fairly good supermarket in Inhambane (1+1/2hrs car drive.) Locals live off maize, beans and the local fruits on the trees.
· All volunteers self-cater and try to manage as the locals do. There are plenty of things to buy at the local market and people to learn from of how to cook them.
weather
· It is generally always hot and humid in Inhassune, December-February being the hottest times, never going lower than 30degrees. Winter has beautiful cool evenings and pleasant sunny warm days (June-August.) It seldom rains and not for long but if it does it is a lot and can cause big muddy puddles.
health
· All immunisations are needed for Mozambique, other than Yellow fever. Malaria tablets should definitely be taken. There is a hospital in Inhassune, should you need a test or treatment for Malaria. There is a good NGO ‘Doctors for Life’ within 2 hours drive. The tap water is fine to drink. There are poisonous snakes and spiders and risk of catching various diseases form the locals but with the right care, attention and preparation our volunteers have had no problems.
money
· Money is not your gift to the school or community, it is your time, skills, knowledge and understanding! We do ask every future volunteer to raise £250 for the charity before arrival to help us help others. All of the money goes directly into the project, even the director/manager works voluntarily.
· The currency in Mozambique is meticais, there are plenty of ATMs in larger towns and banks that will change foreign currency. You cannot get Meticais currency outside of Mozambique.
visa
· It is necessary to gain a tourist visa to stay in Mozambique. It can be purchased on arrival but easier and cheaper to do in your home country. The charity can provide documentation to help with the process. The most common visa is 30days but you can get up to 6months.
Sound good?
· If you want to apply to be a volunteer for Sing With Me Happily I thank you in advance for making that bold yet humble decision. If you come, we promise to make your stay as enjoyable and as fulfilling as possible. You will need to fill out a volunteer form (on the website) and await our acceptance. I look forward to Singing With You Happily! X
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Rebecca Kate Spencer – Director.
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