Volunteering opportunities: Support sustainable development
Kayamandi township; Image credit: Lily Pace, Warwick in Africa Student Volunteer 2018
The Warwick Laksh Programme
What is The Warwick Laksh Programme?
The Warwick Laksh Programme aims to offer a sustainable route out of poverty for children in rural Haryana, India by combining the talents of Warwick students with the vision of the Laksh Foundation and their teaching centres.
The Laksh Foundation began ten years ago as a small NGO, organic farm and women's sewing co-operative. In time, it also started to offer free education to the children of local farmworkers, offering a way for them to improve their lives. Warwick has worked with The Laksh Foundation since the start, and have helped to shape their teaching programmes over time, sending groups of students each year to live and work at the Foundation during the summer. Warwick's student volunteers work with the Foundation's teachers, holding daily workshops aiming to strengthen and improve their knowledge of English and Maths, and demonstrate new pedagogies to use in the classroom.
The Programme's approach has proven to be sustainable, and has seen a significant rise in student numbers and an improvement in results, with 85% of their learners in 10th standard passing their end of year exams in 2018 (The Warwick Laksh Programme Impact Report, 2018).
How do I get involved?
Application for the 2020 Warwick Laksh Programme is now open (exact dates of the placements to be confirmed). Please see here for the job description, person specification, FAQs and the application form. The deadline for applications is Friday 6 December 2019.
A Learn About Laksh event is being held on Wednesday 30 October 2019 from 1pm-2pm in the Social Sciences Building, room S0.18, where you can find out more about the programme, how to apply and be inspired to make a difference. An additional Learn About Laksh session is being held on Monday 18 November 2019 from 5pm-6:30pm in the Social Sciences Building, room S0.20.
Warwick in Africa
What is Warwick in Africa?
Warwick in Africa combines the talents of Warwick students and staff with the talents of local teachers, learners and corporate volunteers. Together, the aim of the programme is to improve the knowledge, motivation and ambition for children in their partner schools across Africa. The programme has grown from a small pilot in 2006 to a multi-layered project now working in Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania.
In 2018, 67 Warwick Student Volunteer Teachers delivered Maths and English lessons to over 15,000 learners, with 28 secondary schools involved in the programme. The programme also offered professional training and professional development support to 700 local teachers.
The work to date has proven to be sustainable, with a significant increase in academic results; in 2018 average test results increased from 40% to 59% after just six weeks of teaching (Warwick in Africa Impact Report, 2018). Returning to many of the same schools year after year also ensures that the impact is sustainable.
GSD Volunteers
A number of GSD students have previously taken part in the Warwick in Africa programme, and have found it to be a transformative experience.
Volunteering as an English teacher in Accra (Ghana) for Warwick in Africa in 2017 was an experience that drastically changed my world-view. I hadn't visited an African country before, therefore being in contact with the Ghanaian culture was truly eye-opening. Teaching and living in Ghana comes with some challenges, however, thanks to the support of both the University and the local staff members I managed to settle in and fully appreciate my stay. I taught English to four classes at a junior high school with an average of 50 students per class, from 8am to 3pm. Most of the time I stayed longer in school to teach them some Italian and organise dancing competitions. Being open minded and able to adapt to a different (and amazing) environment helped me get the most out of this experience.
- Nicola Blasetti, GSD Alumnus, Student Volunteer Teacher 2017
How do I get involved?
Please visit the Warwick in Africa site for information about the role. Applications for Warwick in Africa's Summer 2020 programme (exact dates of placements to be confirmed) will open on Monday 4 November 2019. The deadline for applications is Sunday 12 January 2020.
