Sports & Community Volunteering in Zambia

What is the Sport & Community Volunteering all about?

Share your energy and skills on this project focused on sports and community volunteering in Zambia.  The project team support the belief that sport is an essential and effective tool to teach various subjects such as HIV, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Working within primary schools, with sports teams for teenagers in the community and as part of a wider community outreach, this project provides the social and physical benefits of sport alongside an important educational tool.  Children are also reminded about the importance of teamwork, trying their best, not cheating and listening.  

Through connections with the community, the project is also involved with various other activities as they arise, such as building and refurbishment and farming initiatives.  The project aims to make sports available to everyone, whether they are at school or not and helps out with youth groups to ensure that this is a possibility.  Join this sports development and rural community work placement and help the project to realise its goals in Zambia.

Why choose this Sports & Community volunteer in Zambia project?

Sports and Physical Education is sorely neglected due to a lack of trained teachers and culturally little importance has been placed on it in Zambia. Volunteers not only help organise and run the sporting activities, but also manage the training of the local boys football and girls touch rugby teams.  By training local staff you will also create lasting knowledge about the sport locally and build self esteem as well as team working skills.  It is a great way to build your CV/Resume as well as developing your own understanding of communication and the impact of sport on a community.

Role of the Sports & Community volunteer

Sports volunteers spend their time training, guiding and working with soccer teams in the Livingstone community as well as providing physical education in schools. As part of the project volunteers also train teachers who can continue the work and encourage involvement from them. As well as the actual sports training and rule learning, volunteers also hold team-building exercises and teach basic hygiene and health lessons.  Your schedule will look something like this:

• work in local government and community schools, running PE lessons focusing on team activities while emphasizing messages such as being honest, taking it in turns,listening and following instructions.  Students are in years 4 – 6 (ages vary as children are often late starting or miss a year or two)
• In the afternoons, volunteers help out on other community projects including building and refurbishment work, helping to care for the elderly, reading club,  adult literacy classes, or children’s art clubs
• after school football club for boys and a touch rugby club for girls

During the school holidays teaching volunteers work closely with sports volunteers.  They teach lessons for the first half of the morning and then engage the students in recreational activities.  They also and teach the importance of a healthy lifestyle ensuring that sport becomes an important part of day to day life.

What skills do I need to be a Sports and Community volunteer in Zambia?

No specific skills are required, but a lot of energy and enthusiasm is needed to keep up with these energetic youngsters. You will need to use good communication skills to manage classes of up to 50 children!  Your schedule is set for you by your volunteer coordinator; however, if you have any particular interests or skills you would like to use, we would love to accommodate them! The children at the schools are always keen to learn new activities – particularly if they come from overseas!!  We can set up a class for you to teach rugby, athletics, cricket, or whatever your interest is! Equipment is very difficult to come by so please keep that in mind, e.g. hockey sticks, if you are able to acquire donated sporting equipment, the community will greatly appreciate it. You will be asked to send your CV/resume before being accepted onto this project to ensure you are a great match for this placement.

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