Teach in the Amazon

Amazon, Guyana

$2495.00

 

The Experience

If you have a fascination for indigenous cultures then this where you want to go and help teach in a Amerindian community to Indigenous people! This placement gives the volunteer an incredible opportunity to make a significant difference to a remote and valuable Amerindian community in the rainforests and savannahs of Guyana.

This placement gives the volunteer an incredible opportunity to make a significant difference to remote Amerindian communities in the interior of Guyana. The villages are in need of enthusiastic volunteers who can become involved in community life while taking on a regular role in the school, as assistant to the teachers. Ourvolunteers stay with a host family and help out around the home helping to catch fish and learning to prepare local meals. There would also be the opportunity to get involved in other projects in the village on a case by case basis.

 

This Is Why

  • Experience life in the amazing jungles and savannahs of South America, a lost world teeming with wildlife
  • Experience sleeping in hammocks amongst the trees and wake up to a serenade of monkeys, birds and cicadas
  • Volunteer alongside local Amerindian people, enabling them to develop sustainable eco-tourism and protect their way of life
  • Teach to Indigenous people and help a native Amerindian Community in need!

 
 
Project Details
  • Key Start Dates
    September to June
  • Package Price

    04 Weeks: $2,495.00 US$
    08 Weeks: $3,495.00 US$
    12 Weeks: $4,495.00 US$
  • Volunteer duration
    4 to 12 weeks (other durations available on request)
  • Average Work hours
    8 hours per day, 5 days on 2 days off
  • Number of Volunteers
    1 - 3 at any Amerindian community (though the same community might have other volunteers and researchers working on different projects.
  • Volunteer accommodation
    Available
  • Housing Type
    You will stay with a host family in the village, at times together with one other volunteer. Occasionally you will be in a community house. When transferring to your placement you will stay overnight in a nice B&B in Georgetown.
  • Internet Access
    Yes, when arriving in Georgetown. During the project there will be some very limited internet access via satellite at a nearby village.
  • Who Are They Looking For?
    Adventurous individuals who have an interest in teaching and the outdoors and who are able to live in basic conditions while working for a good cause

Fast Facts: Guyana

Where? Guyana, Amazon

Country Size: 214,970 km2
83,000 sq mi

Population density? 3.5/km2
9.1/sq mi

Country Famous for? Vaquero's (cowboys), Rupununi Rodeo festival, Unspoiled interior, Amazon jungle, Jaguars, Black Caiman, Giant Otters, Turtles

When to visit: All year round

    • What's Included
      • Placement
        Teach at an indigenous community
      • Accommodation
        You will stay with a host family in the village, often with one other volunteer. Occasionally you will be in a community house. When transferring to your placement you will stay overnight in a B&B in Georgetown.
      • Meals
        You will eat and prepare local food with the host family, 3 meals a day included.
      • Airport Pick Georgetown + Hotel night

        An employee of the project will pick you up from the airport near Georgetown ( 1 hour) and will transfer you to your hotel where you wil stay for 1 night. The next morning you will be picked up from the hotel and you will be brought to a local domestic airport.
      • Domestic flight (return flight incl) + Airport Pick up

        An employee of the project will pick you up from your hotel in Georgetown and will transfer you to the airport. Included in this package is a domestic flight from Georgetown to Rockview by small airplane (approximately 2 hours flying over seemingly everlasting jungle).
      • Transfer to the project (By 4x4 and or boat)
        By 4x4 and or boat you will be transferred to the project this trip can take several hours.
      • Returning home

        After your time at the project has been finished you will be transfer back to Georgetown by 4x4 and domestic flight. At this point you can choose to travel home or to explore more of Guyana. We are of course happy to assist you with this. Your airport pick up back in georgetown is not included but we can arrange this for free, you will just have to pay the driver directly (15 US$), the same goes for your last night in Georgetown (40 - 70 US$) and the drop off to the international airport (35 US$).
      • Work permit
        For volunteering in Guyana a work permit is required as well as premmission needed to visit the Amerindian reserves. This will all be arranged after your arrival (as Guyana has few embassies abroad) and will be HASSLE FREE for you. The fee for this is included in the program cost.
      • Mail and Communications

        It is possible to receive and send mail from the town of Lethem via our Fronteering representative, however the postal service is very variable in such a remote area and the process regularly takes over a month. It is not unheard of never to reach it's destination! There will be internet connection and cell phone reception in both Georgetown and Lethem. There will be internet connection via satellite in the village, but it is worth noting that this can be very slow! There is no mobile phone reception outside of Georgetown and Lethem.
      • Ongoing service
        If there are any problems with your volunteer project we are always there to help you and mediate between yourself and the organization.
      • Tours
        If you wish to book tours in Guyana in addition to your volunteering placement Fronteering can help you do this. The country has a huge amount to offer from jungle expereinces, visits to the worlds tallest single drop waterfall or meeting caiman and giant otters in the Amazon's tributaries.
      • 24/7 Emergency contact
        If there are any problems during you stay at the project you can reach us 24/7 to assist you.

      What's not included: International flights, Insurance, Last night in Georgetown and pick ups when back in Georgetown at the end of your trip

      Package Price:
      04 Weeks: $2495.00 US$
      08 Weeks: $3495.00 US$
      12 Weeks: $4495.00 US$

    • RESPONSIBILITIES

      For a minimum of 4 weeks you will volunteer as an assistant teacher in the village primary school, in particular with Maths and English lessons, and also supporting the villagers with the use of computers for basic use.

      You will live with either a host family or in one of the village houses and may share with one other volunteer. You will share responsibility for your meals and for the care for the house. You will be expected to spend a minimum of 5 days a week helping at the school. In addition you will help with some evening workshops for the people of the village to learn more about the use of computers at beginner level.

      For those with the skills and experience we are also looking for volunteers who would be able to help with children that have additional learning needs. There is no provision for disadvantaged children at the school so the community are endlessly grateful to anyone who can support the village members with this.

      Depending on your interests and the time of year, you will also be able to get involved with other projects in the village such small scale construction or developing capacity for Eco-tourism. Occasionally television crews and research scientists stay with the villages. When this takes place there is often the opportunity to help out.

      During your stay you will become part of the community and have the opportunity to really understand their way of life. The wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable Makushi people will tell you all about how they live from the surrounding forest and show you some extraordinary sights. You will have the chance to shoot a bow and arrow and trek into the forest and up the rivers by canoe.

      Learn from these fascinating people about ancient legends, the medicinal properties of rare flora and extraordinary wildlife facts and sightings that you will find nowhere else. We concentrate on things that work, not that look fancy. This is the real stuff! Are you ready for a true adventure to learn about new cultures and live amongst a vast variety wildlife while saving the Amazon jungle and it’s people? Some of the projects you could get involved in:

      • Teaching Maths
      • Constructing various buildings and infrastructure to support the amerindian community (only for those interested).
      • Teaching the villagers basic skills in IT, marketing and tourism
      • Teaching English
      • Arranging Activities and events for Amerindian Youth
      • Teaching Sports
      • And many other projects to benefit the local Amerindian communities

      During this volunteer experience you will stay in hammocks and have the opportunity to be immersed in local life. Learn from these fascinating people about ancient legends, the medicinal properties of rare flora and extraordinary wildlife facts and sightings that you will find nowhere else. We concentrate on things that work, not that look fancy. This is the real stuff! Are you ready for a true adventure to learn about new cultures and live amongst a vast variety wildlife while saving the Amazon jungle and it’s people?

      • SUITABILITY

        If you have an adventurous spirit and caring and patient personality, this is the placement for you. You do not need to be a qualified teacher but you do need a little previous experience in working with children. Above all if you have enthusiasm and enjoy helping people you will enjoy this adventure!

  • Requirements, Guidelines & Policies
    • Experience in teaching is a plus
    • Strong work ethics are required: reliable, responsible, honest, good sense of humor and dependable.
    • You must be physically and mentally fit.
    • 18 years of age or older
    • Must have an interest in Indigenous people, animals and the outdoors
    • Make sure to contact your local health organization to inquire about the needed/recommended vaccinations and medicine.
  • Volunteer Benefits
    • Live in one of the last pristine areas of the world
    • Work with the fascinating Makushi people, indigenous to this area of Guyana
    • Learn about the local culture and immerse yourself in their way of life
    • Change the lives of the children and people of a valuable Amerindian community
    • Help Protect the Amazon rainforest and indigenous cultures
  • Fast Facts
    • Project location
      Central and southern Jungle and savannahs of Guyana
    • Area Famous For
      Amazon Jungle, Wildlife viewing, Amerindian tribes, Rupununi River, Rupununi Savannah, Giant Ant eaters, Black Caiman
    • When to visit
      Projects Run all year round
    • Wildlife viewing
      Some of the best in the world, however spotting wildlife can be difficult at first, Harpy Eagle - Largest eagle in the world, Arapaima - Largest fresh water fish in the world, Jaguar - Biggest cat in the Americas,
      giant Otter - largest otter in the world, capybara - Largest rodent in the world, anaconda - The largest snake in the world, bushmaster - World's largest viper
  • Itinerary & Details
    Day 1 - Arrive in Georgetown, Guyana;
    YYou will arrive in the capital of Guyana where you will be met and stay over night in a hotel.
    For 4 - 12 weeks - Teach at an Amerindian community
    The next day you will travel to the project by means of flight and 4x4 and/or boat. For several weeks you will work together with local Amerindian communities to teach and to assist the community .
    Your last day
    - you will travel back to Georgetown by 4x4 and/or boat and filght. Fly back home from Georgetown or take the opportunity to travel through Guyana. Our staff will gladly help you to book any tours to see more of this great country.
  • Accommodation

    While in the jungle and savannah you will have a hammock or bed (and mosquito net) in your own room, occasionally shared with one other volunteer. You will share washing facilities. When transferring to your placement you will stay overnight in a B&B in Georgetown.

    Things to bring from home

    • Hiking Shoes
    • Rain gear
    • Anti Mosquito repellent + after bite
    • Sunglasses
    • Hat/cap to protect yourself from the sun
    • Suncream
    • Complete Kitlist will be provided after applying or on request

    Meals

    You will eat and prepare local food with the host family. Meals will be local food healthy and nutritious but this is not for the picky eater. During your short stopover in Georgetown, meals only breakfast is included.

    Location

    We work with several Amerindian communities in the region called the Rupununi. Our largest project Community is located in one of the most unspoiled rainforest regions left in this world. It has an estimated 200 species of mammals, 500 of birds, 420 of fish and 150 species of amphibians. Close to 30% of the mammals are listed under the International Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This sounds great, but if they aren't protected properly, which means maintaining their environment, then they will not survive. Local people are the forest and animal’s best chance of protection from those outside who wish to rob the forest for profit; they just need a little help.

Volunteering at a remote little Makushi village on the opposite side of the world to where i call home has been the best decision of my life to date. The villagers are warm and welcoming, as interested in you as you are in them. Being a volunteer rather then a tourist gave me the chance to really experience the culture and get to know the people, many of who i still keep in contact with. Working alongside the teachers in the small primary school is an experience i will never forget, there was a lot more laugher and fun then what i remember of my schooling! As well working in the school i was able to participate in camping and day trips along the river. The amount of wildlife i was able to view was amazing with baby Caiman being a highlight. This program was a once in a lifetime experience that i hope to do again soon!"

Victoria form Australia

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