Zambia✅ Next Stop: Peru!

Hi everyone, thank you for your interest! I'm back from my exciting, 9 week trip trip in Zambia, Africa. Through the organization IVHQ (International Volunteer HQ), I taught 30 children (5-7 years old) Math, English, and Science at Joli-Jemimah Day Care. I also spent my afternoons at Homework Club: a time to help needy children with school work or just play with them as many couldn't afford school or after-school clubs.

I felt I was really able to make a real lasting impact on the schools/clubs I worked with by integrating new ideas given their limited resources.

YOUR donations also helped me to buy needed supplies like crayons, pencils/pens, erasers, notebooks, flashcards, two fans, and a big stamp.

Everyday, it got up to about 110 degrees outside, meaning around 120 degrees in the classroom due to a lack of airflow - making it near impossible for kids to learn. I installed two fans on opposite sides of the classroom and the results were outstanding - kids were able to stay in classroom for longer periods of time and avoid heat exhaustion (something that happened daily).

Another major issue the classroom faced was a lack of formatted textbooks - they just used scraps of blank pages. The teacher and I would spend about two hours a day just writing lines/boxes for the kids to write in - taking away valuable class time. So, I created a template of the textbook format and brought it to a store that made it into a customized stamp. This stamp (size of the page) allowed us to print the format onto the pages within minutes!

NOW PERU!

Starting on January 5th, I leave for Cusco, Peru. There, I will be teaching English to disadvantaged children/adults in local schools, community, and rehabilitation centers. My work varies but it will generally consists of providing tutoring to local students, setting up small workshops, assisting local teachers, and organizing educational games and activities.

Why help teach English?

"Cusco is the tourism capital of South America and many local children will tell you that they want to be tourist guides when they grow up. They are also aware that this dream requires a high level of English and are therefore very excited to learn English. As tourism forms an integral part of the local economy, the ability to speak English gives locals a genuine opportunity to support themselves and find work."

How can you contribute?

Now for the ask... This is a completely volunteer experience and we are responsible for all costs. My expenses include airfare, accommodations, transportation, meals, legal requirements like Visa and medical shots, traveler's insurance, program fees, and much more. The list is overwhelming... I worked hard this past summer to cover some of the costs but also need to save for college in 2020. I appreciate your consideration and I thank you in advance for ANY donation of ANY amount - every little bit helps! Your donations will get me there but in reality, your money will be helping to make a difference. ALL donations go 100% towards the costs to be covered in order to volunteer.

THANK YOU!

- If you want to stay up to date on my upcoming volunteer experiences in Cusco or read about past ones in Zambia... please checkout my blog https://ryliegentile.com