Rural Community Teaching & Development Project
Cairo, Egypt
→ Prices start from $1868 or £1429 for 2 weeks
Volunteering in Community Teaching & Development in Cairo
Experience Egypt’s countryside while making a difference in a rural impoverished district on the outskirts of Cairo, with residents living in small villages and farms.
Get involved in enriching the lives of the underprivileged locals in a country where the illiteracy rate in the rural areas doubles the one in the city, through multiple initiatives focused on improving the community. From educating and protecting underprivileged children to providing a safe haven for stigmatized special needs residents in the village; you will be at the forefront of our community efforts in Cairo to provide children with a better quality of life.
Have the option of working with a group of children and young adults afflicted with a wide array of special needs such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, deafness and speech impediments.
Become part of the team and play a huge role as a volunteer by providing these children with extra support through educational/teaching assistants, while engaging them in recreational activities as a means of getting them off the street to contribute to their development and the community as a whole as you educate children, and engaging them in recreational activities, as a means of getting them off the streets.
Top reasons to teach in Cairo
- The rural illiteracy rate is 32.2 per cent compared to 17.7 per cent in urban areas in Egypt. Be part of our mission to reduce this
- Make a real difference by keeping children off the street and preparing them for elementary education by teaching them how to read and write in English, among other things
- Play a crucial role in shaping the conduct of pre-school children by providing guidance and instructing them on civil methods of handling conflict
- Help special needs members of the community feel accepted through interacting with them in a safe environment
- Provide support for the special needs workshops, and bring out your creative side by teaching them new types of handiwork
- Support and enrich the rural school’s education program already in place, by assisting the teachers in providing much needed literary attention and engaging the children in recreational activities
- Teach families how to manage and interact with special needs family members
Your Project, Your Purpose
Egypt, like many underdeveloped countries, has a major issue of overcrowded classrooms and teachers with limited resources in public schools, causing substandard literacy rates. This project is heavily focused on enriching the community of a rural district, mainly through interactive educational, craftsmanship and recreational programs.
Teachers in Egypt often earn a very basic salary and can be overwhelmed by numerous students. Going to Kindergarten as a child in Egypt is necessary since children need to enter public schools with basic knowledge, in order to keep up with the intensity of the public school education system. Public schools host around 120 to 180 children per classroom, making it near impossible to give each student the necessary attention required.
You will be spending the majority of your time in classrooms assisting teachers and providing children with much needed individual attention they would not get otherwise.
Become part of the team, as you work with special needs members of the community to establish some structure in their lives, by planning for and assisting them in engaging activities and handiwork projects.
Special Needs
There is a significant stigma in Egypt when it comes to those with special needs. This negative association is heightened in rural communities, where the majority are undereducated and have a lack of understanding of such conditions.
Get ready to work with children and young adults, living with different disabilities such as cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism, deafness and speech impediments. The majority of these children are often hidden or abandoned, as a result of the dishonourable perception of having a special needs child in Egyptian society. Rather than accepting and assisting their child in dealing with their condition, the parents often choose to conceal the disability by keeping the child out of sight.
Our goal is to create a safe environment, where those with special needs feel comfortable being themselves, and are able to flourish as part of the wider society, rather than being made to feel different. You will play an integral part in providing an accepting space, where they can gradually start to feel secure and a part of their community, despite their extremely challenging circumstances.
You will be involved in planning activities that engage them and providing them with an extra level of care and support.
You will be doing this through:
- Academic exercises
- Fun/recreational activities
- Handiwork
The handiwork involves making small carpets or candles or baskets. Although the quality of these may not be sellable, they are an amazing way to help build confidence and self-belief for these children.
Take part in helping the children with activities such as:
- Using building blocks to form structures to engage their creativity, problem-solving and social skills
- Dance sessions to build confidence and improve motor and social skills
- Physical play to enhance the child’s awareness of their body and build endurance to improve coordination and motor skills
- Using memory matching cards to improve memory and concentration skills
- Creating art (painting, drawing, colouring…etc.) to nurture their creative side while improving motor and coordination skills
Bring out your creative side and bring fresh ideas and initiatives for new activities and skills to teach the children.
Kindergarten Literacy & Conduct Guidance
You will be fully involved in helping to keep children off the street and prepare them for elementary education. It’s so important for children to learn how to read and write at an early age before starting school. Due to the low standard of education and numerous children in the Egyptian public school system, you will play a vital role in making it possible for children to receive an adequate education at this young age.
Since these children are often raised in unsettling home environments, you will help them improve and nurture their relationships by teaching them respectful behaviour techniques and alternatives to hostile conduct, when dealing with each other and others.
You will play a significant role in moulding these children’s futures by teaching them how to read and write English. Your support is essential in this program also due to the low quality of English language communication by the teachers. You will be busy working with 4 kindergartens, each with about 80 to 100 children.
Rural Schools Education
You will be at the forefront of tackling the education crisis in Egypt, one step at a time. Get ready to provide several schools in the district with teaching assistance and tools needed to provide an adequate free education to the local children in the community.
We are working towards alleviating the issue of overcrowded classrooms and unqualified teachers, by giving the children individualized attention, which is unavailable in public schools. These schools heavily rely on peer to peer learning, as there aren’t enough teachers to provide all the children with individualized attention. This is where you come in, to ensure these children are receiving the attention they need to reach their full academic potential.
You will be helping school children develop their vocabulary by teaching them how to read and write in English.
Your Volunteer Week:
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*This is a rough example of how your workweek as a Rural Community Teaching & Development volunteer could look. However, due to the nature of the project, these activities may change on a daily basis.
Teaching activities are only conducted during the school terms, so during school breaks, you will have the option of continuing to work with the special needs group on a project or switch to another one of our meaningful and impactful projects.
Your Accommodation:
You will be staying in a 3-star hotel, located in Zamalek, a district in the middle of the Nile river possessing some of the most beautiful views in Cairo. As host to the majority of the city’s embassies, the area is very safe, with plenty of security on the street, providing you with reassurance to go out and explore, in a safe environment.
Not only is Zamalek ranked as the safest neighbourhood in Cairo, but the district is also known for being Cairo’s nightlife hub, with plenty of bars, restaurants and cafés.
You will share a twin or triple room with a bathroom, accompanied by fellow volunteers or interns. Private rooms are available upon request and availability, at an extra charge.
What’s Included:
- Accommodation in 3-star hotel
- 3 meals a day – catering to special dietary needs
- Airport pick-up/drop-off to and from Cairo International Airport
- Transfer to and from your volunteer project
- Daily housekeeping (laundry services available for a small fee)
- 24-hour reception and on-site support
- Returning volunteers receive a 5% discount
- Volunteers booking 2 or more different projects, with a minimum of 2 weeks per project, receive a 10% Discount on the lower-priced project
What else can you do:
We believe there is more to your placement than simply the incredible work that is happening right here on the ground. Egypt provides world-class activities and opportunities. You can discover some of the world’s most exquisite landmarks, captivating culture and mesmerising views on offer.
Popular trips & tours*:
- Visit the only remaining survivor of the Seven Natural Wonders of the Ancient World, The Great Pyramid of Giza
- Visit the Egyptian Museum and downtown street bazaar Khan El Khalili
- Explore beautiful beaches with the crystal clear water of the Mediterranean Sea and stunning coral reefs of the Red Sea, while enjoying world-class diving experiences
- Visit Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple in Luxor
- Visit Temples, museums, mausoleums, tombs and monasteries in Aswan
- Ride a Felucca boat along the Nile River, the longest river in the world
- Experience the Sahara Desert, the world’s largest hot desert, by taking part in our Bedouin Safaris while camping under the stars
- Visit Biblical Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments and Saint Catherine’s Monastery, one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world
*At an additional cost to the volunteer placement.
25% discount for start dates between 15 February and 15 March applicable for bookings made by the end of December
This project starts every Monday throughout the year. We ask volunteers to arrive at Livingstone Airport on Monday your project starts and we’ll pick you up from there.
You can volunteer from 10 days up to 12 weeks. Project ́s last day is on Monday when we’ll drop you back at the airport.
(This project remains open over the Christmas period)
- February: 15, 29
- March: 14, 28
- April: 11, 25
- May: 9, 23
- June: 6, 20
- July: 4, 18
- August: 1, 15, 29
- September: 12, 26
- October: 10, 24
- November: 7, 21
- December: 5, 19
| GBP | USD | |
| 1 Week | 839 | 1099 |
| 2 Weeks | 1426 | 1868 |
| 3 Weeks | 1762 | 2308 |
| 4 Weeks | 2349 | 3077 |
| 5 Weeks | 2937 | 3847 |
| 6 Weeks | 3524 | 4616 |
| 7 Weeks | 4111 | 5385 |
| 8 Weeks | 4698 | 6154 |
| 9 Weeks | 5286 | 6924 |
| 10 Weeks | 5873 | 7693 |
| 11 Weeks | 6460 | 8462 |
| 12 Weeks | 7047 | 9232 |
