Below you will find brief descriptions of the work we do while in each country. Please keep in mind that although we have worked in these placements for years, they could change at any time; this is the nature of working in developing countries, so you should always remain flexible.
Tanzania: L.O.A.M.O school in Arusha, Tanzania, is home to 250 students from baby class to grade 7. There is no place on earth like this school. For two weeks we will be immersed in teaching, giving and loving to the students, staff and families of this incredible institution. You will feel your confidence grow every day and by the end of the trip our students are usually teaching at least six classes a day, unassisted. We will be teaching 30-45 children in the classrooms, working with your partners to prepare lesson plans, delivering supplies, participating in home visits, making improvements to the school when needed, and visiting an off-site baby orphanage in Arusha. THIS IS HARD WORK, but nothing you cannot handle with the right attitude and work ethic.
Nepal: LISHA school serves children from Dattatraya square, located in Bhaktapur, Nepal. The school is walking distance from our guesthouse. Our student volunteers teach classes daily from first to tenth grade, participate in home visits, deliver supplies, make improvements to the school, and help families recover from the devastating earthquakes of 2015.
We have been working in Cambodia for ten years and it is our longest running program. In Cambodia we will work this year at a school in the Kampot province. The school has been in operation for 27 years. There are 230 students in 10 classrooms that range from 1st to 6th grade. While in Cambodia, we also teach basic care, hygiene, and self-sustainability. We work hard to improve the living conditions of the children and staff by repairing buildings, picking up trash, cleaning, and gardening.
During the day, we have two teams that trade-off between manual labor at the school when appropriate and teaching English and tutoring at the school. The children are learning basic and intermediate level English. Our job is to make it as fun and interactive as possible. You will be teaching in teams to enhance the learning experience and to offer support to your teammates.
The improvements made in the classroom and around the school will leave you with a heart full of pride and eyes wide open to some “you have to see it to believe it” living conditions. We are able to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time and help hundreds of people in the process.
This will be our fourth year working in Morocco. Abde Salan Middle School serves children from the old medina in Rabat, the capital city of Morocco. We walk through one of Morocco’s oldest outdoor markets every day on our way to school and often run into our students in the streets. The school houses 520 children in grades 7-9, in 20 classrooms, but we will be teaching only the most eager students, hand-picked by the principal. The dedication they show on a daily basis will change the way you look at your own opportunities, simply just to go to school. You will also have a new appreciation for your own teachers and the work that they do. There are very few experiences that are as rewarding as this one.
El Tambo School in the rural town of El Tambo, Nicaragua. This community is absolutely incredible and you will leave with a full heart. The school enrolls 60 students ranging from pre-school through sixth grade. We will be teaching one on one with students, assisting teachers in their classrooms, supporting students, and riding along to conduct home visits. We also get to experience Nicaraguan culture through different experiences throughout the trip. Please ask for more details!
Nicaragua (Spring Break) April -22nd-30th, 2023
Morocco TBD
Cambodia TBD
Nepal TBD
Tanzania TBD
Flight Information:
All flights will leave from Denver, Colorado. Exact dates will be given approximately three months before departure. If you are coming from another state, you are responsible for making your own travel arrangements to and from Denver. You must depart from Denver as a team, no exceptions.
Financial responsibilities of student volunteers:
Each of the students chosen must commit to fundraising to offset the travel costs for his/her trip. Fundraising is a critical part of this process and a priceless opportunity for each student to earn his/her trip through planning, hard work, responsibility, and follow through. The fundraising requirements and deadlines are:
Nicaragua- $2,800
Morocco- $3,500
Nepal- $3,500
Cambodia- $3,500
Tanzania- $3,500
All trips must have 50% of the money raised by Monday, January 31st, 2023. Final Deadline for Nicaragua is Monday, March 7th, 2023. All other trips are due Monday, April 18th, 2023.
Do not be intimidated by the fundraising. With dedication, drive, and creativity, this aspect will become the easiest part of the experience year after year.
Students have access to unlimited support and guidance from CGA. Any extra money raised by the students or chaperones will go directly to the children we are helping for food, medical care, structural repairs to their facilities, and educational scholarships. Quite simply put, the more you raise, the more we can do.