Project Life
Volunteer to Teach Sport to Children in Zambia

The ROPES Programme will be implemented in ten project sites: Show Grounds, Zambia, Freedom and Manungu Compounds, Roads Board Suburb, Mulumbwa, Hufwa Malende and Hachilala Villages, Water Affairs Suburb and Farmers Training Centre.

What is common in the ten project sites is there are a high number of night clubs and taverns, compared to the lack of sports and recreational programmes there are in place for children. Due to non-progressive cultural practices, many young people become vulnerable, their rights are violated and they end up indulging in high-risk sexual activities because of the lack of structured sports programmes in place.

GVI volunteers will work alongside local Zambian volunteers, to help to provide the local youth with a wide range of skills and activities, depending on their experience. There will invariably be an element of teaching life skills, coaching sports, providing psycho-social counselling and raising HIV/AIDS awareness to children and young people in the community. The work may also include conducting timetabled sports and physical education activities in nurseries and pre-schools.

Volunteers will also need to be proactive in instigating activities that they particularly want to get up and running, as supervision and leadership may be fairly minimal. In this regard, volunteers will also have the opportunity to develop and promote community youth sports programmes, and allow the children to discover their individual talents. With their passion for sport, volunteers will help develop the children’s skills and instruct them in activities such as football, netball and volleyball. This sport coaching will always be linked back to health and life skills education, and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Initiative, enthusiasm and patience are essential characteristics for any volunteer embarking on this placement. You will need to understand the key aims of your placement as a focal point for the broader community, and be aware of the long-term goals in order to appreciate the hands-on work that this project requires. Any other specific skills that volunteers may want to contribute, such as health awareness, as well as community health advice, will be appreciated.

Side Trips

At the end of the second week, volunteers will go on a day trip to Lochinvar National Park. Here you can see Kafue lechwe, wildebeest, kudu, oribi, zebra, buffalo and baboons, as well as a wide kaleidoscope of beautiful birdlife.

At the end of the first month volunteers will enjoy an overnight stay at Victoria Falls. Here are a variety of adventure activities are available to any adrenaline seekers, ranging from white-water rafting to bungee jumping and micro-lighting.