Description

Ethiopia is famous for world-class athletes. With Projects Abroad you can assist the next generation by volunteering on a Sports placement. By taking part in our School Sports and Track & Field project, volunteers will not only be involved in learning new skills and improving their own fitness, but can also pass on their own sports knowledge to local children.

Volunteers joining the sports project in Ethiopia can choose to either combine track & field and school sports or just focus on the school sports element of the project.

Volunteers have the opportunity to train with local Ethiopians at a track & field club several mornings a week then teach a variety of sports to children at a secondary school in the afternoons. By taking part on this project volunteers gain a large amount of valuable coaching experience working alongside some extremely skilled staff and athletes.

Volunteers can join during a Gap Year, on a vacation from work or studies, or as part of a career break. You don't have to be an expert athletics coach to take part - an interest and enthusiasm in athletics and sports in general is all that's required.

You Role on a School Sports and Track & Field project in Ethiopia

The track & field element of the project involves volunteers training three mornings a week with local Ethiopians. You will train as part of a team with around 20 other athletes. Here you will work on their long distance running around various areas of Addis. On these runs you'll be able to take in the extraordinary landscape and scenery.

Having completed the early morning training, volunteers then teach a variety of sports to children aged 11-16 at a local secondary school. Schools in Ethiopia generally focus on aerobics, track & field, basketball, soccer and volleyball. Depending on your ability and confidence you may work alongside the local staff or give your own lessons.

Each class has two sports lessons per week, so your day will be spent teaching a variety of age groups. You will be assigned a supervisor who will be on hand to offer you advice and guidance.

By teaching school sports in Ethiopia, you will watch your student's confidence grow. As you work with them to develop their talents, you will see how their increased self-esteem positively impacts their personal relationships.

The sports project in Ethiopia offers you the unique experience of not only improving your personal ability as an athlete, but also gaining invaluable work experience teaching sports in a school.

Highlights

During the weekends, you can take time off from your volunteer work to explore the attractions of Addis Ababa. It's fascinating to see the mud huts basking in the shadows of lavish high-rise hotels. Priests in traditional dress hurry along the streets alongside suited businessmen chatting on cell phones, avoiding the passing donkeys and speeding Land Rovers.

The choice of entertainment is equally varied with plenty of activities to choose from. You can spend hours exploring the Merkato, one of the largest markets in Africa, visit a tej beat - a traditional local pub - or catch the latest Hollywood blockbuster at a movie theater. Addis Ababa is also home to some of the best museums in Africa as well as great restaurants, serving some of the most highly seasoned food anywhere on the African continent. Popular traditional Ethiopian specialties include the stew-like wat and the staple bread, injera.

At the end of your international volunteer experience, you can take the opportunity to travel to Lalibela, a place of pilgrimage with churches hewn straight out of the bedrock, located 2630m above sea level. Although Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's main visitor attractions, it still remains very isolated and you'll feel like you've traveled back many centuries.

Independent travel in Ethiopia is hugely rewarding, even though the infrastructure of the country is fairly basic. You'll get used to the curiosity that you attract as a Westerner and you'll make many warm and genuine friends here.

This project offers the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Type of Programs

• Community Service / Volunteerism
• Cultural Exploration

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

Please go to our website for prices.

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Sports
• Teaching
• Youth Development

Typical Volunteer

Open minded with a desire to travel

Age Range

16 and up

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement

As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded

1992