Mondo Challenge sends volunteers, mainly university and post uni, career break and people taking sabbaticals to help with development programmes in Africa, Asia and South America“I had a great experience living in a community with a very different culture. I enjoyed interaction and exchange of ideas. I have made some great friends… Margaret Mason, teaching at Wellingara School, The Gambia.
What is MondoChallenge?MondoChallenge is a charity which sends volunteers (university,post university, career break, early retired etc) to help with development programmes in Africa, Asia and South America. Their programmes are community based providing our volunteers with a unique insight into the local culture and giving them the ability to understand and learn from the values of the community they are working with. The normal stay is from 2-4 months and start dates are flexible. The average age of a MondoChallenge volunteer is 29 and approximately 50% of their volunteers are non-UK based, with a large number of volunteers from North America, Europe and Australia.
Would you like to:
- Face a new challenge
- Make a real contribution to world development
- See new cultures, new people and travel
- Rediscover "spiritual sanity"
- Learn new skills
- Enhance your CV
MondoChallenge have programmes in: Sri Lanka - Teaching in Buddhist communities; working with monks in temples near Kandy Nepal – Teaching and Community development in Kathmandu and in nearby rural villages.
India - Teaching and development projects in Ladakh and the lovely Darjeeling region, in the Himalayan foothills.
Tanzania - Teaching English to children and adults in beautiful locations. Working with the Maasai in Longido and on the coast at Pangani, as well as at schools on foothills of Mt Meru and up in the Pare Mountains.
Tanzania – Business development programmes in the Arusha region; micro-finance and training for small businesses helping to sustain livelihoods.
Kenya - Teaching in secondary schools in the Maasai Mara area 4 hours west of Nairobi.
The Gambia - Teaching and Community Development in rural villages.
The Gambia - Business development with the Forestry Department and Beekeepers and helping with micro-finance in a HIV/AIDS organisation.
Senegal – Teaching French in a village school on the coast of Senegal.
Chile – Teaching in the beautiful Elqui Valley, north of Santiago.
Ecuador – Teaching in schools in and around the Andes.
What volunteers do:
The programmes include teaching posts, business development, and women's projects.
Most of the programmes are community based and the normal stay is from 2-4 months (but on occasions up to 6 months). However, this is flexible and they are happy to discuss individual programmes with candidates.
The teaching projects can be in primary or secondary schools, as well as adult education. The teaching medium is English and volunteers usually teach the subjects they know best, ie not necessarily just teaching English itself. They do not need any special teaching qualifications, but a minimum of A level or equivalent is required. Ability to help with sports or music is often much appreciated.
Business Development can include accountancy and bookkeeping skills, marketing and sales, and purchasing know how. Knowledge of small businesses and co-operatives is an advantage.
Some comments from Volunteers after they returned:Iain Reynolds from UK (India, 2006):
" So far everything has been perfect and very enjoyable. Driving up the Himalayas was breath taking and far more beautiful than anything I had imagined. I have not felt homesick because everyone has been so friendly."
Naomi Leat from the UK (The Gambia, 2006)
“I had a great time and although I found the teaching hard at times I’m really glad I did it and think it did me good to have a challenge like that”
" So far everything has been perfect and very enjoyable. Driving up the Himalayas was breath taking and far more beautiful than anything I had imagined. I have not felt homesick because everyone has been so friendly."
Naomi Leat from the UK (The Gambia, 2006)
“I had a great time and although I found the teaching hard at times I’m really glad I did it and think it did me good to have a challenge like that”
Claire Thornhill from Ireland (Tanzania, 2006):
"My host family was absolutely brilliant: all are very kind and looked after me very well. They brought me to weddings and on visits to friends and generally treated me like an honoured guest! Living with a local family was the most challenging and often the most rewarding part of the programme. I think it’s extremely worthwhile as it allows Mondo volunteers to really engage with the local community and learn much more about the way of life. I’m sure the cultural exchange works both ways also. I really appreciated the fact that HOPE Trust was run by local people. Supporting a charity like this is a much more sustainable way of facilitating change than working with a large international NGO."
Tom Monaco from the USA (Tanzania, 2006):
“The host family was fantastic! Friendly, warm, welcoming, helpful, the food was great. They provide me excellent opportunity to meet other locals and learn more about local culture. Overall, this was a wonderful, fantastic experience! It was all I had hoped it would be and more”
Featured Project, Ecuador
Genevieve Coombe, UK:
All is going well in Penaherrera and I am really enjoying the experience. Rene and Lorena make great host parents and their two little girls are gorgeous! The teaching is going well and the kids are very enthusiastic. It is a great time to be in Ecuador because there are lots of fiestas! Gustavo and Maria-Agusta (the president and his wife) have been very welcoming and I have been to stay with them in Nangulvi a couple of times. I am doing a radio show with Maria on radio Intag every afternoon from 3 to 4pm and we are teaching English via the radio, which is good fun!
"My host family was absolutely brilliant: all are very kind and looked after me very well. They brought me to weddings and on visits to friends and generally treated me like an honoured guest! Living with a local family was the most challenging and often the most rewarding part of the programme. I think it’s extremely worthwhile as it allows Mondo volunteers to really engage with the local community and learn much more about the way of life. I’m sure the cultural exchange works both ways also. I really appreciated the fact that HOPE Trust was run by local people. Supporting a charity like this is a much more sustainable way of facilitating change than working with a large international NGO."
Tom Monaco from the USA (Tanzania, 2006):
“The host family was fantastic! Friendly, warm, welcoming, helpful, the food was great. They provide me excellent opportunity to meet other locals and learn more about local culture. Overall, this was a wonderful, fantastic experience! It was all I had hoped it would be and more”
Featured Project, Ecuador
Genevieve Coombe, UK:
All is going well in Penaherrera and I am really enjoying the experience. Rene and Lorena make great host parents and their two little girls are gorgeous! The teaching is going well and the kids are very enthusiastic. It is a great time to be in Ecuador because there are lots of fiestas! Gustavo and Maria-Agusta (the president and his wife) have been very welcoming and I have been to stay with them in Nangulvi a couple of times. I am doing a radio show with Maria on radio Intag every afternoon from 3 to 4pm and we are teaching English via the radio, which is good fun!
I am now back in Quito and finding it quite hard to adjust to being back in a big city, after the tranquillity of life in Penaherrera!I was very sad to say goodbye to my pupils and to Rene and Lorena, but hopefully one day I´ll go back to visit them…I had a wonderful time in Penaherrera. The good news is that they are really keen to have another volunteer out there as soon as possible and I’d definitely recommend Penaherrera to anyone!
(The most valuable thing about the project is) having the opportunity to live and work in a community and to become integrated into the way of life of that community and to form part of it!
In Peñaherrera I really felt that my work as an English teacher was valued because they want to develop tourism as an alternative source of income to mining and people want to learn English so they can communicate with tourists who don’t speak Spanish.
I’m really glad that I went to Ecuador with Mondo Challenge and it was an experience I will treasure forever!
Costs and Conditions:
Accommodation and board with a local family is available at around £15 per week. Costs and conditions vary depending on the country programme. Generally volunteers pay (or raise) a financial contribution of £1200 for a three month stay, less if shorter, before departure. This helps fund the programmes which contribute to educational development in several countries. The local project manager will arrange briefing and orientation on arrival and maintain contact with volunteers during their stay.
MondoChallenge volunteers are self-reliant and keen to learn from the communities in which they live. They learn to adapt to new lifestyles and to leave preconceptions at home! Many feel they have learnt to manage and to make things happen in occasionally difficult circumstances. MondoChallenge welcome couples wishing to work together or on adjacent programmes. They even give them a 15% discount!
If you are interested in volunteering with MondoChallenge, please use the form below and they will send you more information. Or visit www.mondochallenge.org for more information.
Accommodation and board with a local family is available at around £15 per week. Costs and conditions vary depending on the country programme. Generally volunteers pay (or raise) a financial contribution of £1200 for a three month stay, less if shorter, before departure. This helps fund the programmes which contribute to educational development in several countries. The local project manager will arrange briefing and orientation on arrival and maintain contact with volunteers during their stay.
MondoChallenge volunteers are self-reliant and keen to learn from the communities in which they live. They learn to adapt to new lifestyles and to leave preconceptions at home! Many feel they have learnt to manage and to make things happen in occasionally difficult circumstances. MondoChallenge welcome couples wishing to work together or on adjacent programmes. They even give them a 15% discount!
If you are interested in volunteering with MondoChallenge, please use the form below and they will send you more information. Or visit www.mondochallenge.org for more information.
For more information on Mondo Challenge and their programmes, please fill in the form below: