You can expect to work from Monday to Friday, with weekends free to kick back and relax, or explore the local area. Your specific schedule will depend greatly on the particular placement, and the needs of the family. The schedule may be changed depending on any local conditions or unforeseen circumstances.

Monday, week one.

On the first Monday, of the first week of your project, you will spend the day being introduced to the project and the staff. You will have the opportunity to become familiar with your surroundings, and you will meet to discuss your upcoming role at the project. During this first day, you will get to meet the children, and discuss with the manager what your expectations are as well as your desired role.

Once you have completed your first day, you will then go on to begin your childrens home placement. This will run for the rest of the week, and all subsequent weeks that you are on the program from Monday until Friday. What you do specifically will depend upon the individual needs at the child’s home at the time. Although you can expect to be carrying out tasks such as playing games, feeding, helping with speech and helping with the child’s posture.

Monze is a small town (population 30,000) in the Southern Province of Zambia. The town is named after Chief Monze, widely acknowledged as the spiritual leader of the district’s Tonga people. It is a small farming town, with many of the locals involved in the agricultural industry.

Though small, it has basic necessities and services easily within reach, including bustling markets where you can buy anything – from local fruits and veggies, to delicious dishes and vibrant African fabrics known locally as “chenge”. Its people are quite open and friendly to foreigners, even though it’s tourism industry is not very developed, don’t be surprised if every single person you cross greets you and tries to converse with you! It may seem simpler than busier cities, but you will feel warm and at home in this small town!

Our centre is located in Monze, the southern province of Zambia, which is about four hours from the capital, Lusaka. You will stay in a dorm-style center with other participants. Each house accommodates 12 people with rooms shared between 4-8 people (separate genders) and western-style toilets.

• Standard rooms 4 -8 persons per room
• Limited WIFI
• Beverages ( Tea,Coffee,Water)

Food Arrangements
The staple food of Monze is Nhima (corn flour) but you will find rice for example in some restaurants that offer international foods. For this program you will find yourself dining on healthy local Zambian foods like nhima, potato, bread, meat, fish, lots of vegetable, nuts and eggs and sometimes rice and spaghetti.

Three meals on weekdays, two meals served on weekends.

Facilities
Since our centre is located in the Monze township, there are local shops, restaurants, ATMs and a Mini-Mart within walking distance from the accommodation.

There are many transport options available including taxis, vans, buses which depart every hour to the capital of Lusaka and other towns south of Zambia, including Livingstone.

Capital: Lusaka
Language: English, Bemba, Nyanja
Currency: Kwacha (ZMW)
Time zone: CAT (UTC +2)

Zambia is a huge country, shaped interestingly like a butterfly. It is home of the glorious Victorian Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Proud of its African heritage, it has had its political struggles. The people rose to gain independence from Britain in 1964, and it only became a multi-party democracy in 1991.

Many Zambians rely on traditional farming and for these people daily life can be a struggle, particularly when crops fail or illnesses spread. But is also has a strong mining industry, and its football team is fondly known as the “Copper Bullets” due to its heavy mining of this particular mineral.

Though English is its official language, it is a country full of up to 72 local dialects and/or languages, with Bemba being the most prevalent.

Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, was originally planned to hold a mere 200,000 people, today, Lusaka has a population of roughly 1.5 million.  English is the official language. However, Zambia is home to many different groups, speaking more than 72 local languages/ dialects. Bemba is the most widely-spoken, spoken by more than two million Zambians in Lusaka and across the Copperbelt.

As in many countries, sport is hugely important. Football is the main passion and Zambians were euphoric when their team won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. The win was significant and moving because of a tragedy which occurred in 1993.

Traditional arts and crafts, such as wood carving, basket-weaving and pottery, are valued. But these crafts are under threat because of migration away from rural areas and the arrival of modern manufactured goods. National museums and craft organisations in Zambia aim to promote craftwork to keep traditional skills alive.

Look no further than here for the chance to experience something that you will never forget.