Community work with orphans

Product Details

A stunning archipelago of over 7,000 sub-tropical islands, the Philippines do not feature on your average traveller's itinerary but more and more volunteers are discovering them. The project we work with places volunteers in a number of orphanages around Tacloban and the surrounding area. Each orphanage houses up to 100 abandoned and unwanted children. All these children have come from poor families and many have suffered from malnutrition or neglect. The children thrive on the attention and love our volunteers can share with them. These children live with only life's essentials and the orphanages are desperately understaffed. The staff at the orphanages are very appreciative of the extra help our volunteers can offer them. Volunteers will teach the children, organize arts and crafts or sports activities, and help out with basic chores such as feeding the kids. This is a meaningful way to learn first hand the hardship most children in the world face, and give back to underprivileged children growing up in the developing world.

Project details:
There are a number of orphanages around the city and in surrounding towns. Each orphanage houses between 45 to 100+ abandoned and unwanted children. All these children have come from poor families and many have suffered from malnutrition or neglect. The children thrive on the attention and love our volunteers can share with them. Living with just the basic necessities, and few toys, these children also only have a limited staff to care for them. The caregivers at the orphanages are very appreciative of the extra help our volunteers can offer them. Volunteers are free to tutor the children, organize arts and crafts or sports activities, and help out with basic chores such as feeding the kids, and folding laundry. This is a meaningful way to learn first hand the hardship most children in the world face, and give back to the underprivileged children growing up in a Third World country.

Why the project needs volunteers:
The projects that we work with offer valuable support to children or young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are orphans. While many of the young people at the projects have access to education provided by the government, they are usually unable to benefit from it fully due to the many complexities in their lives.

The support that our volunteers provide allows many of the young people to improve their English skills, which will create more opportunities for them, and to learn about a new culture. Often, the staff members do not have time to give attention to all of the children, and they will really benefit from spending time and doing creative activities with volunteers.

Your role as a volunteer:
You may become involved in a variety of activities, including homework support, arts and crafts activities, games, songs and social education. All of the projects involve an element of English teaching, but the amount required and the method of teaching will vary from project to project.

Your schedule will be flexible and will depend on the needs of the project. You may be asked to help the staff members improve their English or IT skills, or you may become involved with fundraising or improving the appearance of the project.

Where the project is based:
The projects are mainly based in and around Tacloban. Tacloban City, located 360 miles southeast of Manila, is the capital of the large island Leyte, in the Visayas region of the Philippines. The island is known for the landing of the American General MacArthur, during World War II, which liberated the Philippines from Japan. With a population of 300,000, the Filipinos in Tacloban speak the Waray-Waray dialect, as well as Tagalog (the national language), English, and Cebuano. Tacloban City is not a tourist destination, so it is a great opportunity for our volunteers to be immersed in a unique Asian culture.

Please book your flight to arrive into Tacloban (airport code TAC) on the advertised arrival date to ensure your airport pickup.

"Just a quick email to say that things have been fantastic here in Tacloban so far. I'm very happy to be doing what I'm doing. Things are going incredibly well here. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity."
Jackie:
Community work with orphans in the Philippines