Caribbean Children’s Home
from £495 GBP
Caribbean Children’s Home
Duration: from 2 Weeks to 12 Weeks
Countries: Belize
£75 discount for volunteers who combine more than one PoD project! This is an amazing opportunity to work with children who have had a very difficult start in life and help the Children's Home to provide them with a safe, secure and caring environment.
Volunteers are needed to help at a children's home in Belize. You will be working with a small charity called Liberty Foundation which exists to provide care, rehabilitation and education for abused and abandoned children in Belize.
Liberty Children’s Home is licensed to house up to 40 children, all of whom have been physically/sexually abused and/or abandoned and placed with them through Belize Human Services. Some of the children also have disabilities, special needs and/or HIV/AIDS. Normally there are 25-40 children at the home at any one time and children can be aged from babies through to late teens.
Liberty strives not only to provide a child with food and shelter but to provide an environment where children are respected, nurtured and treated as individuals. The priority is to ensure the health and happiness of every child in their care.
The home is an English speaking environment providing a unique opportunity for interaction with the children and local staff at the home.
A typical day:
There is always a lot going on to get involved with! Most volunteers work on a number of different activities, wherever help is needed most at the time. Each day will differ but activities could include:
*Caring for and socialising with the children
*Gardening / farming
*Animal care - looking after the chickens, ducks and pigs on site!
*Cooking and cleaning duties
*Assisting with admin
*Assisting with local fundraising events e.g. making posters, helping organise an event
*Accompanying children and staff on trips outside of campus
Activities with the children:
*Reading books
*Art and crafts together
*Playing games outside
*Communicating with the children, listening to them and encouraging them to speak with you
The children's home is well established and you will probably find the kids quite independent but at the same time there is a huge need for and benefit from having international volunteers spending time with children, helping to build their confidence and communication skills and supporting the day to day running of the home.
By volunteering at the children's home you will help children who have had an incredibly tough start in life. Your support helps them to be re-integrated into society and gain an education which can mean the difference between a life of poverty and a life of opportunity and freedom. If you are able to volunteer for longer periods this is really beneficial for the children's home and you will also probably find you gain more from the experience.
Savings:
£75 discount for volunteers who combine more than one PoD project!
Representative:
At all times
This placement would suit:
Anyone who enjoys spending time with children
Do you accept non UK citizens?
Yes
Do you accept applicants with disabilities?
Yes
Feedback:
“At times the children have made me laugh, at times they have touched me with their kindness, and at times they have surprised me with their ready understanding and even wisdom. As I prepared to come to Liberty, I thought about what I might be able to do to help the children, and about what I could bring to them that they would enjoy. It hardly occurred to me then, though it seems so clear now, that the most valuable part of my time here, both for myself and the children at Liberty, would be the time we spend simply enjoying each others’ company.”
Inclusions
accommodation, food, airport pickup
Children's Home
One of the children playing
Children's Home
A volunteer with one of the children enjoying a day trip to the beach
Children's Home
One of the children helpig to make a mural
Children's Home
A volunteer playing with one of the children at the beach
PoD
PoD is a leading non-profit organisation arranging ethical, inspiring and supported volunteering opportunities around the world. We work with long term projects that we know personally and where there is genuine benefit to local communities. Whether it is for 1 week or 6 months, volunteers are needed to help work with disadvantaged children, communities, animals and conservation projects in Belize, Cambodia, Ghana, Nepal, Peru, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam.
