Job description: Volunteer

On December 26th, I will be leaving with a group of 14 Americans, 2 Britons, a Norwegian, and a Canadian for Kigali, Rwanda. We will be in Kigali for three weeks of orientation where we will receive training about cultural adjustments, teaching there, and basic counseling. From there we will spread out across the country to our sites where we will be living and teaching for 10 months.

In the wake of the genocide, Rwanda has begun a massive restructuring of their economy, government, and society as a whole, including their education system. Key to lifting their country onto its feet and into a stable independence is providing a quality education for its people. The traditional Rwandan method of teaching was for the teacher to write notes on the board and for the students to copy these down and memorize them. Corporal punishment was common and the teacher’s role was one of authority more than one of facilitator. As part of the reconstruction of the country, the government is instituting a “learner-centered” education system.

Volunteers from the West can contribute several needed skills as teachers there. First, they bring their experiences in interactive educational settings. For some, this experience comes from their years as a student and for others like me, it comes also from tutoring and teaching experiences. Second, they bring expertise in specific areas. Many of the volunteers in my group have one or more post-secondary degrees and/or industry experience in a math or science related field. For a country in which only 5% of the population has a secondary degree, teachers with a deep understanding of such topics are great resources in helping Rwanda to achieve it's educational goals.

Another goal of the Rwandan government is to create a trilingual society (Kinyarwanda, French, and English). To do this, they are transitioning into an English language based education. Currently, most of their upper level math and science classes are taught in English. Native English speakers offer exposure to English that will help students improve upon their own English speaking abilities.