Madventurer.com

Challenge:

Building and Teaching

Destination:

*Vietnam, Asia Combos

Departure Dates From:

01/01/1970

With steamy rainforests, spectacular ruins and idyllic beaches, Vietnam has established itself as a major destination on the backpacker trail but still retains its original character and charm. With great food, friendly people and - with places like Halong Bay - some of Asia's most beautiful scenery, Vietnam will take your breath away.  

Please note that we are only operating bespoke group bookings in 2010 and 2011 in Vietnam.

You will be working in the Moc Chau district, high in the mountains of North West Vietnam. The project is looking to work alongside 3 villages and Moc Chau town who are undertaking Community-Based Eco-Tourism activities, including agro-tourism, in conjunction with SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation). This is an exciting opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture of ethnic minority communities while helping them to develop sustainable lifestyles.

A typical project could include:
Basic English
Environmental protection or conservation awareness
Improving village road conditions
Developing home stay & house sanitation facilities
School building, painting & upgrading programs, including toilet blocks

Building

The core of each Madventurer project is the building work in the village. This is the most tangible contribution that a Mad projects makes to the community and forms a focus for the group.

The key to all mad building projects is the partnership between our team and the local community. Aside from the funding, the presence of your team of Venturers can be a great motivator to your new friends in the village as it demonstrates the importance of hard work, showing what can be achieved, even regardless of sex. Initially it can take time for villagers to get used to the idea that Venturers are prepared to work hard - especially girls - and actually want to help with manual labour, so you may find locals trying to do all the work for you. Once you explain that you genuinely want them to teach you the basic skills (e.g. how to mix cement or lay bricks), the partnership will develop, and everyone can get stuck in and work together.

There is a range of building activities that you will be able to get involved in. Those less keen on heavy building work usually take up the lighter, but equally important, work such as painting or plastering.

Teaching

You'll find a teaching pack designed to help you make the most of your teaching. Aside from the help in the pack, your crew will support you in-country and you will find that your teaching skills develop with each class. The enthusiasm, praise, time and attention that you give individuals can help to increase the confidence they have in themselves and in their abilities. Creative teaching lessons are a great idea as they make learning fun and much more interesting for the pupils!

At what level you get involved in teaching is up to you. Your crew leader will talk to you more about this in your briefing session and if you want to teach, you will be introduced to the Principle of the school during the first week of your project to discuss the schools needs and then be fitted into a timetable for the duration of the project. English is the subject that the school principles are most keen for you to teach and you will be provided with information about their English curriculum. It is possible to take classes in pairs or you can teach classes on your own if you are confident and want to do this. Venturers will often teach English, but there can be opportunities to teach other subjects after school such as dance, drama or sport!

Varied and fun teaching methods give children rewarding lessons where they can learn to think creatively and develop their own confidence and skills. The importance of praise, recognition and appraisal are so important when considering the development of an individual.

Further Links 

• Mad Videos
• Mad in Vietnam Blog
• Crew Blog - Mad's first project in Vietnam 
• Vietnam Photo's 
• Full Trip Notes
• Weather Guide from bbc.co.uk
• Money Conversion from Oando.com
• InterHealth Pack - Click this link, register and then have access to a comprehensive health pack.
• Teaching Aid
• Pre-Departure Form - To be filled in and returned to Mad HQ before you depart