There are some really lovely short and long term 2014 volunteer opportunities in Adigrat.
The Agamé region of Ethiopia is one of the oldest continuously occupied regions in the world. It is a region saturated with a distinct culture and history. The mountains are breathtaking, the air is fresh and clean. In Adigrat the mountains help create a beautiful living environment, with temperate weather and clear blue skies. And this entire list of volunteer opportunities was handed to me by full time residents of the region. You are welcome.
A large new university has been built in Adigrat recently so there are opportunities to volunteer with the faculty and students. There are centres supporting the youth in town, sports and tech opportunities, city admin opportunities. The length of a stay needed in order to volunteer varies from a day or two to a couple of months but all opportunities are negotiable. Just express an interest and we can find an opportunity that works for everyone. Check it all out below.
Volunteer List for 2014:
English Teachers - Adigrat's primary and secondary school
Conversational English Teachers - University students
Community Exchange Sessions
- Experience sharing, talk about the country or region you live in,
your culture, general life skills, the challenges
youth face in your community and how they are addressed, how to build confidence and be assertive etc.
Research work and research collaboration with any of the 30 departments at Adigrat University. There is an expressed interest in research in sociology, psychology, business management and health as well as Adigrat's regional culture and some important local historical sites. If you are looking for a region to conduct graduate work in the Agamé region may be a great place for it.
Librarians - Help the Adigrat University Library digitize, re-arrange, code and register books. A bunch of books have been donated and they want to make them as accessible to students as they can. Facilitating training on library management would also be helpful.
Adigrat City Administration - Help in different sectors like the women's affairs office, social affairs office, finance office, youth
and sports office, municipality, health office and others. Assistance in organizing data in soft copy and conducting research and observation.
There is also a specific request for programs and training on:
Campus Crime-Victim Prevention - encompassing policy strategies, techniques, options and prevention. Courses and sessions for university students that teach self defense and focus on mental and physical preparedness
Information Sessions - for female university students only on health, tips for safety on campus and safe sex.
Sport Activities (Athletics, soccer, tennis and volleyball....) - Arranging games, teams, training sessions or even arranging to bring your team to play against an Adigrat team.
Information and Communications Technology - Help ICT expansion and provide training on different information
technology skills such as html coding, how to build a website, how to troubleshoot and fix different common tech problems, special training
on software (such as Peach Tree/Sage 50 accounting for example) and general internet training.
Accommodation
There are several simple clean hotels in Adigrat that range in price from around $5 USD to $20 a night. The University also has a client hotel called the Tesfay Agamé Hotel which is located near the University. I have not personally visited it but have been told that it is a good, safe, clean, basic hotel. Volunteers pay 100 Birr ($5 USD) per night at Tesfay Agamé Hotel.
Food
While it is possible to get by spending around $5 USD a day on food in Adigrat, I would suggest budgeting $10 because it will leave you with many more food options.
Getting there
The University of Adigrat can facilitate transportation from Makale Airport to
Adigrat
and vice versa. There are also public transportation options from Makale to Adigrat.
By the way, Adigrat
is half way between Makale and Aksum. If you plan to explore other regions of Ethiopia, Adigrat is a great place to volunteer and launch or end your journey.
View Larger Map
A few of the bigger sites available to you from Adigrat:
- Aksum,
site of the seat of the Aksumite empire, obelisks, tombs, and church
where the orthodox believe the Ark of Covenant is guarded (flying out of Aksum to continue your tour of the country with visits to Lalibela, Gondar etc is very convenient)
- Yeha ruins of a temple built 2,600 years ago
- Negash site of the earliest Muslim settlement in Africa
- Danakil Depression
and desert where you can find the only below-sea-level volcano,
stunning salt flats, mineral springs, bubbling sulfur pits, lava lakes
and acid salt ponds.
Having
said all that, there
are many interesting sites in the Agamé region itself that are so worth
while exploring. They deserve their own post. I'll get to writing
about them from a traveler's perspective at some point. For the
moment, suffice it to say that if you're an adventurous spirit and would
like to
visit places that are still considered globally to be a bit off the
beaten path, this region is a place for you.
If you have any questions about these volunteer opportunities, or about making arrangements to stay in Adigrat or tour the region please feel free to email me at: hodgesjoanne@hotmail.com.
Also good to note: Adigrat University will take full responsibility for your stay in Adigrat and give an official voluntary service certificate
for every participant.
Additional Reading:
Blog post about a recent volunteer experience in Adigrat: http://katemillner.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/13-months-of-sunshine/
Update Nov 2014: The child day care centre previously on this list has decided to not have a volunteer program so it has been removed. I will collect and distribute a fully updated list of volunteer opportunities in 2015.
