The volunteer program is a great comfort to the children of the two preschools and the orphanage. Furthermore, the English speaking skills gained by all people AOM supports are very useful in a country where there are hardly any English speakers and it is thus a great benefit to those exposed.

A volunteer exposes the children to English, hope, a can-do spirit and friendship while enriching our volunteers’ lives. Every extra person loving these kids helps them grow into emotionally healthy adults. With so many growing children there is never enough adult attention, especially for those having suffered the loss of family.

Where do I live as a volunteer?

You will be living in the volunteer house in Antsirabe. It is well equipped and furnished. You will have your own room. The project manager, Maholy, also lives in this house and thus you will not be alone and you can share the house tasks such as cooking and washing up. Maholy will be there to assist you in any task and help you with any difficulties. He will also tell you as much as possible about Madagascar and the culture. The volunteer house can accommodate more than one volunteer, so you can also come with a friend.

 What is the cost?

There is no volunteer fee and the accommodation is free.

You will have to pay for your meals and anything personal that you need (the price of most things is not very expensive in Madagascar).

The most expensive thing is the flight.

 How do I get to the project?

You will be met at the airport by the project manager, Maholy. He is very reliable and will be there waiting for you. You will then drive to Antsirabe with Maholy which takes about 3 hours.

In Antsirabe it is easy to get around and there is even a bike for volunteers. 

What will I be doing?

This is really tailor made for you and where your skills lie. There are many different things that need to be done. You can teach the young kids at the two schools AOM supports here in Antsirabe. They would benefit to be around volunteers with a can do attitude and kindness. You could, for example, spend time doing art project with the children or giving them music lessons which would benefit the development of these young minds.  You will most likely spend most of your time playing with these children during their breaks anyway.

You could also be teaching English to adults. These adults would include some of the older children from the orphanage as well as AOM staff and any others that can be accommodated.

AOM also supports an orphanage in Antsirabe and you could be spending time with the orphans, simply playing with them and maybe also teaching them English or anything else.

A volunteer with business, design and marketing experience is also needed to help a community centre set up a micro business. The volunteer would not only help to set up the business but also teach those that will run it. In addition, a volunteer with informatics skills is needed to teach people how to use a computer - which will help them find a good job.

Lastly, through volunteers AOM is also hoping to identify and fill other areas of need such as dental work.

 What skills do I need?

With any skills that you have AOM will have something for you to do! To teach you do not have to be a professional teacher or have the Teach English as a Second language certificate. If you want to help with the micro business you should have experience in this field.

 How long can I volunteer for?

Any length of stay is possible; however, anything under a month is probably not sufficient. Don’t forget that it takes time to get used to life here in Madagascar.