Tenteleni

About Us

What is Tenteleni?

Tenteleni is an entirely volunteer-run charity that supports UK university students to travel to placements in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland and Zanzibar. Volunteers work alongside staff in schools, children’s homes and non-governmental organisations to offer support, enthusiasm and friendship. Both the local communities and the volunteers themselves benefit from engaging in the sharing of skills and ideas. Tenteleni aims to create sustainable relationships and to work in partnership in order to enhance the educational experiences of vulnerable children. 

How was Tenteleni started?
Tenteleni was founded in 1998 when our founder, Sarah Copas, visited Tenteleni Primary School in the township of KaNyamzane, near to the provincial capital Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.  Upon her return from South Africa, Sarah researched the possibility of setting up an organisation that would allow UK students to travel to schools such as Tenteleni, and the following year Sarah returned to South Africa with five friends. In 2000, the project was expanded to five schools with twenty-three volunteers, and Tenteleni became a registered charity in England and Wales. Tenteleni continued to grow, and expanded into four other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with projects in Kenya, Swaziland, Zanzibar and Malawi – as well as new projects within South Africa. Since then the charity has continued to grow and grow, with a dedicated board of trustees and a committee that has helped to expand to include nine projects in five countries.

Where and when does Tenteleni operate projects?
Tenteleni runs nine projects in five countries; Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zanzibar. The placements operate within various educational and care settings, schools, children’s homes, and centres for young people. The volunteers are on placements for 8-13 weeks, depending on the project, running over the UK university summer break.

 

How is Tenteleni run?
Tenteleni is run completely by volunteers, mostly from past projects. The board of trustees oversee the charity’s operations and make decisions about charity direction, and the committee manage the day-to-day running of the charity. The Project Managers and their Assistants are in contact with partners in Africa throughout the year, both sustaining current relationships and developing new ones, in preparation for the arrival of the volunteers in the summer.
 

How is Tenteleni funded?
The basic running costs of Tenteleni, including items such as committee expenses, are met through fundraising and donations, with all volunteers also donating their time, energy and hard work. Volunteers fundraise for their project costs (flight, accommodation, insurance, training) individually and within their university groups, thinking of innovative ways from raffles to sponsored walks to raise money.

 

What do the volunteers do?
Within the placements the volunteers take on a number of roles, as diverse as the projects themselves, but the basic aim for any Tenteleni volunteer is to bring enthusiasm and energy to placements, engage in cultural exchange and support the educational opportunities of the children and young people in schools, children’s homes and non-formal placements. Tenteleni volunteers are Tenteleni; their hard work, passion, ideas and the links they make within the community keep the charity relevant, growing and achieving aims and objectives.
 

Tenteleni volunteers aim to get involved with the community that surrounds the placements, through organising events or working with local governmental and non-governmental organisations. On some placements Tenteleni volunteers have the opportunity to work with members of in-country NGOs, or in government or non-governmental centres, providing exciting opportunities for skill sharing and mutual learning. Events organised within schools can involve members of the wider community, providing opportunities for cultural exchange and greater understanding of Tenteleni’s presence within communities.
Within schools, volunteers assist educators within the classrooms, acting as Teaching Assistants (TAs), helping especially in the area of English. Working as TAs volunteers may share ideas with educators, support them within the classroom to build confidence and establish a solid working relationship. This means that Tenteleni’s work is more sustainable, as new ideas, enthusiasm and different methods shared and developed by the educators that work in the schools all year long. Another important area volunteers are also often asked to support is Youth Issues, which can range from discussing careers, self esteem, bullying and when appropriate sexual health. Tenteleni is constantly researching and updating its information on Youth Issues so that volunteers are in some way prepared to help discuss these issues, through lessons, activities and co-ordinating with local organisations.
Outside of the classroom many volunteers help out with small reading groups for learners who may be struggling with any aspect of reading or writing, and support any extra-curricular activities that run in the schools, also setting up new ones – from sports to debating, drama to library clubs. Volunteers, educators and learners can all benefit from this skill sharing, with Tenteleni’s energetic input helping to support the educational provisions of the learners in a sustainable way. Many volunteers couple their time in schools with time in children’s homes and centres for young people, getting involved with the daily lives of children and young people informally associating, forming friendships, playing and helping with homework. This is definitely a two-way experience, with the volunteers learning massive amounts about themselves and a wonderfully different culture and language.