Volunteer

Why Volunteer With Tenteleni?

Committed to the goals of sustainability and skill sharing, Tenteleni strives to be an enabling and culturally aware organisation ensuring that its work is appropriate, effective and desired by the communities in which it works.

Tenteleni is a young student-focused Charity with a grass-roots management and development structure. Although the Tenteleni’s founder and most of its trustees are no longer students themselves, they do maintain strong links with the Universities, Volunteers, Projects, and the day-to-day running of the Charity.

Tenteleni offers Volunteers opportunities to take on additional roles and responsibilities within their Projects. In the past Volunteers have carried out research into the local educational systems and HIV/AIDS curriculum to inform Tenteleni’s work and development; keen photographers have provided the material for PR; and three Volunteers have even been involved in the production of a video.

Tenteleni values the contribution of all Volunteers’ evaluation and experience of working with the Charity, and their ideas for the future development of its work. Volunteers have informed that Tenteleni has listened to their ideas for improvement and have witnessed their suggestions being exercised in practice.

Tenteleni strongly encourages Volunteers returning from Projects to become involved in the running and development of Tenteleni at University, Project, Committee and Management levels. This year, five volunteers fresh from their experience in Africa during summer 2005 have joined the committee taking up important PR, Project Management and Fundraising positions.

What our volunteers say:

I feel compelled to write to you in order to thank you sincerely for a truly incredible summer. My eight weeks in Swaziland were exciting, entertaining, highly rewarding and at time challenging in the best possible ways. During the build up to the project and during, I was continually impressed by Tenteleni’s friendly and approachable yet professional stance, and found this to be a very much suitable and successful in supporting whilst simultaneously empowering the volunteers. And, hence, I hope that any impact I hope to have had on the pupils, teachers and those from the community I lived and worked in, will be likewise positive. They certainly affected me. For this, thank you all so much.

 Finlay, volunteer on the Swaziland project, 2007

Who We Recruit

Students with:

  • An interest in global issues
  • A commitment to the Aims and Objectives of Tenteleni
  • An enthusiasm for education
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills
  • Self-motivation
  • A lively imagination
  • An ability to work under pressure

Volunteers must be able to commit to the duration of the Project.

No previous work experience abroad necessary.

Recruitment Process

Tenteleni currently recruits students from 10 Universities across the UK:
Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kings College London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Sheffield, University of East Anglia and York

Volunteer Training

Volunteers are expected to attend weekly meetings in the university groups, ran by ex-volunteers acting as University Co-ordinators. Through these groups volunteers participate in fundraising and preparation activities. UK training provided by Tenteleni during a residential focuses on teaching assistance preparation, HIV/AIDS awareness, cross-cultural communications, sharign ideas/relationship building.

Project Co-ordinator Recruitment

Who We Recruit

Mature young people (not necessarily current students) with the required volunteer attributes, plus:

  • a sound understanding and demonstration of cultural awareness
  • an ability to motivate and instil enthusiasm and confidence in others
  • the confidence to improvise and carry out risk assessments in unforeseen circumstances

Experience Required:

  • Experience coordinating/managing a small group of people within a voluntary/employment/social/educational context
  • At least two months voluntary experience abroad
  • Proven interest in International Development
  • Independent travel experience

Project Co-ordinator Training

Project Co-ordinators are encouraged to join Volunteers in their weekly university group meetings to participate in fundraising and preparation activities.

UK training provided by Tenteleni will include two weekends of workshops and briefings with committee members.