Madagascar Volunteer English Teaching
Madagascar Volunteer English Teaching
Support conservation and economic development in Madagascar by volunteering to support English teaching.
Program Code: MGNS0920POur Impact
Location
Volunteer in Nosy Be | Community
Program Information
Remote-Working Friendly
Reliable WIFI
Part-Time Options
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Overview
Program details, highlights and videos.
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Dates & Prices
Choose your start dates and durations.
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Life On Base
What's a GVI base really like?
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Covid-19 Response
Read up on the response measures we have in place to keep you safe.
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What's It like?
Search for and chat to alumni who've been there and done it.
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Live Updates
Follow us live on Facebook!
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Arrivals
Information on your airport arrival and pick up.
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Your Impact
Our short, mid and long term objectives.
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Our Ethics
Read about GVI's Ten Ethical Commitments.
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Program Ethics
Our ethical practices and policies.
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Training
All the training you'll complete on this program.
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Qualifications
The various qualifications and certificates you'll receive.
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Free time
Where you can explore in your free time and at weekends.
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Cultural Immersion
Immerse yourself in local and cultural practices.
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Parent Info
Information for parents and guardians.
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Support & Safety
GVI's detailed health, safety and support protocols.
Overview
Its tropical location and iconic animal species mean there are many opportunities to grow the ecotourism industry in Madagascar. Many local Malagasy people are very much aware of this and know that English language literacy is one more tool they can use to help them achieve this goal.On this program, you’ll be assisting local Malagasy people with accomplishing their English literacy goals. You’ll be based on the island of Nosy Be, a location with many tourism employment opportunities for local people. Our base is located on the edge of Lokobe National Park, the last remaining rainforest on the island, home to critically endangered lemur species and bordered by a tropical beach.
In the mornings, you’ll take a short walk to the surrounding communities where you’ll work with local teachers to prepare English language literacy resources for their primary school learners. In the evenings, you’ll participate in conversational English workshops with local Lokobe National Park rangers. Other adults from local communities might also join these workshops.
During the course of your program, you’ll also have the opportunity to learn French and a dialect of the local language, Malagasy. In your free time, you can go swimming, snorkelling and diving in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean among coral reefs, tropical fish, sea turtles and dolphins.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Help local educators with increasing the economic development of their country.
- Assist local conservationists with preserving critically endangered species.
- Learn French and the Sakalava dialect of Malagasy.
- Find out more about some of the many distinct cultures of Madagascar.
- Live on the edge of a rare rainforest boarded by a warm-watered ocean.
Program Details
Flexibility
Payment Plans
Cancellation Waiver
Life On Base
Fieldwork on the conservation project includes trekking through the Lokobe National Park, (a “Strict Reserve”), looking for signs of critically endangered lemurs and the great variety of bird, reptile, amphibian and butterfly species that call this rainforest habitat home. Forest surveys are conducted in the morning or at night. You can catch spectacular sunsets and sunrises over the Indian Ocean. There are bound to be many priceless photo opportunities during the course of your program.
If you choose to complete a community development program, you will assist with teaching the English language – supporting the younger students with the language, as well as assisting with their grasp of environmental education. That will take place in the mornings. In the evenings, you will be doing the same for the Lokobe park rangers and other adults. English is a vital skill for people to learn as it’s highly sought after in the local job market and tourism industry.
Base Tour
Highlights
Your accommodation – which is a stone’s throw from the beach –consists of dormitory style rooms with shared bathroom facilities. We use solar power and backup generators. Conditions are basic but comfortable and there are lots of spaces for training workshops and to carry out research, or relax after a busy day. We’re much like a big family on base, and cooking and tidying duties are shared on a rotational basis among staff and participants. Evenings include debriefs on the day’s activities, enjoying a meal together, and optional social activities and games.
Travelling to and from Fascene Airport takes around 75 minutes, and can be arranged with GVI in advance, to align with your program’s start date. This consists of a 30-minute taxi ride to the port, a 15-minute transfer to the boat, and a 30-minute boat ride to base. With Nosy Be island only being accessible by boat, the surrounding area is quite remote. The village is a short 5-minute walk away, with the nearest town a further 1 kilometre away.
You will have limited access to long-distance communications while on the program, so make sure that your friends and family know how often they can expect to hear from you. Participants typically use mobile phones to stay in touch, although coverage can be poor at times due to the remote location. The service provider in the region is Orange. If you bring a network-unlocked mobile phone, you can easily purchase an Orange SIM card, a starter pack, and phone credit when you arrive in the country.
The Malagasy diet is mostly rice- and bean-based. A typical main meal consists of rice alongside servings of seasonal vegetables in a sauce, with meat occasionally included. Locally made chilli sauce is prevalent, and many meals will have a variety on offer for additional flavouring. Fruit is abundant, cheap, and varies per season. Mangoes, pineapples, watermelons, and lychees are all commonly available.
Madagascar was a French colony and has kept several French-esque food options since becoming independent. As such, baguettes and fresh bread are on offer in many locations, and when eating out they are often served with jam as breakfast. Many cafés and hotels offer fresh in-house pastries and baked goods.
Nosy Be has a hot, tropical climate all year round. The rainy, hotter season is between November and April, and the dry season from May to October. You can expect temperatures of around 18°C to 23°C (64°F to 73°F) in the evenings and 30°C to 32°C (86°F to 90°F) during the day. The wettest months are December, January, and February when rain can occur almost daily –and can sometimes be torrential. For swimming, the sea is warm all year round with water temperatures ranging from 26 °C to 29°C (79°F to 84°F), so be sure to bring your swimsuit.
COVID-19 Safety
Enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures in place. Learn more.
Covid-19 Response
Health and Hygiene
For over 20 years, GVI has prioritised the health and safety of our staff, participants, partners and local community members. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, GVI has created the GVI health and hygiene team to put in place new standards of cleanliness, norms and behaviours that meet or exceed international recommendations to ensure the ongoing safety of GVI’s participants, staff and communities around the world. Internationally recommended practices, such as advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the governments Australia, UK and US, continue to be monitored and the standards are likely to change if and when international advice changes.
The work GVI is contributing to across the globe remains important and the following measures allow our participants to continue to join GVI’s programs and continue impacting positively on their world and the communities we work with. The following changes to our existing protocols have been made by the GVI health and hygiene team to strengthen our health and hygiene protocols and ensure that international standard safeguards are in place to protect our participants, staff and host communities.
Essential information you need to travel safely during the COVID-19
pandemic – including destination ratings, flight bookings, and tests.
What's It like?
If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.
We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.
Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.
Live Updates
Arrivals
When it comes to support, we ensure that each participant is provided with unparalleled, 360 degree support, from your initial contact with the GVI Family, all the way through your program, and even after, as you become part of the GVI Alumni Team.
As part of this promise, we will ensure, whenever possible, that one of our dedicated staff will be available to meet you at the airport. In most locations, we also set up a Whatsapp group to help with managing airport arrivals. We will arrange with you prior to your departure that, should you arrive in the agreed upon pick up window, a member of our staff will be there to welcome you, easily identifiable in a GVI t-shirt or holding a GVI sign and wearing a friendly smile. This means there will be someone there to greet you as you land, and from there you will be transported to your GVI base to start your adventure and meet the rest of your team.
COVID-19 Safety
Please note that the above images were taken pre COVID-19. All airport pick-ups and program operations now run with enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures in place. Learn more.
Your Impact
All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. Then, once on base you’ll learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
With an abundance of diverse natural landscapes, a variety of unique, endemic species and a diversity of distinct cultures, there are many opportunities for expanding ethical and responsible ecotourism and cultural tourism throughout Madagascar, including on the Nosy Be island where we are based. The country’s truly special biodiversity also makes it a precious conservation area. Our work on Nosy Be includes assisting local organisations and professionals with increasing their English language literacy so that they can better achieve economic development and conservation goals.
Conversational workshops with park rangers and other adults
We’re based at the edge of Lokobe National Park and work with park rangers to increase their English language literacy through conversational English workshops. This skill helps them with achieving their conservation and professional development goals. Through communicating with visitors to the park, or in their marketing materials, in English, this skill helps them build a wider international community of people invested in their conservation work. It also gives them the benefit of communicating with a wider range of organisations and academics specialising in conservation work. In addition to park rangers, our conservational English workshops are also open to other adults from the surrounding communities who are looking to increase their skillsets.
Primary school educator and student support
We also work with several primary schooling educators in communities surrounding Lokobe National Park to support them in increasing their English language literary resources for their learners who are between six and 11 years of age. This age is a key developmental stage for language learning, and assisting learners with building English language skills at this age carries many professional and academic benefits. It opens up both greater employment and academic opportunities to them. In addition to creating resources for English language literacy, we also assist these local educators with increasing their resources on a range of other subjects and topics related to their goals for their students.
The main United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) the GVI Nosy Be community hub contributes towards is Goal 4, Quality Education.
Project Objectives
GVI Nosy Be | Community Hub | Long-term Objectives:
1. Increase English language literacy resources for Lokobe National Park park rangers.
2. Increase English language literacy resources for primary school educators and their students in communities surrounding Lokobe National Park.
3. Increase English language literacy resources for other adults in the communities surrounding Lokobe National Park.
Our Ethics
Below is a list of core ethics and best practices we believe are essential to the operation of high quality, ethical volunteer and sustainable development programs. We believe that all responsible volunteer and sustainable development operations should focus upon these principles. If you are considering volunteering, these are some of the key considerations you should question, to ensure that your time and money contributes towards positive change.
We want to constantly develop our own understanding of ethical best practice. In so doing, we aim to provide an exemplary industry standard for other education institutions, international development organisations, and social enterprises. Our Badge of Ethics stands for the drive to always do good, better. Find out more, click on the Badge below.
Our 10 Ethical Commitments
Locally Driven, Collaborative Projects
We aim to design all our projects in collaboration with local organizations and communities and ensure that they are locally driven.
Clear Objectives & Sustainable Outcomes
We aim to clearly define short-, mid-, and long-term objectives with sustainable outcomes for all our projects.
Impact Reporting
We aim to track, record, and publish the impact of each of our projects.
Working Against Dependency
We aim to build in-country capacity by assisting local organizations in becoming self-sustaining.
Responsible Exit Strategies
For each local organization we work with, we aim to have a plan in place for withdrawing support responsibly.
Clear Roles & Specialized Training
We aim to ensure that every participant is assigned a clear role and that they are fully trained and supported to carry out their work by specialized staff.
Respect for all
In all our actions we aim to respect the skills and efforts of all and seek to protect the rights, culture and dignity of everyone who engages with GVI.
Local Ownership
We work to ensure that credit for the results of any project, along with any data collected, research conducted, or Intellectual Property developed, remains the property of local organizations.
Transitioning from the Orphanage Model
We do not condone and aim to withdraw support of orphanages and residential care centers.
Child and Vulnerable adult policies
We will live by our Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult policies.
Continual Development
As an organization, GVI is committed to striving toward best practice, and to educating both our potential participants, our partners, and the world at large about them. Both the volunteering and sustainable development sectors are increasingly, and rightly, under scrutiny. Many recent local and global articles highlight poor practices and questionable ethics. GVI is widely recognized for striving to apply global best practice in the volunteering, education and sustainable development sectors throughout our operations by reputable organizations such as ChildSafe.
However, global best practice is always evolving and we dedicate both time and resources to engage with internationally respected experts and learn from the latest research to ensure our programs both fulfil their potential to create maximum positive impact, and minimise their potential to create unintentional negative impact. Along with and as part of the sustainable development and volunteering community, we are constantly learning and applying this learning to practice. We do not always get everything right, but we seek feedback from our community members, partners, participants and our staff, and react accordingly. We know are already doing a great job, and feedback we have received confirms this, but we aim to do even better and are continuously refining our operations to improve upon our already excellent reputation.
Program Ethics
NO ORPHANAGE PROGRAMS
We don’t support or allow participants to work in institutional residential care facilities, also known as orphanages. We partner with ReThink Orphanages and Freedom United.
CHILD AND VULNERABLE ADULT PROTECTION POLICY
Our Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy requires all our staff and participants to complete a criminal background check and to learn why you shouldn’t reveal a child’s identifying factors in photographs. We support the ChildSafe Movement.
NO MEDICAL VOLUNTEERING
We don’t offer any programs where our participants engage in medical treatment. This is because our participants aren’t typically qualified to do this work and would therefore not be able to do this work in their home country. Our participants only assist with public health programs.
NO DISABILITY SUPPORT PROGRAMS
We don’t offer any programs where our participants work directly with people with disabilities. This is because our participants aren’t typically qualified to do this work and would therefore not be able to do this work in their home country.
Training
A GVI program is an investment in your career. No matter which you choose, you will be working toward improving your employability by mastering new social skills, gaining further technical expertise and earning qualifications in many cases. Most of our staff are, in fact, GVI Alumni, and we have helped many of our Alumni discover, move toward, and earn their own personal dream jobs. Each program includes introductory workshops, ongoing presentations, as well as on-the-ground professional support provided by our very own trained staff members. In addition, our training programs are critical for helping us to ensure the long-term impact of our sustainable development projects around the world.
For All GVI Participants
Orientation: Your Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Learn about COVID-19 pre-departure guidelines, base expectations, personal and area hygiene practices and what we are doing to keep you safe.
Orientation: Travelling Responsibly and Ethically
Learn about the importance of child and vulnerable adult protection best practices and how to apply them while on project.
Orientation: UN Sustainable Development Goals
Introduction to the history and evolution of sustainable development, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and how these related to your project work.
Orientation: Further Opportunities for Impact
Learn about our country locations and further opportunities available to you during or after your program.
For All Participants at Nosy Be Community
Community: Women’s Empowerment
Community: Human Empowerment
Qualifications
GVI Online Community Development course (optional)
In this course, you’ll explore the most common pitfalls of community development initiatives so that you can avoid them. You’ll also learn how to carry out community development work effectively and ethically and how local context impacts program development. After successfully completing the course, which you have the option of doing prior to your in-country program, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Richmond.
This online course, valued at £295, is included in all volunteering programs. Full course details can be found here.
Free time
Joining a program not only allows participants to collaborate with communities or work toward preserving unique ecosystems but it also offers plenty of opportunities to explore the surrounding area or travel further to see what other parts of the region have to offer.
Long term field staff are a great source of advice, and have helped us put together the following information on local travel options. Many decide to travel before or after their experience (subject to immigration restrictions), solidifying the lifetime friendships established on program. Please note that the below suggestions are not included in the program fee, and are for the individual to organise at their own expense.
Weekend Trips
Mount Passot
Whale watching
Diving
Beaches
The Sacred Tree
Lokobe National Park
Further Travels
South Africa
Seychelles
Mainland Madagascar
Neighbouring island visits
Cultural Immersion
Engaging intimately with a new context teaches not only global awareness but adaptability and critical thinking, skills highly valued in the modern marketplace. Local and cultural immersion is encouraged on all our programs around the world, and is also one of the most enjoyable aspects of your experience. Luckily, there are many activities you can get involved with in your free time, or before and after your program. On our community programs the focus is on cultural topics, while on marine or wildlife programs the emphasis is more on the environmental element. Use your evenings and weekends to explore diverse and eclectic topics like Theravada Buddhism in Laos or how plastic pollution and climate change affects Indian Ocean coral.
WILDLIFE
As a result of the island's long isolation from neighbouring continents, Madagascar is home to endemic flora and fauna found nowhere else on Earth. The most well-known and popular of these are lemurs. The island of Nosy Be is home to three species of lemur, including one of the smallest primates in the world. Nosy Be is also known for a famous variation of panther chameleon and one of the smallest chameleons and frogs known to exist.MARINE LIFE
The warm waters of the Indian Ocean surrounding Madagascar are home to a variety of marine species such as clownfish and manta rays. Depending on the time of year, and your luck, you might also be able to spot green and hawksbill turtles, humpback whales, whale sharks and the incredibly rare Omura whale.CRAFTS AND PRODUCE
Many of Madagascar’s cultures have long standing artisanal craft traditions. Some of these include intricate embroidery and brightly coloured baskets. Madagascar is also the primary supplier of an estimated 80% of the world’s natural vanilla. The island of Nosy Be itself is known for its production of ylang-ylang, an essential oil used in many popular perfumes.FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS
The most notable festivals on the island of Nosy Be are dedicated to music. The Nosy Be Jazz Festival is held in April and the Donia Music Festival is held towards the end of May and the beginning of June.LANGUAGES
Most people in Madagascar speak Malagasy, a language with many dialects. The dialect that is most commonly spoken in the area in which we are based is Sakalava. Due to the influence of French colonialism, French is also frequently used throughout Madagascar.Parent Info
‘If only every student could do this. It changes your life in all the right ways,’ says Chris Heritage, parent of Luke Heritage, one of our teen volunteers who has participated on two GVI programs, one in Costa Rica and another in South Africa.
We are a parent-run organisation that is incredibly serious about health and safety, and increasing the impact, as well as the long-term career benefits of our programs. Our programs help young people develop the skills to select a career path that is personally fulfilling, and live a life aligned to the well-being of our planet and the global community.
Ken and Linda Jeffrey, whose son Sam volunteered with GVI in Thailand, talk about how the experience affected Sam. He also went on to volunteer with GVI again in South Africa. ‘I know it sounds like a cliche but in a sense, he did go away as a boy and he came back as a young man. Both of us could recommend GVI without any hesitation to any other parent thinking about exploring an opportunity for their children to explore the world and to see different parts of it.’
Parent Info Pack
Download the Parent Pack and learn more about:
Our staff: All our projects are run by staff, selected, vetted, trained, and managed by our central office.
Health and safety: Our safety practices include a child and vulnerable adult protection policy and high participant ratios.
Staying in touch: See what’s happening on base, by following a hub’s dedicated Facebook page.
Free parent consultations: We would love to talk to you about exciting opportunities available for your child.
Support & Safety
We won’t sugarcoat it — traveling abroad is usually a complex process that carries an element of risk. But this is exactly why we’re passionate about providing extensive support throughout the process as well as the highest safety standards during the in-country phase. We believe that volunteering abroad should not only be impactful, but an enjoyable experience that carries as little risk as possible. This is exactly how we’ve been able to maintain our reputation as the most highly respected volunteering organisations in the sector over the past two decades.
COVID-19 Safety
Enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures are in place throughout each GVI program. Learn more.
Support
Once a participant books, they will be assigned a personal support coordinator who will oversee their pre-departure journey. The support coordinator helps to bridge the gap between program enrolment and arrival at one of our field bases. Your personal support coordinator will ensure that you are provided with all the necessary information required to apply for visas, background checks, and any other documentation.
Safety
Upon arrival at the airport, participants will be greeted by a GVI staff member. All GVI staff are our own and all our programs around the world are run by our staff. All GVI field staff are background checked, Emergency First Response and safety trained. The minimum staff to participant ratio on GVI’s programs is one to six, although on several bases we have a ratio of one to three. When finishing the experience, participants will provide feedback on all aspects of their program.
Essential information you need to travel safely during the COVID-19
pandemic – including destination ratings, flight bookings, and tests.
Health & Safety Case Studies
HOW GVI UPHOLDS HEALTH AND SAFETY
It takes courage to book a GVI program, get on a flight, and head off to somewhere new. Volunteering offers a level of cultural immersion that typical backpacking or holidays just can’t achieve. This is why thousands of people around the world participate in paid GVI programs.
GVI’S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND SECURITY
As the saying goes: ‘Expect the best, plan for the worst’. Cliched or not, we take it to heart. This tenet is at the core of how GVI operates when it comes to promoting the health and safety of our participants, staff, and local community members at all of our 20+ bases around the world.
HOW GVI REMAINS PREPARED FOR NATURAL DISASTERS
The weather isn’t just a topic for polite small-talk here at GVI. We have emergency action plans in place for all scenarios. So when the weather, or other natural forces, takes a nasty turn, we are prepared to respond to stormy situations.
HOW GVI MANAGES PARTICIPANTS EXPECTATIONS
Once GVI has matched a participant to a program that suits their passions and goals, our team aims to set the right expectations for them. In the event that false expectations around a program are created, the GVI team takes immediate action to ensure that the situation rectified.