Gap Year Volunteer Project Ashley Bekker

Introduction  Teaching Internship in Laos.  GVI works with local partners in Luang Prabang to introduce English language education.  Duration- 24 weeks  Cost- $  Includes going to schools or language centres where I’ll teach English and assist in managing volunteer teaching projects.

World Map

Map of Laos Coordinates: ° N, ° E

Is it right for me?  GVI Foundations offers students ages the opportunity to participate on GVI volunteer programs overseas.  I am 15!

GVI Organisation  GVI was formed in 1997 to provide support to international charities, non- profit/ governmental agencies.  They help through volunteering opportunities, internship program’s, training and direct funding.  It is a non-political, non-religious organisation.  They run over 100 projects in 25 countries.

Teaching Internship in Laos  Working directly with the community  you will teach English, plan lessons and help local teachers with the quality of their English delivery.  take classes and offer support during training sessions.  Experience Lao culture  Gain teaching experience while making a huge difference in Luang Prabang.  As you progress in the internship, there will be greater responsibility in lesson planning, helping staff manage volunteers and running the project.

Main Goal  With English being the most popular subject in school, the demand to learn English outweighs the number of teachers available.  The main goal is to develop resources for Lao children so that they can improve their own English speaking skills.

How will I make a difference?  Laotian people that can speak English have better access to jobs working with foreigners and in tourism, an industry that is rapidly increasing in Laos. With English, many can change their socio-economic status and provide better opportunities for their families.

Why Laos?  Population- 6,200,894  33.9 % of population living on less than US $1.25 per day!!!  Only 59% of Lao people have access to water  GDP per capita US $2,543  Adult literacy rates 73%

What’s the plan?  Monday to Friday At school you will lead educational activities focused on conversational English.  Weekends On weekends I have free time to explore Luang Prabang and learn about their culture. This is also a chance for me to get to know other volunteers.

What’s Included?  Airport pick-up  Safe and basic accommodation  All meals  Project training by experienced staff  All project equipment and materials  Orientation on teaching methods and techniques  Weekly evaluations with your mentor  Introduction to TEFL, including lesson planning  Certification and summary of training and experience received  Confidential professional reference

Which social justice issue is being assessed  - Access to education. Educational statistics are poor. National budget allocations are among the lowest in the world. Adult literacy rate is 73% (82% male, 63% female). The unemployment rate is 1.4%.  - Lack of basic health and sanitation. Less than 2/3 have access to safe water. 53% have access to sanitation facilities. Malaria, diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections are the main causes of children’s death. Life expectancy at birth is 67 years. More than 1/3 of children under 5yrs are underweight.  - Access to shelter. A traditional Lao home is rural. Built on stilts with wooden planks for flooring, bamboo walls and grass or shingles for the roof.

Cont.  - Wealth and poverty. more than a third of people live on US$1.25 a day and the distribution of wealth is highly unequal, with the top 10% of the population holding 30% of the income, while the bottom 10% has about 3%. Most of the poor live in the remote and mountainous north and in the south-east, along the border with Vietnam.  - Government. Although human rights are improving, freedom of speech remains limited in Laos. Laos continues to rely heavily on donor assistance.  - Environment. Flooding and droughts are the natural hazards which regularly occur in Laos.

Application Process  Visit website (  Select program  Click “book now”  Provide basic information & medical requirements  List any experience/ questions/ concerns  You will be contacted within 2 working days via phone or

References Global reference  Agazzi, I. (2012, 04 30). Laos’ Herculean Effort To Join The Wto. Retrieved 05 20, 2012, from Global Issues:  CIA. (2012, 05). The World Factbook. Retrieved 05 19, 2012, from CIA: factbook/geos/la.html  Commonwealth of Australia. (2012, 03 23). Laos. Retrieved 05 15, 2012, from Global Education:  GVI. (2012). Teaching Internship in Laos. Retrieved 05 10, 2012, from GVI: laos  IndexMundi. (2011). Laos Environment- current issues. Retrieved 05 20, 2012, from Index Mundi: nt_issues.html