Ethiopia
Volunteer in Gondar with the Jewish community that is awaiting ‘Aliya’ and help prepare them for life in Israel. Get to know the fascinating culture in Ethiopia and visit extraordinary historical sites!
Young people in their twenties from Israel and the Diaspora volunteer at the Project TEN Ethiopia Center. Volunteers engage in informal education activities on a daily basis in order to enrich the local children’s learning experience.
The volunteer center was established in 2023 in Gondar, one of the most fascinating cities in the country located in northern Ethiopia. Our educational volunteering work is focused on providing the community waiting to immigrate to Israel educational tools for the future. We work both in the Jewish agency compound in the city and in local educational institutions together teachers and local educators.
What we Do
Working with Children and Youth
Volunteers of Project TEN in Gondar, adventurous young people with experience in informal education, bring their experience in the field of training and education to work with the children and youth in the community.
There are two main educational avenues in which the volunteers focus on and they are unique to the center in Gondar:
Education channel for 21st century life skills – these Project TEN activities enable creation, play and experimentation in a way that exposes the participants to different abilities and educational possibilities which are crucial for the 21st century world (creativity, team work, curiosity, self expression and many more!)
Judaism and connection to Israel – conversations, classes and activities with the community awaiting their immigration to Israel about Judaism, its nuances, culture, and history. Preparing them and learning about Israel – including society, nature and all its characteristics.
Project TEN volunteers also work in the community’s youth center. A place that allows the youth and young people of this unique Jewish community to gather and experience personal leadership, group and community development and acquire experience and tools that will help them in dealing with various challenges that exist in Gondar, Israel and the world.
In the future, medical delegations will join the education volunteers and work in the health field in the community!
The Volunteering Center
The volunteer center/home in Project TEN Gondar allows both secular and religious volunteers to live together.
The house is kosher and allows Shabbat observance according to law. The house is close to different Jewish community centers including the Jewish Agency facilities as well as a synagogue and various educational centers. Its purpose is for the volunteers to live a safe and comfortable life to allow them to focus on the mission of volunteering.
The volunteer center symbolizes a place of meeting for a broad spectrum of religious approaches and of Judaism which is diverse.
Enrichment Programs for volunteers
TEN volunteers undergo training before and after arrival at the Center. The training is designed to prepare participants for group life, the volunteering experience, and it enables a connection to the wider global context in which Project TEN operates. The delegation opens with a week of orientation, an in-depth familiarity with the Center, the local staff, and the work that will take place in the field. They visit volunteering locations and are exposed to the local culture and lifestyle.
During the three months of volunteering, there are regular weekly meetings led by the Center’s Directors and Coordinators and in collaboration with local professionals. The meetings cover various topics such as international development, education and community, Sabbath and holiday activities, language and group time. The purpose of the meetings is to process the volunteering and group life experiences, to provide tools for the professional implementation of Project TEN’s educational and ethical model, to expose the volunteers to the culture and lifestyle of the community in which they live alongside their own identity as Jews, as Israelis and citizens of the world.
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The Volunteer Life
Residence: Residence: The volunteers share a common house in the heart of the Jewish community in Gonder. The residences are secure and equipped with a vegetarian kitchen and an equipped dining room, clean water, toilets, showers, a living room for activities and rest, balconies and common spaces.
Saturdays and Holidays: Every second weekend, participants are free to go and travel around the country. The program welcomes religious and secular participants. All activities on Saturdays and Jewish holidays are suitable for traditional observers. However, every participant is free to keep the Sabbath as they see fit.
Hiking and Travel Recommendations: Gondar itself is a city with a rich and impressive history with great importance for the ancient and unique Ethiopian culture. As a part of the Axum Empire and its successors, Gondar has some of the most interesting and richest local palaces of the period. Going on trips and tourist attractions from Gondar is very comfortable since it is close to important and interesting sites in Ethiopia such as the Simian Mountains, Behar Dar, Auramba and more.
Cost
The 3 month cohorts cost 5,000 Israeli Shekel. This includes: accommodation, three nutritious meals a day, clean water, transportation to volunteer sites, professional staff in the field, basic Wi-Fi and security. The cost does not include: flights, health insurance, vaccines, visas and free weekends.