A nonprofit organization created by members of the UCLA community is looking for volunteers to teach English and math to students in Africa in upcoming months.
Former UCLA students created One Heart Source in 2008 in response to an HIV/AIDS crisis in Tanzania. Alumnus Hori Moroaica founded the organization and is currently its CEO. John Freedman, another alumnus, acts as the chief financial officer and programs director.
The first One Heart Source volunteer program focused on the construction of a sustainable orphanage. The organization now also emphasizes educating youth by sending volunteers to different schools in Africa, said Kevin Schmidt, a UCLA alumnus who volunteers for One Heart Source.
Schmidt began working with One Heart Source during his second year at UCLA. He continued to come back to the volunteer programs in Tanzania and in Zanzibar and is now involved in One Heart Source events and fundraising, among other programs.
“We grew into our role and into the school systems in these African communities. Teaching about health is important, but if they can’t read, it makes it very difficult. So we had to start at square one,” Schmidt said.
To participate in the volunteer programs, students must submit an online application. All applicants must also go through a preliminary interview and a final interview and present a lesson plan to organization members.
“One Heart Source looks for someone who can work with kids and can handle the unpredictable situations in that environment,” Schmidt said.
The programs cost from about $1,300 to $3,000 and varies depending on the trip taken.
As part of the One Heart Source programs, teachers have volunteers prepare lesson plans based on the needs of the students. Volunteers also act as teachers’ assistants, and other responsibilities include mentoring one or two students in reading comprehension and math.
Tsovinar Karapetyan, a fourth-year sociology student, spent last summer as a volunteer teaching English and math to students in a primary school in Hout Bay, South Africa.
There were about 50 students in the classroom where Karapetyan worked. She said her positive experience in the program encouraged her to become an official ambassador for the group.
“The kids brought so much energy and liveliness,”Karapetyan said. “Despite the lack of resources and the conditions, it was nice to be there because they taught me so much and we got really attached.”
To participate in the program, students must submit their applications by Friday.