South Africa
As an Education Volunteer, Andrew primarily provided direct classroom instruction to grades six through nine in English, Mathematics, and Natural Science, as well as developing classroom management systems, creating and maintaining a portfolio of lesson plans for future use, and submitting classroom progress reports. Additionally, he assisted local teachers with lesson planning, exam writing/administration/grading, substitute teaching, technique feedback and basic computer use and maintenance. During school breaks, and towards the end of his service he improved school infrastructure (in tandem with school’s maintenance staff) by replacing all broken windows/doors/locks and made repairs to cracks in the floors and walls. After school Andrew taught courses in woodworking to community youth by obtaining grant money to purchase tools and lumber. All woodworking projects benefited local center for orphans and vulnerable children by providing furniture for the center including tables, chairs, desks, shelving, cabinets, countertops and sinks (with gray-water drainage).
A personal crowning achievement was the rehabilitation of a 25+ year old disused borehole. With the generous help of Roundabout Water Solutions, they removed the broken pump and flushed system. In accordance with sanitation standards of their partner NGO, they tested water samples for coliforms, E. coli, turbidity, various minerals, nitrates, sulfates, and phosphates. Finally, they replaced pump with merry-go-round pump structure, added water tower and filtration system.
