Local teachers begin volunteer programme

TWO Dublin TEFL teachers will depart for Myanmar (formerly Burma) this month to begin a 12-month volunteering placement with international development organisation, Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) Ireland.

Miriam Rutherford, from Clontarf and Olga Torres, from Dublin city but originally from Mexico, will work as English Language Teacher Trainers in Myanmar.

Poverty is endemic in Myanmar, a country in south-east Asia that has recently emerged from four decades of military dictatorship. Since independence in 1948, the provision of education services has been poor and sporadic.

According to the Myanmar government, over one third of the population is living in extreme poverty and 55 per cent are classed as unemployed.

Both women will train local academic staff in a number of English Language schools to improve English language proficiency and teaching methodology.

This is the first time that VSO has worked with State education institutions in Myanmar and the first international volunteers to work with Government agencies in decades.

Prior to her departure, Miriam said:

“The challenges in education in Myanmar are quite large but the way VSO is working means that they can be overcome by putting people at the heart of the development process and working in partnership with local people.

?

Olga said she was absolutely thrilled and excited to be volunteering with VSO.

“This is an opportunity to contribute at a higher level in the fight against poverty by sharing my skills and experiences and I would urge other teachers to consider volunteering with VSO,

? she said.

Miriam and Olga are part of a larger project that includes 20 other teacher trainers working across 18 education colleges and two institutes of education.

They will train existing teachers in the latest child-centred teaching methodologies and raise awareness of the importance of using resources to stimulate learning.

VSO is an international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty. Working in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, volunteers commit to spending 12 months living and working with marginalised communities to help lift them out of poverty.

VSO is currently recruiting experienced teachers, principals, nurses and doctors for departure in late 2014 and early 2015.