Volunteering with Sustainable East Africa on the Creative Festival of Water (Tamasha Bunifu la Maji)
Skills and interests questionnaire
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Sustainable East Africa!
To ensure you get the most out of your volunteer experience on the festival, please fill in this questionnaire about your skills, interests, and personal objectives for your time volunteering with us.
Why do we need to ask these questions?
It is not a test! There are no right or wrong answers. We will use your answers to these questions to try and place you in roles which match most closely your skills and experience, and will enable you to meet your hopes and expectations for what you would like to get out of your volunteer experience.
Not only do we want you to be happy and enjoy your time with us, we know that you will be more enthusiastic if you are doing something you enjoy, are good at, and that you know will open doors in the future.
However we ask you to remember that volunteering is all about new experiences, and Sustainable East Africa aim to meet local needs, so all our projects are designed to address locally-identified needs and priorities – so we hope you will also be open to trying something new that you might not have considered before.
All our project partners whom we work with are highly motivated and inspiring individuals and groups, who have approached us with a desire to learn, so we are sure you will have a rewarding experience.
Please therefore give us as much information as you can about yourself, what you can do, and what you want to get out of your volunteer experience.
A note about working hours: we realise that the hours you may have available may be during the run up to the Festival, or just prior and during the event. They may be a small amount of hours, or full time. You will naturally be expected to fit in with the work schedule of the people you are working with, but hours can be flexible. We will discuss this with you. In return, you should be prepared to be adaptable…. And often patient!
Thank you – and karibu Tamasha Bunifu la Maji (Swahili for ‘welcome to the
Creative Festival of Water’)!
Nell Hamilton
Founder and Director, Sustainable East Africa
Rebecca Maguire
Creative Festival of Water co-ordinator, Sustainable East Africa
Disclaimer:
While we will try and match a project as closely as possible to your goals, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to offer exactly what you are looking for or that we will be able to accept all applicants.
As we have a number of volunteers coming and going, if you are applying a long time ahead of when you will be coming, it is likely that the Festival will advance and so the activities we suggest at time of application may not end up being what you do. We will keep you informed of any changes.
Our way of operating is to liaise closely with our local partners and to respond to the needs they express, so be prepared for the Festival to evolve.
It is also possible that some projects may end up closing due to circumstances beyond our control, in which case we will do our best to offer an alternative suitable placement.
Sustainable East Africa Prospective Volunteer Questionnaire
Today’s date ……………………….
ABOUT YOU
NameAge and Date of Birth
Education: / In progress / Completed / Subject area(s)
High school
Bachelor’s degree
Higher degree
Other:
Is there anything about you that we should be aware of during your placement e.g., allergies, dietary restrictions, medical conditions, religious restrictions to working on particular days…
Are you currently living in Zanzibar?
Where do you live eg Matemwe, Mbweni, etc?
Would you meet us mostly in town or in Matemwe?
Would you wish to contribute remotely ie via the internet?
WHAT CAN YOU OFFER?
The Festival is currently scheduled for the end of March 2015. For how long are you available to volunteer? Please give dates and amount of time per week (even if provisional)
What experience and skills do you bring?
Although no specific qualifications are necessary to volunteer with us beyond a desire to make a difference and a shared belief in our goals, for the Festival we are seeking volunteers with specific skills and experience to share. Please therefore let us know if you have any experience in the following areas. The more information you give us, the more we can help find a perfect niche for you.
Experience / Please give detailsCreative Festival Administration and Co-ordination
Marketing skills
Communication skills / social networking
Web development / CMS
Mobile technology programming
Fundraising
Design skills
Artistic and creative skills: visual arts – painting, video, mixed media, sculpture, printing, photography or any other
Artistic and creative skills: performance based – music, poetry, dance, acting, singing or any other
Working with children or community groups on arts projects – craftwork, graphic design, sculpture, painting, music, jewellery… any other!
Teaching swimming to children / adults?
Teaching about the intersection between health and water?
Experience in East Africa, Swahili culture and language (for language, see also below)
Any other specific experience relating to the Creative Festival that you think might be relevant – this could be something related to the theme of WATER as well as arts or event related.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO DO?
What kind of work are you hoping to do?
Do you have a general preference towards a particular activity or area of contribution towards the Festival?
Is this placement a course requirement?
Is this experience part of the requirement for a qualification, towards which certain experience or outputs are required? Please give details.
Are you looking for specific experience to help on your way to a career goal?
What is your career / career goals and are there any aspects of our work in which you are aiming to gain specific relevant experience through your internship?
Do you have access to a computer?
Many of our project activities involve using a computer – entering information, developing materials or other. Access to a computer would enable you to do more. (Many volunteers have access to a small netbook or laptop, but this is not a requirement).
Your level of Kiswahili?
What level of Kiswahili language do you have? If not your mother-tongue, are you interested/ willing to take Swahili lessons while you are in Zanzibar (this will greatly increase your ability to engage with local people and help you get more from your experience, as well as enable you to make a larger contribution to the Festival).
Language level: please state a) basic, b) intermediate c) good conversationalPlus any details.
The Festival will be involving different partners and different age groups. Which of the following groups would you be interested to work with (Please indicate all that apply):
Schools and formal education / classesExtracurricular activities e.g. school environment clubs
Community groups, environment clubs,or NGOs
Women, women’s groups and co-operatives
Fishers
Farmers
Rural communities
Tourists / the tourist industry
Other (relating to the skills you bring) – Please give details:
All / any of the above according to local needs
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Please give any further details or relevant information to help us match you with the right project.
Many thanks for filling this out – please email it now to:
If you’ve any questions about it do also feel free to email your questions – we will get back to you as swiftly as possible.
Sustainable East Africa has, or is planning, projects in a number of different project areas. If you want to know more about these – please visit our website at