English Teacher Trainer in Saharawi Refugee Camps

About Sandblast Arts

Founded in 2005, Sandblast is a volunteer-led London-based charity dedicated to amplifying the voices and preserving the culture of the Saharawi refugees of Western Sahara. For nearly two decades, we’ve combined education, creativity, and advocacy to raise global awareness of their struggle for self-determination and to create lasting opportunities for their youth.

Our Flagship Programme: Desert Voicebox

Located in the Boudjour refugee camp in Algeria, Desert Voicebox is a pioneering after-school programme that provides English and music education to Saharawi children while training local teachers to become confident, creative educators. Since 2016, it has been the only initiative in the camps offering this kind of extracurricular learning - nurturing both self-expression and hope for the future.

Why Volunteer with Us?

Volunteering with Sandblast is more than an educational experience — it’s a cultural exchange and a chance to make a lasting impact in a community too often overlooked.

As part of our close-knit international team, you’ll:

• Share your expertise where it’s needed most, in a community with few educational resources.
• Work directly with Saharawi women educators, building skills, confidence, and classroom creativity.
• Gain profound insight into refugee education, cultural resilience, and community-led development.

We support our volunteers every step of the way - helping with visa guidance, travel arrangements, and accommodation with a welcoming local host family.

The Role: Teacher Trainer

We’re looking for skilled and adaptable English educators to lead practical, hands-on training workshops for Saharawi teachers. You’ll help build their pedagogical skills, confidence, and creativity - ensuring that children in the camps can access a more engaging, dynamic education.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading interactive, culturally relevant teacher-training sessions.
• Adapting curriculum materials for resource-limited classrooms.
• Demonstrating effective lesson planning and classroom management strategies, among other skills.
• Sharing games, music, and movement-based techniques to make learning fun and memorable.

Who We’re Looking For

• Experienced English teachers or teacher trainers (TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, or similar).
• A background in mentoring or training other educators.
• Flexibility, empathy, and creativity in low-resource settings.
• Fluency in English (native-level preferred)
• Experience working in refugee, rural, or underserved communities is highly valued.

Commitment

• Minimum 2 weeks in-person at the refugee camps, between September 2025 - May 2026.
• 3-4 days per week of on-the-ground teaching and mentoring.
• Preparation period: virtual collaboration with our London team to develop lesson plans and materials.

How to Apply

Email commssandblast@gmail.com with your CV and a short statement (3-5 sentences) on:

• Why you’d like to volunteer as a teacher trainer, and
• When you’d be available between September 2025 - April 2026.

Join us in turning creativity and solidarity into education that lasts a lifetime.