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Online Volunteer Opportunity

Can you dedicate one hour a week?​

We’re inviting volunteers from around the world to join our online teaching programme – helping children at the Happy House Children’s Home in Watamu, Kenya, to build their reading, writing, and maths skills. 

Your time, encouragement, and kindness can make a lifelong difference – while you develop valuable skills, connect across cultures, and become part of our global Happy House family.

How It Works

  1. Register your interest using the form below

  2. You’ll be invited to the next online information session to learn more and ask questions

  3. Complete a short online training, including:
    • The culture of Kenya and life at the Happy House
    • Tips and tools for teaching online
    • Safeguarding and working safely with children
    • Teaching young second-language learners

  4. Start leading a one-hour weekly sessions with a small group of children via Zoom.

  5. After 12 weeks, children who are ready take an assessment to earn a Happy House Literacy or Numeracy Certificate.

  6. You’ll receive full support from our local team and trustees every step of the way. We will have regular ‘check in’ meetings with you.

Sign up for more information below

What will I teach?

Each child will first complete an initial assessment to identify which areas they are confident in and which learning blocks they need to work on.

A block usually matches one volunteer period –  typically 12 weeks of one hour per week – though this can be adjusted if students progress faster.

At the end of a block, we’ll use feedback from the volunteer to decide if the student is ready to take an internal assessment for that unit.

When you sign up and complete the short training, you’ll be assigned:

  • A small group of students, and
  • A specific block (topic) to teach.

We’ll provide:

  • Lesson ideas and activity suggestions
  • Practice questions similar to those that appear
Block Theme Focus
1 Communication & Foundations Speaking, listening, phonics, simple words
2 Reading for Meaning Understanding short texts
3 Writing for Purpose Building sentences & basic grammar
4 Everyday Communication Applying literacy in real life
Block Theme Focus
1 Numbers Around Us Counting, comparing, basic operations
2 Everyday Maths Money, time, everyday problem-solving
3 Measure & Shape Length, size, weight, 2D shapes
4 Data & Real-Life Problem Solving Sorting, charts, practical maths