The word volunteer brings to mind someone who goes out into the field and physically gives of themselves to help others. This can be done through looking after animals, teaching children new skills, building structures and so many more. And what a wonderful way to give back! According to the International Labour Organizations Statistics, it is estimated that there are 970 million volunteers worldwide.

There are so many benefits for those receiving, but also for those giving.

Individuals experience the development of new skills, being part of a community, meeting new people with similar interests, a gain in confidence, reduced stress and anxiety, extra endorphins and the ability to make a difference.

However, volunteering isn’t limited to being in a particular place at a certain time.

Virtual volunteering, especially now in the time of COVID, has changed this. It is an efficient, easily accessible, flexible and convenient way to help others and give back to your community.

Sites such as ForGood, Volunteer Match and Engage are great places to find the perfect form of volunteering suited to your skills, needs and location, whether in-person or virtually.

So, what about Book Village?

We provide our volunteer community with access to digital tutoring where they help learners from low-income areas learn to read for meaning and enjoyment. The children we help are from overcrowded and under resourced schools where teachers are far too overextended to support their learners individually. Human connection is an essential part of the learning-to-read process and so the Book Village app ensures that each learner receives one-on-one attention with a live tutor.

Along with all the positive benefits of virtual volunteering, the reading sessions on the Book Village app are no longer than 20 minutes each, which benefits our volunteers who are pressed for time in their busy schedules. It is up to them how many sessions they want to teach a day or week. There is no prep involved for volunteers in all reading sessions and tutors can teach a child to read on the app from anywhere in the world.

The Book Village app is efficient, measurable, easy to use, and convenient for all our volunteers and if you want to become a tutor and help our children learn to read go to https://bookvillage.co.za/ and sign up.

We would love to have you as part of our community!

Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash