Language Lessons and Cultural Immersion Program

STAESA Language and Cultural Immersion program promotes and enhances language studies and intercultural exchange aimed at developing long-term international relations and understanding, and exposing our program participants to the tourist sites. STAESA offices organize home stays for groups and individuals who wish to learn and build upon their French language, English language, or any local languages while being totally immersed in the related African culture. Also included in the program is volunteer work in an orphanage, HIV/AIDS homes and school. The program is full of fun, with lots of activities. Take a short break to Africa, be it academic or work, and enjoy this wonderful experience with us. STAESA's Language and Culture Immersion Program can be incorporated into other programs or university/college study programs to put your area of studies skills to work and to earn your academic credit. Everyone can join us. Non-students and Students can be part of this wonderful program. STAESA receives program participants from all over the world -- From every country and every nation we make it happen.

This program includes: language lessons of your choice (French, English or African local language lesson), an informative and action-packed mini-adventure, volunteer work, fund raising activities and other village activities such as project creation and adoption with local folks.

This program is divided into two options:

1. Internship - For academic credit and job promotion.
2. Volunteer - Not for academic credit and not for job promotion (every thing included except submission of report for academic and job promotion). Volunteers add this program to their normal full time volunteer program.

Number of Program Participants:

1. Preferably two or more in a group
2. There are also provisions for an individual to have this amazing experience

Program starts:

March to May / June to July / August to September / October to December

Fees for the Internship Program:

Discount for volunteers/interns

South Africa:

Cameroon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia

Benin, Ghana, and Togo

Please kindly note below the discounted fees for full time volunteers/interns for any other programs who want to do language and culture immersion program as an additional program:

Program fees include: Accommodation (budgeted), all meals (budgeted), transport to the village program, language lesson and culture immersion, volunteer, airport pick up, orientation, transportation for mini-adventure. The program fees cover most everything but exclude the following - your flight fare, insurance, Internal travel, medications, phone calls and emails.

Program Outline:

1: Pick up and Transfer

Volunteers will arrive at the international airports, be picked up and transfered to STAESA's office, and then Introduced to the program facilitators, staff, and the host families. The volunteers will spend the rest of their day with their families.

2: Orientation

Orientation at student's travel and exposure South Africa (STAESA's) offices. Orientation covers teaching, orphanage and HIV/AIDS issues (1-hour Guest lecture), field condition, host families or anticipated living conditions, safety issues, climate expectations, working projects, language and culture immersion program and any other related topics. Immediately after the orientation, STAESA's staff will take you for a visit of the community.

3: Language Lessons and Cultural Immersion Program

Intensive Language Lessons and Volunteer Program begins.

4: Cultural Immersion Program

Living with the local people and get oneself immersed into the culture, Cultural tour to the villages, - learn and put your language lessons into practice (wonderful experience). Meeting host families members, village members, leaders including the chief, witnessing local marriage ceremony / child naming ceremony, drumming and dancing, kitchen program (how to prepare local food), intensive supervision and co-ordination (complete and submitted report about the program participants participation, and conflict resolution.

5: End of Program

The program ends by farewell lunch with host family and then meeting the chief and elders to say good-bye.

Please complete the application form and submit it to us. As soon as we get your information, we will then get back to you with an itinerary of that particular country you are interested in.

Copyright (c) 2006 STAESA.

Tel: +27 (11) 910 4095  |  Email: info@staesa.org