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Sandblast -a UK charity promoting awareness of the plight of the indigenous Saharawi of Western Sahara. The majority have been refugees in the harsh SW corner of the Algerian Sahara since 1975. Through educational, arts and skills development projects, we aim to provide opportunities for young people to have brighter futures and
to highlight their threatened cultural heritage.
the The Latest:
JANUARY 2020
• Our early-learning project in the Saharawi refugee camps, known as Stave House in the Sahara, is renamed DESERT VOICEBOX JUNIOR ACADEMY. This change marks not only the start of a new decade but, more importantly, reflects the significant developments and growth of the project over the past 12 months.
Since it was first launched as a pilot, 4 years ago, it has gone from teaching 30 students in a borrowed primary school classroom to teaching over 70 students in its own independent centre with 4 classrooms. It has gone from teaching music in English (using the innovative Stave House method), to teaching Music and English, with separate curricula for each subject. We are proud to say that the project now boasts primary school children enthusiastically expressing their interests and dreams for their future in English. (Click here to view a short video). We are also keen to highlight that the learning opportunities offered by our after-school programme are unique in the refugee camps.
In the past year, the project has also introduced the learning of Saharawi music and traditional instrument playing and organised, for the first time, special music workshops to expose the children to diverse music styles/traditions and teaching methods. The two workshops, in 2019, were led by musicians from Romania (AB Music Academy ) and Spain (440hz Centre of Scenic Arts). Currently, the children in Desert Voicebox are being taught by 4 local teachers and one local musician. By Sept 2021, we aim to be able to deliver a 4-year programme of English language and Music learning to the children enrolled in Desert Voicebox.
As always we are looking for material donations and volunteers to support the project in different ways. Our volunteering scheme, Friends of Desert Voicebox, provides a living stipend to qualified volunteers who go out to the camps for periods of one to two months, to do further teacher training and work with the children to stimulate their growth and learning. For professional musicians, who volunteer their time to run the special workshops, the scheme covers all the costs (flight and camp stay).
If you are interested or would like to find out more please contact us. And of course, we always welcome donations. These are vital to keep our work going and growing. Please don't be shy. Anything and everything makes a difference.
Please click here to donate now.
• Jan 8th-Volunteers Andy Pitts and Georgia Lomax Thorpe both head out in the new year to the refugee camps in support of Desert Voicebox Junior Academy. Over 5 weeks, Andy will be focusing on creating the framework for teaching English to level 4 and Georgia will be developing the children's musicality and doing choir work with them. We are enormously grateful to both of them for their time, dedication and generous spirit..
October 2019
• Sandblast director Danielle Smith and project manager Violeta Ruano travelled to the camps to assess the progress of the Desert Voicebox Academy project. During their visit they oversaw the Stave House certificate-giving ceremony for the children who passed their Level 2 exams.
JANUARY 2020
• Our early-learning project in the Saharawi refugee camps, known as Stave House in the Sahara, is renamed DESERT VOICEBOX JUNIOR ACADEMY. This change marks not only the start of a new decade but, more importantly, reflects the significant developments and growth of the project over the past 12 months.
Since it was first launched as a pilot, 4 years ago, it has gone from teaching 30 students in a borrowed primary school classroom to teaching over 70 students in its own independent centre with 4 classrooms. It has gone from teaching music in English (using the innovative Stave House method), to teaching Music and English, with separate curricula for each subject. We are proud to say that the project now boasts primary school children enthusiastically expressing their interests and dreams for their future in English. (Click here to view a short video). We are also keen to highlight that the learning opportunities offered by our after-school programme are unique in the refugee camps.
In the past year, the project has also introduced the learning of Saharawi music and traditional instrument playing and organised, for the first time, special music workshops to expose the children to diverse music styles/traditions and teaching methods. The two workshops, in 2019, were led by musicians from Romania (AB Music Academy ) and Spain (440hz Centre of Scenic Arts). Currently, the children in Desert Voicebox are being taught by 4 local teachers and one local musician. By Sept 2021, we aim to be able to deliver a 4-year programme of English language and Music learning to the children enrolled in Desert Voicebox.
As always we are looking for material donations and volunteers to support the project in different ways. Our volunteering scheme, Friends of Desert Voicebox, provides a living stipend to qualified volunteers who go out to the camps for periods of one to two months, to do further teacher training and work with the children to stimulate their growth and learning. For professional musicians, who volunteer their time to run the special workshops, the scheme covers all the costs (flight and camp stay).
If you are interested or would like to find out more please contact us. And of course, we always welcome donations. These are vital to keep our work going and growing. Please don't be shy. Anything and everything makes a difference.
Please click here to donate now.
• Jan 8th-Volunteers Andy Pitts and Georgia Lomax Thorpe both head out in the new year to the refugee camps in support of Desert Voicebox Junior Academy. Over 5 weeks, Andy will be focusing on creating the framework for teaching English to level 4 and Georgia will be developing the children's musicality and doing choir work with them. We are enormously grateful to both of them for their time, dedication and generous spirit..
October 2019
• Sandblast director Danielle Smith and project manager Violeta Ruano travelled to the camps to assess the progress of the Desert Voicebox Academy project. During their visit they oversaw the Stave House certificate-giving ceremony for the children who passed their Level 2 exams.
