Desert Voicebox is a unique early-learning project that trains local teachers to provide English language and music education, over the course of four years, to Saharawi children living in refugee camps in SW Algeria. Currently, it is the only after school programme offering primary school-age children opportunities to learn these skills in fun and stimulating ways outside the classroom.

Since its humble beginnings as a pilot project in 2016, Desert Voicebox (formerly known as Stave House in the Sahara) has steadily grown to become an established and valued programme in the community. So far, we have trained four Saharawi refugee women to teach and run the programme, and to drive its future expansion in the camps.

Scroll down to learn more about how the project works and how you can support our work. For a quick, easy to read summary of the project, download our brochure.

We have prioritised recruiting women who did not finish secondary school but are passionate about teaching children. Prior to the pandemic training was primarily done by volunteers on-site. During the pandemic, it continued remotely but due to poor connectivity issues were primarily mediated through WhatsApp.

English and music are taught in a mutually-reinforcing manner through a curriculum that spans four levels. Guided by the CEFR framework a be-spoke English curriculum has been developed by TEFL-qualified volunteers to help the students achieve good speaking and listening skills and a solid foundation in reading and writing. 

For music education, we use the Stave House music method. Developed by Sandblast Friend Ruth Travers, who donated the system to the camps, this method is based on storytelling and interactivity to engage the children's imagination and promote their creativity. Children passing each level of Stave House receive certificates from the London College of Music at the University of West London. 

In addition to the regular programme, we run special enrichment activities throughout the year.

These include:

1. Special annual creative workshops led by international artists and volunteers, who come for periods of between 2 to 4 weeks, each time. These workshops take place two to three times a year and aim to stimulate the student's learning in English through their interaction with fluent English speakers to enhance their communication skills and broaden their cultural horizons.


2. Weekly Saharawi music sessions led by local Saharawi artists in the camps to promote the children’s knowledge of their cultural roots. In these sessions the students focus on learning traditional dance, song and drumming and also are introduced to the-4 stringed tidinit to learn how to play it.


3. Our Saturday English bookclub to promote literacy and a love of reading in English. Native English speakers based in camp Boujdour, come three Saturdays a month to read stories to the DV students.  In these sessions they entertain and inspire through their story reading as well as help the students build vocabulary and improve their pronunciation and reading skills. Whenever possible special guests visiting the camps are invited to read to the children, like Dr Patrick Rankhumise who launched the English Bookclub in Nov 2022 and read the story of Greta Thunberg.


4. Penpal links between Desert Voicebox and English speaking primary schools around the world. These links are primarily mediated through WhatsApp and aim to promote child to child communication in English and involve cultural and creative exchanges to build understanding and friendship with children in diverse countries.


5. Student-led projects that engage them with their elders to activate the oral transmission of cultural knowledge between generations around such topics as learning about their Hassaniya proverbs and the nomadic life of their ancestors.

Teaching English and music (neither of which are taught in primary schools in the camps) equips Saharawi children with the skills and knowledge to open new doors and express themselves and their culture to wider audiences. Furthermore, Desert Voicebox is responding to the dire need for extracurricular activities that will engage children in fun, creative and productive ways to keep them off the streets and help tackle the rising problem of juvenile delinquency.

The main aim of Desert Voicebox is to equip the Saharawi refugee children, and the women who teach them, with the tools to improve their lives and to help them turn their dreams into reality.

We provide opportunities for the beneficiaries to develop their potential,  become ambassadors for their community, raise international awareness of their plight, promote their culture and transform their future.

Since 2016, Desert Voicebox has evolved to provide benefits in a number of ways:

Although Saharawi women play important roles in camp life and in the peaceful advocacy of their rights, they face socio-cultural forces that undermine their development and fuller participation. They are expected to be the main carers of the family, which leads to higher drop out rates amongst female students who leave the camps for higher education.

Through Desert Voicebox, women aspiring to develop professionally will have real chances to do so, without leaving the camps. They will also be able to transfer their skills anywhere they go.

Since 2016, we have recruited and trained four Saharawi women to teach and run the programme in order to play a pivotal role in driving its future expansion to all the camps. We prioritise hiring young Saharawi women who have not finished secondary school to provide them with opportunities to develop careers locally and reduce their aid dependency.

"I was treated like a family member from the first moment.The generosity and hospitality is part of who the Saharawis are."

If you are passionate about creative education and want to share your skills to contribute to meaningful and positive change, then volunteering for Desert Voicebox is perfect for you! We have a wide range of opportunities available - download our info pack or get in touch to learn more.

In response to this feedback, our aims over the next few years are to:

We realise that our goals for Desert Voicebox are ambitious. But we are driven by the knowledge that the project is valued, needed and is having a positive impact on the lives of Saharawi refugee women and children in the camps. To achieve these goals, we will need stable and substantial long term funding. So far, despite the numerous applications we have done over the last few years, this funding has eluded us.

Friends and supporters, here we are, turning to you for ideas, strategies and any help you can give with your skills, experience and time to put together strong funding applications.

Can you help us with guidance and advice? Do you know about any potential benefactors/patrons who would be interested in providing the funding we need?

Please get in touch - we can't wait to hear from you!