Short-term mission trips have started receiving a bad reputation, and for good reasons! (Check out this Hosea’s Heart blog from our director regarding short-term mission trips). We’re not here to hash out the criticisms of short-term mission trips, however, short-term trips are a little different with Hosea’s Heart because we want you to become a part of our team after your trip! While on the trip you will undoubtedly give of yourself and share Christ’s love, but we don’t want the experience to stop there. We believe short-term mission trips work best when they support a long-term mission. So, how can you support the long-term mission of Hosea’s Heart? Check out our ambassador trip!
Are you 18 years or older? Do you have any of the following skills or interests: tutoring, teaching, arts and crafts, group activities, sports, team building, vacation bible school, service projects, etc.? Do you live out your faith authentically and actively? Are you looking for an opportunity to challenge yourself and stretch your comfort zone in a meaningful way? The Ambassador Trip might be a great opportunity for you! Download the information packet below to learn more!
Home School Teacher
Hosea’s Heart seeks individuals dedicated to Christ and willing to immerse themselves in Swaziland. Becoming a home school teacher provides a unique opportunity to build relationships with the girls in the Hosea’s Heart home and invest in their lives. Classes are small and give ample opportunity for one on one interactions and meaningful relationships. Undoubtedly, you will leave changed and more self-aware. Teaching with Hosea’s Heart will be challenging, hard work, and an experience you and 16 girls will always remember.
Click “Apply Now” to view or download a detailed job description.
Teachers are asked to raise between $8,000-$10,000 per year. This includes airfare, housing, food, utilities,
and living expenses. There will be opportunities to travel. Bring extra money for personal trips, eating out, ect.
It is preferable for teachers to stay 2 years. We ask for at least a year commitment up front (three school terms) and then each person can evaluate if they are able to stay longer. The Swaziland school year runs January – December with three terms making up one year. Teachers do not have to start in January; the other terms begin in May and August with breaks between each term.
Hosea’s Heart rents a house in Manzini, Swaziland for volunteers and girls who are transitioning out of the home. The house is in town and in walking distance of grocery stores, shops, restaurants, and internet cafes (the house does not have internet). The neighborhood is safe and we have a guard dog. The house has running hot and cold water, electricity, refrigerator and a stove/oven. It is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a kitchen, dining room, living room, and garage. Most likely you will share a bedroom with another person. We call this place “Blossom House.”
You do not need a teaching degree. Preferably, teachers have a bachelor’s degree, however, we have accepted applicants with experience and an associate’s degree. Even though a teaching degree is not required, individuals must have a desire to teach others. Our director, Mary-Kate, is an English teacher by degree and can give guidance in Swaziland. Our home school curriculum is designed to be taught by individuals without a formal teaching degree but a willingness and desire to help others learn.
Most classes use an American home school curriculum called Lifepac from Alpha Omega Publications. It is easily broken down into units and chapters with a student workbook that includes worksheets, quizzes, and practice tests. There is also a teacher guide with answer keys and ideas for enrichment activities. Classes that do not use the Lifepac use the Swazi school books. A teacher from Swaziland teaches English and siSwati. Teachers are asked to work through the information in the student workbooks and then supplement it with additional homework and activities. The girls do about three hours of homework each night.
The school day starts at 7:40 AM with assembly lead by the teachers. The first class begins at 8 AM and each class is roughly an hour. The school day ends at 3 PM. The subjects are math, English, science, siSwati, Bible, life skills (lead by a social worker), geography, and history. Not every subject is taught every day. Each term a new Monday/Wednesday/Friday and a new Tuesday/Thursday schedule are made.
Each class is between two and four students.
Let us know if you have a preference for teaching a certain class, however, we cannot guarantee that you will be given that subject.
Hosea’s Heart accepts girls between the ages of 8 and 18. Since each girl comes from a different background and enters the home at a different age they are at varying educational levels. You will teach mostly middle and high school grade levels.
In addition to teaching there will also be opportunities to lead Bible studies, plan activities, and enrich the girls’ lives through your relationship with them. This experience will give back everything you put into it. There will be days at the girls’ home without school where you can have fun and live life with them.
Cell phones are prepaid in Swaziland and relativity inexpensive for data. Calling home via WhatsApp or other internet applications is very inexpensive. There are many internet cafes for emailing, social media, blogging, ect.
Yes! You need to apply separately and be married at least one year. Since engagement is a time to prepare for marriage we do not accept engaged couples.
Teachers must be at least 21 years old.
Most major loan providers allow for loan deferment under circumstances of public service. You will have to contact your loan provider to verify.
Send your resume and a 500-word personal statement to rachael@hoseasheart.org. The next step is a video interview followed by questions with a written response. Usually the process takes less than three weeks.
Is dreaming dangerous? For young girls in Swaziland, Africa, dreaming is a luxury. And hope is dangerous…when you have to sell your body for a bar of soap, when you have to live your nightmares every day. Hope—for a life of safety, for friends, for a childhood—is forever out of reach. But we if we could change that? What if we could pursue our dreams and in the process help these girls achieve their dreams—a dream for a dream?
Every day for 7 years Chris Owen swam, biked, and ran. His dream: qualify for and compete at the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. On October 13 2012, that dream came true, and in the process, so did the future dreams of young Swazi girls. After qualifying for the world championship, Owen started a fundrasier that invited individuals, families, organizations, and businesses to “sponsor” a mile of his Ironman race for $100. All of the proceeds benefited the future operation of the girls home (Hope for Life) in Swaziland. Collectively, the total funds raised was just over $6,000! Chris said, “Passionately pursuing my dream–the Ironman World Championships–has provided a tremendous platform to promote Hosea’s Heart. We can empower these girls to pursue their own dreams, and in the process, create a life filled with hope rather than fear and disappointment.”
It was through Chris’ dream that the very first funds for Hosea’s Heart were raised… it was his dream that helped to make it all happen. Since then, many other supporters have used their own gifts, talents, and passions to join the mission of Hosea’s Heart in beautifully unique ways, raising money, spreading awareness, and investing in the girls in Swaziland.
Do you have a dream? Would you be interested in leveraging that dream to help the young girls of Swaziland break the cycle of sexual abuse and pursue their own dreams? Hosea’s Heart encourages and supports unique, entrepreneurial ideas. Please contact us to share yours!