In this episode, I catch up with Sandra Hamrouni, who I first met several decades ago when we both went to Kenya, Africa, to teach English as volunteers for Voluntary Service Overseas, then a UK charity which is now more international in its structure.

Sandra and I talk about the training we underwent and the experiences of living in a country we had never visited before. We consider the impact that our teaching had on the children and adults who were learning English as a second, third or even fourth language.

We talk about the purpose, politics and impact of such voluntary work and ask ourselves, 'Who benefits most; the volunteers or the people they teach?'

Sandra then goes on to describe her working career which took her to many different countries including Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Spain, Tunisia, Syria, Oman, Bahrain, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Cyprus, Algeria and the United Kingdom.

The podcast will be of interest to intermediate and advanced students of English and to English Language Teachers, who might identify with some of the issues we discuss.

To find out more about Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) International please visit their website at: https://www.vsointernational.org/

To contact me about this podcast series, or to suggest future topics for discussion relating to the English Language, please contact me directly by email at: [email protected] or visit my website at: https://johnscottlawtonsenglishyouknow.wordpress.com/