Saharawi refugee children learn English and music over 4 years in a bespoke curriculum  at Desert Voicebox 5 times a week and are taught by locally sourced Sandblast-trained Saharawi women. As there is no running water nearby we would like to provide the children learning at Desert Voicebox with access to clean water by installing a 1000 litre water tank.

Saharawi refugee women are at the heart of delivering English language education to primary school aged children at our Desert Voicebox afterschool programme, based in camps near Tindouf in SW Algeria. Throughout the academic year, up to 80 children learn at four progressive levels, five days a week, in a 4 years-long curriculum.

Sandblast has taken on the mission of providing opportunities for local refugee women, who were not able to go to university, to develop careers locally and become educational leaders in their community in order to drive the Desert Voicebox project forward. The training  provided since the project started, in 2016, has had and continues to have a life-changing impact on them. 

This training opportunity in Algiers, over the summer of 2023, will vitally help our  DV teachers to strengthen their skills in English language teaching to improve the quality of the learning experience for the Saharawi refugee children enrolled at Desert Voicebox.

Children growing up in the camps suffer from a lack of quality and fun activities to grow outside the classroom and to develop their potential and creative voices. Lack of positive stimulation is an endemic problem. The special workshops run by our international volunteers provide excitement and variety for the children, who always look forward to their next learning adventure in these workshops. Having air-conditioners at our Desert Voicebox learning centre is not a luxury. It's a necessity! We hope to raise enough funds to support 2 volunteers to run month long workshops every year.  

More frequent extreme weather in the Saharawi refugee camps is causing havoc with life which is already precarious for the majority of the population living in that part of the inhospitable Saharan desert of SW Algeria. Most buildings are not built to deal with freak heavy rains. Help us put a more solid roof on to protect our learning centre against heavy rains in the future.

Room to Grow: Building a Brighter Future for Saharawi Children

In the heart of Boujdour camp, children gather each day in Desert Voicebox seeking something rare: a space where they can learn, express themselves, and feel hopeful about their future. Their teachers -dedicated Saharawi women trained through our programme- work tirelessly to guide them through music, language, and creativity. What we build together at Desert Voicebox is more than a classroom; it’s a sanctuary for confidence, imagination, and belonging.

As our programme grows, so does our vision. To continue nurturing these young voices and strengthening the teachers who lead them, we are ready to create something special: an additional learning space designed for empowerment, creativity, and community.

Our Goal: £20,000 to Build a New Desert Voicebox Learning Space

With your support, we aim to build and fully furnish a much-needed additional learning room in time for the 2026–27 academic year. This new space will include:

• A dedicated teacher training room, giving our Saharawi educators the professional environment they deserve
  
  

• A versatile creative workshop space for music, art and cultural expression
  
  

• A comfortable student learning room that supports focused, joyful lessons
  
  

• An adjacent toilet facility, offering the basic dignity every teacher and child deserves

Why This Space Matters

This expansion is more than bricks and mortar. For Saharawi women and children, it represents opportunity, stability, and long-term sustainability for the entire programme.

A new DV space will allow us to:

• Reach more children as demand continues to rise
  

• Strengthen teacher training and development
  

• Improve the quality of lessons currently limited by space
  

• Support potential programme expansion beyond primary school level
  
  

• Create a safe, vibrant hub for creativity, music, and learning

Why Now

Desert Voicebox has reached a defining moment. Our teaching, training, and creative activities are expanding, and to continue offering the quality our children deserve, we need a second space built with care and purpose. This is our chance to strengthen the foundation of the programme and shape its future.

You Can Help Us Build Something Beautiful

Your support will create a space where Saharawi children feel seen and supported, and where their teachers can continue growing into strong, confident educators.

Together, we can build and expand a place where Saharawi voices rise, and futures begin.

Sandblast 2026 Teacher Training Residential: Strengthening Desert Voicebox from the Ground Up

At the heart of Desert Voicebox is a bold vision: to empower Saharawi children through education while training local women to become teachers, leaders, and role models in their own communities.

In the summer of 2026, we are taking the next crucial step with a three-week residential teacher training programme in Oran, Algeria.

This programme is about more than teaching: it is a long-term investment in empowerment, self-sufficiency, and community-led education. By equipping Saharawi women with advanced skills in language instruction, creative pedagogy, curriculum design, and classroom management, Desert Voicebox ensures that the women who lead the classrooms today can shape the generations of tomorrow.

The residential will allow teachers to:

• Deepen their expertise across all levels of Desert Voicebox, ensuring children have a strong foundation in literacy, language, and creativity

• Grow as educators and mentors, with structured professional development pathways that build confidence and leadership

• Explore curriculum adaptations for future middle school students, supporting the programme’s expansion and long-term sustainability

• Connect with international educators and partner organisations, strengthening a collaborative network of knowledge and support

By investing in this training, donors are supporting the core of Desert Voicebox itself: the women who make the classrooms come alive, who inspire, guide, and uplift.

It’s a chance to create lasting impact by nurturing teachers who rise beyond their immediate circumstances, who lead with skill and confidence, and who bring knowledge and hope to the most marginalised children in their communities.

Invest in Desert Voicebox teachers today: Empower women, transform communities, and shape the future of Saharawi education.

With your support, Desert Voicebox students can enjoy termly outings to the refugee camp’s sparsely located  gardens and small oases, where they can relax, play, share meals, and connect across all 4 programme levels.

We wish for the funds to arrange transport and food for refugee children growing up in harsh desert conditions to experience simple moments of joy and discovery. These outings strengthen community bonds, nurture confidence, and give children a break from their everyday environment.