Are you looking to make a difference in a child's life?
If you have passion, enthusiasm, and of course love working with children, this could be the perfect project for you. You will experience the satisfaction that comes from watching a child progress and develop. There has never been a better time to add value to one's life than when one is still a child. It is an important role, as those who participate in changing a child's life play an incredibly and valuable role in shaping the lives of future generations. The project mainly focuses on abandoned, orphaned and HIV positive children. You will be helping out at a centre that has approximately 90 children from the age of 1-6 years old. You will also have free time where you will explore and experience the Cape Town adventure; you could dive with shacks, hike through the stunning Cape region, sky dive, etc...The adventure is endless.
Trip
Highlights
- Experience first hand what it feels like to put a smile on a child's face
- Lay foundations of hope and future to orphaned and HIV positive children
- Get to live and experience life in one of the most beautiful parts of Cape Town
- Get to make new friends with other volunteers in the programme and see Cape Town
The Children
The children come from very disadvantaged backgrounds and some of them are orphaned. These children will give anything to have someone look after them to give them love, hope and support for the future.
Fast
Facts
| Project duration: | Min 1 week - Max 52 weeks .STARTS 1ST AND LAST WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH-EMAIL US FOR THE BEST DATE TO COME. |
| Project costs: |
1 Week - $295 Program Fee – Airport pick up Mondays and Tuesdays, Welcome orientation to Cape Town and a free surf lesson (please request this at Orientation if you wish to have one), program supervision, accommodation and self catering kitchen during volunteer placement period, and In-country administration costs, housing, electricity, water, food for the surf school and Soccer Project. |
| Location of the project: | The project is Capricorn in Muizenberg near Cape Town |
| Arrival Airport: | Cape Town (airport code CPT) |
| Activities: | Playing, teaching and caring for orphaned and HIV positive children. This will involved a great running around and loads of laughter |
| Working hours: | Monday to Friday 9am to 2pm, weekends are free |
| Getting to the project: | The Rainbow Educare Centre is approximately a 20-minutes walk away from where the volunteers will be staying |
| Requirements: | Minimum age 18 years and a short motivational letter |
What's
included?
| Accommodation: | Shared dormitory rooms in the volunteer house/ apartment |
| Food self catering: | Self-Catering allowance of R300 a week given to each person (+-$40 per week) (Volunteers usually shop and cook together) The shop is based 5-10 minutes' walk away |
| Airport Pick-up: | Pick-ups Included on Mondays and Tuesdays Only- Orientation Day begins on a Wednesday |
| Training: | In-country orientation |
| Support: | Pre-departure help desk, local in-country team and 24 hour emergency support |
What's
not included?
Flights, Insurance, Visas, Local Transport, Food
Volunteer Week - Child Care Project
Day 1: On the first day, the volunteers will be introduced to the staff and welcomed to the area, they will also get shown around the area they will be living in and taken on a fun Trip to Town (and get taught how to catch the trains
Day 2: Volunteers will be taken to the project and introduced to the Children and staff that volunteers will be working with.
A typical volunteer week will be as follows:
· Breakfast with other volunteers will be at 7:00-8am
· Volunteers will leave the house at 8am to walk to the project
· Volunteers will get to the project at about 8.20am where they will meet by the staff and placed in their placement.
· Work at the projects ends at 12.30pm. In your spare time you are free to do some shopping, Go exploring around the area, book a tour at our tour desk (5% discounts available) or visit places and relax at the volunteer house in their free time.
· Lunch will be from 1-2pm at the Volunteer House with other volunteers
· Dinner will be from 7-8pm pm at the Volunteer House with other volunteers
• 1 night a week is Social Night- where all the volunteers go out together.
Weekends: Sondays: Church day, you may choose a church, some options are: Hillsong Cape Town, The Bay Church Muizenberg, The full gospel Fish-hoek or visiting Churches in the Local Townships.
(We do ask that all our volunteers attend Church at least Once a week). The rest of the Weekend is free and volunteers will have time to relax or explore other parts of Cape Town and South Africa. Long weekends can be taken if volunteers need to go on safaris, or travel to places further away in Africa such as the Garden Route. Sunday is a rest and church day in South Africa. If volunteers wish they can accompany the program staff and township children to their local church.
Project
Overview
The Child Care Project involves working with children from 3 different educare centres in the township, namely, Sunrise Educare Centre, Ithemba and Little Shine. The children at the educare centres are children from very poor backgrounds and some of them have no parents and are being looked after by members of the community. The educare centres were started out of a desperate need for parenting and caring as many children were left alone to care for themselves and had no one to look after them. The centres aim to provide excellence in child care by working hand in hand with the community and all those who are willing to offer their time to help ensure that the children receive as much love and care as possible. The centres also focus their passion in caring for children into excellence in the centre's activities in order to strengthen child care. The centres are operating in the hands of their staff members. They are all operating and catering for needy children, sometimes the numbers get too much, which means there is a great need for volunteers. The children are from the ages of 1 to 6 years old. The Centre is run by very capable staff, thus as a volunteer you will not come to South Africa to carry all the load of caring for the children. The aim at the centres is to ensure that children grow up with stable and positive foundations. That they too will grow up to be strong and responsible citizens of our country.
Our Project aims to change as many children's lives as we possibly can, the Project has been running for over 3 years now and has already made a huge impact on the community. It welcomes volunteers coming over from all over the world to help teach the children and make a difference to the community and help the less-privileged. The project was founded with the aim to get children focused on going to school at an early age, to give them something constructive to do with their time whilst ministering into their lives and telling them about Jesus Christ at a young age.
Mandy the missionary says: "We have started the project to add back to our community in South Africa, too many children are suffering with no food and places to live, so we thought it was time we did something to change the sad suffering. We aim at getting the children's lives focused on going to school, engaging in healthy eating habits and to also create a stable Christian based foundation in their lives and make them happier. I was tired of seeing children resorting to substance abuse because of disadvantages in their upbringing. I wanted to make them happier so I decided to do something about it. Now it's so amazing to see the change that has taken over their lives since the project started. They are much happier and healthy now. This is the most rewarding feeling for me and "You" the Volunteer". During surfing advice on healthy eating and teaching the children manners and private counselling for if the children needs someone to talk to about their day to day problems at home- the counselling is done by Volunteers through the church and Our other Co-ordinators and volunteers.
Location
The educare centres are located in Capricorn which is approximately 20min walk from the house/apartment where the volunteers will be staying. Muizenberg is only a 20-minute drive away from Cape Town and is a very well known and sought-after holiday destinations, located on the eastern shore of False Bay
Accommodation
and Food
The place the Volunteers will be staying at is a clean modern volunteer house/apartment. The place sleeps 4 to 8 people. (If the Volunteer requires their own room this is also available at a different price) You will be supplied with fresh bedding on arrival. The house/apartment is close to the beach (2mins walk) so there is no need for Transport. A budget of approximately +-$40 (R300) will be set aside for your food. The volunteers do cook for themselves this way they have flexibility and can eat at the time they wish. The Volunteers Mostly Cook their meals together and usually shop together too, this creates the family vibe a lot more.
Project
Life
Once arrived in Cape Town, you will be picked up at the airport by the shuttle driver and taken to the place you will be staying. (pick-ups on Mondays and Tuesdays only) On the first day you will have an induction to the area.
On this day you will be told about the Area, Good places to Visit and get taken on a Free Orientation Train Adventure to Cape Town and get shown how to catch the local trains.
In your spare time you can relax on the Beach, visit the Waterslides on the beach front, play mini Golf, Hike up the Mountain to see the Caves/Waterfalls, Visit the Penguin Conservation, Go on a Wine Tour, Experience Cape Town's Wildlife, Go for a paddle ski on the River, Cycle around the Village or simply Relax at the volunteer house. (If you don't feel like relaxing: there is a lot to keep you busy in your spare time...)
Speak to our staff for Volunteers Discounted Prices on Tours, African Safari's and Trips to see the Garden Route are Available and very worthwhile to experience-these can all be arranged for you with our staff. (If the staff are not around then you may also email them to make a time to meet and chat about the tours
Eligibility
and Skills Required
No specific skills or qualifications are necessary except a love for the lord, volunteers will receive full training but a short motivational letter, reference letter and application form filled out by you is required from us. Minimum age is 18 years.
Flights,
Transportations and Visas
Flights are not included in the costs; volunteers will have to pay for their own air fares. most people get a 3 month Visa on entering the country. Pick-up a at the airport will be provided on Mondays and Tuesday Only, if you arrive on the weekend then the cost for pick-up will be R250 (we do prefer you to arrive on a Monday or Tuesday as Our staff and shuttle driver don't work weekends)
Dates
and Duration
The project runs throughout the year and volunteers are expected to stay for a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 48 weeks.
What to expect from South Africa and the style of living
We offer nice accommodation for all the Volunteers, please remember it is communal so you will be meeting lots of other people. It's best to take time out for yourself whilst Volunteering with us and ensure that you do have alone time as living with lots of other people can get challenging at times, however all round it's an amazing experience and you will make lots of new friends. The township is based 15 minutes walk away and you will be teaching the children from the townships to surf. You do need to be careful with your belongings and not walk alone at night. The volunteers usually do stick together and do things together. The children hardly have blankets net alone food, so whilst volunteering here please come with an open mind and willing-ness to help. You may bring any old clothes, blankets, food etc that you may have. The community appreciates any help you can give them.