CAPE TOWN TEACHING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
This project is based in a rural community near Fishhoek/Simonstown on the outskirts of Cape Town. Volunteers will become involved in pre-school and possibly primary school education as well as a number of community development initiatives. The classrooms are ill equiped but the children are very enthusiastic with a real desire to learn. A wonderful opportunity to work with young disadvantaged children and help on valuable programmes that will benfit the community for years to come.
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Location: |
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA |
Dates: |
Any date throughout the year |
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Fees: |
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£1,195 - 3 weeks
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£1,295 - 4 weeks
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£1,995 - 8 weeks
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Payment: |
£180 deposit at time of booking – balance of project fee due 8 weeks before departure |
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Reference: |
AV002 |
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General Information
This project is based at Red Hill, a vibrant rural community within site of The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point the most South-Western tip of the African Continent.
Classroom Assistant Teacher
The schools in this community are extremely poorly equipped and classrooms are often metal containers that have been donated. Despite this the lack of facilities the children are keen and eager to learn and volunteers will work as teaching assistants in the classroom, contributing to a better education for these young kids. Volunteers enable them to receive the individual attention they need and may also have the opportunity to organise their own classes. Helping with crafts, painting, sports coaching and special needs are just some of the areas in which our volunteers assist as well as helping at meal times and with general cleaning, maintenance and refurbishment of classrooms. A highlight for many volunteers is the opportunity to be involved in the learn to read programme, a one-on-one learning initiative which has been hugely successful in other schools in the area.
Red Hill Community School
20 Pupils, 1 Teacher, School Hours: 8am - 3.30pm
This little pre school has been running for over 10 years in Red Hill teaching children whose ages range between 1 and 6 years. The school, which is housed in several containers, has very limited resources but a wonderful teacher - Vuyiseka Lombo - who has been teaching 20 children from the community for the past 4 years. The children are given two meals a day, breakfast and lunch, which are sponsored by the Valley Development Project who, until recently, also sponsored the teacher's wages. Sadly this is no longer the case and as from January 2008 the teaching costs will be totally financed from the volunteer project fees.
Children of Hope Edu-care Centre
35 pupils, 3 teachers, School Hours: 7.00 am - 5.00 pm
This little pre-school, located on the upper slopes of Red Hill, caters for 35 youngsters who come from a more Afrikaans background and whose ages range from 9 months to 6 years. The facilities here are much better than at the Community School thanks to a generous donation, but the children need as much care and attention as others in this disadvantaged community. The school is led by three ladies, Sophia Dick and her sister-in-law Rene, and Fiona Tieties - who all do amazing work with their little charges.
Community Projects
All our volunteers will spend their mornings assisting in one of the two little schools, but the afternoons will be spent rotating between the following community projects:
General Maintenance and Refurbishment of Local Schools
Schools in Red Hill lack facilities, and as a result are limited in the number of children they can take. Volunteers will help with general maintenance - fixing fences, mending windows, rebuilding and painting - hard but rewarding work! Lighter work is also available for older, less physically able volunteers so that everyone can be accommodated!
Masakhane Educare Centre in Masiphumelele
115 children, 7 teachers - about 15 minutes' drive from the Red Hill Community
Volunteers will help with the afternoon care - helping to serve meals, playing games, reading on a one-to-one basis or during story time - or have the opportunity to use any particular skills they may have, either with the children - perhaps in art, music or dancing or with the teachers in computing, administration or finance. Any skills add huge value to the development of this Centre which was started in 1992 by the Valley Development Project and is now, with community involvement, a vibrant pre-school with a fully equipped school building, newly acquired classroom and office equipment and good educational material.
"Masakhane is about the communityh taking responsibility for their own upliftment and participating in the governing of their own lives … it is about empowering ourselves by creating good working relations between government structures, sponsors and communities for the benefit of everybody." Nelson Mandela, 14 October 1998
Valley Development Project (VDP)
This project developed to support orphans and children with HIV/AIDS living in and around the Masiphumelele area and used volunteers from the community to care for the children, many of whom were local mothers who lavished love and care to these youngsters who ages ranged between 3 and 12 years. The project now supports 12 pre-schools in the area and the help of volunteers who assist the teaching staff, play with the children or help with remedial work is very greatly valued.
General Information on the Project
- In general, the more volunteers put into a project, the more they get out of it. For those volunteers joining as teaching assistants, it is suggested that they come with simple lesson plans or ideas; perhaps they could make and bring charts of say body parts or maps of Africa, and thus take the initiative with these children whom they will very rapidly grow to love.
- Many of the children return to their families in the Eastern Cape for Christmas; the project is therefore closed between 15 December and 12 January. If volunteers wish to join the project during other periods of school holidays, they will be more involved in assisting the teachers in the community projects at Masakhane or VDP, but may also be involved in holiday clubs as well as some building or painting work. Projects at these times may be slightly less structured but there will be no shortage of exciting and worthwhile activities with which to get involved!
- Although Red Hill and Masiphumelele are essentially townships, they are both safe and peaceful and full of wonderful people. This is an exciting project with lots of opportunity to make a real impact on the lives of the people in these communities.
- All children have to pay school fees - a very minimal amount to us, but a huge commitment for families who only have one working parent or, in some cases, no working parents at all. Volunteers are welcome to join the "Adopt a Child" initiative (information available on arrival) when they can take responsibility of sponsoring a child's school fees for a year - receiving quarterly updates on the child and his or her progress. Needless to say this leaves a lasting impression in the community.
- Volunteers on this project will live with volunteers on the Cape Town Medical and Community Programme, and depending on the project needs at the time, may be working alongside them in the afternoons on community work.
- It should be borne in mind that projects are continuously evolving, improving and adapting to local needs and areas of involvement may change from time to time. However, all activities with which volunteers will be involved will be extremely rewarding and exciting and leave wonderful and lasting memories.
The highlight was the general interaction with the children and the contribution that I made to their learning in what was a relatively short time. The people I have met even though they have limited material possessions are very positive and happy and it has been a real and genuine pleasure to meet them. I can honestly say that there is nothing that sticks out that has been a major issue in terms of something that I have not enjoyed. I have only been on the project for 3 weeks but I have got more than I imagined out of my participation. I have met some genuinely nice people and I think my whole experience will prompt a career change into a more social orientated role. The project as a whole is well run and structured. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to others. The Project has made me realise what is really important in life. I would also like to say that the people involved in running the project who I have met on a day to day basis are a real credit to the organization generally.
Robert Rushton, Aged 33, UK
I loved this project. I had an amazing time and look forward to my next visit. All of the projects you do here are great. There are so many great people that I have met. I have gained some friends that I will never forget.
Lauren Seals, Aged 19, USA
Day in the life...
A Typical Day in the Life of a Cape Town Teaching and Community Volunteer …
Volunteers should see this as a typical day but itineraries may differ depending on the needs of the project and number of volunteers at any one time, but this is a good example:
| 7.00 |
Get up, have breakfast of cereals, toast, tea/coffee and get ready for the project |
| 7.40 |
Head off on the short drive to the project |
| 8.00 |
Start work at the community school to which you are allocated where you will rotate between different tasks and classes to ensure variety
NB Some schools offer breakfast or a mid-morning snack |
| 12.00 |
Volunteers will help to serve the children's lunch before being picked up and taken back to the volunteer house for lunch |
| 13.30 |
Volunteers will leave for one of the community projects where they will spend the afternoon playing with the children, assisting with the Masakhane or VDP Projects, or helping to build or paint the classrooms. |
| 16.30 |
End of the working day - when volunteers will be collected from their projects and taken back to the volunteer house. There the work of the day will be evaluated and the schedule for the following day discussed. Volunteers can also, if they wish, be dropped off in the town to check their emails. |
| 18.30 |
Dinner at the volunteer house, following which volunteers often venture to one of the local night spots for a few drinks. |
Weekend Highlights
Although these are not included in the fees paid, the local project managers will be happy to assist with any arrangements volunteers may wish to make. Below is a guideline of the prices volunteers should expect to pay for the most popular activities:
Aquila Private Game Reserve - a Big 5 Reserve, just 2 hours drive out of Cape Town - R850 per person including buffet breakfast and lunch on the Reserve and a 3 hour game drive - opportunities to pet cheetahs are also possible!!
City (Cape Town) hop-on-hop-off double decker bus
Garden Route Weekend
Support
Support and advice is available from your Project Managers whilst on the project and from the UK Amanzi Travel Team.
Find out more about Amanzi Travel support
Orientation
A comprehensive information pack will be sent to all our volunteers upon booking their trip and further advice and information will be provided via telephone and email before departure. A full orientation will be provided when you arrive at the project by the local support team including information on the current status of the projects and familiarizing you with the local surroundings.
Accommodation and Meals
Volunteers will reside in a fully furnished house in the seaside town of Fish Hoek, within easy walking distance of the safe and beautiful Fish Hoek beach, and only a short drive from Cape Town itself. Fish Hoek is a delightful small town situated on False Bay and the volunteer house is comfortable and staffed with a cook/cleaning lady. The house has a large living/dining area, bathrooms, a large garden and a safe for valuables. All bedding is provided.
Please Note: Experience has shown that volunteers living together and working closely with their project managers is the best way of guaranteeing their safety, and being able to attend to their most pressing needs. The assistant project manager will reside with the volunteers and it is expected that all volunteers will stay only in the accommodation provided for them. It is not permitted for volunteers to spend nights away from the house in nearby towns or villages unless on pre-arranged sightseeing excusions.
Volunteers will be provided with three meals a day; breakfast is on a self-serve basis and usually consists of cereals or porridge, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, cooked or prepared by the cook at the volunteer house. Please note that sometimes at weekends during staff time off, volunteers will need to prepare and cook their own meals with ingredients provided. Weekends are usually good times for tourist activities and exploration of the surrounding area, so many volunteers are out and about at these times anyway.
Whilst everything is done to provide varied and interesting meals, they will generally be quite simple and volunteers are requested not to be overly fussy or ungrateful with what is provided for them. However, advance notice of any food allergies or specific food requirements is essential.
Getting There
Fly directly into Cape Town International Airport where you will be met on arrival and transferred to your accommodation.
(There may be a number of ways to reach your destination airport - for further information or advice please contact Amanzi Travel)
Let Amanzi Travel arrange your flights for you
Project Fees
What is included
- Financing that goes directly back into the project with which the volunteer is placed including funding of teachers' wages, building materials, equipment and supplies. These fees can also be used to buy vehicles, equipment and even new housing for volunteers in order to expand the project.
- Airport transfers to and from Cape Town International Airport on arrival and departure
- Full orientation programme. "On-the-job" educational activities and support from your volunteer coordinator and local staff
- Daily transfers to and from projects for the duration of the visit
- Outings to Cape Point - the most south-western tip of Africa; Boulder Beach to see the African Penguin Colony; and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years
- Full board and lodging at the volunteer house including 3 meals a day as well as laundry services
What is excluded