ST LUCIA ORPHANS AND AIDS EDUCATION PROJECT
St LUCIA, GREATER St LUCIA WETLAND PARK, SOUTH AFRICA

Take this fantastic opportunity to interact with and make a real difference to the lives of children orphaned by AIDS within this vibrant Zulu community. Volunteers will have the chance not only to become intimately involved in the day to day lives of these orphans but to make a lasting difference to the community with development and HIV/AIDS education work. Home for the duration of the project will be St Lucia, heart of the energetic Zulu community. St Lucia is situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a beautiful area that was declared South Africa's first Natural World Heroitage Site by UNESCO, and is known as "Africa's premier bush-and-beach destination".  It is one of the most diverse areas on the planet where five separate ecosystems join, and where there are savannahs, wetlands, swamps and beaches and a great wealth of wildlife. 

	Location:	St LUCIA, GREATER St LUCIA WETLAND PARK, SOUTH AFRICA	Dates:	Any date throughout the year.
	Fees:	£835 - 2 weeks £1,085 - 3 weeks £1,285 - 4 weeks £1,695 - 6 weeks £2,095 - 8 weeks £2,495 - 10 weeks	Payment:	£180 deposit at time of booking – balance payment of project fee due 12 weeks before departure
	Reference:	AV019

Highlights

• Help to educate and play with small children, some of whom have lost their parents as a result of AIDS
• Help to raise awareness of how to prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus in the local community
• Help to build, refurbish and paint schools and day care centres
• Become immersed in the local Zulu culture
• Make friends for life

General Information

St Lucia is situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a truly diverse area.  The Wetland Park may be the third largest of the South African parks but it actually contains the most species due to its amazing diversity. As well as the coelacanth, the park is home to the largest population of hippopotami in South Africa, a large population of Nile Crocodiles, over 500 hundred different species of bird, elephants that were reintroduced in 2001 and two different species of sea turtle use the beaches of the region as hatching grounds.

Volunteer Projects

Orphan Day Care

The St. Lucia area is heavily affected by HIV/AIDS. It is believed that in some communities up to 70% of the population is infected by the virus and as a result many children are orphaned. Most of these children live with their relatives, but they are often left by themselves during the day as their carers need to work to support their families. To keep these children off the streets, and to make sure they are well looked after and educated, there are day care centres and creches in the local village.  Some days there are up to 80 children under 6 years of age to look after with little in the way of resources. Volunteers will help take care of the orphans, giving them the individual attention they desperately need.  Activities will include simple English lessons and reading stories to them as well as participating in activity sessions such as playing games, drawing pictures and sing-a-longs.   Help with hand-washing before meals and feeding the children and babies is an essential part of the duties.  There will also be opportunities to help to refurbish the day care centre buildings.

During the school holidays volunteers will help to run a holiday club for children aged between 4 - 12 years of age.  Here they have fun as well as learning about other countries and taking part in sports and educational activities. 

School holiday dates for 2010 for South Africa are as follows:

11 December 2009 - 13 January 2010
27 March - 11 April 2010
10 June - 12 July 2010
2 October - 10 October 2010
11 December 2010 - 11 January 2011

HIV/AIDS Education

Within the local community many myths about HIV/AIDS still prevail.  Many South Africans believe that the virus is the result of witchcraft, and people with the virus are often rejected by their own families and communities.  They often therefore do not admit to having the virus.  Not many people know how to prevent infection, and fewer know how to deal with the virus once they have it.  Volunteers will work together with the experienced Volunteer Co-ordinator to teach both adults and children about the virus. During the placement volunteers will visit schools and community centres to help to explain simply what the virus is and how it affects the human body; to help to educate the local population on how the virus is transmitted and how infection can be prevented;  to explain how medication, healthy food and lifestyle can prolong life for those with the virus; and work with the HIV Support Group to help those already infected with the virus.  HIV Education at the primary schools stops during the school holidays (see dates above).

Additional Community Projects

Building and Refurbishment
Community buildings in the local villages tend to be run down, particularly in the more rural and remote areas. Volunteers will visit these buildings - which may be schools, day care centres, orphanages, community centres or just the home of someone in need -  and help fix roofs and windows, paint walls, and help build new classrooms. The community greatly appreciate the presence and support of the volunteers and the work is highly rewarding.

Farming
To help to encourage a healthy lifestyle, volunteers will help the locals to create and maintain vegetable patches which will supply healthy food and encourage them to become more self-sufficient.  These activities may include digging, weeding, fencing, planting and watering.  This is a great way to make a lasting difference to this poor community.

English Reading Club
Learning English is vitally important for the children in Kwazulu Natal as all high school lessons are taught in English.  Many children fail their tests because they do not fully understand the langugage and the reading club is very important.  Volunteers will enjoy helping with this club which is much appreciated by the teachers and children.

Optional Weekend Activities

These are not included in the project fee but can be paid for at the project:

• Game drives in the beautiful Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks  (approximately £58)
• Visits to the beach, and snorkling at Cape Vidal
• Whale, dolphin and sea turtle viewing (seasonal) (approximately £60)
• Hippo and crocodile cruises on the St. Lucia Estuary (approximately £10)
• Weekend trips to the stunning Phinda Private Game Reserve, Kosi Bay or Mozambique with a dolphin swim will cost approximately £160

A typical day in the life of a volunteer

7.00am	Breakfast and project preparation
8.00am	Transfer to orphan day care centre
9.00am	Start work at the orphan day care centre, perhaps reading simple books with the children or teaching them English, or playing games and singing songs with them.
12.00pm	Lunch break when volunteers are picked up from the orphan day care centre, and taken to the volunteer house, where lunch is waiting.
1.30pm	Start of the afternoon projects which may include visits to schools or community centres to teach people about HIV/AIDS, or farming, painting or refurbishment activities to help the local community
4.30pm	End of the working day when volunteers will be picked up from the project and taken home where they will catch up on the day's activities and discuss the priorities for the following day.
6.00pm	Dinner at the volunteer house – perhaps followed by a few drinks in one of the local bars.

Volunteers should be prepared for the daily programme to change at short notice to meet the needs of the project. Activities may vary depending upon the experience of the volunteers on the project.

“I have felt honored and humbled to be apart (if only for a short while) of the community here. Their happiness and love for life (despite their hardship) is infectious. You realize what it really takes to be happy. I think the programme has fulfilled and exceeded all my expectations. The mix, diversity and
the good organisation has helped make my short stay fantastic. It has been a rich and full experience and I have learnt lots – about me, my outlook and about South Africa.”
Rebecca Middleton, UK

“I think the aims and objectives of the program are absolutely wonderful, a life-changing experience with so many feel-good factors that I will take with me for a very long time, thank you so much to everyone involved for making my time here truly unforgettable!”
Amy Herring, UK

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 volunteers upon booking their placement and further advice and information will be provided via telephone and email before departure. A comprehensive orientation programme will be provided on arrival at the project from the project coordinator which entails:

• An introduction to St. Lucia and its area
• An overview of the Day Care Centre and some basic teaching skills to prepare and deliver lessons to the children
• An introduction into the syllabus used for HIV/AIDS education
• An introduction to all the projects – including their locations.
• A basic language course – to learn some basic words and sentences in Zulu, the local language in St. Lucia, so that volunteers can communicate with people in their own language. In addition volunteers will learn some of the local cultural nuances.

Accommodation and Meals

Volunteers will be accommodated at the large and comfortable project house.  Situated in the middle of St. Lucia, just a short walk from the Indian Ocean, it is a fully furnished house with a large lounge, satellite television, a barbecue area, a garden and a swimming pool. The house is staffed with cooks and laundry/cleaning ladies. All bedding is provided although a sleeping bag can sometimes be useful in the colder months (June – September) or if you are planning some excursions.  Towels are not provided and volunteers should take their own. Bedrooms will be shared with up to four people.  Members of the project team are resident in the house and someone is always available to answer any questions.  Experience has shown that volunteers living and working closely together with their volunteer co-ordinators is the best way to ensure their safety and volunteers are expected to stay only in the accommodation provided for them and are not allowed to spend nights away in the town or nearby villages unless they are on pre-arranged sightseeing excursions.

Three meals a day are provided except for Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch when the cook is "off duty".  It is a good time to try the local restaurants or cafes and there is a small supermarket nearby.  Dinner costs around £5 - £7 so please allow for this in your budget.  Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals/porridge, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked by one of our chefs at the volunteer house.

Getting There

The nearest airport to St. Lucia is Richards Bay Airport, which is about a forty five minutes drive from St. Lucia. You will be met at the airport by a member of the project staff and transferred to the project. There are daily flights from Johannesburg Airport to Richards Bay.

(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

Fees

What is included

• A contribution to the project itself including funding for activities with the orphans and building and farming materials.
• Transfer from Richards Bay Airport and St Lucia as outlined above and daily project transfers.
• Orientation programme.
• Laundry and domestic services.
• All accommodation including 3 meals a day except Sundays.
• Support from the local project staff whilst at St Lucia

What is excluded

• Travel insurance to cover your placement (to include cover for repatriation)
• Return flights to Richards Bay Airport
• Personal items eg clothing, gifts etc
• Use of internet and telephone, soft drinks, wines and spirits.
• Visas and any excursions undertaken other than in the planned programme