School and Educare Assistance

Flexibility to run your own programs and lessons
Using your initiative to create activities
Helping children develop life and educational skills
Experience working with children and groups within an organisation
Facilitating new experiences for children
Learning about South African culture and way of life
Making new friends for life

The Western Cape, where the program is based, is a very culturally diverse area of South Africa. There is a large integration of the poor with the wealthy. The children in this program range from 0 to 14 years old and live in the townships in Cape Town such as Dunoon or Site 5. Most of them can speak English, yet their mother tongue may be Afrikaans or Xhosa. The homes they live in are often built from scrap metal and second-hand wood and usually do not have running water. Forty percent of the families in these areas lack a male head of household and the children often have no one to monitor their educational progress or after-school activities. Furthermore, alcohol and drug abuse is common in the townships where they live and especially at this age they are susceptible to recruitment by local gangs.

Day 1: Welcome to South Africa (Saturday)
You are collected from the airport and taken to your accommodation. You will be shown around and given an understanding of the area. You have the day at your own leisure so you can explore the beach, shops, bars and restaurants. In the evening you are served a welcoming meal at the hostel.

Day 2: Cape Town City Walking Tour (Sunday)
Start the day with a self served breakfast. Your friendly project leader will teach you about the bus system before you head out to Cape Town City Center.

Cape Town City Walking Tour:
Do a walking tour visiting historical sites like the Castle of Good Hope and the Grand Parade. Learn about life under apartheid in South Africa at the Parliament Buildings and the District Six Museum. Shop for African arts and crafts in Greenmarket Square and St George’s Mall.

After the listed activity, you can take a bus or walk to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Sit back and sip a delicious coffee, enjoy some fresh fish and watch the ships in the busy working harbor or walk around and visit the shops, markets and listen to the musicians on the sidewalks.

Alternatively, you can take the cable car up Table Mountain and enjoy breath-taking views of the city, or visit the famous Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held in prison during the apartheid era. (Own Expense)

In the evening head back on the local bus to Table View where you can join the staff, guests and the locals at one of the restaurants or bars along the beachfront in Table View - all within rolling distance from the hostel where you will be staying the night.

Volunteers work 5 days a week from Monday to Friday. Mondays are office based for both new and old volunteers. New volunteers receive their teacher training and additional information on our projects and the areas they will be working at. Old volunteers assist with planning for the week, equipment maintenance, re-organising storage spaces for equipment, donation sorting etc. Working hours are between 08:00 and 14:00 or 09:00 and 12:00. Some days volunteers will work a full 8 hours and other days 4 to 5 hours depending on the needs of the project.

Volunteers will help in the daily running of the projects including:

Teaching lessons to children in the older groups (colours, letters, shapes, art, etc.) as well as teaching English through play and vocabulary stimulation
Stimulating smaller children in the younger groups with developmental toys, touch and by speaking English to them. We believe that speaking English with the children will assist them as they get older as English is compulsory in later education. The earlier they learn, the more they will benefit.
Educating children in social and emotional development
Assisting with the feeding programs
Supervising children at all times
Helping with events and fundraising
Administration, lesson plan preparation, preparing developmental activities, doing research, etc. This is mostly done after project hours in preparation for the upcoming days. You may be required to do some of these tasks in your free time.
Helping with the baby room - changing diapers, feeding babies, assisting with nap time
Helping with washing up after meals, cleaning classrooms, washing bedding and toys
Maintaining a safe and hygienic environment for the children at all times

This project runs all year round, however, during school holidays we run the project according to our holiday program. During the holidays it's a time for the kids to have fun so the programs are less structured and may change depending on the number of children that arrive on the day. Working hours are generally from 08:00 to 14:00.

In addition there are a lot of public holidays spread throughout the year. Please note that during the holidays, it's a time for the kids to have fun, so the programs are less structured and may change depending on the number of children that arrive on the day.

Due to Christmas and New Year’s celebrations between December 23th - Jan 1st, all projects in Cape Town are closed, however, volunteers may still use the accommodation and food and join us for Christmas lunch on the 25th.

The first week in January starting on January 4th 2025, all volunteers at the social/community programs in Cape Town will join the holiday club. The regular volunteer projects start running again on Monday January 13th 2025.

The last day of volunteering at one of the social/community projects in Cape Town is Friday, December 20th, 2024. Volunteers can stay at the volunteer accommodation during Christmas and celebrate, but there will be no volunteering until January 4th, 2025.

Public Holidays 2024
16, 25-26 December

Public Holidays 2025
01 January
21 March
18, 21 & 27-28 April
01 May
16 June
09 August
24 September
16, 25-26 December

School Holidays 2024
14 Dec - 31 Dec

School Holidays 2025
01 Jan - 14 Jan
29 Mar - 07 Apr
28 Jun - 21 Jul
04 Oct - 12 Oct
13 Dec - 31 Dec

With every new arrival we have a safety and orientation briefing where we discuss issues such as general safety in South Africa for example, what to do in the settlements, where not to go, what to do in case of an emergency, sea currents, HIV AIDS and crime. There is a volunteer co-ordinator with our volunteers at all times while on project to ensure the safety of the children and volunteer. We offer all our volunteers 24/7 support and assistance.

Airport pick-up
2-day orientation in Cape Town
Accommodation
Three meals a day (Monday to Friday) - Dinners not included on weekends
Transport to and from your project
24-hour support and supervision
Weekly social events
Donation to the project
Certificate of appreciation

Minimum age of 18
CV/Resume
Police Clearance Certificate
Intermediate to advanced level of competency in English
Acceptance subject to availability

Volunteers need to be flexible and keep an open mind concerning their placements as situations can arise beyond our control which could require you to be placed at a different project than the one you have initially chosen. We will of course always do our utmost to fulfill your initial wishes but do remember that where you are going is quite different from where you are coming and as such one should be prepared for things not always going according to plan.

Volunteering and intercultural travel share a common trait: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. This program is designed for proactive individuals and groups that are prepared to adapt to the local environment and its current needs. Naturally, the scheduling and activities of our program are subject to change. Alterations in activities are mainly due to changes in local conditions, which we believe is part of what makes overseas programs the interesting adventure and incredible learning experience that they are.

Our projects range from 1 week up to approx. 30 weeks. Projects have a specified minimum stay, then it’s up to you how long you can commit. In our experience the longer you stay the more you will gain, as your understanding of the project broadens and you take on more responsibilities. Every volunteer will be given a certificate of appreciation at the end of their stay as a symbol of volunteering stay.