This community work placement is based at two care centres in Port Elizabeth. Your time will be split between the two so that your skills can be utilised by both centres, which are in desperate need of volunteer support. The first centre is a care centre for children whose parents have died or are suffering from the AIDS virus. The children staying there also have the HIV/AIDS virus and are living as normal a life as possible. The children range from as young as six months up to 15 years old and some of the children attend a nearby school.
The second centre is designed for parents in crisis who cannot afford to send their children to school. This centre provides pre-school education, care and a meal for the children who attend in the mornings until after lunch. The centre cares for babies and children up to age of five.
Your Role
Your role at both of the centres will involve looking after the general welfare of the children, helping out with meal times and assisting staff with education. Your love and attention can make a huge difference to the children you meet - whether it’s through teaching English, playing games or simply listening to them talk about their families - and the heartfelt hugs and smiles you will receive in return are unforgettable. You will work alongside local staff and should be prepared for the unexpected - a sense of creativity and the ability to improvise when things don’t go according to plan will go a long way. This is a challenging placement but the local staff will be by your side to help you in any areas you are unsure of.
Many of the children at both centres speak the local language, Xhosa, and the staff tend to speak Xhosa and English, as well as Africaans. You will almost certainly learn bits and pieces of both African languages during your stay in Port Elizabeth and you are sure to leave having made some extremely close friends and having had a truly eye-opening experience.
Optional Teaching in South Africa
In addition to your main placement, you will have the opportunity to teach classes, or assist in teaching classes, within schools based in Port Elizabeth. With a western education, you will be able to contribute massively to the standard of tuition that the students receive. Subject areas include Maths, Science, English (language and literature), Journalism, Business, IT, RE and a whole variety of extra-curricular activities.
What's Included
- A warm welcome at the overseas airport
- Transfers to/from the airport from/to the activity site
- Food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as stated in the meals section
- All accommodation as stated in the accommodation section
- Full co-ordination of your programme activities
- All required equipment for the volunteer programmes
- 24-hour support from the in-country staff and 24-hour emergency support from our UK team
What's Not Included
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Visas
- Vaccinations
- Additional Transportation
- Personal spending money
- A free laundry service
- Soft drinks and alcohol
Prices and Durations
South Africa Orphanage Volunteers - 5 weeks £1,239
2010 Start Dates: 09 Jan, 13 Feb, 10 Apr, 15 May, 17 Jul, 28 Aug, 02 Oct
2011 Start Dates: 8 Jan, 9 Apr, 16 Jul, 27 Aug.
South Africa Orphanage Volunteers - 12 weeks £2,199
2010 Start Dates: 09 Jan, 10 Apr, 28 Aug
2011 Start Dates: 8 Jan, 9 Apr, 27 Aug.
South Africa Orphanage Volunteers - 14 weeks £2,499 World Cup Option
2010 Start Dates: 10 Apr
Please Note: Additional weeks are available, please contact us for start dates.
