South Africa – Cape Town Community Projects – Videos

Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa and is referred to as the “Mother City” by locals. It has a cultural heritage spanning over 300 years and world-renowned, breathtaking scenery, from the iconic Table Mountain to the glorious Cape beaches. It is a modern city with cosmopolitan areas boasting nightclubs and trendy restaurants, as well as rustic and unique suburbs with quirky markets and cafés. With a comfortable Mediterranean climate, Cape Town is a great place to volunteer all year round.

Arrival and Orientation in Cape Town (Included):
Prior to your volunteering, you will be provided with an orientation. This occurs Saturday-Monday at different times and includes a dinner and a guided tours of your immediate surroundings, Cape Town, and the townships where the schools are located.

Schools and Educare Project: Volunteers will be placed in one of seven schools in the community. Six of the schools are preschools for children from 1 to 5 years old who speak Xhosa or Afrikaans. The preschools focus on early childhood development and preparing the children for regular schools by teaching basic English and cognitive skills. The other available placement is at a farm school for grades 1–7 where you’ll be assisting with older students in their school programs.

Volunteer tasks include but are not limited to the following:

• Teaching classes and/or assisting teachers
• Teaching computer skills
• Familiarizing children with English in formal lessons and through fun activities
• Organizing fun days and sports activities
• Assisting in after-school programs and daycare after school is finished for the day
• Educating children in life lessons such as HIV and drugs
• Helping with feeding programs and/or tending to the vegetable gardens used by the local schools

Holidays: The holidays are a time for the kids to have fun, so the programs are less structured and may change depending on the amount of children that arrive on the day. During this time, the Settlement & School and Educare Projects will only run from 8:00 am – 2:00 pm and will be limited to sports days, game days, outings to the beach or pools, etc. Depending on the funds available, you could also be involved in building or renovations projects. During this time, school days are likely to be shortened and more focused on sports, games, outings, etc.

During the period from Christmas to New Year’s, there will be little to no volunteer work available. It is therefore not recommended that volunteers book short-term stays during this time. However, food and accommodations will still be available and therefore volunteers booking a longer stay will remain at the project during these dates.

Internet: WiFi is available at the accommodations.

Laundry: Laundry services are available for a small fee.

Accommodations: You will stay in a volunteer dormitory, which has shared mixed-gender rooms of 2-10 people per room, a communal lounge, and a kitchen. Upgrades to private rooms are available in both the hostel and the volunteer house.
Families:
Families traveling as a group of 4 or more can upgrade accommodation at no extra charge in a family room.
Families traveling in a group less than 4 upgrade fees will apply for a family room (subject to availability).Larger families, being a group of 6 or more, can be placed in a private house and be accommodated at no extra charge (subject to availability).
Families traveling in a group less than 6 who have private house preference, upgrade fees will apply (subject to availability).

Food: During the work week, we will provide you with food to use for preparing your breakfasts and lunches. There will be options like cereals, fruit, yogurt, eggs, and bread for breakfast. Lunch will have options like fruit, sandwich meats, peanut butter and pasta for you to prepare. Pre-packaged dinner meals for supper will have a meat, starch, and a vegetable.

Please note this project’s minimum requirements:

• Ability to work well with others
• Police clearance
• Desire to work with the underserved population in the settlements
• Immunizations (consult doctor)
• CV/Resume

Cape Point Tour (Included):
On your second Saturday of your volunteer program, you will take a group tour of Cape Point. En route to Hout Bay, you’ll stop for a tourist must-have – a picture of the “12 Apostles.” Your next stop will be Cape Point Nature Reserve – home to an abundance of flora and fauna, as well as baboons and ostriches, to name a few animals found roaming the streets. There are two lighthouses and the most southwestern point of the African continent to be seen here, and you will spend some time in the reserve. Simons Town is your lunch stop and also home to the South African Navy and a colony of penguins. Boulders Beach was set up for the penguins to roam free and is your last stop for the day before returning to the accommodation. Please note the itinerary for the tour day is flexible based on local conditions and weather and is subject to change.

Travel Extras (Not Included):
Make the most out of your time in Cape Town by signing up for any of these activities for your weekend or days off. You may sign up following registration. Please note there is an additional fee for these activities.

• Kitesurfing, windsurfing, sand boarding and/or paragliding lessons
• Tours of Cape Point, Cape Town, Robben Island and/or the Townships
• Wine Route Tour
• Kloofing (cliff jumping), skydiving and/or quad biking outings
• Walking tour of the ostrich ranch
• Abseil Table Mountain
• Shark cage diving
• Game drive through the Big 5 Safari