South Africa Group Programme
What better way to spend a few weeks this summer than by getting on a plane and traveling to South Africa to volunteer on a local community project while discovering the beautiful Cape Town area?
By volunteering in South Africa your group can help a township community while experiencing the warmth and hospitality of local people, the richness of their culture and learn more about the challenges they are facing.
By choosing EIL, the oldest non profit educational organisation in the world, you make sure that your group will undertake this challenging experience within a supporting environment.
Main Features
- Predeparture workshop in Ireland
- Group leader
- Volunteer work in a local community
- Accommodation and meals included
- Recreational activities
- Flexible start dates and length of stay
Project background
Country background
South Africa is a land of extraordinary beauty, magnificent wildlife and rich cultural diversity. It is also a country where the two extremes of economic development live side by side. Only since the end of Apartheid in 1994 has it been possible to visit South Africa. This is an exciting time for the country as it overcomes the legacy of the past and looks with optimism towards the future.
Volunteering in South Africa gives participants a first hand experience of a new nation working towards a vision of unity and prosperity. Many serious problems need to be tackled if this vision is to be realised, such as poverty, AIDS and inequality, and this is where volunteers can make a real contribution.
Cape Town Area
There is nowhere like Cape Town. Perched between the ocean and the mountains, with a national park as its heart, it's a place to renew and reconnect. Cape Town, the "Mother City", is the oldest city in this country and has a cultural heritage spanning more than 300 years. It also has the top five national attractions in South Africa that should appear on every visitor´s itinerary all year round. It is in Cape Town that the Rainbow Nation is really evident. Between beautiful Cape Dutch homesteads, traditional dancers with painted faces performing in the streets, the smell of spicy Malay cooking and the taste of a well-made wine, this city will fill your senses.
A general perspective of education in South Africa
The challenge facing the post-apartheid government is to create an educational system that provides quality education to all citizens of South Africa. The educational legacy left by the apartheid government has not been easy to dismantle. Literacy rates among blacks remain low, and educational facilities in the townships and rural areas need to be upgraded. During the apartheid government, education for whites was free and compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16 while attendance was not generally compulsory for blacks. Adult literacy was close to 100% for whites and about 50% for blacks in the mid-1980s.
Example of a community in need: Atlantis
Atlantis was developed on the farms known as Melkpost, Hartebeeskraal and Witzand. The town is located slightly inland from the beach on the R27 route northwards towards Langebaan. The total combined population of Atlantis and the surrounding area is close to 500 000 people of which approximately 46% are unemployed. Families are struggling to make ends meet and as a result of this, crime, substance and drug abuse, teenage pregnancies and health issues are having a negative impact on family life and communities.
Historically industries in Atlantis were the main providers of jobs for the people in the area, but after the establishment of new industries closer to Cape Town a number of factories closed their businesses in Atlantis leaving a huge number of people unemployed. Recent studies show that approximately 60% of these communities earn less than 1000 Rand per month (approximately 65 EUR). Atlantis as a young, struggling, poverty-stricken community, has in the last few years in the local media been mostly portrayed as a town struggling with social issues, yet there are many unsung heroes and as many success stories in the local community.
Example project: Early Childhood Development in Atlantis
The prospective community placement is focused on early childhood development in local creches, which focuses on the encouragement and supervision of educational play, rather than simply providing childcare. Creches provide for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years of age, all of whom come from various backgrounds. Some of the children come from middle class families and others from very poor families. Most creches are fairly well structured and managed but our programmes targets the crèches which are most in need of support. Due to financial constraints most creches have very limited sports and recreational facilities and tools available at the project. In South Africa early childhood education and development focuses on the following areas:
- Personal, social and emotional development of children
- Language literacy and communication
- Knowledge and understanding of the world
- Physical development and creative development
Role of the volunteers
The volunteer will be part of a team which will be closely involved with the local people. Within this context of cultural immersion, the volunteers will be expected to participate directly in the activities organised for the project. Even if the time in the field will be relatively short, at the end of the project we want each volunteer to feel that they have made a difference! No matter what your skills are, you will be working on a task that will suit your profile and capacities.
Programme details
Outline of the programme
Your adventure begins with a four day orientation in Cape Town, the "Gateway to Africa". The comprehensive four day orientation which will include tours and excursions introducing you to the cultural diversity of South Africa, incorporating its struggle against apartheid to the miraculous transformation to democracy.
Tours will include a Township tour, a walking city orientation affording you a cultural opportunity to experience the city as locals do, as well a boat trip to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment.
The group will return to the city after the two week placement in the local community. During the debrief sessions you will have an opportunity to reflect on your journey as well as discuss and share your experiences. During this time you will visit Cape Point, the tip of southern Africa as well as participating in a traditional drumming experience as part of your farewell.
(For these nights participants will stay in a hostel in Cape Town)
Volunteer Activities
Flexibility and adaptability are extremely important as the volunteers need to be able to assist on various levels in the project. The volunteers will work alongside teachers and assist with basic teaching and child care. Staff are very friendly and willing to help you familiarise yourself with the project and get to know the children. You will also find that the work load will vary from day to day. Should you find that you would like to do more than the allocated tasks, you need to be proactive, think creatively and communicate regularly with the teacher assigned to you.
Proposed activities:
- Assisting teacher and local staff
- Painting of building, including equipment in park
- Helping with the production of teaching materials
- Cleaning of play area and park
- Assisting on excursions
- Present workshops
- Pay special attention to slow learners
Other activities in the community:
Feeding schemes, including soup kitchens and providing food parcels for families in need. Youth development programmes are also available, educating youth on healthy living, the dangers of peer pressure, sex education, HIV AIDS and drug awareness.
Visas
Upon entry into South Africa you will receive a tourist visa, valid for 90 days.
Becoming advocates for change
On return to Ireland we support volunteers to follow up their engagement and to be advocates on behalf of these communities. Together we can raise awareness about the difficulties these people face and the ways in which the international community can assist the thousands of similar communities dotted across the world.
Cost & Details
What is included
- Predeparture orientation and support including a predeparture workshop
- Ongoing support from an EIL co-ordinator from Ireland
- Ongoing support from local staff and local coordinator
- Accommodation
- All meals
- Excursion and activities (except the optional week end)
- Entrance fees
- All internal transportation
- Debrief workshop
What is not included
- Flights
- Personal expenses
- Project donation
- Medical and travel insurance, available for €10 per week and per person
Start Dates
Start dates are flexible with possible departures all through the year
Costs
| 3 weeks programme prices (per participant) | |
|---|---|
| Number of participants | Cost |
| 25 - 21 | €1220 |
| 20 - 16 | €1291 |
| 15 - 11 | €1396 |
| 10 - 8 | €1508 |
Depending on the age and experience of group members, a special discount can be offered if the group does not require the ongoing support from a group coordinator from EIL Ireland.
Optional excursion: Darling and West Coast Fossil Park Weekend: between €65 and €90.
Protect the environment: EIL Carbon offset system
Compensate for the CO2 that your flight will generate by helping to plant trees in Guatemala.
Photos & Videos
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