Description

Remember when school actually was all fun and games?

Do you recall being in nursery school when your days were filled with making dirt sculptures, coloring, story time and just running everywhere because it was more fun than walking? Why not relive those glory years by volunteering at a child care center for disadvantaged children? You can help them learn valuable lessons while also getting a unique insight into what life is like for children being raised in a township.

When you book this trip, in addition to the 52% typically of your program fee that is spent in country, we will also use USD 75 of your fee to purchase mattresses for the kids or equivalent through our Big Giving program.

What does the project do?

We work with a couple of projects in Masiphumelele that have some of the children with the biggest smiles you have seen!

Masiphumelele is often referred to as Masi and means 'success'. The original population started at around 800 households and were mainly farmers who came from the Eastern Cape selling their land before the 1994 elections creating the township of Masiphumelele. In 1992 the number of households reached a number in excess of 30,000. 'Masi' is a small township in comparison and has a real community feeling, believing strongly in "Ubuntu" which means sharing everything and helping each other out.

Ikhaya Creche (child care centre) was started in 1994 by a lady called Doreen in a shack in Masiphumelele with 5 children. By 1995, the school had grown to 15 students and kept on growing each year still operating out of a shack. A US funder came to see Doreen and agreed to build her a mini concrete school, to improve the lives of the little kids. So in 1999 the building began with 47 children still attending school in a shack on the same property. The school doors opened in late 1999 and grew to 72 children.

Doreen and her team take care of 72 children Monday to Friday from 6.30am – 5.30pm, which frees the parents to go out and work and earn a living and also work hard to get the six year olds ready for 'big school'. They take care of children between the ages of 3 and 6 - and supply the children with two meals a day. The parents pay R80 a month towards fees - not all parents can afford to pay but the staff never turn the kids away.

Doreen has also helped Evelyn, an elderly neighbour, develop a child care centre from Evelyn's home, located across the street from Doreen's centre. Evelyn and her team care for 31 babies and toddlers from the ages of 1 month to 3 years. Doreen is an active member of The Masi Educare Forum - which meets once a month to assist and help develop other creches in Masiphumelele, which is very much needed.

Sylvia moved to Masiphumelele in 1992 and opened a creche in 2005 to help look after the small children in the area allowing the parents to go out to work to provide for their families. She now looks after nearly 70 children from the age of 9 months to 6 years old and has even moved out of her house to a shack at the back of the property so that she can look as many children as possible!

In 2010 Thomson Sport sponsored the building of a new wooden classroom so that the children can be split into different age groups also allowing the older children their own space in the afternoon while the little ones have their nap!

Silvia's creche provides a safe place for the young children of the township to interact and learn and have a fun time during the day while their parents go out to work confident that their children are being well looked after.

What’s the project like?

These projects are full of life and hope for the children who attend the centre. Every member of staff is there for the same reason; to promote the needs of children and to give them the best start in their educational life as possible. Resources are in short supply here, but the children are happy, bright and extremely keen to learn and get involved in anything fun!

Doreen and her team take care of approximately 72 children Monday to Friday which frees the parents to go out to work and earn a living and also work hard to get the six year olds ready for "big school". They take care of children between the ages of 3 and 6 - and supply the children with two meals a day.

Sylvia's creche is a lively place with nearly 70 children aged between 9 months and 6 years old with a total of 4 teachers giving their time and love to the children, as you can imagine there are a lot of children for this to go around! Silvia lives in a shack at the back of the main property which is a room for all the children during the day and also a wooden classroom that is a recent very welcome addition!

The children are very enthusiastic and love the attention of the volunteers, bringing new ideas and imagination to the project.

Children bring their own lunch but Silvia provides lunch for about 20 children whose parents are unable to provide this. During the day the children have classes that include singing, dancing, English and Xhosa lessons along with the all important lessons about good manners and respect!

Highlights

* Getting to really know and understand township life
* Making a positive difference to the lives of the children and goals of the project
* Exploring and experiencing the region around Cape Town - stunning!

Qualifications

Why does the project need volunteers?

The projects are run by a small number of permanent staff but your help is really needed at the projects to give extra attention to all the children. You can bring your love and enthusiasm to the project making learning more fun and interactive for them also having a great time in the process! Any extra pairs of willing hands are needed to give the children the individual attention they crave!

Doreen and Sylvia and their dedicated teams work hard to provide the children with the highest level of care and attention possible but an extra pair of hands is always in high demand. Most parents pay a small fee to send their children however the money collected is not sufficient to hire as many staff as they would like.

It's all about having fun with the children and showing them that they can have fun and learn at the same time! The very fact that these children are keen to learn means that you'll have fun and get so much out of this experience.

Activities and Schedule:

Your typical working hours on this project will be from Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 1.30pm or till 5pm depending on the project. However, any extra time you can give to the project will be really appreciated.

On a typical day your work will start at the project at around 8am which is breakfast time for the children. The first job is to fill their tummies with the staple rice or bread. Then comes the toilet break, followed by washing hands and then time to start having some fun! You will be playing with the children and helping them to learn through play. You will need to use your initiative and confidence to keep these bundles of energy entertained! The children are enthusiastic and love to sing and dance.

Before you know it's time for lunch and then nap time for the younger ones at around 1.30pm for an hour with a well deserved break for you! More games or singing in the afternoon before it is time to tidy up and home time at 5pm!

Often you might need to work on a one to one basis with children or in small groups, to give them the attention that they need in order to flourish and develop. Due to a lack of permanent staff, this isn't always possible without your help.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

USD 1599.00 for 2 weeks, USD 175.00 for every week thereafter

Cost Includes:

• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

What's Included:

* Accommodation: Shared dormitory room in volunteer house
* Food: Food is not included; you will need to purchase your own food (budget approximately USD 50 per week)
* Airport Pickup: Cape Town (airport code CPT) Included on arrival date. Ask us for details if you're arriving early!
* Training: In-country orientation
* Support: Pre-departure helpdesk, Local in-country team and 24hr emergency support

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Age Range

Minimum age 18

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Guest House

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently

i-to-i Volunteering's Mission Statement

i-to-i Volunteering provides unique opportunities for you to travel, work and volunteer abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 16 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations. With over 130 projects on 4 continents, across 22 countries you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching English, community development, conservation, home building, and working with animals.

Year Founded

1994