Life Skills Volunteering

  South Africa

Pretoria,  Rural Areas

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: Start on any day of month

Description: Award-winning company. Pass on valuable life-skills in this unique volunteer programme set in an impoverished semi-rural community in South Africa.

This rural community has a great need for volunteers that can impart knowledge and skills to the children, the youth and the elders in a variety of settings. The community is characterized by high level of illiteracy, unemployment and a lack of social infra-structure. Families are supported by much needed welfare, being either a pension and/or a child grant. The community lacks after school facilities and clubs to stimulate and keep the children occupied in a positive way.

Your skills, hobbies and interests are likely to benefits the community. Please get in touch with us so we can put your skills to use. A few typical areas that you may get involved in are teaching and tutoring primary and secondary children after school in a range of subjects, adult basic education and training (ABET), computer literacy, sports, art, music, drama, business skills, DIY and so much more. Health professionals are also needed in the greater community.

This is our most popular volunteer project because volunteers want to meet, live with and share their time with people on the ground in South Africa. You can stay either in the community in one of the local homes or be accommodated in a traditional Ndebele village in their Lodge the choice is yours! During your stay you will come to terms with much of the hardships and realities of rural life in South Africa. It may take a while coming from an urbanized city to get used to the way of life and realities on the ground, however, the riches you gather are well worth it.

This rural community has been historically marginalized, as it fell under the independent homeland of Bophutatswana under the old Apartheid regime. The lack of infrastructure and economic development are still evident to this day even under the new South Africa as rural development takes a back seat to urbanization and upgrading of major townships like Soweto. Mapoch Ndebele Village also finds itself in the same marginalized position as the Ndebele were forcibly removed under the Group Areas Act of the Apartheid government to their present site.

YOUR donation included in the project fee will contribute to the long-term sustainability of the project. On your return home you may continue to support the project with on-going donations directly into the projects account.

Highlights: Your Voluntouring experience is not complete without taking in some key heritage and tourist sites during your off-periods. We can recommend some must see places. However recommendations may vary and are dependent on the location of your project. Extensions and additional sight-seeing can be arranged for a fee on request.

Qualifications: None

Cost in US$: Contact us for more information

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Someone who is interested in working with Primary school children, interested in upliftment of disadvantaged communities, interested in assisting in admninistration, programme development and tutoring in a pre-school environment, or assisting with food / sustainability issues, and sports.

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to South Africa Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Voluntours's Mission Statement: We are a multi-award winner in the Imvelo Awards for Responsible Tourism for Southern Africa in 2007 and 2008 (Johannesburg). As well as winners in the prestigious Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award 2008 (London). We are a volunteer placement organisation and tour-broker operating within South Africa placing volunteers in South Africa. We intimately manage your volunteer experience from home. We will match your unique skills and interests with carefully selected volunteer projects, and also help organise the rest of your trip. A variety of long and short-term placements are available. Volunteers are housed either within the community or nearby. A project donation is included in the costing to ensure sustainability and transparency.

Year Founded: 2005