Community Work with Orphans Near Cape Town

  South Africa

• Cape Town: 
Cape Town (Kaapstad)

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: 4 - 12 week placements throughout the year

Description: Surrounded by children aged five and under, you'll be dishing out lots of love (as well as the odd tissue) to the children at this home who have had a difficult start in life due to abandonment, abuse or neglect. Working amongst the dedicated but over-stretched staff, you'll find yourself providing the children with stimulation and care in order to boost their physical and emotional development and enable them to go on to happier and healthier futures. You'll need to possess a genuine love of children and a willingness to get involved in all aspects of the homes daily running, from playing games and organizing activities to helping to prepare food and changing nappies.

Find out more about i-to-i, watch their short video here: http://video.i-to-i.com/site-videos/video.html

Highlights: What were the highlights of your trip that you couldn't wait to tell your friends about?

"The orphanage first and foremost, the amazing friends I have made, nights out in Cape Town - Everything!" (Arzu Ozel)

Your role as a volunteer:
The center provides full care for the children under their charge so you must be prepared to get involved in anything and everything. You may find yourself assisting with games and activities for the various age groups as well as bathing, feeding, changing nappies, wiping noses and playing with them.

Where the project is based:
The project is based in Athlone a suburb about 40 minutes from central Cape Town. Volunteers are accommodated in Muizenburg a nearby suburb and will need to get the train to work daily.

Qualifications: You will need to be flexible, reliable and responsible. The children at the center have not had the best start in life and can sometimes be demanding for your time and attention you will need to be patient, understanding and fair. There is a large age range at the center so you need to be imaginative and adaptable in order to think of and work with appropriate activities for the various age groups.

Mostly you need a happy, outgoing, "can-do" attitude and a love of children. Experience with children will be highly valued but is not required.

Cost in US$: US $1990.00 for 4 weeks, US $250.00 for every week thereafter

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 17 years old and above

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

i-to-i Meaningful Travel's Mission Statement: Founded in 1994, i-to-i is an award-winning organization providing unique opportunities for you to travel, work and live abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 18 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations and over 50,000 have learned to Teach English as a Foreign Language through our tailor-made TEFL courses. With over 400 projects on 4 continents, you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching, community development, sports coaching, conservation, building or internships in tourism, marketing, journalism, or health.

Year Founded: 1994