Human Rights Work in South Africa with Projects Abroad

  South Africa

• Cape Town: 
Cape Town (Kaapstad)

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: Year-Round/Rolling-Starts

Description: Human Rights Internships and Work-Experience Overseas in South Africa

Our Human Rights placements in South Africa are based in the bustling city of Cape Town, and give volunteers the opportunity to work on a really worthwhile project alongside respected humanitarian organisations, whilst also gaining first hand experience of human rights law in practice.

Volunteers with an interest in human rights, government & politics, campaigning, and even writers interested in social justice issues, will be put to great use in marginalised communities in and around Cape Town; either working alongside one of our partner organisations, or at our own Projects Abroad Human Rights Office.

Whichever placement you join, you'll be working alongside qualified and passionate individuals who will vastly increase your knowledge of Human Rights, campaigning, community involvement, the legal system and the politics of governance. You'll be given the opportunity to expand your horizons whilst also making a real impact on peoples quality of life.

Volunteering on a Human Rights Internship in South Africa

With its brutal history of apartheid and colonialism, there can be few better places than South Africa to get involved in campaigning for human rights. Our Human Rights projects in Cape Town offer volunteers the unique opportunity to get involved at grass roots level, raising awareness of human rights in a variety of marginalised communities or at risk groups such as prisoners, children, women, or those in rural communities throughout the Western Cape.

A voluntary placement with Projects Abroad in Cape Town would be a valuable addition to your CV in the notoriously competitive world of Law, Human Rights or International Development, and might just secure you that lucrative first job once you graduate.

Your precise role will be determined by your background and level of interest in specific areas. Placements are ideal if you are a law student, journalist or graduate seeking practical experience in human rights. However, the work is also suitable if you're volunteering pre-university, or you only have a general interest in human rights. Some placements will accept volunteers for one month while others require you to commit to at least three months on the placement and have some law experience. Please contact our staff if you would like further information on which placements you qualify for.

However long you join a project for you will need to be flexible, communicate well and work hard. Placements are certainly demanding and must be taken seriously; you will be representing a professional organisation. You may sometimes have deadlines and you may be asked to represent these organisations at rallies, private interviews, government meetings and other events.

Human Rights Work Experience opportunities with Projects Abroad

The collective mission of our Human Rights placements is to provide good quality, independent legal advice to the poor and vulnerable, to highlight inequalities and demand redress for unfair laws, and to ensure effective access to justice for all South Africans - especially the Black and Cape Coloured communities so appallingly mistreated during apartheid. We also work with many vulnerable communities composed of refugees and recent African immigrants.

Placements in Cape Town could see you working either with our own Human Rights Office, which covers a broad spectrum of topics, or with an organisation that specialises in one of the following areas;

1.Children's rights and prevention of child abuse
2.Prison conditions and prisoners Rights
3.Election monitoring and Participatory Governance
4.Development and human rights in rural communities
5.Women's rights
6.Immigrants and refugees rights

The schemes are there to help ordinary South Africans understand their rights, to empower people to speak out when their rights are infringed, and to give them the skills and knowledge necessary to do so. Your role in this might involve various activities such as:

1.Researching and generating media features
2.Conducting interviews and receiving complaints of human rights violations
3.Raising awareness in rural and urban communities
4.Preparing training materials and conducting workshops
5.Providing free legal advice
6.Preparing parliamentary submissions

Typically your placement will involve several elements. You might be producing information resources, such as research reports or questionnaires. You'll also be encouraged to make good use of the local media by writing articles on social themes, or even appearing in radio debates! At other times you might visit community groups to give advice on specific civil-rights aspects. There is plenty for you to become involved with and you will definitely be kept busy!

The Projects Abroad Human Rights Office

In response to the huge need for human rights volunteers in South Africa, Projects Abroad also funds our own Human Rights office in Cape Town. Allied to a number of different organisations, including the South African Human Rights Commission, our project is led by Theodore Kamwimbi, a dedicated lawyer with vast international experience across Africa, and a seemingly never-ending knowledge of the field of Human Rights Law.

Volunteers working for the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office will be given the opportunity to gain experience across a variety of disciplines, from researching human rights cases, conducting legal consultations, monitoring prisons, parliament and refugee camps, preparing parliamentary submissions and much more!

Volunteers are given the freedom to direct their activity and learning towards any given sector of human rights with the full support of our staff. In addition to these optional special interest projects, all volunteers will help support our key areas of work, these include;

1. Immigrants and refugees rights.                                    
Following tumultuous recent events in neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Somalia, Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo, South Africa has increasingly become a central assembling point for refugees. Recently our volunteers have worked as independent monitors of conditions in refugee camps throughout Cape Town. Here Projects Abroad has been helping the refugee protection service providers with the various tasks focusing on the refugees situation regarding food, employment and accommodation.

Refugees are facing serious protection and safety challenges within the communities and the aim of this project is to empower rather than assist the refugees. Reports generated by these site visits have been handed to the South African Human Rights commission, so our volunteers are a vital tool in ensuring that refugees basic rights are upheld. Projects Abroad Human Rights Office has recently developed a relationship with the UNHCR and continues to push for collaboration with this esteemed organisation to help the plight of refugees in South Africa.

2.Free and Independent legal advice.
The Projects Abroad Human Rights Office serves as a consultation office for other existing NGOs and human rights organizations such as the UNHCR and the South African Human Rights Commission which helps to ensure that everyone with a human rights complaint is able to state their case and know their rights within a reasonable time-frame.

3.Parliamentary Monitoring.
Even in an established democracy such as South Africa, independent monitoring of the discussions and decisions of parliament is vital to maintain transparency and public trust in government. Projects Abroad supports the work of the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, an independent regulatory body, visiting parliament and reporting on the effectiveness and democracy of the decisions made.

This project offers an unprecedented opportunity to gain first hand experience of human rights law, whilst also making a valuable contribution to the welfare of marginalised groups in African society.

Whether you are working at the Projects Abroad Human Rights office or one of our partners, volunteers on a Human Rights Internship should expect to work from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, with the option of working longer hours if you choose. All volunteers need to show a good level of initiative; all our Human Rights placements are fast-paced, and volunteers who seek their own work, ask questions and make an impact on their supervisors will have a fantastic learning experience.

This truly amazing placement will have you living in Cape Town, working alongside Theodore Kamwimbi, one of the country's most experienced lawyers, who has worked directly with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and with the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.

Highlights: Five times the size of Great Britain, South Africa's position at the southern tip of Africa has created a diversity of lifestyles and a diversity of environments, from the lofty Drakensberg Mountain range to the Cape Vineyards.

Thought to be the birthplace of mankind, this land historically attracted Europeans as a gateway to Africa. At the start of the 21st century, South Africa is leading the way in African politics, and is seen as an inspiration to other countries. With eleven national languages and a variety of religions South Africa truly is the 'Rainbow Nation'.

All accommodation is organized, paid for and monitored by Projects Abroad. All project placements are regularly visited and checked. We require high standards of supervision and accommodation, which are verified before you arrive in South Africa.

This project offers the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications: none

Cost in US$: From US$3,495 Up

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Open-minded with a willingness to travel.

Age Range: 16-80

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

Participants Travel to South Africa Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 2-5

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement: As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded: 1992