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| CARE WITH DISABLED AND SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN IN CAPE TOWN |
SOUTH AFRICA |
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Work with children with autism, special needs, or physical or mental impairment who need your help, or with deprived children who will benefit tremendously from your loving care and attention. The Centres are for local children who need extra special care and attention due to physical, mental or social disadvantages. You can work at one particular Centre or you can spread your time out between different institutes - the choice is yours. These care projects are based in the beautiful and lively tourist destination of Cape Town and are utterly rewarding as well as highly enjoyable. You'll fall completely in love with the children, the schools, and the country – you have been warned! “I collect some different coloured spades and bury them in front of him; “Callum,” I whisper, “can you find me the pink spade?”. His movements calm for a moment. Then he begins to move the sand and uncovers the pink spade. We play this game for the rest of playtime, finishing with a perfect score.” Sophie Bufton
On this page:
PROJECT OVERVIEW
"Tess has a
timetable which gives her the opportunity of working in different
classes each day. She has specific tasks to do with individual children,
which are designed for each particular child according to their type and
level of autism. She was highly praised by the teachers she is working
with! The children relate very well to her, and the staff are thrilled
to have her there.
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into
Africa and the many diverse cultures in South Africa
The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and
knowing that you made a difference to them.
New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding
of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional
development.
An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head
and shoulders above most others in the job market
And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!
Dates for the 2012 school terms (semesters) are
given below. Term 1: 18th Jan – 30th Mar Term 2: 10th April – 22nd June Term 3: 16th July – 28th Sept Term 4: 8th Oct – 7th Dec
Teaching is not available during
school holidays, so if you're planning to participate in a
placement, please take the above school term dates
into account when planning the timing of your project. On the other hand, if
a holiday falls during your proposed placement, you
could use this time to do any independent travelling
and sightseeing. |
Click here to see the Care in Cape Town Video
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| WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (VN School) |
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One of the schools we work with is for children with a variety of disabilities or special needs. Volunteers will be placed within the Primary School only. This is set in a beautiful location, overlooking the Rondebosch Common and facing the impressive side of Table Mountain. The Primary School has 250 pupils ranging from 3 years old to about 13, from pre-primary to year 7. The school buildings are spacious and brightly decorated with art works done by the children and the grounds are immaculate and well-kept. There is a heated indoor swimming pool used largely for therapy. Part of the school day is allocated to sport and pupils take part in school leagues as well as sport for the disabled. On Mondays a group goes to a farm for Riding for the Disabled. Some of today’s pupils have cerebral palsy, which refers to a group of permanent but non-progressive disorders of posture and movement. It is due to a dysfunction of the brain, which can occur during birth or as a result of accident or illness in childhood. Some children have other syndromes or conditions such as muscular dystrophy, multiple physical impairment, ADHD and specific learning disabilities. A lack of concentration, dyslexia or hyperactivity are often linked to these conditions and the children can get over excited by changes in routine, which means that teachers and assistants need to have endless patience in dealing with small upsets. The teachers are grateful for the help of volunteers – just the presence of another adult in the classroom makes the activities run more smoothly. A Volunteer Placement at Vista Nova would be an unforgettable experience, as is shown by the return of some volunteers after completing their degrees. Your Work at the School
Sometimes there might be extra duties after this, like preparing for school Sports Day or School Concert. We urge volunteers to get involved with extra functions taking place at the school as you can have a lot of fun and get to know the children far better by getting involved in the after school activities. Your weekends are entirely free (for sightseeing, travel and fun)! Got any questions? Please email us: info@travellersworldwide.com |
| WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT (BP School) |
Got any questions? Please email us: |
| The School we work with has just over 200 children with
physical and intellectual impairments. The pupils are aged from 3 years old to
18. There are four sections covering nursery, junior, middle and senior pupils. A fleet of school buses travel from all over the suburbs to collect these children in the mornings from about 6am and the school bus returns the children back home for the afternoons at around 2.30pm. State subsidies are not adequate to run a school such as this one and there is an endless need for funding. The Bel Porto Foundation has been set up with a special fund raiser in charge of this essential aspect of the school. Fund raising events occur during the year, and at the re-cycling centre in one of the school buildings, donations from people’s homes, as well as newspapers, books and plastic containers are received at any time.As the pupils are low functioning academically, the curriculum aims at fostering maximum independence and productivity in each pupil. It covers the development of self-sufficiency and socialism. Lessons are designed to improve motor and perceptual skills as well as functional academic skills. There is a strong emphasis on communication, household and vocational skills. Pupils are also encouraged to be aware of the environment and nature, and a visit to the school Farmyard is a daily occurrence. The School also serves as a training centre for students from local universities and colleges. Students in training include speech therapists, medical students, physiotherapists, nurses, occupational therapists, care givers and teachers. The school itself consists of a number of spread out, pleasant buildings all opening onto the garden. The school buildings are like a solid built local state school, and the parents and staff keep them looking neat and painted. The gardens are well-kept and spacious, and the children love visiting the small farmyard in the school grounds to see the sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks and chickens – and even a donkey or two sometimes.There are two heated indoor swimming pools which are used for class swimming and physiotherapy. Volunteers here have loved every minute of their placements here and keep up contact with the school after they move on to study at University or return to work at home.Your Work at the School
"Working in Bel Porto school with special needs children. It was amazing to see how the children really appreciated the one on one time you were able to give to them as a volunteer. Even though it may not have been anything substantial you could see that the extra attention they may not be getting when just in a class really made them feel good about themselves. During some one on one time with a lovely girl in the junior classes who had speech problems and was confined to a wheelchair, we were playing a small game to help with numbers where she had to pick a block with had a certain amount of holes in it and fit it onto something with the corresponding poles sticking out of it. When she got one right I congratulated her with a simple 'well done' and clapped. Her face immediately brightened and she became so happy she hugged me. It's small moments like this that help you realise what a difference your presence is making, even if you feel like what you're doing isn't really helping. Seeing her so ecstatic for such a small congratulations shows just how much they gain from the smallest amount of attention!" Siobhan Scarlett |
| RECOMMENDED COMBINATION! The Red Cross Children's Hospital |
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Why not think about combining this placement with a month at the Red Cross Children's Hospital? It is the biggest children's hospital in sub-Saharan Africa and would be an excellent addition to your time in the City, not to mention an excellent entry on your CV! In brief, the main tasks and responsibilities on this project will be to visit the children, hand out toys, play and interact with them, and give them lots of comfort and love. You may also assist with general non-medical support, e.g., accompanying a patient to another department, collecting folders and fetching food, etc, or assisting the pharmacy area or clinics where patients wait for their medication. To read more about the Red Cross Hospital, please click here
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| ACCOMMODATION AND TRAVEL | |
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Nestled under the mountain near the
city, is the trendy and arty suburb of Observatory, the student Mecca of Cape
Town. We have chosen this location as an accommodation base and make use of 33
South Backpackers Lodge, where you will be staying. It’s distance from the
projects, safety conscious attitude and very friendly staff make this the ideal
home away from home. “Never met so many great people in a short space of time.” Sophie Bufton
TRAVEL:
Support & Backup:
To read about the excellent Support
& Backup we provide before you leave and during
your programme,
please click here. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO WHILE ON THIS PROJECT:
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Got any questions? Please email us:
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| IF YOU LIKED THIS, YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THESE PROJECTS TOO ... | |||
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CARE FOR ORPHANS AND UNDERPRIVILEGED
PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN ACCRA, GHANA: Work in a pre-school in the Kwabenya region of Accra with orphaned and underprivileged children. You'll be involved in a variety of activities, such as playtime, feeding, basic teaching. You can give these children a boost by helping them to learn basic numerical and English skills, drawing, painting, music and also facilitating games. Read more... |
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Suite 2A, Caravelle House, 17/19 Goring Road,
Worthing, |
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