CARE WITH DISABLED AND SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN IN CAPE TOWN

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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

►SUMMARY FACTFILE
Start Dates	All year round - you choose your start and finish dates!
Duration	Minimum stay 2 weeks and up to 1 year, subject to visa requirements
Requirements	No qualifications needed, just a big heart and a desire to provide care and support.
Price	From £1,095 for 2 weeks, ranging to £3,095 for 12 weeks. Full Price List and other Currencies
What's included	►Accommodation ►Food ►Meeting you at the Airport ►Transfer to your accommodation ►Full pre-departure support ►Local in-country team support and backup ►24-hr emergency support ►Free T-shirt
What's not included	Flights, Insurance, Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and assistance), Return transfer to airport, Transport to and from your project.
Who can do this Project?	All our projects are open to all nationalities. Unless otherwise stated, you need to be aged between 17 and 70+

On this page:

Working with Children with Autism
Working with Children with Special Needs
Working with Children with Mental and Physical Impairment
Accommodation & Travel
Optional Additional Activities you can do while on this project
Travel & Visas

PROJECT OVERVIEW
The best way to get a feel of the very beneficial work you'll do on this project is to give you an excerpt from the weekly report sent to us by Eleanor, our Travellers Cape Town Liaison, about a volunteer currently on the "Working with Children with Autism" project:

"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.

On good weather days, the children are out of doors playing games in the garden. Sometimes, they all trail off for a walk around the suburb – and this is where the volunteers are such a help, as autistic children tend to dash off in any direction without warning – and someone has to keep an eye on them when this happens and gently direct them back again.

On Fridays, the whole school attends the Eurythmy classes in the hall, one group at a time – and Jess helps out there for the day. The music and actions are all designed to have a calming effect and create a peaceful mindset – as well as to teach control of the body in certain actions. For some autistic children this is very difficult – as they can’t always control their body or mind – and the gentle guidance and patient repetition offered by the carers and volunteers is absolutely essential. And what patience is needed !!

Tess finishes her time at Vera on Monday – they will really be sad to see her go."

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.

Special treat for the children - a few days at the beach

Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

Enhance your Programme with some exciting activities:

Click here to see the Care in Cape Town Video

WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH AUTISM (V School)

Autism is a severe, lifelong development disability and children affected by this suffer from a number of conditions. They have severe communication and language problems, they are unable to relate to other people and they display unusual and problematic behaviour. The extent to which a child is affected will vary from individual to individual. Autistic children need predictability in their lives. They cannot express their needs effectively and often have extreme reactions to changes in routine and unfamiliar events.

The School we work with here is a school for autistic children. There are 85 students here and 35 of these children are live-in learners, staying at the school hostel overnight. The rest are bought each day by their parents. The children are aged between 3 and 18 years and they are educated according to their ability with some moving on to other schools later on.

The School has three hostels with children housed in age groups: the under 8’s, 8-12’s and 12-18’s. There is a very happy atmosphere at the school and the teachers are extremely conscientious and kind people. There is a lot of love here! For some, the School provides the only opportunity of education for these children. The dedicated care received at the School gives these children a platform from which they can enter society with a secure place, despite the limitations of their autism.

The language of tuition is English, but Afrikaans is also used frequently in interpersonal conversation. A minority of the children speak Xhosa or Afrikaans at home, but all of them can understand English. Without the help of our volunteers the school would not be able to give the children the full attention and care that they deserve and need.

Your Work at the School

On your arrival you will have a short Orientation during which you will learn about autism. This will include watching a video as well as meeting the teachers and pupils of the school. You will then be allocated to a teacher for the day. After this initial induction you may spend time in any of the classes for your first week, getting to understand the centre. One of the teaching coordinators will then chat to you about how you are getting on and ask you to decide which of the classes you would like to assist in. You will be working along side the teacher, not alone.

The majority of your work will be as a classroom and hostel assistant where you will be helping out in a variety of ways. Volunteers might be asked to help where children need special attention or to work with a small group while the teacher works with another group. Schoolwork varies with different age groups but is based on the normal school activities – a great deal of one-to-one attention is needed and children learn basic skills.

Help is also very much appreciated at supervised activities like swimming which is part of the daily summer curriculum.

After school hours, you'll be allocated a “play time” duty at the different hostels while the children play outdoors under supervision. You will also be involved in indoor hostel duties after this, which involve the supervision of children. Autistic children have to be watched closely at all times, as they may react suddenly and unexpectedly.

The help and support given by volunteers is especially needed during preparations for the school concert – and on the actual night. This usually takes place in October and is the highlight of the children’s school year.

If there are any outings while you're there, you'll accompany the teacher and pupils. These can be many things, possibly even including a camping trip for a few days. The school loves arranging special events that the students will enjoy. The parents are also included in events like barbecues or concerts for what the school calls – “The Family”.
There will also be a certain amount of Admin work involved in your volunteering, such as photocopying for the teacher and also duties at the switchboard if the receptionist is absent - answering the phone, etc.

Volunteer introducing a young autistic boy to the sea for the first time

Letter to Travellers from the School Principal:

"Here are some reasons why we value the volunteers who work at our School:

In many instances our learners pose challenging behaviour (cognitively, socially, emotionally, physically, etc.) and it is invaluable to have extra help in a classroom when dealing with this.
Our learners often need one-on-one facilitation in certain aspects of their educational programme (computer, reading, etc.)
When going on outings and or camps, staff always need extra hands to cope with the learners.
Hostel staff welcome extra hands to assist with the running of the afternoon programme in the hostels (playing simple games, going to the shop and going for walks).
Volunteers are also a great help when they assist learners with home work in the hostel. Some of this will entail helping with academic work, or practising making beds, learning how to wash and dry dishes, learning how to follow a programme in the school's gym, etc.).
A Friday is the Eurythmy day. This is exercises with movement and music. Most children take part and it is very therapeutic for them. However, it is "hands intensive". We cannot do this without volunteers.
Our learners sometimes struggle to follow instructions from different people. Volunteers bring variation and give our learners to the opportunity to practise their ability to generalise.
Volunteers often do very necessary chores which the staff struggle to find time for (photocopying, book binding, laminating, fetching keys, etc.)

These are just some of the reasons why we value our volunteers so much and why we are grateful for the ones who have been sent to us in the past and for those who will still come. Once again thank you!" Keriston Floris

WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (VN School)

Athletics Day is lots of fun!

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

When you arrive you will spend some time with the teacher in charge who will talk about the Special Needs of the children and about your role in the school, as a volunteer.

You will then be allocated to a teacher who will introduce you to the work You may spend time in all different areas of work in the school before settling into a particular job. Volunteers should make requests if there is anything that you are particularly interested in – for example you may prefer working in the Nursery, or with the older children, or helping in the Physiotherapy or OT departments.

The work falls into 5 categories: Admin (receptionist, switchboard - if there is someone absent ); Library (mending books, cataloguing, etc); Class Aides (helping children in the nursery section, or helping the teacher with various class activities, or listening to children reading); being a “Scribe” or amanuensis (this means you will go with a pupil who is disabled and cannot write, sit with him/her in class and take notes, and then write for him/her while he/she tells the scribe the answers in tests or examinations). The fifth category is basically filling in where needed – perhaps in charge of collecting children who need physiotherapy

You can also help with Sport and Physical Education, such as swimming, soccer, cricket as well as sport for the disabled.

Different age groups end their school day at different times. After the pupils have left, you may be given preparation tasks for the next day by the teacher, or there might be admin work in the office or the school library. This will be until 3.00 pm.

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:
info@travellersworldwide.com

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

When you arrive you will be allocated to a teacher who will introduce you to the work. You might be sent to different areas of work in the school before settling in to a particular job. If there is anything you are particularly interested in, such as working with a particular age group or helping in the Physiotherapy or OT departments, please let us know when you apply, so that we can arrange it for you.

You will work as a classroom assistants or class aides (helping children in and out of wheelchairs for different activities, or helping the teacher with various class activities, like painting, doing puzzles – and with the older children cooking, simple maths and reading etc). Other tasks include reading stories to children, helping children to simple tasks on the computer and supervising the outdoor activities. Tricycle riding forms part of the curriculum - as exercise and mastering the skills associated with the physical action are very important.

The children also learn simple rules of the road on marked out areas of the playground. Swimming lessons are a favourite and the school has two heated indoor pools. Your help in and out of the pools will be appreciated as children need individual help in the water. One pool is specifically for physiotherapy treatment.

Volunteers working in the Nursery section usually move over to the older children after the nursery children have finished for the day. You may be given preparation tasks for the next day by the teacher or Admin work, like helping out in the front office if someone is absent. The school day ends at 3.00 pm.

Sometimes there might be help needed, like preparing for Sports Day or School Fete 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 you will get to know the children much better out of hours.

"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

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

ACCOMMODATION AND TRAVEL

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.

33South is not just a backpacker’s lodge, it’s an experience! With secure access, 24hr managers on duty, they uphold a very high safety and security standard. The night manager is also a lovely welcome ‘home’ after a night out... and bakes fresh muffins for your breakfast!

The staff are very friendly and will always help you where needed. They can answer any questions and can even help when you need some TLC because you feel a bit homesick!

33South has differently themed rooms from the township vibe to old Victorian and even a ‘harbour’ room complete with seagulls and fishing motifs. Hotel-quality bedding is provided and towels are available on request. The rooms are serviced once a week and lined/bedding is changed.

The back of the house has a beautiful palm-tree covered terrace, where you can soak up the sunshine and enjoy a real South African “BRAAI” (BBQ). There is even a private bar, chill-out room where live musicians play on Friday nights!

The lodge is also situated in the heart of Observatory and a short stroll away from a large supermarket, internet café, pharmacy and Laundromat. The perfect home away from home.

Food: A healthy self-serve breakfast of cereals, toast and tea/coffee is included every morning, and you will be given a food allowance to buy your own food for lunch/dinner. The lodge is also equipped with a self-catering kitchen, with all the necessities to cook a good meal.

“Never met so many great people in a short space of time.” Sophie Bufton

TRAVEL:
To read about Travel arrangements and what happens when you arrive in your new country, please click here.

Support & Backup: To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.
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ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO WHILE ON THIS PROJECT:

5-DAY OR 7-DAY SAFARI from Cape Town up the renowned Garden Route: taking in Dolphin and Whale Spotting, visits to many tourist attractions, such as a visit to a brewery(!), the Bloukrantz Bungy Jump (reportedly the highest in the world), and a guided tour of the Cango Caves.
1 WEEK WHALES, SHARKS AND DOLPHINS Project: This is an extraordinary and exciting project in a beautiful location, surrounded by white beaches and blue ocean. And two hours from the world's third favourite city - Cape Town. What more could anyone want?
SURFING COURSES: In Cape Town

Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

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