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Care with disabled children in Cape Town

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.

Our care projects are based in the beautiful and lively tourist destination of Cape Town. These projects are utterly rewarding as well as highly enjoyable, and you will fall completely in love with the children, the schools, and the country – you have been warned!

You don't need any qualifications to do this project.

The various Centres in need of your voluntary time are all 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. Descriptions of the different Centres are given below, plus the types of duties that will be required of you as a volunteer.

All these projects are very worthwhile and will offer you a wealth of experience and a lifetime of memories.

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South Africa, Sun, Surf and Sea, where you can do voluntary projects in teaching, care work, work experience, conservation, sports, and much more!

Athletics Day is lots of fun!
 
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WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
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. Download and print additional
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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 will 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.

Letter to Travellers from the School Principal:

"Here are some reasons why we value the volunteers who work at Vera 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



Care in Cape Town Video


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


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

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WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

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)!
WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT

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 WITH CHILDREN FROM DISADVANTAGED AREAS


Eleanor, Travellers Organiser (middle), who will look after you on your Project, with our SA Asst. Manager (left) and the Headmaster of the School (right)

Our work with disadvantaged children is with a school that is part of a group of International Schools founded in order to help children around the world to break the cycle of poverty and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society.

In this School, children learn the key values of respect, responsibility, independence and integrity and are encouraged to develop a passion for learning.

The School was started in January 2001 and is certainly making a difference in the lives of its pupils. Some of these grow up in the patchwork of tiny dwellings made from salvaged materials which stretch for miles around Cape Town. These children live in neighbourhoods rife with gangs, violence, disease and drugs. Other students are orphaned or abandoned, living in orphanages or shelters.

These kids are eager to learn and the school feels that in these children lies the glimmer of a new social order, where they will have opportunities, which their parents did not have. The children cannot afford good schooling and might be lost in a life of gangsterism and dysfunctional adulthood unless given the chance of an education. With the opportunity for the children to develop pride in doing their best, they feel a sense of achievement and a realisation of their own ability and importance.

The students look forward to coming to school each day and their proficiency in everything from schoolwork to sport improves steadily as they progress throughout the school. The eager faces and willingness to learn demonstrate that the children are really on a new path to success.

Parents are drawn into the school family as the school believes they should be a part of the transformation taking place in their children through education. The school has parents’ workshops where parents learn how to support their children’s academic efforts and news of the school’s success has spread throughout the community. Parents are proud of the achievements of their children for whom the future might have been very bleak without the experience of educational opportunities. The School's attitude is a very progressive one, attacking a serious problem within South Africa’s social strata with intelligence and sensitivity and reaping real results.

You will find this an incredible experience that you will never forget.

Your Work at the School

  • As a volunteer you will be a classroom assistant and aide to the teacher, helping in various roles depending on the requirements of each day.
  • When you arrive, you will be allocated to a teacher who will introduce you to the work and discuss with you where the need for your assistance lies. You may be sent to different classes in the school before settling into a particular job. If you have any preferences, such as working with younger or older children, it is likely that these will be able to be accommodated.
  • You will be a classroom assistant or class aide helping the teacher with various class activities. You may be asked to teach a class under supervision or to fill in for someone who is absent. You could also assist with reading or extra coaching.
  • School begins at 8.00 am and you will be on duty in the classroom or in the playground until the end of the school day. As the school has an extra long day, you need not stay for the extra time unless you wish to.
  • You will assist teachers – but might teach a lesson under supervision. If a teacher is absent, volunteers in the past have coped well with filling in for the day.
  • Some children need help with certain subjects such as Maths, Reading or IT. In this case, your assistance in a small group or with one-on-one instruction is valuable. The school does have a special teacher who takes small groups for extra coaching, and you could assist with this. Sometimes such a group works within a class, and at other times the teacher may remove the group for special work.
  • It would be useful for volunteers to get involved with other subjects also such as Art, Drama and Music? The children do life-skills sessions in the afternoons, and there would be opportunities here for this input.
  • There are Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists who would be grateful of help if a volunteer is qualified. Otherwise simple classroom work would also encompass these skills.
  • Access to video and music systems are available.
  • Each classroom has a computer with Internet access. You can also help pupils with computer work.
  • There are other special events throughout the year that volunteers could assist in:
    Founder’s Day in October
    Sports Day in March
    Educational Outings – all year – three per term.
    Workshops for parents – all year
    If you are on your placement during these events, your involvement in any or all of these would be appreciated – for supervision of children and to share in workshops with parents. One gains a great insight into the children and their lives by taking part in all these activities.
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

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ACCOMMODATION AND LIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA:

In a bohemian part of Cape Town, along the east coast of the city near Woodstock, is a set of very lovely lodges! The Lodge Observatory is a series of 5 houses in Observatory, a famous Alternative Suburb in Cape Town.

Apart from other Travellers volunteers, this hostel mainly attracts many intern students. The Lodge is managed by Nelly and her daughter Charmaine. They are very friendly and will always help you where needed. They can answer any questions or can even help when you need some TLC because you feel a bit homesick!

The Main Lodge is the centre of all the lodges and is a meeting point for everyone. You can discuss your day in the living room, have a nice chat out on the terrace, go for a swim, watch a movie, etc.

here are two 4-person dorms, one 3-person dorm and one double room. This lodge has a living room, two bathrooms and a well-equipped kitchen. The back of the house has a nice covered terrace, as well as a braai area (South African barbecue) and a swimming pool.

In the back of the garden there is a little place called the Garden Lodge. This is basically the chill-out room with several comfortable sofas, satellite television, VCR and HiFi system. Great for relaxing or for parties.

The Main Lodge also has storage facilities for surfboards etc. and space to store your luggage if you wish to travel around the country and leave your things somewhere safe.

Food: You will be given a food allowance to buy your own food from the big supermarket up the road.  Each house is equipped with a kitchen with a fridge, stove, oven and microwave, and all the necessities to cook a good meal.

TRAVEL:
You have the option to arrange your own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will be fulfilled for you by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.) Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up before leaving for your placement.

Where possible, all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable ticket. We meet you at the airport regardless of whether you make your own travel arrangements or not.

We can also arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!

VISAS:. In countries where visas or immigration documents are required, we'll send you all the necessary forms and information and make the process very easy for you.

To read about the extensive Support & Backup we provide in our countries, please click here.
Elephant and baby in the wild in South Africa Adventure voluntary projects
PRICES: Zulu children in traditional dress can be seen on our adventure voluntary projects in South Africa

To see the Prices of this project and all our other projects in South Africa, please click here

Prices include
  • Food & accommodation while on your project, unless otherwise stated,
  • 2 T-shirts, if required for your project
  • All support and backup during your programme
  • Meeting you at the nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.

Return to the South Africa Home Page and
the list of all our projects in South Africa

TO APPLY FOR THIS PROJECT, PLEASE CLICK HERE

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