Assist in two very different schools located in Gauteng Province in Northern South Africa, helping children from different backgrounds, one of which is very deprived. Your help makes a difference!

One of the schools you'll work in is located on an organic farm. Here you’ll work with children from more affluent backgrounds. This is a ‘Montessori’ school and has computer facilities and basic sports gear.

You’ll then take the knowledge you’ve gained and share it with a poorer school located on a nearby Game Reserve. This school lacks many facilities – it is really poor and you will make a difference to the children.

►SUMMARY FACTFILE
Start Dates	All year round (subject to school terms/semesters) - you choose your start and finish dates.
Duration	Minimum stay 1 week and up to 1 year, subject to visa requirements
Requirements	No qualifications needed, just a big dose of enthusiasm for children and the outdoors
Price	From £695 for 1 week, ranging to £2,895 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), transport to and from the projects, return transfer to the airport.
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+

THE MONTESSORI SCHOOL
The Montessori school is located on an organic farm and is a small independent school for up to 25 children, between the ages of two-and-a-half to four years old. Having started in 2010 from small beginnings, the plan is to grow into a Primary School and later into a High School like no other in Africa. Their aim is to also sponsor as many local disadvantaged children as possible.

The school is in beautiful, secure surroundings on the farm, with top class facilities, instruction and, most importantly, it honours and maintains the high standards of Montessori education and its philosophy. At the Montessori School, the method of teaching concentrates on providing a place where the spirit of children and the spirit of nature work together.

The school will provide an exceptional educational journey for children and the surroundings will foster respect for Mother Nature and allow children to experience peace and tranquillity.

The staff welcomes volunteers who would like to gain pre-school experience. There are 10 children at present, and numbers are expected to grow steadily. Apart from extra hands keeping 10 busy children busy, they would love to start a Drama and Music section at the school.

The school day starts at 8am, and you need to be there by 7.45 before parents arrive with their children. Their “Prepared Environment” will be filled with only the best equipment that will entice them to want to learn and work at their own individual pace.

There is also a focus on incorporating the environment into the curriculum. The children have a hands-on experience of growing their own vegetables and fruit in the school’s own vegetable garden. This encourages them to understand the seasons and cycles of nature as well as equipping them with vital life skills.

The children are encouraged to explore their natural ‘sense of wonder’, which will be expanded into all areas of learning as they get older – mathematics, language, science, geography, cultural studies, practical life, art, sensorial, music and drama, etc.

“THE CRADLE” PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Montessori school also sponsors a local disadvantaged pre-primary school on a nearby game-farm, where you can assist by taking methods from the Montessori school and sharing with the underprivileged kids. This ‘bridging’ of schools and knowledge is a very exciting concept and welcomed with open arms by the staff there!

If you have initiative and are full of ideas, this project is an ideal place to introduce and incorporate your ideas and improvements.

After spending some time at the Monaghan Montessori Pre-School, you will take all you have learnt and carry it over to the The Cradle Pre-Primary School. This school is run by two sisters, Tumelo and Martha, who have a fairly good knowledge of English. Apart from a few children from The Cradle Nature Reserve, most of the children come from the poor local disadvantaged community, making a total of 39 children. Outside the fenced area of the school playground is natural bush and giraffe, monkeys, springbok and other buck pass by. There are also rhino on the farm.

The day will consist of drawing, painting, learning letters and numbers, constructive playing, baking, drama and lots of singing! The curriculum is quite flexible, and you can use your initiative to introduce and include English in all activities. Each child can be assessed to ascertain what their needs are, both intellectually and sociably.

Useful items to take with you could include children’s books, magazines for information and cutting out pictures, dressing up clothes, toys, games, fun creative stationery or even a sewing machine. There is a huge fabric factory shop not far from the farm and you could have fun creating costumes for the children. Teaching the teachers to sew would be an added advantage for the children!

The children are given breakfast and lunch and there is a mid-morning break, too. Many children from local communities arrived at The Cradle School scruffy, hungry and unhealthy, but two good meals a day have made a huge difference in their health and concentration and you can help these children progress with daily mental stimulation.

Although the local mother-tongue is “Tswane” (one of the 11 South African official languages), English is a necessity in the modern world. Most of the older group can speak and understand a little English and the Montessori method of teaching English will help both teachers and volunteers transmit this knowledge to these children in a creative and easy way.

The children also love having their photographs taken!

Optional afternoon activities
Close to Monaghan is Refilwe, a residential centre for children of all ages who don't have parents. There are a number of cottages and each cottage has a foster mother who looks after a small group of children. These foster mothers try to createas normal a home environment as possible.

The children benefit immensely from afternoon activities, such as Sport, Art, Drama, Music, or just playing games and having fun. You will be taken to Refilwe after being picked up from The Montessori or The Cradle during the week and fetched again at 4.30pm.

After a full day with children, you can relax, have a swim in the pool, watch TV, email home, prepare for the following day if necessary and on occasion enjoy a Braai (South African BBQ) ... on days when there is no storm! In this area, thunder, lightning and rain are commonplace around 4pm, but the storm usually passes quite quickly, clearing up to leave the beautiful surroundings watered and refreshed after the dry, hot day.

This project is varied and challenging. Giving material goods is easy, but giving even a little constructive attention and care and sharing knowledge is life-changing for disadvantaged children, and will give them confidence and stimulate their intellect... a priceless gift!

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

HOURS OF WORK
You will generally work at the school from 8:00am till 2:30pm, but sometimes this is flexible and you may wish to take part in the after school activity at Refilwe until 4:30pm.

This placement is not available during school holidays, so if you're planning to participate in a placement, please take the below 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. This is the choice that most of our volunteers make to gain some additional experience and knowledge of the region or, indeed, the country.

SCHOOL TERMS IN SOUTH AFRICA:
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

Nervous about going somewhere new? Or about teaching? Read Adrian Tate's description of his arrival in South Africa to teach Sports.

LOCATION
This project is based on a residential project, situated on a working organic farm. Although luxury living, one feels as though one is living in the bush, with jackals, guinea fowl, small buck, hedgehogs and porcupines wandering freely. There is also an abundant and varied birdlife.

The Farm is situated just north of Lanseria Airport, lying between the cities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Mogale. It is 1 360 acres in size with the Jukskei River meanders through it for more than 3km providing several kilometres of common river frontage. A major difference between the estate, and most other upmarket developments, is that it’s actually a working farm, with a strong emphasis on organic agriculture.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO WHILE ON THIS PROJECT: