Volunteer South Africa|South Africa Volunteer Work Program|50% for the People|Volunteering South Africa

Make a real difference!
Your volunteering will help bring happiness, self-respect and joy to the children in the program, something which many of us take for granted, yet something these amazing kids are really in need of. The Eastern Cape is the poorest region of South Africa, and help from overseas is vital to uplift its people.

All money goes DIRECTLY to the project!
Ubuntu Volunteers is a different kind of volunteer program. Firstly, it is a fraction of the cost of many other volunteer initiatives, with 50% of money from volunteers going directly to assist the centres in bettering its program and facilities. Money could be used to buy art materials, sports equipment, help with the food kitchen, building projects etc. You as the volunteer will be able to have a say where your contribution is used. This is unique to Ubuntu Volunteers, as we take ZERO commission for facilitating the program..

Lots of Free Time!
Its not all work and no play! You will be expected to work 5 hrs a day, 5 days a week. The rest of the time is free for you to surf the world-famous waves, play with lions at the nearby sanctuary, take in the town, relax or do whatever you like! Its about having a good time in a new country, and making a difference.

Fun Excursions!
The Ubuntu staff arrange a fun trip every weekend to take in the many interesting places in our area. Lion Cub Sanctuary, Walking with Elephants, Sand-boarding, Surf Lessons, Bungy Jumping and much more!

Meet interesting people at Ubuntu!
Your accommodation during your trip will be at Ubuntu Lodge, where you will get to meet other interesting people travelling through J-Bay.

Project Description
Pre-school/day care center project

We are involved with three schools in the Jeffreys Bay Community. These schools are daycare-centers , and provide education for children aged 3 to 5 years. There are up to 20/40 children in each creche, which makes it very difficult for the permanent teachers to keep up with education and attention for the individual children.
Help from volunteers is needed and has proven to be very effective, for the teachers and children can learn a lot from the volunteers, and vice versa.

The daycare-centers are meant to prepare the children for primary school, where they go to from the age of 6. It’s their first introduction to education, a playful way of learning new things, such as; shapes and colors, the letters of the alphabet, songs etc... But also discipline and structure, something they need to get familiar with as well before entering primary school.

In each of these day care centers there are one or two permanently employed care givers, who work with the kids throughout the year. Although they are very good with the children and dedicated to the school, they don’t always know how to implement certain teaching aides into the day to day program. They need assistance and new knowledge, to keep them motivated and to improve themselves every time.
With their help, your own creativity and the very basic equipment present in the school, you can try to get the most out of your volunteer experience in the school!

The school morning is structured in the following way:

7.30 Children start arriving at the school with the teachers there to welcome them
8.00 The teachers make the children porridge for breakfast
8.30 Start of the lesson program where the teachers try to teach the children new skills in a playful way.
10.00 The children’s singing routine in which they sing all the songs they know and learn new songs
11.00 Snacktime! The children eat the food they brought themselves
11.30 Playtime! The children play outside on the playground in front of the school
13.00 Sleeptime! The children take their afternoon nap till the parents pick them up

The time when you as a volunteer can come into action is during the lesson program in the morning as well as assisting the teacher in other tasks through out the day. The lesson time is where you can use your own ideas and creativity to teach the kids new skills.

Other activities while at the school would include helping out with practical things like general maintenance that might be in the form of painting, cleaning or fixing small things around the school and playground. At each school there is also a vegetable garden that previous volunteers have started. Keeping these gardens going will also be part of the volunteering activities.

Once you have applied and been placed in the project we will send you an information pack with specific areas that you can focus on while you are at the school. This will also include a schedule of what your days will look like, this is flexible according to the needs at the moment in the school and of the individual volunteer.

Accommodation
At Ubuntu Lodge you have the choice of either shared (dorm) rooms or private rooms. The guesthouse is ideally situated overlooking the beach, and all necessary shops and supermarkets are a 2 minute walk away. There is a big self-catering kitchen for you to prepare your own food, or you can sample the tasty delights of Ubuntu's hearty African dinners($7).

Project Costs
Included: Airport transfers (PE), bicycle/transport, free surf lesson, all accommodation, breakfast daily, 50% financial contribution to project.
Not Included : Flight tickets, food and drinks, excursions.

For The People