South Africa: Volunteer Care-Work with Children

• Placement locations:
  Cape Town
• Types of care projects: After school clubs, care centres, crèches, pre-schools
• Age of children: 3 - 6
• Number of people cared for:
  Variable
• Role: Assisting with local staff including playing with children, basic teaching and giving general help
• Accommodation: Host families
• Price: From £1445
• What’s included? Food, accommodation, transfers, insurance, personal webpage, induction and orientation, 24/7 support, social activities
• What’s not included? Flights, visa costs, spending money
• Length of placement: From two weeks
• Start dates: Flexible

The infamous townships are full of people desperate to create a better world for their children. Since unemployment is high at almost 40%, these poorer areas are full of basic social problems such as alcoholism and domestic violence. Parents are not keen to have their children affected by their surroundings, and attempt to keep them busy through crèches, schools and after school activities, though this is not easy with limited or no funds.

Projects Abroad provides much needed hands-on support to these crèches and after school clubs, to enable them to keep their costs low while still providing a safe and stimulating environment for these children to grow up in.

Whatever your age, abilities or level of experience you are welcome to join a volunteer Care project in South Africa; whether you are on a Gap Year (or even a Gap Month) from further education, or are coming to us during a career break. All we ask is that you have enthusiasm for and a commitment to the work, the staff team and, of course, the children.

Projects Abroad is also the exclusive partner for overseas volunteers for Grassroot Soccer. If you are interested in both HIV/AIDS education and in football, then this project, crossing the border between Care work and Sports, is for you. Please follow this link to our Community Football programme.

Voluntary Childcare Work with Projects Abroad

Projects Abroad has links with a number of crèches in the townships and poorer suburbs of Cape Town to provide much needed care for disadvantaged children in the area. We also have a project working in a centre for children with special needs.

Volunteers can also spend some time as part of a team working on community projects like building new classrooms and playgrounds or painting and decorating children's wards. Community projects are typically under-funded and under-resourced so our volunteers are always welcome.

Volunteering Abroad on a Care Project in South Africa

Volunteers working in the care centres and crèches help the children to learn basic but important life skills, and make sure the children are fed, washed and dressed. Structured work is vital, to help prepare the children for school and create a calm and constructive environment.

You'll work alongside your placement supervisor to create a work plan that you and the children will follow. In addition to this, sports, art, music and drama are always popular activities on these placements. Start a choir, put on a play or organise a sports day!

Local staff are often highly overworked, and don't have the time to give the children much one-on-one attention. You could be the one to make the difference by inspiring the children and maybe even the carers too.

All of the volunteer Care projects in South Africa are keen to have volunteers with fresh ideas and energy to help the permanent staff. We try to take advantage of all of our volunteers' talents and skills that can contribute to the care and rehabilitation of the children, so let us know how you can help.

This project is available for two weeks if you don't have time to join us for a month or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work intensely within the local community please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period.

All volunteers taking part in any of the Cape Town based projects in South Africa have the opportunity to add a 7-Day Conservation Project to the end of their main placement. For more information visit our Conservation in South Africa project page.