Report on my volunteer work in South Africa and Namibia

A journey that begins at the most beautiful end of the world

A journey that has left uncommonly precious impressions, experiences and memories is over, and I am immensely grateful for all the moments that still accompany me in my memory.

My projects in South Africa and Namibia

When I arrived in South Africa, after a short period of acclimatization, I was able to start my first project: an internship at a primary school in Cape Town. After that, after only 4 weeks, I took the plane to Namibia to start a new project: volunteer work in a kindergarten. With the combination of countries and projects, I have exactly fulfilled my expectations and wishes for my time abroad.

I wanted to get to know as much as possible, but also really settle in and feel comfortable in one place. The 4 weeks that I worked on each of the two projects are just about enough for that. After 2-3 weeks I could say that I had settled in and had a wonderful relationship with the children. I started small projects and became familiar with the work and the local conditions.

Work in elementary school in Cape Town

Even my first day in elementary school was full of challenges. Unlike the usual first day of a volunteer, I took over the supervision of a first class on request because the teacher suddenly fell ill. The children were incredibly curious and warm-hearted, even if it made the classroom a little restless. Everything was new and exciting for me too. But I find experiences like this particularly instructive.

I assisted a class teacher over the next few weeks and mainly helped the children with their homework and supported them in everything they needed help with. The fact that this is not so self-evident here is due to the fact that in a class with 40-45 students, there is usually a somewhat rough tone. So you get a lot of gratitude from the kids for some attention and time you give them.

It is also possible to plan your own projects or lessons with the children. Personal initiative, openness, but also assertiveness are particularly important in order to quickly integrate and help in all areas.

Work in kindergarten in Windhoek

The work in the kindergarten in Windhoek was a complete contrast to the work in the primary school in Cape Town.

After an initial, very warm welcome from the kindergarten team, I was quickly integrated into the work with the children. The educators were grateful for any further help, as they had to look after a large number of children. So we could start with full motivation: play, learn, laugh, run, romp and much more with the children. It's unbelievable how quickly you take all children into your heart.

After 2 weeks we planned a project for the children in preschool and carried it out every day with part of the group. The children had fun learning and gratefully accepted the varied learning experience. Working with the children is simply fun and the children enjoy the extra attention. We've built cities out of mud, raced on a hiking trip, thrown a balloon party, and danced and laughed around.

In addition to this carefree interaction with the little ones, it is also important to show the children their limits. They test them out pretty quickly. So when working with children, assertiveness and a lot of understanding, love and patience should be a prerequisite.

Free time and the student house

There is enough to explore and see in both countries to fill your free time to the full. South Africa, especially Cape Town, offers an incredible number of excursion destinations, food markets, beaches and much more. But there was also enough work in the student house, because after a short time many friendships are made and the weekends are quickly planned.

Windhoek, on the other hand, is not very big. Nevertheless, there are mainly evening activities here and on the weekends trips can be planned that lead to the most beautiful deserts and safari areas. The parts of Namibia that I was allowed to explore are simply indescribably beautiful. This has to be seen and experienced with your own eyes. 

The conversations with the locals were particularly enriching in order to get to know the culture, life and people here better. In addition to the many positive impressions I got from this, the poverty and suffering of the people are also made clear to me. Unfortunately, that is exactly part of the life of many people in this country. It is normal for them and we are allowed to become part of life at times and get an insight as best we can into how people live, learn, laugh and love here despite all the circumstances.

Volunteer work in kindergarten in Windhoek and elementary school in Cape Town, field report by Michelle H., 09.05.2018