My volunteer work at the Children Center in South Africa

My journey to the project

While looking for a stay abroad as part of my teaching degree, I came across Rainbow Garden Village and the wide range of volunteer services and internships abroad on social media. After intensive research on the Internet, personal contact with the team and careful consideration, I decided to volunteer for eight weeks at the Children Center in Cape Town.

At the beginning of August 2023 I went from Munich via Doha to the capital of South Africa. I organized the flights myself and although I was quite apprehensive about the long journey (18 hours) alone, everything went smoothly. Jemaine, the person in charge on site, was already waiting for me and another girl at the airport at lunchtime, so that we were able to move into our room in the Volunteer House, which is only a few minutes' drive away, shortly afterwards. Jemaine immediately provided us with SIM cards, WiFi and a few first important tips and then left us to the other volunteers. They immediately welcomed us into the existing group and took us on an excursion.

So that same afternoon I landed on Table Mountain by cable car and marveled at the city in which I was to live for two months from above. Certainly a perfect first day to remember fondly and for me today in a way a good omen for the following stay.

The orientation program

The orientation program with Jemaine followed the next day. Within an hour, he gave us general information about the dos and don'ts on site via a PowerPoint presentation, but also about the work in the project and the leisure activities in Cape Town, while at the same time willingly answering all of our questions. Finally, I set off with my roommate for the hop-on hop-off bus tour, which is included in the tour price, and so the positive first impression from the day before was only further confirmed.

My time in the project

After a short time, I was also very impressed with the work on the project and the 4-5 year olds in the Children Center and their “teacher Soraya” took my heart by storm. In a small group, we took an Uber from the Volunteer House to Parkwood every morning and spent the morning at the Children Center. Unfortunately, Parkwood is one of the tougher places around Cape Town and is characterized by poverty and crime. You definitely noticed that on the way to work, but there was no situation in which I really felt unsafe or threatened, and certainly not behind the daycare gates.

The children in my facility were between several months and seven years old and were divided into several groups (max. 20 children), each supported by a volunteer. Since they receive noticeably little individual support and attention at home, it was even nicer to enrich their everyday lives by learning, playing and doing crafts together. Although the educators occasionally have clear teaching materials as well as various craft materials and games, any donation is still welcome. In addition to the children, I also developed a friendly relationship with the staff, had both irrelevant and profound conversations and at the end said goodbye loudly with a “See you soon!”

The accommodation

Living together with around 20 other volunteers under one roof also worked more or less smoothly. While there are only a few single rooms, most rooms have two or even three beds and mostly have their own bathroom. In the winter months (June-September) you definitely have to be prepared for unpleasant temperatures and pack weatherproof clothing, as it can sometimes be below ten degrees in the room at night. The cleanliness of the two communal kitchens in particular suffers due to the high utilization of the house. Even if a cleaner regularly takes care of the shared areas, you still want a certain degree of initiative and consideration, especially when it comes to washing up - some more, others less ;).

Nevertheless, for me the positive sides of living together in the Volunteer House definitely outweigh the negatives. Lots of people also means lots of potential friendships and conversation partners and it certainly never gets boring. Once someone planned an activity, everyone else was always welcome to join. But even if you wanted to retreat alone and escape all the hustle and bustle, that was respected.

Breakfast is included in the tour price and generally consists of coffee, tea, toast and spreads or muesli. We had everything else we wanted, as well as food for lunch and dinner, conveniently delivered to our door via an app or bought it ourselves when shopping at the supermarket. The prices for food and drinks are fair and comparatively cheap to those in Germany.

Leisure time in South Africa

Visits to restaurants are also affordable and the various food stalls at popular markets in particular have to be tried out - there really is something for every taste! Even if all volunteers return from the projects at different times, there is enough time in the afternoon for short trips to the city center (approx. 15 minutes drive). No matter where we go, we always order an Uber because it is simply safer compared to local taxis or public transport. On nice days, it's definitely worth visiting the beaches of Camps Bay, Clifton or Muizenberg - be it for swimming, surfing, sunbathing or even for the beautiful sunsets. But the mountains Table Mountain, Lion's Head or Signal Hill can also be conquered within a short time and are rewarded with a breathtaking view.

But even everyday things like going to the cinema in one of the posh malls, shopping or drinking coffee make the days fly by. In the evenings we often all sat comfortably around a table and shared wine and food with good music or played ambitious board games. On the weekends we usually went out together and plunged into the nightlife on the famous party street, Long Street. In addition, Jemaine always organized larger excursions for the whole group on the days off, for example to the Cape of Good Hope or to idyllic wineries. We also booked events or tours independently. For example, I went on a 3-day Garden Route Highlights Tour with a safari with a group of girls. This was the perfect opportunity to get up close and personal with Africa's famous wildlife and incredible inland scenery.

My conclusion about volunteer work at the Children Center in South Africa

All in all, I didn't have any negative experiences in Cape Town. Even if something didn't go quite according to plan or to my satisfaction, everything contributed to the formative and positive overall impression that I still have today, looking back. I'm also happy to have gotten to know both sides of Cape Town in a certain way: On the one hand, we volunteers, like many well-off residents and tourists, lead a privileged life there and can afford relatively much. On the other hand, through my project and in exchange with locals, I also experienced the other side of the coin, the poverty, crime and lack of prospects, and made contact with people who have absolutely no financial opportunity to do all the things that I did in the two months experienced in their homeland, even once in my life.

So I had an unforgettable time in Cape Town and saying goodbye to the other volunteers, the children and colleagues and the entire vibe of the country and its people was anything but easy for me in the end.

Experience report from Julia, volunteer at the Children Center in South Africa, August to October 2023