Volunteering in a primary school field report

Do something useful in the school holidays

Make a nice trip, gain new experiences, experience a lot and at the same time do something good. This is how I imagined my perfect summer vacation before the new school year. I was already very interested in South Africa and working at a primary school, so volunteering just seemed right.

The month in Cape Town was so incredibly beautiful, inspiring and exciting. Every day you could explore something new and I met a lot of friendly and open people and the culture and nature there is also interesting and diverse

Preparation, arrival and host family in Cape Town

Even before the trip you were very well prepared for your stay in your host country and could. For example, you can get really helpful tips and suggestions from the travel ABC that you get sent to you. Above all, I recommend the preparatory seminar, which gave me such a good insight and increased the anticipation to 1000%. Through this seminar, all questions could be clarified and possible fears have completely disappeared.

When I arrived at the airport in Cape Town, Chad picked me up and took me and another volunteer to our host families. I was warmly welcomed there. The host family made the time in this city as pleasant and experiential as it could be. It was also very nice to experience the culture and life of the locals up close, such as at family celebrations or visiting the church. The food in the morning and in the evening was usually very tasty and also new and interesting, since there were also national dishes, which I thought was great.

Preschool class in a primary school

Right from the start of my work in a preschool class (Grade R), the principal and the teachers were already so open and nice to me. They took me in right away and showed me everything. My class of almost 40 kids was noisy but cute and you had so much fun with them while still being able to teach them something.

It was exciting and I gained a lot of valuable new experiences that nobody can take away from me. The children were full of life and you could tell that they appreciate and accept the help. Also, it was extremely cool that they also taught me something, like words in Afrikaans or isiZulu/isiXhosa. I usually worked 5-6 hours a day, which flew by because we learned a lot through play and at the same time were an enrichment and broadening of our own horizons.

Leisure and safari weekend

There are so many things to do in Cape Town it's hard to keep up. Definitely recommendable are the hikes up Table Mountain / Lions Head / Signal Hill and watching the sunset, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens or the V & A Waterfront, where you can really go shopping.

Of course, it was very good that a lot of things were free or very cheap. I booked the three day safari and I have to say that it was one of the highlights of my trip. First in a beautiful multicultural backpacker hostel and then in a stunning lodge. In between many typical wild animals seen and experienced and seen a lot.

Conclusion to my volunteering in a primary school in South Africa

I would really choose to volunteer again and again! That time shaped me so much and I will never forget it all. The only negative is that my stay in Cape Town just went by way too quickly and I would have loved to have stayed longer. But maybe I'll come back there soon.

Volunteering at a Primary School Review by Sarah W, 01.09.16