Children look after South Africa report

After training abroad!

After completing my training as a state-approved educator in August 2012, I wanted to gain new experience abroad for myself and my job. From the beginning it was clear to me that I wanted to go to Africa and after a short deliberation I decided on South Africa/Cape Town. I searched the internet for different organizations, compared them and finally decided to volunteer in South Africa with RGV. On January 25.01.2013th, XNUMX my trip to Cape Town started and I gained the following experiences:

project identification

When I called RGV for the first time, I expressed my wishes and received information about possible volunteer work projects in Cape Town, which I then looked up and read more about on the RGV website. I quickly decided on a project in a crèche, since I also work with children aged 1-3 in my job here in Germany. I said this on the phone, filled out my registration form, sent it to RGV by email and soon got confirmation that there was a project for me.

On-site pick-up

I had no contact with Verena and Jemaine, my local contacts, before I flew to Cape Town. Jemaine then picked me up from the airport and took me to the student residence where I was staying during my stay. On Monday, 2 days after my arrival, Jemaine showed me the projects that I will come to later and Verena gave me general rules of conduct and important information about the city. A week and a half after my arrival, I got a little introduction to the city with insider tips.

My first impression of RGV and the team was good. The advice on the phone was serious and the team at RGV was always available to answer questions. Jemaine picked me up from Cape Town airport on time and then brought me to my student house.

Orientation Program

After Jemaine was with me in the dorm for a moment, he gave me a prepaid card for my cell phone, told me I just had to put it in my cell phone and then text him so he has my number. However, the mobile phone card did not work and so I was on my own in a completely foreign city, in a foreign country, since the other students from my house were of course also on the road. It was almost a week before I finally got a working mobile phone card. I immediately passed my criticism on to the team and it was implemented immediately, so that there are now mobile phones and not just the SIM cards from RGV for the volunteers. Personally, I felt the introduction was a bit too short. Jemaine showed me the projects, but not how to get there using public transport. He only told me this verbally and after that I wouldn't have dared to try this path alone. I think he relied a lot on me driving with Marlen, who had a car and was involved in the same projects as me. I would have imagined and wished for the first orientation with Verena differently. I got a folder with all the important information about Cape Town and the surrounding area and we talked. By then I had already seen a bit of the city and done a few things.

Volunteering in South Africa - My projects

Children's aid project Dawn & After School Club

During my stay in Cape Town I worked on a total of 3 different volunteer projects. I signed up for a project at a daycare center and spent the first 5 weeks working at Project Dawn and at a children's hospital. At the New Dawn project, I gave breakfast to about 7 children in the morning with two other German volunteers and 150 local women who also worked there voluntarily. The Afterschool Club for the children also took place there twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays), where there was an extensive afternoon program with games and fun for the children.

My work at the Children's Hospital

After the New Dawn project in the morning I'm on to the children's hospital. There I could choose a ward (burns, before and after operations, cancer ward, etc.). I then spent the morning with the children on this ward, playing, reading and talking with them.

Volunteering at Children's Center

During the last 3 weeks of my stay in Cape Town I worked with 30 other volunteers from RGV and other international volunteers at the Philippi Children's Center in Philippi, about 3 minutes outside of Cape Town. In this project I had the opportunity to work with children from the age of 3 months until they started school. I worked in a group of about 40 children aged 3-6 years. I really enjoyed the work. We were able to participate in the morning circle, organize the daily routine with the children and carry out various projects. I found it very interesting to get to know the "educational work" in South Africa and I really enjoyed working with the children.

My favorite: The Children's Center

I had signed up for a project at a daycare center/kindergarten, but was assigned to various volunteering projects. All three projects were very interesting and you always had the feeling of being needed. Nevertheless, I would have preferred to have worked at the Children's Center for the entirety of my time in Cape Town, because that's where I was able to gather the most important and interesting experiences for me and my job.

However, the 3 weeks in which I worked in the Children's Center were far too short for profound experiences and impressions. The work in the hospital and at New Dawn was also very nice and the people I worked with were incredibly nice, but personally I missed some variety in this project.

At the Children's Center, on the other hand, every day was interesting and you never really knew what to expect. You learned with and from the children and getting to know the culture and the way they were raised was very exciting for me. It's a shame that I wasn't able to work in this kindergarten or crèche from the start. In the end it worked out that I was able to work in the Children's Center project for the last 3 weeks and shared a car with other volunteers from RGV, which, however, caused additional private costs.

Accommodation: Student House in Cape Town

As for accommodation, I could choose between a host family and a student house. I chose a student house. I chose a student house because I would like to live with international volunteers and students and also want to be around people my own age. I shared a room with Marlene, another RGV volunteer, which was really great. Living together was nice, you could do braai evenings (barbecue) together and there was always life in the house. The connection to the city was really good, since we had the train station right in front of the front door and from the main road, which you had to walk about 5-10 minutes to, you had a good connection with the city buses or minibuses.

In retrospect, I would opt for the host family option, since only German volunteers now live in the RGV student house and it was important to me personally to have contact with people from many different nations.

Impressions and experiences in Cape Town

I was fascinated by Cape Town from the very first moment and I am sure that I will visit South Africa at least once more. There are so many beautiful things to see and experience. The people are incredibly open and friendly and you always have the feeling of being welcome. You have everything in one place, a beautiful city by the sea, with a great port, beautiful beaches that are easy to reach by public transport and all around a breathtaking landscape of mountains. Table Mountain is definitely worth a climb or drive up, but what I liked even more was the climb up Lions Head because you walk all the way around and have a great panoramic view of the city, ocean and beaches. Once you get to the top, you know the effort was worth it. Cape Town's sunsets are truly one of a kind, whether it's from Signal Hill, Camps Bay Beach or Lagoon Bay Beach. In addition to work, of course, there was still time for various excursions, such as wine tasting, a tour to the Cape of Good Hope, safari, etc. to get to know the city and the country.

Conclusion of my experiences

Cape Town is a beautiful city that I would choose again and again in retrospect and I can only recommend everyone to do their internship there. I have met many nice people and gained experiences that enrich my life. The people and especially the children are so warm and open that you always feel welcome. There are really great projects from RGV and no matter what project, I had the feeling that I was really needed, that I was welcome and the children enriched my life a little bit every day.

In any case, during my stay abroad in South Africa, I learned that you don't have to be afraid of going abroad, because regardless of whether the experience was positive or negative, both enrich personal development immensely. I have many beautiful experiences and memories that no one can take away from me and I do not regret having taken this adventure.

Looking After Children in South Africa Review by Laura, 22.03.2013