Social work practice center in South Africa Experience report

Cape Town, once and again!

When I was supposed to be looking for an internship for my internship semester (social work), it was immediately clear to me that I wanted to go to South Africa. Whilst I knew Africa very well from many visits to Kenya that I had already made, South Africa was a completely new and delightful assignment for me. I searched the internet for organizations that organize volunteer work in South Africa. In the end I chose RGV because my wishes etc. were best represented there. At the beginning of August I started my long journey with some excitement, not knowing what to expect there.

Recognition of my internship

When I first called RGV, my main question was whether my internship in South Africa would be recognized by my university. Furthermore, it was important for me that a skilled worker in the social field would guide me and give me my signature at the end. I was relieved when I was told that the internship was officially recognized by my university as a practical semester. So several projects were presented to me and I was allowed to decide. I chose City Mission Educational Service for now.

Arrival and the RGV team in Cape Town

Chad picked me up in Cape Town and took me to the Student House. Jemaine then showed me around the house, the other people, and explained the basic rules of the house that everyone should follow. He also gave me a cell phone with a South African SIM card so that I didn't always have to take my cell phone with me from home to risky places. I felt completely comfortable and had the feeling that I could approach Jemaine at any time with questions and problems.

On the second day, Sina did the orientation program with me and the other newcomers. She explained many things and problems that I already knew from Kenya. All in all, I learned a lot from her about Cape Town and about security measures that one should observe in order not to be robbed, etc. I received a folder with all the important information from the program and then had a few days off before my project started.

Jemaine had given us tickets for a city tour with a sightseeing bus and we used them directly on the 3rd day. It was very good to see Cape Town from its many different sides right at the beginning. The luxury districts, the townships, the ports and Long Street were all very interesting things for me and I knew exactly that I was in the right place. Jemaine brought me to the project on day 1 and also picked me up. He explained to me how I could get to the project by minibus in the next few days and although I wasn't 100% sure about the route, it worked straight away.

Project work at the City Mission and in the rehabilitation center

During my stay in Cape Town, I worked on a total of 3 different projects.

In the beginning I worked on 2 projects at the same time. In the City Mission I helped the children at school, gave English and math lessons and on Fridays we always drove to the townships and there I helped with the food distribution for the children.

The other project I worked on was a rehabilitation center for children with mental and physical disabilities. The first time it was painful to see how bad some children were doing. But I learned a lot from these kids. No matter how you are, what prerequisites you have given in your life, make the best of it. These kids showed me that because no matter how bad they were physically or mentally, they laughed all day and got excited about the smallest things. Of course it hurts to see how in Germany or elsewhere the children are brought up to always want only the most expensive, the best and the newest. I worked on these projects for about 1 months. It was a very nice and instructive time, but I often felt underchallenged and I couldn't make the connection with my studies either.

So Jemaine got me a new project in retreat with drug addicts. Since I have already worked with drug addicts in Germany, I knew roughly what to expect. However, I had a completely wrong image of the project. It was a small establishment. A director, a social worker who also slept with the addicts there, a secretary and 8 addicts. This project really was the perfect project for me, I helped out with the social worker's lessons, learned more about the backgrounds of each client and helped organize the day-to-day operations. I learned a lot during my time there, mainly because I slept there with the addicts for a few nights to experience the complete everyday life of an ex-addict. In addition, my director gave me the opportunity to take part in an international course as a recovery coach in a hotel in Cape Town. It was a great experience and all in all I learned a lot about the field of addiction, but also about everyday things and about myself.

Conclusion of my social volunteering in Cape Town

All in all, I have had many experiences that have certainly shaped me. The many new people you got to know and the exchange of cultures were always really interesting. Through many experiences and above all through many things that my director taught me, I have strengthened my personality and have matured. I will never forget this beautiful city with its people, mountains and breathtaking nature. Thank you RGV for this great experience! And Cape Town? See you soon!

Practice center for social work in South Africa Experience report by Luca B. on April 02.04.2015nd, XNUMX