Social Volunteering South Africa Experience Report

Elisa decided to volunteer in South Africa for social work in Cape Town and was committed to helping children from the poorest backgrounds.

Adventurousness South Africa

"Molo Sisi", two punches on the heart and finally the sign of the Trinity. I soon had to get used to this kind of greeting in Cape Town. Cape Town is teeming with Rastafarians and as a "white Rasta" I immediately fell in love with them. The open and warm nature of the Africans was just one of many reasons why I wanted to explore this country more closely. So on September 13.09.13th, XNUMX, together with my friend Lena, I set out on a long journey to do volunteer work in South Africa.

The first days in Cape Town

In a good mood, Verena and Jemaine picked us up at the airport the next day. After the first night in the student house, Jemaine brought us to our host family on Sunday. We lived in the Southern Suburbs, about 30 minutes from Cape Town by train. The area was rather quiet, apart from an "Excellent Mini Market" there wasn't really anything to discover, but that didn't really matter, because after work we were usually too exhausted to do anything else anyway.

Volunteering at the Childrens Center

We both worked in the "Katjies class", the group of 2-3 year olds at the Childrens Center in Cape Town. The alarm clock rang at 5.45:XNUMX am every morning. After a not very varied breakfast (toast with peanut butter and cornflakes), our host daddy took us to the Children's Center. Our tasks included handing out food, changing diapers, designing the morning ring, playing with the children or just teasing them.

After a short time, the children took a liking to us and it was really a nice feeling when you were greeted with a smile and a friendly hug. So it was of course very difficult to say "good bye" to the children after 2 months. I also got along very well with my boss Helen and my teacher "Teacher Lea". They always had an open ear for me, were always in a good mood and Teacher Lea even accompanied me to the doctor once when I wasn't feeling well.

Leisure activities in Cape Town

On the weekends we took a closer look at Cape Town during the day. The fact that a train went from our house to the city every 30 minutes and that you could rent a car at the Student House without any problems made you very flexible. In the evening we always went to party – and in Cape Town you can party well and, above all, cheaply! From hip hop to reggae to electro and dubstep, you can find everything in Cape Town.

Great host family & African lifestyle up close

I was very happy that we could stay with a host family. We both had our own room, our own bathroom, were cooked deliciously in the evening after work and thus got to know more about the "African lifestyle". Since there were usually two of us on the road, we quickly made contacts with the locals. For example, I was shown the university in Cape Town, we went to shared flat parties or got to know the nightlife in the Observatory student district.

Conclusion to my experiences in Cape Town

Of course, in addition to these great and beautiful moments, I also had some rather less beautiful experiences and the difference between high life and happy moments at the weekend and the misery and suffering in the townships was really shocking. Nevertheless, it was nice to see how the Africans enjoy their lives despite poverty. On the train I had a conversation with a man about South Africa and one sentence in particular stuck in my mind: "We are poor, but we laugh!"

Social Volunteering South Africa Review by Elisa R., October 2013