Special Needs, Foster Child & Pre-School Teaching Project Highlights

The highlights

• Work with and enrich the lives of special needs children
• Assistant teaching of special needs and pre-school children
• Bring fresh ideas and stimulation to the kids
• Reading and crafts with children
• Work with disadvantaged and vulnerable children
• Help uplift a community through education and computer literacy
• Immerse yourself in local culture
• Make friends for life

Optional activities and excursions

On this project, you'll also experience some awesome travel highlights:

Situated in the heart of South Africa’s Sunshine Coast, Port Alfred is popular town with picturesque surroundings. The town has beautiful beaches, a great temperate climate, and a friendly atmosphere. The area offers many outdoor activities, such as river and ocean water sports, horse rides, and visits to local game reserves.

Volunteers often book onto the beach horse rides, surf school or mountain bike rides. The beach is on your doorstep and offers good swimming, shell collecting, chilling and walking.

Some things you might like to consider doing on your time off include:

• Adventure tours
• Tandem skydiving
• Dune boarding
• Abseiling
• Mountain biking
• Kayaking
• Surf lessons
• Beach horse rides
• Day safari’s
• Scuba diving courses (PADI Open Water Dive courses and fun dives)

Where will I sleep?

Volunteers will stay in a fully furnished house near the seaside town of Port Alfred, overlooking the beach. The house is large and comfortable and has satellite television, a barbecue area and a garden. You will be sharing a room with between one and three other volunteers. All bedding is provided so you will not need to bring a sleeping bag with you, although sometimes it is useful in the colder months (June – September). The house is cleaned on a daily basis and your laundry will be done for you.

And meals?

You will be provided with three meals a day.

Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of fruit, cereals/porridge, toast, tea and coffee.

Lunch will either be a light meal, sandwiches or even a picnic lunch which you could eat on the beach! If you are going to be out over lunch, a variety of foods for will be available for you to make “packed lunches�.

Dinner in the evenings is our main meal. This usually consists of casseroles, pasta dishes and of course you will be able to experience some local South African dishes such as a real South African “braai�. We do cater for vegetarians.

How do I get there and travel around?

We will meet you at the airport!

You will fly into Port Elizabeth, which is just over an hours drive away from Port Alfred. We will welcome you at the airport and drive you to your accommodation.

What does the cost include?

• Project Fee: this entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. This fee facilitates funding for items such as teaching supplies etc.
• All airport transfers from Port Elizabeth upon your arrival and departure
• Orientation program
• All daily transfers to and from your projects during your stay
• Full board and lodging which includes 3 meals a day at our volunteer house
• Assistance in your projects from our African Impact co-ordinators.

• Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement which must include cover for repatriation
• All transport by air or bus to Port Elizabeth
• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other)
• Email/Internet and telephone calls
• Soft drinks, wines and spirits
• Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in Port Alfred

Do I need experience, is there orientation?

During the first two days of your stay in Port Alfred all volunteers are involved in a comprehensive orientation, which is included in your fee. This is facilitated by your project manager and entails:

• An introduction to Port Alfred and the communities you will be working in
• A basic Xhosa language and culture lesson
• An introduction to the projects you will be working on

What's the age limit?

Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health

A day in the life

An example of a day in the life of a volunteer on this project may be something as follows:

(Please note that your itineraries may differ from this, depending on your own experience and the number of other volunteers on the placement at the same time, and this is simply to give an example:)

• 7.00 Time to wake up and have breakfast
• 7.30 Transfer to your morning project
• 8.00 You will be transported to the rural village and spend the morning doing arts & crafts with the children.
• 12.00 Help with the kiddies lunch – preparing and giving lunch
• 12.30 Lunch time for you! You can choose to go back to your volunteer house or enjoy a packed lunch depending on what you are doing for the afternoon.
• 14.00 Spend the afternoon with the children at the crèche, play with and give them some one on one attention.
• 17.00 You will be picked up from your afternoon project and driven back to the volunteer house, where you can relax until dinner time.
• 18.30 Dinner time, after dinner, you may choose to go out for a drink at one of the local bars, or to simply relax at the volunteer house.