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Orphan Day Care & HIV / AIDS Education, South Africa In the impressive setting of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, which has recently been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we offer you the opportunity to interact with and educate AIDS orphans in an Orphan Day Care Centre, as well as to get involved in educating the local community about the HI virus. For our latest St Lucia news click here Work with AIDS Orphans - Day Care & HIV / AIDS Awareness & Building, St. Lucia - Volunteer Project in South Africa, St. Lucia Location St. Lucia, East Coast of South Africa Project Length 4 weeks (2 or 3 weeks placements available) Age Limit Minimum 17 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health Project Fee £745 / $1490 (2 weeks) £1195 / $2390 (4 weeks) £670 / $1340 for travel between Sept 09 and Jan 10 (2 weeks) Includes all airport pick-ups, internal transfers between projects, food, accommodation and assistance by our experienced project managers, as well as vital funding for the various conservation initiatives. Volunteer Project Information The following links will jump you to different sections on this page, which provide all the information you will need for this Africa volunteer project: Work with AIDS Orphans - Day Care & HIV / AIDS Awareness & Building, St. Lucia, South Africa. » photo gallery | » more about this project | » volunteer & travel highlights » project fee includes & excludes | » day in the life of a volunteer... » volunteer support & orientation | » accommodation & meals | » getting there Photos South Africa Photos of Work with AIDS Orphans - Day Care & HIV / AIDS Awareness & Building, St. Lucia in Africa.   More about the Orphan Day Care & HIV / AIDS Education in South Africa St. Lucia is situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a beautiful area that was declared as South Africa’s first Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and which is called by many “Africa’s premier bush-and-beach destination”. Encompassing almost half a million acres, it is a stunning and ecologically diverse area, where five different eco-systems join, and where you find savannahs, wetlands, swamps, beaches, and a great wealth of wildlife. The area is home to the Zulu tribe; a group of people with a very lively and colourful culture. It is within this impressive setting, we offer you the opportunity to interact with and educate AIDS orphans in an orphan day care centre, as well as to get involved in educating the local community about the HI virus. ORPHAN DAY CARE The St. Lucia area is heavily affected by HIV / AIDS. It is believed that in some communities, up to 70 percent of people are infected with the virus. As a result, many children are orphaned. Most of these children live with their relatives, but they are often left by themselves during the day, as their caretakers are at work. To keep these children off the streets, and to make sure they are well looked after and educated, a local pastor started an orphan day care centre a few years ago. The centre is a heart-warming place, where up to 80 children, aged 1 to 5, get dropped off each morning. The orphans are looked after by a few dedicated local women, who bravely do a fantastic job, but are overwhelmed by the number of children. As a volunteer, you will assist in taking care of the orphans, and giving them the individual attention they desperately need. You will be involved in the following: • Teaching the children basic English lessons • Reading children’s books to them • Playing games, singing songs, and doing drawings with them • Helping to refurbish the orphanage building • Helping to cook for and bathe the orphans HIV/AIDS EDUCATION In St. Lucia’s local community, many myths about HIV / AIDS still prevail. A large percentage of local South Africans believe that the virus is a result of witchcraft, and people infected with it are often rejected from their own communities and families. As a result, many people who are infected do not admit to having the virus. Not many people know how to prevent infection, and even fewer people know how to deal with the virus once they have it. Working together with a local organization dedicated to fighting the existing myths surrounding HIV / AIDS (and run mostly by people infected with HIV), you will go out into the local communities to help educate people about the virus. During your placement, you will visit both schools and community centres, and do the following: • Explain, through a simple method approved by the UN what the HIV / AIDS virus actually is, and how it affects a human body • Educate people about how the virus is transmitted, and how infection can be prevented • Explain how, after infection, life can be prolonged through medication, healthy food, and a more healthy lifestyle ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS Besides looking after orphaned children and raising awareness about the HIV / AIDS virus, you will be involved in the following community projects: Building and Refurbishing Classrooms: Primary schools in St. Lucia tend to be run down, and have a lack of classrooms, particularly in the more rural and remote areas. As a volunteer, you will visit these schools by helping to fix roofs and windows, paint walls, and help build new classrooms. You will find that the children and teachers greatly appreciate your presence and support, and your work will be highly rewarding. » back to top Orphan Day Care & HIV / AIDS Education, St. Lucia - Highlights This volunteer project in Africa includes: Work with AIDS Orphans - Day Care & HIV / AIDS Awareness & Building, St. Lucia • Educate and play with small children who have lost their parents as a result of AIDS • Help raise awareness on preventing the spread of the HIV / AIDS virus in the local community • Help build classrooms at local primary schools • Immerse yourself in the local Zulu culture • Make friends for life South Africa Travel Highlights Note: These are not included in your volunteering fee. They can be paid for at the project • Game drives in the beautiful Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks • Visits to the beach, and snorkelling at Cape Vidal • Whale, dolphin and sea turtle viewing • Deep sea fishing • Sunset cruises on the St. Lucia Estuary • Weekend trips to Kruger National Park or Mozambique • Cultural tour to a rural village, or a night of traditional Zulu dancing and food » back to top Project Fee Includes • The project fee entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. It facilitates funding for items such as books for the orphans, building materials, and educational resources • Transport between Richards Bay Airport and St. Lucia • Comprehensive 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 • Laundry service during your stay • Assistance at your projects by African Impact staff and volunteer coordinators • Any visits to other African Impact programmes based in St. Lucia Project Fee Excludes • Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement • All transport by air or bus to Richards Bay • All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other) • E-mail / Internet and telephone calls • Soft drinks, wines an spirits • All visas for border crossings • Any excursions over-and-above your planned itinerary in St. Lucia » back to top Day in the life... This is a typical day in the life of a volunteer working on the Orphan Day Care & HIV / AIDS Education project: Here is how a typical day in the life of a St. Lucia Orphan Day Care and HIV / AIDS Education volunteer might take shape. 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; this is simply to give an example: • 07:30 - Get up, eat breakfast, and start getting ready for your project • 08:15 - Head off to the Orphan Day Care Centre • 08:45 - Start your work at the centre. You may read books with the children or teach them basic English, or play games and sing songs with them • 12:00 - Lunch break. You will be picked up from the centre, and taken to your volunteer house, where lunch will be waiting for you • 13.30 - Start of your afternoon projects. You may be visiting schools or community centres to teach people about HIV / AIDS, or doing a building project • 16.30 - End of the working day. You will be picked up from your project and taken home, where we evaluate the day and discuss the schedule for the next day • 18.30 Dinner at your volunteer house. After dinner, you may wish to go for a few drinks in one of the local bars » back to top Volunteer Support Throughout your stay at your placement you will have the support and guidance of experienced field-workers and coordinators. They are part of our greater African Impact support team, and will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance. Volunteer Orientation Upon arrival in St. Lucia you will have a comprehensive orientation program, which is included in your fee. This is facilitated by your project volunteer coordinator and entails: • An introduction to St. Lucia and its surrounding areas • An intensive introduction into the syllabus we use for HIV / AIDS education • An introduction to all our projects. Not only will you see where you will be working, you will also see where your fellow volunteers will be spending their days • A basic language course. You will learn some basic words and sentences in Zulu, the local language in St. Lucia, so that you can communicate with people in their own language. In addition, you will learn some of the local cultural nuances • A visit to a rural area, so that you get a good idea of how local people live • At the orientation, you will also receive our detailed "Welcome Pack", which will contain further useful information for your time with us » back to top Accommodation During your placement, you will stay at our large and comfortable project house situated in the middle of St. Lucia. It is a fully furnished house with a large lounge, satellite television, barbeque area, garden, swimming pool, and a jacuzzi. The house is staffed with cooks and laundry / cleaning ladies. 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). You will be sharing a bedroom with one to four people. Members of our African Impact team will be staying on the same property, so that they are always available to assist you with any questions or issues you may have. We find that volunteers living together and working closely together with their volunteer coordinators is the surest way of ensuring their safety, and of being able to attend to their most pressing needs. For this reason, we expect all volunteers to stay only in the accommodation provided for them and do not allow volunteers to spend nights away in the town or nearby villages, unless they are away on pre-arranged sightseeing excursions. Meals You will be provided with three meals a day. Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals / porridge, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked for you by one of our chefs at your volunteer house. » back to top Getting There St. Lucia, East Coast of South Africa. The nearest airport to St. Lucia is Richards Bay Airport, which is about a forty five minute drive from St. Lucia. There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Richards Bay, and can be booked online by going to www.flysax.com » back to top Make an Enquiry Volunteer Project in South Africa - Work with AIDS Orphans - Day Care & HIV / AIDS Awareness & Building, St. Lucia     print this page | bookmark this page (CTRL-D) | send to a friend back to top