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African Wild Coast Teaching (Pre-School & Primary) & Community Initiative, South Africa Volunteer in rural and village schools along the scenic Wild Coast and work with playschool children or focus on enhancing education with the older children through computer literacy skills and sports development. The Wild Coast, with its strong amaXhosa culture, vibrant population and environmental significance, is a destination of recognized developmental importance in the newly established democratic South Africa. Volunteer in rural village schools along the scenic Wild Coast. Work with playschool children or focus on enhancing education with older children through computer literacy skills and sports development. - Volunteer Project in South Africa, East London Location Chintsa, near East London on South Africa’s beautiful and rugged ‘Wild Coast’ Project Length From 4 weeks up to 8 weeks. Longer placements may be available. Age Limit Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health Project Fee £1050 | $2100 for 4 weeks £1300 | $2600 for 6 weeks £1550 | $33100 for 8 weeks 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: Volunteer in rural village schools along the scenic Wild Coast. Work with playschool children or focus on enhancing education with older children through computer literacy skills and sports development., 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 Volunteer in rural village schools along the scenic Wild Coast. Work with playschool children or focus on enhancing education with older children through computer literacy skills and sports development. in Africa.   More about the African Wild Coast Teaching (Pre-School & Primary) & Community Initiative in South Africa The Wild Coast Schools & Community Project started a few years ago with 16 broken laptops, 4 working ones, a dilapidated outbuilding and lots of enthusiasm. Today we are proud to say the project manages around 150 computers in four labs, reaching over 1000 learners with computer literacy, is involved with three further primary school and three crèches! "Thank you for a truly unforgettable experience. The area is beautiful and the people and amazing. The highlight for me was the school which I miss the most. An amazing experience which I wouldn't of missed for the world!!!" Jo Latham – UK WILD COAST COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Computer Literacy Skills Development Computer Literacy is only in its infancy in the Wild Coast region. Working from an established course framework, volunteers are part of developing a module of appropriate teaching resources for future use in computer literacy courses in rural South Africa. The project is committed to resource schools with computers and put into place the necessary training and continued support for these schools to allow them to produce competitive learners for the demanding technological world of adulthood. Ultimately the programme works towards: Equipping rural and peri-urban schools with computers (a multi-phase project) Continued development of appropriate teaching aids and support structures for both teachers and learners Meeting learning criteria by teaching computer literacy through reading, maths and the sciences Developing Environmental learning and applied competencies through sustainable technology and life skills Interactive Sport’s Development Upliftment through Sport's Initiative The sport’s initiative is an exciting drive to introduce and develop on-going growth and appreciation in the sporting arena in socio-economically challenged areas of the Wild Coast. For the most part, schools lack the resources and the capacity to provide effective sports opportunities for their learners. The project prioritises the computer literacy commitment to the schools over the sport programme and relies on volunteer numbers and enthusiasm to carry the sporting forward within each school it is involved. Therefore when the project has high numbers the volunteers are able to get involved in the sporting initiative if they wish. It is into this void that the project team will be employing their energy, enthusiasm and skill. The program will strive towards creating a formal sporting framework where new sport’s disciplines, teamwork and the understanding of sport etiquette are developed. In a country such as South Africa, sport is able to encourage not only a healthy lifestyle, but also develop necessary social skills and peer understanding that is essential to the stability and well being of our society. Sport will further provide the project with the medium through which contact with the youth can be developed into an educational forum where HIV aids and STD’s can be addressed. This component is fundamental to the continued development of a healthy, sustainable population in South Africa. Environmental Education and Aesthetic Upliftment of schools The project has also become increasingly involved in environmental aspects of the school. Volunteer presence in the area has allowed the project to partner with the WWF/WESSA Eco-schools programme by providing booster support to existing environmental projects under the guidance of the Eco-schools team. This partnership is to continue into the future and will involve supporting a range of targets from Marine and Coastal Education, Water and Sanitation, Vegetable gardens to general aesthetic improvements and playground development. WILD COAST PRE-SCHOOL INITIATIVE The project has partnered with a local not for profit organisation based in Chintsa, South Africa who seeks, receives and distributes sponsorship for the education of African children identified as needy and unlikely to receive a continuous and good quality education (early childhood to matriculation) unless sponsorship is received. Volunteers have an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference in the lives of significantly disadvantaged rural children, all of whom are between the ages of 2 and 6. The school children live in one of two surrounding informal settlements and volunteers will work within the preschool class, with their teacher, and provide teacher support, notably around the week’s learning themes and use and competence of learners’ mastery of the English language. Volunteers will work closely with the children in a supported and professional classroom environment in a team teaching / support role from 8.00am – 12.30pm Monday to Friday. The volunteer can extend their time at the school in the afternoon until 5pm if they wish, as children receive a hot lunch, and engage in supervised free play in the afternoon. A partnership approach has been designed between parents and the pre-school, where parent(s) must contribute a nominal fee each month, and more importantly must ensure their child arrives for school each day, is picked up on time, and has a packed lunch. A hot lunch is provided at school. School fees are covered by the sponsor. Unlike other organizations, 100% of sponsor’s contributions are used to pay for school fees, with the African Angels organization fund raising to pay for running costs such as domain hosting and administration fees. The project philosophy revolves around the belief that the most effective way to drive positive change in South Africa, is to ensure children receive a good quality and continuous education in South Africa, from pre-school to matriculation. In most cases with families living in informal settlements or ‘townships’, this cannot be achieved without additional financial aid from sponsors. Final Weekend Trail: As your time on the programme draws to an end you will head out on a 2 day trail along the Wild Coast. This trail will involve a combination of beach and bush riding and allows you to experience one of the South Africa’s most special coastlines, the Wild Coast. Please note this is only available for 4 week or longer placements. WHY OUR PROJECT MANAGERS SAID THEY LOVE THIS PROJECT: We are reaching over 1000 rural kids for ICT support on a daily basis The project is entirely dependant on volunteers – our volunteers are the project! There is a highly organised and structured volunteer system in place in the schools – timetabled lessons are taught by volunteers and there is strong support Lesson plans and resources are developed by volunteers under the guidance of our two professional facilitators Volunteers will experience diverse interactions – ICT daily, sport twice a week, art classes once a week and outdoor initiatives such as food gardening support, playground developments etc. – loads for our volunteers to get involved in! A Two day adventure tour for orientation including an overnight experience in a rural Xhosa village Relaxing on the beach and lagoon - bliss! Plenty of optional activities available for volunteers to get involved in – surf school, mountain bike rides, beach horse rides, elephant safaris, big 5 reserve on our doorstep Stunning volunteer accommodation right on the beach! And finally an excerpt from the Project Newsletter for you to really get an idea of your involvement on the project! “2009 started with a bang with the arrival of 11 school volunteers during the months of January and February. With two full houses of people all brimming with enthusiasm, we started the school term in full force. With Wetlands as the topic, volunteers equipped the learners with further skills and computer skills in using Word, PowerPoint and Excel as well as carrying out some practical activities. The learners, being as eager as ever, embraced the new topic and produced some outstanding work. Art is still going strong in all three schools - all foundation phase learners are split into two groups and taught weekly: one group being taught computer literacy and the other doing an art activity within one lesson (and then vice versa). Finally, the last of educational news is that this term learners will continue to develop their skills with Grades 4 – 7 learning through the topic of Climate Change” I was very impressed with the whole set up at the project. I worked on the schools project and thoroughly enjoyed it, and hope that the kids at Chintsa East learned as much from me as I did from them. It was a life enhancing experience which has left me hungry for more. I will be back! Sarah Blessington – UK » back to top African Wild Coast Teaching (Pre-School & Primary) & Community Initiative, East London - Highlights This volunteer project in Africa includes: Volunteer in rural village schools along the scenic Wild Coast. Work with playschool children or focus on enhancing education with older children through computer literacy skills and sports development. Pioneering the development of user friendly, appropriate teaching resources for future programme expansion in rural South Africa Work with disadvantaged and vulnerable children Assistant teaching Reading and crafts with children Being part of a community upliftment program through education, health and sports Experiencing South African diversity through immersion and exposure at the grass roots level Travelling and exploring South Africa's most exciting and culturally diverse coastal region, the Wild Coast of the former Transkei Immerse yourself in the local culture Make friends for life South Africa Travel Highlights Weekends are designed for you to have free time. There are many adventure activities available in the area if you are looking to be active. Volunteers often book onto the beach horse rides, surfschool or mountain bike rides that happen in the area over weekends. The beach is on your doorstep and offers good swimming, shell collecting, chilling and walking. There is also a pool nearby. Some things you might like to consider doing on your time off include: Adventure tours along the Wild Coast Abseiling Mountain biking Kayaking Surf lessons and access to surfing equipment Beach horse rides Big 4 Game Reserve Game viewing horse rides Organized daily activities like beach volleyball, sundowner river cruises, coastal hikes, rock climbing wall Scuba diving courses (PADI Open Water Dive courses and fun dives) Your project managers will be able to assist you with booking the above activities. Whether on organized tours or personalized travels, Chintsa offers itself as the Gateway to the Wild Coast, home to the colorful and culturally rich amaXhosa nation, the Amathola Mountains, SA's "Little Switzerland", the Garden Route or the mighty Drakensburg Mountains. A number of experiences ranging from day trips to multi-day tours, overnight village stay to 4 and 5-day hiking trails, cultural and adventure tours for the energetic and the not so energetic. » back to top Project Fee Includes Project Fee: this entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. This project fee facilitates funding for items such as teaching materials, sports equipment, supplies, work tools, etc. All airport transfers from East London Airport, or mainliner bus stop in East London, to Chintsa upon your arrival and departure A full 5-day orientation tour and cultural education course (see more on this under "Orientation" below) All daily transfers to and from your projects during your stay Full board and lodging which includes 3 meals a day with lunch usually being a packed meal Access to facilities for weekly laundry service Any wildlife education talks that you might wish to partake in during your stay Assistance in your projects by various African Impact and project support staff staff and volunteer coordinators. Full support from African Impact and project managers and coordinators throughout your time on your Chintsa placement Project Fee Excludes Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement, which should include cover for repatriation All transport by air or bus to East London All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other) Email/Internet and telephone calls Soft drinks, wines and spirits All visas for border crossings Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in Chintsa e.g. tours with African Heartland Journeys to explore the Transkei homeland, or horse rides on the beach at Chintsa , etc » back to top Day in the life... This is a typical day in the life of a volunteer working on the African Wild Coast Teaching (Pre-School & Primary) & Community Initiative project: 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: 7:30am - Wake up and take breakfast on the deck overlooking the lagoon. 8:45am - You will be transported to your school 9:30am - 2:30pm - You might be involved with working on site teaching, lesson planning and resource development 2:30pm - You are fetched by your coordinator and taken back to your base 2:30pm - 4:30pm - Free time. This gives you time to go to the beach which is just a minutes’ walk away, surf, read, kayak, walk or check your emails 4:30pm - Organised activity (optional) this might be a beach BBQ or sundowners at a nearby location 7:30pm Dinner followed by own time/lesson preparation You may extend your time at the school until 5pm and assist with afternoon free play and other activities for the children if you wish. » back to top Volunteer Support Throughout your stay at your placement in Chintsa you will have the support and guidance of experienced field-workers and project coordinators. They are part of our greater African Impact support team, and will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance. At the support centre Head Quarters based in Chintsa you will also have access to the following: 24 hr personalised contact person available Internet, fax, phone and post facilities (reduced rates for volunteers) DSTV Travel centre Bar and lounge facilities at the accommodation sites Weekly site visit by co-ordinating team Weekly feedback, troubleshooting and planning sessions with co-ordinating team Free use of canoes and boogie boards Surfboard hire and surf school lessons at a reduced rate Volunteer Orientation The arrival week is designed to allow the volunteer time to settle as well as develop their understanding of the new, and at times challenging, environment they now find themselves. It will also allow the co-ordinating team and the volunteers to develop their working relationship, understand the support structures and become familiar with the workings of the project. During this time you will be exposed to specialists in a variety of fields and taken on an interactive excursion while the following topics will be covered: (please note several orientation activities are scheduled in time slots throughout your placement) Outings will include a coastal hike, estuarine exploration, bush walks, rural village visit some of the activities may take place over weekends or afternoons during the course of the placement as weather and school commitments have to be considered. » back to top Accommodation The project has two volunteer lodgings and volunteers will be staying in shared accommodation (two to a room) in cottages situated behind coastal dune forest overlooking the lagoon or over the river in the village of Chintsa East. Both houses are within two minutes of the beach and lagoon and volunteers will have access to canoes, boogie boards and beach accessories through Head Quarters. Bird life is plentiful and there are a number of walks in the area, both forest and beach. 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 on occasion fish and chips and of course a real South African “braai”. We do cater for vegetarians. » back to top Getting There Chintsa, near East London on South Africa’s beautiful and rugged ‘Wild Coast’. You will be met at the airport by a Project Representative! Fly into Johannesburg International Airport and connect to East London Airport. Options for this internal flight include www.flightsight.co.za and www.flysaa.com. » back to top Make an Enquiry Volunteer Project in South Africa - Volunteer in rural village schools along the scenic Wild Coast. Work with playschool children or focus on enhancing education with older children through computer literacy skills and sports development.     print this page | bookmark this page (CTRL-D) | send to a friend back to top