Volunteer In South Africa: Orphanage Project

There are very few orphanages in South Africa. Most South African orphans must survive and reside in communities (not in orphanages) with friends, neighbors, and families. Volunteers work with orphans and impoverished children in communities (where these children live)… not in an orphanage (formal home base structure where orphans usually live).

Project At A Glance

Location: Cape Town Start point: Cape Town Duration: 2-12 weeks Hours: 30-40 hours per week Food: Local food (3 times a day) Room: Host family or hostel Date: First and Third Wednesday of each month

HIV Aids, poverty, and other social causes left many kids orphans in South Africa. Help is urgently needed to support these children by giving them education, home, and love. In South Africa, community projects provide a refuge from the harsh conditions of the streets. It is a place where they can laugh, learn, and grow—an opportunity to experience the childhood they never really had before they entered these programs. IFRE volunteers offer education, compassion, and friendship these children lacked while living on the streets.

Skills/Qualifications Requirements

There are no specific qualifications required since the project staff will provide any necessary orientation and training to adequately perform volunteer activities. However, volunteers should be enthusiastic about caring for others and compassionate to the often unfortunate situations of these children.

Role of the Volunteers

Volunteers in any of the above projects are involved in various activities such as:

• Teaching English, Helping with homework and teaching basic conversational English
• Supporting recreational and artistic activities with the objective of educational learning
• Reading stories, performing puppet shows, caring for and playing with the children
• Organizing and developing sports activities
• Supporting in the kitchen/helping to serve lunch in the dining room
• Assisting with location-specific duties: routine maintenance, construction, etc.

Room/ Food/ Supervision

Volunteers mainly stay with homestays in the communities. Our host families are active community members, mature, trained and experienced with international volunteers. You will get a single room (or sharing with another volunteer) in a homestay. The accommodation will be clean and simply furnished. Local host will manage 3 local meals a day. During the volunteering period, local organization staff will guide, help, and supervise you.