Volunteers will help people in need in the impoverished township of Missionvale in Port Elizabeth, South Africa with education, childcare, healthcare and skills development.
| Minimum Duration: | 1 week |
| Cost: | From 240 Euro per week |
| Minimum Age: | 18 years |
Uviwe, meaning ‘you are heard’ in the isiXhosa language, Child & Youth Services is a registered child protection organisation in the vibrant city of Gqeberha (formerly known as
Port Elizabeth). The organisation is registered as a Non Profit Organization with number 003-620 NPO and partners with local communities, schools and daycare centers in especially the Northern Areas of Gqeberha to offer and implement integrated education and social support
programmes. Their programmes focus on vulnerable children & youth from the areas of Schauderville and Gelvandale.
The aim is to provide children during different development phases with love, food (nutrition), safety (protection) and stimulation (education support) to reach their full potential. Their programs equip teens with the necessary skills for their life’s journey ahead and enable them to be economically aware and active citizens. Over the past 100 years, what began as specialist organisation PE Childline, and to protect the rights of abused children has grown into a sustainable social agency in the city. Uviwe uses a holistic view respecting that those closest to the problem know best to create the solution and therefore use the strengths of each family to facilitate change. At the core of all decisions made, Uviwe has the child’s best interest at heart.
Uviwe believes that we need to listen and hear the untold or silent stories of many “at risk” children and youth in our communities. They believe in putting young futures first!
Volunteers will be actively involved in various programmes such as:
- Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) which is a daycare center for children in the ages of 3-6yrs. Volunteers will be working together with the staff to assist with the daily activities, games, lunch time and educational activities.
- Assisting social workers with their 4 day Positive Parenting Training. During a period of 6-8 weeks, 6-9 parents (depending on the need) are guided on how to be better parents. Volunteers assist with registrations, taking pictures and documenting the meetings, implementing the training and helping to improve where possible.
- Assisting at the daily Afterschool Program from 2pm-4pm where 40-50 children from grade 4 – 7 (ages 10-13yrs) get something to eat and assistance with their homework. When homework is completed it is time to play and enjoy the various fun activities. Volunteers can read to the children and offer other fun and educational activities to add value to our team. Fridays are fun days so no homework but only activities such as sports, watching a movie or playing games.
- Holiday Program which during school holidays offers the children a daily program which keeps them from hanging around in the streets with all the dangers there are in the community where many young people end up doing crime and/or abusing drugs and alcohol.
Accommodation
The exclusive Volunteer House in Port Elizabeth is a gorgeous home with lots of space. If you like to relax in the big garden, at the swimming pool or in the comfy lounge; this home has space for everyone to feel at home and enjoy the time outside of volunteering activities with other international volunteers from all over the world. .
The home is a beautiful old house renovated and decorated with modern touches. A large swimming pool for summer and a fireplace for winter, what more do you need? The property is well secured with electric fencing, a security company backup and superbly located within walking distance of the beach for a swim or surf, different restaurants & other shops.
If you would like a private room as a single traveller or as a couple, please let us know and we will advise you on availability and potential surcharges.
Meals
All meals are included and we work on a set menu per week, lovingly prepared by our cook with your assistance, so don’t be shy, help out in the kitchen and you might learn to cook some new dishes. All dinners are cooked, however on weekends when our cook is off from work, volunteers can warm pre-made meals or make a simple dinner with ingredients provided (hamburgers are a favorite) so some participation is required.
Breakfast: choices of bread, fruit, yoghurt, cereals and/or eggs.
Lunch: make your own sandwiches with cheese, marmalade, cold meat or other spreads to take with you to the project.
Dinners: a variety of hearty homely cooked meals such as pastas, stirfry, soups, stews, pies and other dishes.
There is free instant coffee, tea and safe drinking water available at any time. We also cater for vegetarians & vegans but please inform us before arriving to prepare accordingly.
Transport
Airport transfers and daily transport to and from your project is included in your fees. Keep in mind that daily transfers to projects are planned between projects and your host.
The Fun Stuff
Volunteering with Khaya also means there is time for fun things and to share your time with all the other volunteers the best way possible.
There is so much to do in the area and we love organizing weekend tours and day trips (additional costs may apply). We however provide a free activity weekly during our Friday Social.
As we finish early on Fridays we use the afternoon to do fun activities together like visiting the Penguin Rehabilitation Centre, visiting Animal Welfare to walk their dogs, go for a hike along the beaches, play games on the beach or start the weekend with a beer at one of the beachfront bars.
What is Included?
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- ● Information and assistance before departure
● Airport pick up upon arrival and drop off at the end of your stay (Monday – Friday)
● Stay in an exclusive beautiful Volunteer House with shared rooms and many facilities (wifi, washing machine, swimming pool, large lounge, dining room, garden)
● 3 Family style meals per day
● Daily transport to-and-from the project
● Weekly offer of outings and fun activities (some for an extra cost)
- ● Information and assistance before departure
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What is Excluded?
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- Personal luxuries such as snacks, cold drinks and alcohol
- Costs for weekend trips
- Flight tickets
- Insurance
- Laundry service
- Arrival/departure transfers on Saturday/Sunday
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Starting dates
Our volunteers arrive on Mondays and start at the project on Tuesdays. We can pick you up from the airport or from any accommodation in Port Elizabet/Gqeberha.
Arrivals and departure transfers from Monday to Friday are included in the fees. If you need an arrival or departure transfer over the weekend (Saturday to Sunday), we ask for a local cash payment of ZAR 250 per transfer.
Participation is in full weeks (7 nights) only. Please also keep in mind that projects close for 2-3 weeks over December/January each year.
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
The team at Khaya loves Port Elizabeth (PE to the locals). Our head office is based in Port Elizabeth, so we know what we are talking about!
Here we enjoy beautiful beaches, scenic hiking trails, the Big 5 is on our door step, amazing restaurants, whale watching, sand boarding, canoeing, diving, international sports events and much more!
East of PE you will find the Wild coast (former Transkei and Ciskei). Here you can experience the unspoiled rolling hills & rural villages in wide open spaces between larger towns like Grahamstown, East London & Port Alfred. Along the Wild coast there are numerous coastal towns where many locals go to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
To the North you will find the great Karoo; a semi desert area with wide open spaces, large nature areas and long open roads with historical places such as Graaff Reinet, the Baviaanskloof Wilderness and much more.
To the West towards Cape Town, you will be amazed by the Tsitsikamma National Park, holiday villages such as Plettenberg Bay, Knysna and Nature’s Valley or the surf mecca of Jeffreys Bay.
This gives you plenty to see and visit while you are here, and we believe even provides you more diversity than staying in Cape Town to volunteer. You can always visit Cape Town or any other city or area on weekends or after your stay with us.
