Children with special needs (mentally & physically) can not be placed in any daycare and this often means a family member who could have earned an income is unable to work because they care for the child at home. This is particularly a challenge for families from townships where a lack of resources and tools results in a lack of stimulation and development for special needs children.

Ithemba Special Needs Day Care in Port Elizabeth, creates a safe, enriching environment for special needs children (ages 6-18 years) during working days so their family members are free seek employment to support their families.

At Ithemba the development of independence is very important by working with the children during the day and consulting with parents/family members on how to support the child’s development.

Working with special needs children can be very taxing on volunteers, and for this reason as well as for the benefit of the children, we recommend that volunteers have previous experience working with special needs children or are students in the fields of social work, occupational therapy or physical therapy.

Vision:

To be a dynamic movement which supports handicapped children in attaining optimal mental well being and quality of life in society.

Mission:

We actively work with the community to achieve the highest possible level of mental health for all by:

• Enabling people to identify mental health needs and responding appropriately (i.e. communicate with parents, analyse children’s home, supply ergonomic devices);
• Developing equal caring services for people having difficulty coping with everyday life and those with mental handicaps (i.e. supplying day care, life skills education and transportation);
• Creating public awareness of mental health issues and striving for recognition and protection of mental health rights (i.e. external activities to church or beach to promote understanding and integration).

The existence and continuity of Ithemba can only be assured because of our loyal staff. They create an environment where the children can learn several skills and develop themselves by offering a structured program.

Project needs

As a Non-Profit Organization (NPO), Ithemba relies heavily on subsidies, parents’ contributions and donations. Next to the need for support by active involvement of volunteers, Ithemba also has ongoing financial needs such as:

• Kitchen supplies such as cooking gas, utensils, etc.
• Craft and drawing materials (crayons, pencils, paint etc.)
• Toothpaste and brushes
• First aid supplies such as plasters and bandages
• Gardening needs such as tools, seeds and so on.

If you would like to prepare your stay at Ithemba by doing some fundraising,  they will be most grateful for your support!

Tasks and activities

Any volunteers at Ithemba will be required to have:

• Experience with working with disabilities
• A minimum of 4 weeks to volunteer
• Proactive approach to tasks and activities

Daily activities

The support of volunteer and trainees will consist of several tasks:

• Individual work: physiotherapy/speech therapy/occupational therapy
• Give lessons in class (teachers will translate)
• Arrange outings for a group of children
• Daily life activities: going to the shop, learn to look out for traffic, behaving safely in their environment
• Basic mathematics, reading and writing, counting, alphabet
• Creative work
• Garden work:  watering plants and vegetables
• Self-help skills:  toilet training, washing, dressing, shoelaces, buttons, brushing teeth
• Coloring, painting, any other suitable form of handwork
• Board and card games
• Sports and games: ball skills, new games
• Domestic skills: cleaning, sweeping, wiping, washing

Working days and hours

You will work Monday-Thursday from about 8h00-14h30, while Friday is from 8h00-12h00 and weekends are off.

Daily guidance

First of all you will be guided by one of our Volunteer Coordinators who will pick you up from the airport, show you around the city and prepare your work activities with the projects before you start, supervise during your stay and evaluate after you leave. The coordinators will transfer you to and from the project, make sure the shopping is done and organize fun outings for the weekends. The coordinator lives at the volunteer home and will be looking after your needs in any way. They have lots of experience and have volunteered themselves.

At Ithemba your work will be supervised by the Centre Manager who will introduce you and create your schedule.

Other volunteers

You most likely won’t be alone when volunteering at Ithemba Day Care, and will meet both local and international volunteers. We get volunteers from all over the world –  from the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK and many other countries.