Dates & Prices
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Assist teachers in South Africa by supporting through your work as a pre-school volunteer. Help to enhance and improve the early education of children from six months to six years.
Our South Africa pre-school volunteers help in the classroom with group and one-on-one interaction with the young children, teaching music, dance, art and structured play. Volunteers can also help with vital resource development for the preschool; helping to create learning materials such as posters, and scrap-books.
This pre-school volunteer project is ideal for student teachers looking for experience in the classroom and for those considering a career in caring for or teaching young children.
Highlights
- Enriching the daily lives of early learners
- Working with young children from six months to six years
- Helping during meals and nap times
- Reading with children
- Creating and running activities in art, song, dance and structured play
Community Pre-School Volunteer Project Background
Early childhood development is one of the most overlooked and under resourced education sectors in South Africa.
With up to 45 children to a classroom and only one or two teaching staff, teachers in the pre-schools of this rural region of the Eastern Cape of South Africa desperately need extra support to provide the best possible foundation of education and care for the young learners. All of the preschools are very poor, under-resourced and full of children from infants to six years old.
We have an on-going commitment to supporting the Chintsa community in achieving a higher level of education for its children. Working closely with a local non-profit organisation, many of our goals have been achieved including building upliftment and maintenance work on the preschool facilities and supporting teachers and volunteers to enable them to provide the best level of education possible.
Project Gallery
Project Details – Your role as a teaching volunteer
orking in one of our several partnered community pre-schools in a rural township environment, volunteers assist teachers in the classroom; helping to run lessons, giving the children one-on-one attention, developing resources and taking part in creative play. Through your time as a volunteer, you will have a positive impact to these pre-school children and provide much needed support to those already involved in their lives. Volunteers also have the opportunity to get involved in afternoon community initiatives including sports development, working in a children’s home for vulnerable children and a fun gardening initiative.
Pre-school volunteer tasks include:
- Reading with children independently and in small groups
- Assisting teaching staff in delivering lessons and resource development
- Preparing lesson materials
- Creating and running activities in art, song, dance and structured play
- Attending to the children’s needs during meal and nap times
Please contact us for dates.
Prices
2 weeks – £695
4 weeks – £1095
6 weeks – £1495
8 weeks – £1895
- Accommodation
- Three meals a day whilst working on the project
- All project related transport
- Support of experienced on-site project co-ordinator
- Welcome pack with orientation and project information, meal and drinks vouchers for local Chintsa restaurants and bars, 1 hour free internet access upon arrival and volunteer t-shirt.
- Shuttle from East London airport upon arrival and departure
- Flights
- Personal insurance
- Snacks, drinks and meals outside of project
- Extra excursions and trips
Volunteer orientation aims to help volunteers settle into their new environment as quickly as possible and to further understand the project and where their efforts can be used best.
A pre-project orientation will take place upon arrival. This includes an introduction to the local area, volunteer routine and volunteer house. We will also take the opportunity to chat about volunteer life and what to expect in South Africa.
A project specific orientation is also provided before volunteer work begins. This includes a project overview, introduction to the pre-schools and teachers, lesson and resource preparation and available resources.
Shared accommodation is provided in a volunteer house overlooking Chintsa beach. Single accommodation is available upon request and for an additional fee.
Facilities at the volunteer house include:
- A communal kitchen and living area
- Electricity and hot and cold running water
- Bath and shower room facilities
- All bedding and linen included
- Washing machine available for volunteer use
The volunteer house is situated right on the beach and volunteers have access to canoes, boogie boards and other beach accessories. In the area, there are several small restaurants and bars. Friday night is “fun night out” and all volunteers from the surrounding projects usually meet up.
A local tour operator runs surf schools, beach horse rides, game drives and quad biking which are all bookable at a reduced rate for volunteers.
Local backpackers lodge ‘Buccaneers’ has it’s own bar (a great place to meet like-minded travellers!). The lodge welcomes volunteers to use their swimming pool and take part in free activities in the afternoon.
The project co-ordinators will be available to provide assistance and support 24/7 during your time as a volunteer.
You can also contact our UK office by email, or telephone. In addition, you will be provided with an emergency contact number in the UK prior to your departure. This should only be used for genuine emergencies out of normal office hours.
We require volunteers on this project to have a good level of spoken English and the ability to work in a highly motivated team. Early childhood teaching experience would be an advantage but is not essential. Most importantly, we need energetic and creative volunteers who love small children!
To achieve maximum benefit to the aims of project, volunteers are placed in the most appropriate pre-school according to current need and their experience.
A minimum age of 18 applies.