This programme gives the volunteer the opportunity to help children in a local community while enjoying the beauty and excitement of South Africa.

The programme takes underprivileged children out of the settlements and off the streets and teaches them valuable lessons in the form of sports, adventure activities, team work and educational classes. The programme is run as a weekly extramural activity for a disadvantaged school with the focus on:

• Surfing
• sandboarding
• mountain hikes
• swimming
• soccer
• team building
• computer classes
• workshops
• beach clean ups

The children who benefit from this programme are aged between 12 - 14 years old and live in townships. Most of them speak English but their home language could be Afrikaans or Xhosa. For the purposes of this project the children are divided into four groups of between 5 and 20 participants and take part in the programme each week.

The school day starts at 8am and finishes between 1.30 and 2.30 in the afternoon. Class sizes can be as large as 30 or 40 children to one teacher. Many of the children are unable to pay school fees, so school funds are very limited and any voluntary assistance is welcomed.

Volunteer Activities

Volunteers will help in the daily running of the programmes for example:

• Teaching children to surf
• teaching children to swim
• helping on hikes
• helping with sandboarding
• running fun days and sports programmes
• teaching IT skills
• educating children in life lessons such as HIV, drugs etc
• generally helping in the schools

Volunteers will work between 3 and 5 days each week with the children. The volunteer's mornings are either spent learning to surf, helping in a school or having some free time, and the afternoons are spent with the children. Every Saturday is a full day of activities with the children. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to learn how to surf with an instructor and will have the use of boards on their off days.

Example Itinerary

Programme details

Applicants for this programme should be beween 18 - 30 years of age and in good health.

Arrival dates and duration

1st and 3rd Sunday every month.

 Costs

Due to fluctuations in the rate of exchange prices are given in South African Rand.

What is included in the programme fee

• Placement in a suitable project
• Pick up from airport on arrival
• 1 day Orientation
• 24 hour support throughout the programme
• Accommodation in either 4 star backpacker's dormitory or volunteer house
• All meals while on programme (not during orientation)
• Transfers between school and project
• Weekly meetings
• Surf lessons and possibility of other lessons as available in the programme timetable
• Donation towards the costs of running the programme

What is not included in the programme fee

• International travel
• Insurance
• Visa costs
• Personal spending money
• Meals during orientation.