As a childcare volunteer in South Africa, you will provide additional support to childcare projects within the Cape Town community. PMGY’s South Africa volunteer programs will see you help young children in Cape Town. Volunteer with children in South Africa to make a vital contribution to brightening up the lives of young children.

BACKGROUND TO THE CHILDCARE PROGRAM

It is estimated that 80% of young children in South Africa’s townships do not have access to early childhood development education. As a result, many lack the support required to develop to their full potential. Since the end of Apartheid in 1994, poor government funding and flawed policies have hit the most vulnerable South Africans hardest. For instance, many of the problems for South Africa’s poorest have been exacerbated.

Today about 57% of South Africa’s population lives in poverty. In low-income township areas, living conditions are challenging, with high crime and unemployment rates, health problems and high population densities. A lack of childcare facilities leaves many children unattended and unprotected.

Affordable and accessible childcare services can be very difficult to source across Cape Town and surrounding communities. Above all, it is families from low-income backgrounds that struggle the most. Whilst this has not gone unrecognised, many centres established to accommodate for such families are inadequate. To clarify, such centres are understaffed and operate with a limited stock of resources. This makes the roles of our PMGY volunteers invaluable to the quality of care that can be offered to these children.

The daycare centres we support are either independent local initiatives or government-subsidised community support programs. Some are home-based crèches run by local women and others are more structured organisations. They all have a common goal. That is, to help children develop to their full emotional, social and physical potential.

Plan My Gap Year supports a range of crèches, daycare centres and kindergartens. All are based centrally in the city of Cape Town. These facilities provide essential childcare to impoverished families of nearby communities. The majority of these children come from the Townships and other underdeveloped backgrounds. In short, locations where social and health problems are rife whether it be gang violence, drugs, malnutrition and HIV/Aids.

Most parents or relatives of these children from vulnerable communities work in the city. Consequently, they can bring the children with them in the morning to drop them off at the daycare centres. Other children arrive each day by bus. The teachers and assistants communicate with the children using a mixture of Afrikaans, English and Xhosa. Some of the centres provide meals for the children so volunteers can assist with feeding times.

Volunteer opportunities in South Africa provided by PMGY will provide you with a platform to make a positive impact. When working at our childcare volunteer abroad projects in South Africa, it is important to maintain energy, enthusiasm and creativity. For the reason that many of these children will be seeking the care and attention that you as a childcare volunteer in South Africa can bring. To volunteer with children in South Africa, you will need to donate your time and skills effectively. This is to ensure you can maximise your impact on the local people.

CHILDCARE VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT EXAMPLES

The Kiddies College - A cross between a crèche and a Kindergarten, the Kiddies College was established in 1997. The project supports children from 2-6 years old. Volunteers aid local staff with the daily schedule and help supervise the children. Kiddies College was formally a preschool closed down by the local council. However, the passion of one of its former staff members led to its re-emergence. As a result, local employment benefits and many spacious rooms and a nice garden area are utilised.

Meals are provided for the children at the project. In addition, activities such as visits to the library, swimming and karate lessons, or speech and drama classes also take place. Volunteers can support such activities if placed in this specific volunteer project. PMGY volunteers ease the workload of the understaffed team by providing the children with extra care and attention.

Mini Einsteins Crèche - Home to around 160 learners, Mini Einsteins crèche can be a hectic environment! Most of the children are aged from 3 months to 6 years old. However, some of the children can reach up to 12 years old. The crèche aims to provide a safe, secure, supportive and stimulating environment for all children to discover their full potential naturally.

There is a strong philosophy at the crèche that children’s development is based on playing and growing. Volunteers are encouraged to support and embrace such a philosophy. Subsequently, international volunteers help with homework and games. In addition, volunteers will also get involved in creative arts activities or even support the two designated baby rooms.

Many of the children at the crèche come from broken homes and deprived backgrounds. As a result, the children highly appreciate the extra care and attention that PMGY volunteers contribute. In the same vein, contributions made by childcare volunteers in South Africa are also highly appreciated by the staff and the local community.

Gingerbread House Educare - Located in one of the oldest suburbs of Cape Town, Gingerbread House Educare can be found in the Mowbray district. A serious shortage of affordable childcare facilities in the area led to its initial opening in 1993. Since then, the centre has grown year-on-year. Moreover, the centre now provides care for more than 110 children in the morning. In addition to this, 30 primary school children join the centre in the afternoons!

The facility aims to provide its learners with a well-balanced education. Emphasis is placed on building up the children’s overall character and self-confidence. As a volunteer in South Africa at the Gingerbread House, you will assist in every facet of the projects daily routine. This involves helping the local teacher run lessons and dance/creative arts, food preparation and feeding. General playtime is everyone’s favourite time of day!

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING IN SOUTH AFRICA

Return Airport Transfer - Your return airport transfer is not included in your Program Fee. Our local team can help arrange onward transfers to the airport or an alternative destination from the volunteer accommodation. Making specific arrangements once in South Africa provides more flexibility as plans can often change and participants may be on similar flight plans. Alternatively, a more common and cheaper method is to use a ridesharing app. Participants can often be travelling across their final few days and therefore are not necessarily heading back to the airport directly from our accommodation. The costs depend on your method of transport and your final destination. This can often be split across multiple participants if you are travelling with someone else on the program. Uber tends to be a safe and convenient option for volunteers. It is strongly advised not to travel by public transport back to the airport. Whilst this may be cheaper, it is far less convenient and comes with additional safety risks.

Township Projects - Please note, that most projects we support are centrally based in the city within Cape Town. Projects in the township area represent a much more challenging experience both logistically and structurally.

Consequently, we do not promote or endorse projects in these locations. Should volunteers wish to experience projects in the townships this may be arranged on an ad hoc basis. This is dictated by the discretion of the local team. Volunteers are best to discuss such options with the team upon arrival in South Africa.

Project Locations - The daycare and school settings we support are based in the city centre; however, many children come from townships with limited resources. So, children often come from low-income areas, where it is common for their parents’ employers to subsidise their childcare or school fees. The involvement of overseas volunteers brings invaluable support and enthusiasm, making a profound difference in children’s early education. A volunteer’s extra effort, whether helping a child catch up or improving their English skills, can significantly enhance their understanding and, in turn, their future employability.

Resources - On the childcare project in South Africa, resources can be very limited. Volunteers are recommended to bring materials to the project each day to maximise their productivity and day-to-day involvement. It is therefore important for volunteers to prepare well in advance to get the most out of their childcare volunteering experience in South Africa.

Wildlife Reserve Volunteer Extension - PMGY participants joining us in Cape Town have the opportunity to extend their trip by joining our wildlife reserve project located near Port Elizabeth. You can join for a period of 1 week+ to maximise your experience in South Africa and get involved in this unique opportunity. Participants will need to fly from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth on the Monday following the completion of their first program and the one-way domestic flight is included within the extension price.

Placement Settings - PMGY does not provide volunteer opportunities in orphanages in any of our locations. Research and studies have shown that visiting and volunteering in orphanages has the potential to generate an industry that separates children from their families. In turn, putting children at increased risk of neglect and abuse. Therefore, we do not support these institutions with our volunteer network.

Instead, we focus on offering alternative childcare volunteer opportunities whereby children come to and from the placement setting each day. In other words, our local teams collaborate with childcare projects which do not offer any form of residential care. These are safe, responsible, and vetted projects, where participants continue to provide valued assistance supporting local staff.

Weekends - Your project work in South Africa runs from Monday-Friday and weekends are free. You are welcome to relax and hang out at the volunteer accommodation but most participants will use this time to travel and explore the country. As a result, you can check out our South Africa Weekend Travel Guide for top tips on how to spend your weekend.