VA32 Projects feature on eTV Against All Odds

Local hero's Phumla Pakamile and Mike Denison were given the pleasure of showing eTV's "Against All Odds" film crew around some of Chintsa's most inspiring and long standing community education projects. They made the most of this opportunity to highlight the positive work done by the Chintsa community in collaboration with local non-profit organization Friends of Chintsa. 

You can watch the Against All Odds episode below (the Chintsa article begins at 07:21):

If you cannot view this embedded movie click here
to watch it on youtube

Friends of Chintsa are able to offer services like free computer literacy lessons to the schools and community members because of the support of international volunteers who travel to South Africa, stay for two weeks or more, and volunteer their time to take part in projects like this. VA32 host these volunteers who pay a fee to cover their food, accommodation, transport, project administration and a contribution back into the projects they take part in. 

To find out more about VA32's volunteer projects and how to get involved visit our website at www.volunteerafrica.co.za

To find out more about Friends of Chintsa visit www.friendsofchintsa.org

Awonke's Grahamstown Science Fair Blog

Awonke with volunteer Nino

Recently there was a National Science Fest. held in the creative little town of Grahamstown. The grade 4 learners from African Angels Independent School took this opportunity to get involved in a bit of science and a lot of fun! Having been taking part in some computer classes at school Awonke wanted to write about his time in Grahamstown for the vlog - here goes!

Checking in the the Wild Coast Schools & Preschools Volunteer Program

2013 End of Term Assembly

Last term ended with a BANG in Chintsa!

Volunteer Matthias helping the learners to
organise their presentations in assembly

A celebration assembly at Chintsa East school was filled with songs, prezi presentations and certificates. This term we focused on Human Rights for our older learners in the Wild Coast Schools computer labs and Friendship and Responsibility for the younger learners in the foundation phase and preschool.

The end of term assembly also marked the end of Nuremburg volunteer Matthias’ last day teaching in Chintsa, having taught at the school for five months. It was a sad day for everybody at the school. It was also Maria’s last day at Bulugha.

Texas State Teaching Students Volunteer in Chintsa

The TSU volunteer teaching team on Cintsa beach

Three weeks; ten teachers; four projects; two schools. And only three to four contact hours for each group per week! But the creation of fantastic digital stories and poems using Microsoft Powerpoint were achieved at both Bulugha and Chintsa East School, with the help of Texas State University.

Computer Literacy Students Blog

Some of our computer literacy students have taken an interest in the Vlog and have written a short blog each to be a part of it. Although the internet connection is not currently working at the schools the girls have taken the time to type out their blogs and include a photo of themselves. Read the blogs of Sinesihle, Lusanda, Nolubabalo and Zizipho below:

My Blog

By Sinesihle Luqongo

What is my name? My name is sihle my sername is luqongo

Volunteers Complete Classrooms at African Angels School

The past 4 weeks have seen two groups of ISV Impact Volunteers working with VA32 on a Community Development Initiative to help develop the facilities at the new African Angels Independent School - and this week the projects are almost complete!

(Read our previous blog Group Volunteers Aim to Make A Huge Impact on Chintsa to see the launching of the projects and what work was completed by our first group).

Community Development Project- Completion at African Angels School 

New Computer Lab - ready for computers to be installed

The new computer lab for the school has been set-up and is ready to be installed with computers (which will happen within the next month!).

The door was varnished and a new mural painted on the wall

New Computers for South African Computer Literacy Project

Chintsa East School gets new computers donated to up-grade their struggling computer lab!

The computers waiting to be shipped
from the UK

The last month has been extremely busy for volunteers, our co-ordinator Ash and computer technician Pete! On last month a shipping of 40 second-hand desktop computers finally landed in PE. The computers have had a loooong journey from the UK to South Africa and this huge donation from Afrinspire has been in the pipeline for many months. Once the goodies arrived it was up to our Wild Coast Schools volunteers to unpack, check and list all of the contents of the shipment. Ashley then helped to decide where the computers would be best put to use.

The Adventures of Ali: A Fair Trade Volunteer

Ali, a young Israeli come Cape Townian, recently joined the Fair Trade Travel Pass to explore the country that she now calls home. Travelling from Cape Town to Jo'burg on the BazBus, Ali enjoyed a 21 day adventure and had a very eye opening experience!

During the pass she spent a week in Chintsa, a night at Buccaneers Backpackers followed by a week on the Wild Coast Schools Project. She documented her time here with some stunning blogs and photos highlighting the volunteers experiences and day-to-day life on this Fair Trade volunteer project. 

Below you will find excerpts of Ali's blog and some of our favorite photos. Click on the link at the end of each section to read the original blog in full and see more of Ali's stunning photos.

The First Day on Project

The kids lining up outside the mobile
computer lab "being birds" with
Ash - the volunteer co-ordinator

"Today we were teaching grades 0 - 2; children between the ages of 3 to 8 years old. 

Vote for VA32 Now!

We have entered the Wild Coast Schools Project into the eLearning Africa Photo Competition 2013! Our photo "The Big Green eMachine" needs your votes to win!

The Big Green eMachine

The prizes are: 

1st prize: a tablet PC
2nd prize: a digital camera
3rd prize: mp3 player
Public vote winner: a digital camera

The 10 best photos will be featured in an exhibition from 29th May to 31st May at eLearning Africa in Windhoek, Namibia and announced across the eLearning Africa website. 

We would love to feature in this! Please take two minutes of your time and vote for our image now! Click here to vote...

April

Learning Computer Skills with the help of Volunteers!

Volunteer co-ordinator Ash is encouraging the Wild Coast Schools computer students to take part in our Vlog every week. This week is the turn of Linabo, Grade 3 who wrote the following blog:

"My Life in Chintsa

I like Chintsa because it's pretty and the people are friendly.

I like my school because I have friends there.

Last week in computer lessons we learned about making a book. I chose to make a book about a swallow. We used Microsoft Publisher.

I do sports with the volunteers. I like soccer and volleyball. My favorite player is Kuni.

by Linabo, Grade 3"

Thanks Linabo! Your English is excellent and thank you for your blog! :)

To find out more about the Wild Coast Schools Project which delivers computer literacy to rural school learners in South Africa visit our website or email info@volunteerafrica.co.za.

April

Computer Literacy Students join our Blog!

The new volunteer co-ordinator for VA32 education volunteer projects came up with a great idea a few weeks ago - to ask our learners from the schools which we're teaching computer skills in, to write a blog; about school, about their life and them. Our first learner Asive, who is in Grade 6 at Chintsa East School, shared her thoughts on the volunteers, her hometown and computer lessons.

" My Blog

by Asive Gxakaza, Grade 6

My name is Asive, I love my teachers and the volunteers who come to my school. My town is Chintsa East. I love my town, it is beautiful.

Me with the Big Green eMachine!

My schools name is Chintsa East.

I love computer lessons because they are interesting and we learn a lot. I also have nice and lovely friends at school. I love the Big Green eMachine, thanks for the Big Green eMachine.

My spoilts I like are pops (suckers/ lollies!) and dolls.

Love from Asive "

Thank you Asive for sharing your thoughts and writing your first blog!

To find out more about the Wild Coast Schools Project which is enabling rural school learners like Asive to become competent and confident in expressing themselves through computer technology on our website at www.volunteerafrica.co.za.

Look out for more student blogs over the coming weeks!

April

Volunteering in Chintsa Through Sofia & Annika's Eyes

Moloweni! Kunjani?

We've been traveling around for almost 1 and a half months right now and during 2 weeks of this time we spent some lovely time in Chintsa. We started off our trip in Africa in Namibia and the capital Windhoek and moved south into South Africa. When we found ourselves in Cape Town we decided that we wanted to use the BazBus Hop-on-Hop-off ticket and when looking through our alternatives on their website we saw that they offered a package deal, which included a certain amount of week volunteering. This had been something that we had been very interested in already before and were therefore very intrigued when we discovered this option. So we bought ourselves a BazBus volunteering package and head off along the coast to experience the lovely Garden Route before reaching Chintsa where we would volunteer in schools.

Part 2: Volunteers Charlotte & Laura - the end of the adventure!

Here's the second part of Charlotte's awesome vlog documenting her return here to volunteer on the Wild Coast Schools Program with friend Laura...

Part ii.

So, time in Chintsa isn’t the same as time as anywhere else. Where has two weeks gone? Frankly I have no idea.

Kids walking into school in the morning

Chintsa East school is brimming with enthusiastic kids, who pop up at the start of school asking “Grade 2 computers?” and when the answer is yes, you get a sunny and excited smile. After finishing building mind maps using Microsoft Word we mixed things up a bit and studied landfill sites! Grades 6 and 7 started to make their own Powerpoint presentations on the topic. Volunteer Steffi and I have learnt the important lesson of strategic seating in the classroom and behaviour noting!

Guest Vlog Part 1: Volunteers Charlotte & Laura hit Chintsa to volunteer with VA32

       

A lovely guest vlog by returning volunteer Charlotte who first volunteered in 2007 and returned to Chintsa for a month this Aug/Sept with her friend Laura...

Part i. 

Stunning view from the Buccaneers road

Five hours of bumpy road later, after Port Elizabeth we reach the paradise that is Chintsa. With a sunny day to greet us it was great to hop into VA32’s Quantum. We meet Naomi the volunteer co-ordinator and pop to the office for a spot of volunteer orientation from the bubbly Karen. Meeting familiar faces along the way (one of VA32’S founders Mike and tour guide Denver were both around). I became tour guide for Laura and we explored Chintsa, ending with a drink at Buccaneers Backpackers looking over the sea.

Volunteering in the Big Green E Machine!

Inside the Big Green eMachine

This week has been an exciting week for the Big Green E Machine. We are now running off solar power! In addition, the Big Green E Machine is up and running with educational computer games. This week we are working with the younger learners at both Chintsa East School and Bulugha Farm School, focusing on letter recognition.  The learners absolutely LOVE going for lessons in the Big Green. One of our volunteer groups contributed headphones so the kids can even learn with sound. The kids were so thrilled when they put their headphones on...you should've seen their faces! All of them came out of the Big Green with huge smiles.

The new solar panels which now power the Big Green!

Nici teaching in the lab

Our learners hard at work :)

Naomi

The Big Green goes GREEN!

It may be difficult to imagine that any object called “the Big Green e-Machine” could possibly get greener…but it’s true! This big green box which was transformed from a dis-used old tour land rover, into an inspirational mobile learning centre over the last 18 months has just had solar panels fitted to its roof and hooked up to central batteries which power it’s 15 laptop computers making the Big Green totally independent of any mains power supply!