Volunteer in Community Preschools in South Africa

As term 3 began VA32 hosted four volunteers on the Community Preschool Project in Chintsa, South Africa. The project aims to support local under-resourced and under-staffed preschools by placing international volunteers into the classroom to assist with planning lessons and resources, acting as a teachers aid, running small group activities and one-on-one tasks with the children and well as engaging in creative educational play. This help is vital in such schools where there can be up to 40+ children in one classroom, with only one teacher.  

The Project

Volunteers work in the preschools from 8am - 12.30pm from Monday to Fridays. Volunteers help to supervise break and play times...

Volunteer Vivian with the preschool kids at break time

...lunch times...and nap time!

Nap time! Zzzzzz....

Teach and act as a teachers aid during numeracy, literacy and other educational games and activities...

Counting in Chintsa East Preschool

Phumla with the kids in Chintsa East Preschool

Help to run arts activities, crafts, baking and other fun and creative experiences...

Making play-doh shapes

Play-doh play at school :)

Making beaded necklaces

Looking pretty! :)

Julia helping the kids to make their necklaces at school

Smile for the camera! :-D

Specific tasks and activities always depend on the project and themes currently being covered in the preschools but as well as acting as a teachers aid, volunteers will also get the opportunity to develop learning resources with the preschool teachers.

Afternoon Community Development Initiatives

VA32 education volunteers take part in afternoon initiatives every week. These initiatives currently include:

Gardening Club (Monday afternoon)

Volunteers help the children of Chintsa East to run their school garden. We help to teach them about planting, caring for plants, growing and harvesting vegetables and salads and keeping a garden productive and tidy. Chintsa East preschool teacher Phumla is very involved in gardening club too.

Volunteers Phumla and Kate
teach the kids about planting

The kids have a go :)

Sports Development Initiative (Tuesday & Thursday afternoons)

Fun sports and games sessions are run by VA32 volunteers as well as local volunteers; football, netball, volleyball and rounders games, skills coaching and team games are all a part of the initiative for children of all ages in Chintsa village.

Orphanage Initiative (Wednesday afternoon)

Volunteers visit a local children's home on Wednesday afternoons where they assist the ladies running the home by spending valuable time with the kids; helping with reading and homework, playing sports games, running arts and crafts activities, teaching some basic computer skills and generally spending some invaluable one-on-one contact time with the kids at the home.

Making flags for Madiba's birthday with volunteer
Barbara

Beautiful artwork for some of
the older children :)

Volunteer Julia playing with the kids!

And smiles all around with vollie co-ordinator Charlotte

 Friday afternoon is left free for volunteers to plan their lessons and prepare resources for the following week and then take an early afternoon off and enjoy some time in Chintsa.

*These initiatives do change over time to incorporate and assist the community with current needs.

To find out more about the Community Preschool Project visit www.volunteerafrica.co.za/volunteer-with-preschool-children.html or email info@volunteerafrica.co.za to book your place now.

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A huge thank you to Julia, Vivian and Barbara for sharing their stunning photos with us and spending so much time and energy with Chintsa's smallest learners! We hope to see you back in Chintsa again soon :)

April