Ear Doctor Visits Chintsa, South Africa

Otologist Salem, from Texas State in the US, spent several days visiting the Wild Coast Schools last week. He checked the ears of every child in each school (as well as our co-ordinators and some of the teachers!). The kids were fascinated by the technology that he brought along, if a little scared at first at the thought of it being stuck in their ears!

Salem visited Chintsa East, Bulugha and Silatsha Schools as well as Green Sleeves Home of Safety and the Chintsa East Health Outpost. Check out these awesome pictures caught during his work:

Salem at Chintsa Health Outpost

See How Our Garden Grows!

The afternoons for volunteers are filled with community development initiatives in Chintsa which are designed to support the schools and people who VA32 work with every day.

The last few weeks have seen a new gardening and beautification initiative begun; driven by volunteer co-ordinator Ash, Kate from Friends of Chintsa, local teacher and carer Phumla and (of course) our education project volunteers.

The Gardening Initiative

The gardening initiative has several aims and outcomes:

Responsible Travel in South Africa: The Fair Trade Travel Pass

The Fair Trade Travel Pass is a travel package which was launched in 2012 aiming to make it as easy as 1,2,3 for conscientious travelers to explore the best bits of South Africa using only Fair Trade travel establishments. The concept of responsible travel is not new to the world but it can be difficult and labor intensive to try to find verified responsible tour operators, accommodation providers and attractions - just at the time when all you really want is to be able to relax and get some much needed head-space. In steps the Fair Trade Travel Pass (FTTP)!

Journeying from Cape Town along the coast to Chintsa and the Wild Coast, on to the Drakensberg and finally to Soweto in Johannesburg, the FTTP explores some of South Africa's most popular destinations; veers off the beaten track on the thoroughly wild Wild Coast, takes in some of the natural wonders of this beautiful country and explores the sights and sounds of our urban townships. A real mix of purely South African experiences. And all stops are at Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) establishments. The Pass is also available in reverse order staring in Jo'burg and ending in Cape Town.

Wild Walk 2013

The Wild Walk is in its third consecutive year; a 380km trek down the entire stretch of the Wild Coast from Port Edward to Chintsa, the walk is, and has always, been about raising awareness of social and environmental issues faced by the communities and ecology of the Wild Coast. Run by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA - one of the oldest environmental none profit organisations in South Africa) and operated by tour company African Heartland Journeys (AHJ - mother company to us Volunteer Africa 32 Degrees South!).

The Wild Walk 2013 sees the distribution of low-volume wood-burning stoves to local households along the route, the families will also be taught about the benefits of using the stoves and showed how to use them. There will also be several days of school interactions with the walkers.