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

Volunteers Continue Rural Building Project

Our latest group of International Student Volunteers (ISV) spent time in Chintsa with VA32 from 20th July - 2nd August. This group were here to work on our current Community Development Initiatives which involves the continuation of the classroom building project (first mentioned in the original post "Volunteers Build New Classroom in Rural School") at Silatsha School on the Wild Coast.

The group worked with project leaders Denver and Milton who had the help of ISV co-ordinator Katie, and achieved huge success in pushing the building work forward at a seriously speedy rate!

South African Angels

Me with the Angels on the beach :)

When I was asked to write this blog about my time with the “African Angels Independent School”, I tried to recollect and summarize the most special occurrences I experienced during my stay in Chintsa, South Africa. Not an easy task for almost 5 months of school and afternoon activities…Events like taking the children to the zoo or beach, celebrating Human Rights Day with a fun sports competition or entertaining kids at the Greensleeves fundraiser with face paints were wonderful and unique memories that will stay with me.

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

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 Build New Classroom in Rural School

The latest group of International Student Volunteers (ISV) volunteers joined VA32 in Chintsa from 24th June - 5th July and were the fourth group of volunteers taking part in several community development initiatives this winter season. This group saw the start of a major project based in local township school Silatsha which will be undertaken and completed over the next 12 months.

Silatsha school is situated around 50kms from Chintsa and receive support from VA32 volunteers as often as possible, through building and maintenance of the school facilities, sports initiatives and computer literacy classes when possible.

Silatsha currently has five small classrooms in which to teach 8 classes of children from Grade R - 7. In 2010-11 VA32 worked with ISV volunteers to build their fifth classroom and 2013 marks the start of a sixth classroom.

Volunteers Uplift Chintsa Preschool

Our third group of International Student Volunteers were with us from 8th - 21st June. Following on from the amazing work that the previous groups did at the African Angels School (you can read about their work in our previous blogs "Volunteers aim to make a huge impact on Chintsa" and "Volunteers Complete Classrooms at African Angels School"), group 3 set to working with Phumla at the Chintsa East Preschool. Phumla's preschool building and facilities were in need of some serious care and attention. Check out the work that this great group of volunteers completed:

Volunteering to Maintain Phumlas Preschool

The volunteers completed the following tasks:

- Cleaning, scraping and re-painting of the school building