Volunteers Continue Building Classroom in Rural South Africa

The Winter season is pretty much over here in Chintsa (and the heat has already hit!). We've enjoyed a huge amount of support from International Student Volunteers (ISV) on our Community Development projects where enthusiastic and committed hands have made huge progress on the building project at Silatsha School in the Eastern Cape, as well as other community based projects. 

To read the original two blog posts about the building project in Silatsha click on the following links: "Volunteers Build New Classroom in Rural School" and "Volunteers Continue Rural Building Project".

This final group of ISV volunteers worked really hard and were able to really make an impact on the building work. Check out what they got up to:

Volunteering with the African Angels - South Africa

With an outbreak of volunteers filling Chintsa East School and Bulugha Farm School the Wild Coast Schools Project had a rare opportunity to undertake our first computer project in the brand new African Angel’s computer lab and we were welcomed by a hoard of children eagerly awaiting to use it. 

“Who’s on computers today? Who’s on computers today?” The children run up and ask the volunteers as soon as they step foot in the African Angels School. It’s an absolute novelty for them, the brand new computer lab, and it’s so refreshing to see the children so enthused about learning.

What a Load of Rubbish!

An Update from the Wild Coast Schools Volunteer Project

We have been having a whole load of litter fun with our young learners. The topic for this school term has been My School Environment and we have been learning about litter; where it belongs and the different types of litter that we make. We decided to explore recycling one week, by making our own monsters out of rubbish!

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.

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.