Care with children

Product Details

Work with autistic children who need your help, or with deprived children who will benefit tremendously from your loving care and attention...

These rewarding care projects are based in the beautiful and lively tourist destination of Cape Town. These projects are utterly rewarding as well as highly enjoyable, and you will fall completely in love with the children, the schools, and the country – you have been warned!

You don't need any qualifications to do this project.

The various centres in need of your voluntary time are all for local children who need extra special care and attention due to physical, mental or social disadvantages. You can work at one particular centre or you can spread your time out between different institutes - the choice is yours. Descriptions of the different centres are given below, plus the types of duties that will be required of you as a volunteer.

1) Working with children with autism
Autism is a lifelong development disability and children affected by it suffer from a number of conditions. They have communication and language problems, they find it hard to relate to other people and they display unusual and problematic behaviour. The extent to which a child is affected will vary from individual to individual. Autistic children need predictability in their lives. They cannot express their needs effectively and often have extreme reactions to changes in routine and unfamiliar events.

The school we work with here is a school for autistic children. There are 85 students here and 35 of these children are live-in learners, staying at the school hostel overnight. The rest are bought each day by their parents. The children are aged between three and 18 years and they are educated according to their ability with some moving on to other schools later on.

There is a very happy atmosphere at the school and the teachers are extremely conscientious and kind people. There is a lot of love here! The language of tuition is English, but Afrikaans is also used frequently in interpersonal conversation. A minority of the children speak Xhosa or Afrikaans at home, but all of them can understand English.

Without the help of our volunteers the school would not be able to give the children the full attention and care that they deserve and need,

Your work at the school
On your arrival you will have a short orientation during which you will learn about autism. After this initial induction you may spend time in any of the classes for your first week, getting to understand the centre. One of the teaching coordinators will then chat to you about how you are getting on and ask you to decide which of the classes you would like to assist in. You will be working alongside the teacher, not alone.

The majority of your work will be as a classroom and hostel assistant where you will be helping out in a variety of ways. Volunteers might be asked to help where children need special attention or to work with a small group while the teacher works with another group. Schoolwork varies with different age groups but is based on the normal school activities – a great deal of one-to-one attention is needed and children learn basic skills. Help is also very much appreciated at supervised activities like swimming which is part of the daily summer curriculum.

After school hours, you'll will be allocated a 'play time' duty at the different hostels while the children play outdoors under supervision. You will also be involved in indoor hostel duties after this, which involve the supervision of children. Autistic children have to be watched closely at all times, as they may react suddenly and unexpectedly.

2) Working with children with special needs
One of the schools we work with is for children with a variety of disabilities or special needs. Volunteers will be placed within the primary school only. This is set in a beautiful location, overlooking the Rondebosch Common and facing the impressive side of Table Mountain.

The Primary School has 250 pupils ranging from three years old to about 13. The school buildings are spacious and brightly decorated with art works done by the children and the grounds are immaculate and well-kept. There is a heated indoor swimming pool used largely for therapy. Part of the school day is allocated to sport and pupils take part in school leagues as well as sport for the disabled. On Mondays a group goes to a farm for Riding for the Disabled.

Some of the pupils have cerebral palsy, others muscular dystrophy, multiple physical impairments, ADHD or specific learning disabilities. A lack of concentration, dyslexia or hyperactivity are often linked to these conditions and the children can get overexcited by changes in routine, which means that teachers and assistants need to have endless patience in dealing with small upsets. The teachers are grateful for the help of volunteers – just the presence of another adult in the classroom makes the activities run more smoothly.

Your work at the school
When you arrive you will spend some time with the teacher in charge who will talk about the special needs of the children and about your role in the school. You may spend time in all different areas of work in the school before settling into a particular job. Volunteers should make requests if there is anything that you are particularly interested in – for example you may prefer working in the Nursery, or with the older children, or helping in the Physiotherapy or OT departments.

The work falls into five categories: Admin (receptionist, switchboard - if there is someone absent ); Library (mending books, cataloguing, etc); Class Aides (helping children in the nursery section, or helping the teacher with various class activities, or listening to children reading); being a 'Scribe' (this means writing for a pupil who is disabled and cannot write, in lessons and tests / exams). The fifth category is basically filling in where needed – perhaps in charge of collecting children who need physiotherapy. You can also help with Sport and Physical Education, such as swimming, soccer and cricket. 

Your weekends are entirely free for sightseeing, travel and fun!

3) Working with children with physical and learning disabilities
The School we work with has just over 200 children with physical and learning disabilities. The pupils are aged from three years old to 18. The curriculum aims at fostering maximum independence and productivity in each pupil. It covers the development of self-sufficiency and social skills. Lessons are designed to improve motor and perceptual skills as well as functional academic skills. There is a strong emphasis on communication, household and vocational skills.

Pupils are also encouraged to be aware of the environment and nature, and a visit to the school farmyard is a daily occurrence. There are two heated indoor swimming pools which are used for class swimming and physiotherapy.

The School also serves as a training centre for students from local universities and colleges. Students in training include speech therapists, medical students, physiotherapists, nurses, occupational therapists, care givers and teachers.

Your work at the school
When you arrive you will be allocated to a teacher who will introduce you to the work. You might be sent to different areas of work in the school before settling in to a particular job. If there is anything you are particularly interested in, such as working with a particular age group or helping in the Physiotherapy or OT departments, please let us know when you apply, so that we can arrange it for you.

You will work as a classroom assistants or class aides (helping children in and out of wheelchairs for different activities, or helping the teacher with various class activities, like painting, doing puzzles – and with the older children cooking, simple maths and reading etc). Other tasks include reading stories to children, helping children to simple tasks on the computer and supervising the outdoor activities. Tricycle riding forms part of the curriculum - as exercise and mastering the skills associated with the physical action are very important.

The children also learn simple rules of the road on marked out areas of the playground. Swimming lessons are a favourite and your help in and out of the pools will be appreciated as children need individual help in the water.

4) Working with children from disadvantaged areas 
In this school, children learn the key values of respect, responsibility, independence and integrity and are encouraged to develop a passion for learning and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society

The school was started in January 2001 and is certainly making a difference in the lives of its pupils. Some of these grow up in the patchwork of tiny dwellings made from salvaged materials which stretch for miles around Cape Town. These children live in neighbourhoods rife with gangs, violence, disease and drugs. Other students are orphaned or abandoned, living in orphanages or shelters.

These kids are eager to learn and the school feels that in these children lies the glimmer of a new social order, where they will have opportunities which their parents did not have. The children cannot afford good schooling and might be lost in a life of gangsterism and dysfunctional adulthood unless given the chance of an education. With the opportunity for the children to develop pride in doing their best, they feel a sense of achievement and a realisation of their own ability and importance.

The students look forward to coming to school each day and their proficiency in everything from schoolwork to sport improves steadily as they progress throughout the school. The eager faces and willingness to learn demonstrate that the children are really on a new path to success.

Parents are drawn into the school family as the school believes they should be a part of the transformation taking place in their children through education. The school has parents’ workshops where parents learn how to support their children’s academic efforts and news of the school’s success has spread throughout the community. Parents are proud of the achievements of their children for whom the future might have been very bleak without the experience of educational opportunities. The School's attitude is a very progressive one, attacking a serious problem within South Africa’s social strata with intelligence and sensitivity and reaping real results.

Your work at the school
As a volunteer you will be a classroom assistant and aide to the teacher, helping in various roles depending on the requirements of each day. You may be asked to teach a class under supervision or to fill in for someone who is absent. You could also assist with reading or extra coaching.

Some children need help with certain subjects such as Maths, reading or IT. In this case, your assistance in a small group or with one-on-one instruction is valuable. The school does have a special teacher who takes small groups for extra coaching, and you could assist with this. Sometimes such a group works within a class, and at other times the teacher may remove the group for special work.

It would be useful for volunteers to get involved with other subjects also such as Art, Drama and Music. The children do life-skills sessions in the afternoons, and there would be opportunities here for this input. There are occupational therapists and Sseech therapists who would be grateful for help if a volunteer is qualified. 

Accommodation and living in South Africa 
In a bohemian part of Cape Town, along the east coast of the city near Woodstock, is a set of very lovely lodges! Apart from other volunteers, this hostel mainly attracts students. The Lodge is managed by Nelly and her daughter Charmaine. They are very friendly and will always help you where needed.

The Main Lodge is the centre of all the lodges and is a meeting point for everyone. You can discuss your day in the living room, have a nice chat out on the terrace, go for a swim, watch a movie, etc. There are two four-person dorms, one three-person dorm and one double room. This lodge has a living room, two bathrooms and a well-equipped kitchen. The back of the house has a nice covered terrace, as well as a braai area (South African barbecue) and a swimming pool.

In the back of the garden there is a little place called the Garden Lodge. This is basically the chill-out room with several comfortable sofas, satellite television, VCR and HiFi system. Great for relaxing or for parties.

You will be given a food allowance to buy your own food from the big supermarket up the road. Each house is equipped with a kitchen with a fridge, stove, oven and microwave, and all the necessities to cook a good meal.