|  The
Location
Set against the backdrop of dramatic Table Mountain,
Cape Town is considered South Africa’s most stunning
and romantic city, and is rated as one of the top destinations
in the world. Due to its cosmopolitan atmosphere, great
climate, picturesque setting and easy-going locals,
Cape Town receives a high volume of tourists every year.
Here visitors can relax on sun-drenched beaches—including
one famous for its colony of African penguins—or
enjoy breathtaking wind-swept views from the top of
Table Mountain. In addition to the rich natural diversity,
Cape Town also offers a unique cultural heritage, one
that has shaped its politics and social landscape for
the past 400 years.
The Situation
Despite its outstanding natural beauty and metropolitan
lifestyle, Cape Town is still surrounded by the ever-visible
legacy of apartheid. The first glimpse of the city coming
from the airport is a stretch of rambling townships
that speaks volumes about the ravages the apartheid
system left behind. To help with the crippling poverty
and the children orphaned as a result of HIV and the after-effects of apartheid, many service organizations struggle to provide
food, education, and medical outreach with little funding.
 What’s
Being Done
Our project organization in South Africa supports these
programs by connecting volunteers to a network of programs
in Cape Town which alleviates the overworked staff and
provides an extra presence for the community members.
What You Can Do
Volunteers with the Community Outreach Program will
lend a hand in these important community initiatives.
You’ll visit each site during the program orientation,
and then create your own schedule based on your preferences
and strengths. Whether you help primary school students
with their homework, teach life skill classes, feed
homeless families, or lead soccer games after school,
you’ll know you helped create a more just and
dignified life for the children of Cape Town.
Airport
Pickup and Orientation:
Upon arrival at your accommodation in Cape Town, your
project coordinator will provide a detailed briefing
of each project you might volunteer with. Over the next
one or two days, you and the project coordinator will
visit the different sites and decide on a schedule that
fits your needs. You will also spend time with your
coordinator familiarizing yourself with local surroundings,
staff that you will be working with, and the
community center at which you will be based.
Transportation:
 Volunteer
Adventures will arrange transportation for the following:
 Airport
pickup and drop-off at the Cape Town International
airport
Transportation
to the volunteer lodge in Cape Town
Local
transportation between the lodge and project locations
daily
Accommodations:
Volunteers will stay at a backpacker-style lodge. The lodge includes dorm rooms with four to six
beds each. Each person has his/her own large locker
in the room. The lodge includes clean linens and towels
daily, large bathrooms, Internet access, a TV room,
payphone, self-catering kitchen, outdoor swimming pool,
security entrance, small bar and barbeque area.
In-Country Support:
We work directly with our partner
organization to provide support during your time in
Cape Town. You can expect help from project coordinators,
staff at the schools and orphanage, fellow volunteers,
and the staff of both Volunteer Adventures and our partner
organization. We also provide a 24-hour cell phone number
for emergencies.
 Additional Activities and
Excursions:
Volunteers will have weekends and evenings off to enjoy
the many sites that Cape Town has to offer. We suggest
that you wait until you arrive at the project site to
make travel plans so your project coordinator can help
you make arrangements.
Some ideas for leisure time activities include the following:
Touring
the Bo-Kaap, one of Cape Town’s oldest residential
areas
Visiting
Robben Island, the prison that housed Nelson Mandela
for almost 20 years
Taking
a revolving cable car up Table Mountain
Swimming
with penguins at Boulder’s Beach
Water
skiing, scuba diving or snorkeling.
|
