Izizwe Township Projects

	The Izizwe Township Project is situated in the Walmer Gqebera Area in Port Elizabeth, better known as Walmer Township. Gqebera is one of the few places in PE where a specific area for the black community still exists in-between neighborhoods populated by mainly whites. This community of approximately 70.000 people faces many challenges and volunteers can offer their help and hands in the primary schools, creches and daycare centers, the soupkitchen, the local dance group and much more. It is also possible to help different groups of people by combining several of these options.
Minimum Duration:	1 week	Cost:	From R1750 per week
Where?	Port Elizabeth, South Africa	Age:	16 years and older
Category:	Childcare
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Overview

Day to day Activities
With this project you have several possibilities of combining activities that interest you. You can work in at one of the primary schools, at the crèches, work with the local dance group, give home work guidance, play sports and make a combination of these options so you can do what you enjoy most!

What's Included
Pick up, accommodation, donation to the project, supervisor and meal (host family option only)

What's Excluded
Flights, visas, insurance, personal luxury items, transport and meals (when you choose for the volunteer house)

Accommodation
Host family stay in the township or in a volunteer house at the beach; your choice!

Requirements
Happy and eager to learn and experience.

Working Hours
Flexible, but generally from 9-4 during the weekdays

Nearest Town
2 km to beachfront Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape)

Guaranteed
Working and experiencing township life; learn some basic Xhosa, meet loads of local people and have the possibility to really do what you want to do as a volunteer!

About

This project is situated in the Walmer Gqebera Area in Port Elizabeth (PE), better known as Walmer Township. 'Izizwe' means nations in the Xhosa language. This project does not only focus on bringing nations together but also on building it.

Gqebera is one of few places in PE where a specific area for the black community still exists in-between neighbourhoods populated mainly by whites. During the apartheid regime, the government forced non-whites to move to areas outside the city. But since the white community in the Walmer area preferred their domestic workers and gardeners to live closer by, as an alternative to 30 km outside town, Gqebera kept on existing.

Ever since, Gqebera has been a small village within the city of PE and it houses more than 65.000 people. Compared to other townships, Gqebera is, because of its location, a relatively calm and easily accessible area. Poverty, child neglect, alcohol abuse and a high unemployment rate are some of the many challenges you will be facing here. Therefore your help is definitely needed!

In cooperation with Khaya, Prof Mtyaleka has been running several projects here since 2006 and has the support of Thabo Mali and Florence Mtengwana as the coordinators who will work with you on a daily basis. Look at www.izizweprojects.co.za for more information as well.

Many volunteers and students have gladly participated in these projects. Service aims specifically at the poor people in this area, in particular the children of Gqebera, who are in need of our aid and support.

Needs

There is an urgent need for volunteers, as the Walmer Township needs help with developing many aspects of the community. There is, besides daily aid and assistance, also a need for financial support. Any possible gifts and donations provided by volunteers and their network of people are extremely appreciated. Instead of collecting goods and materials for donation, it is recommended to purchase and donate these on location. Besides that, there is the need for more concrete support as in:

Learning materials for the children
Sporting equipment and materials for the children
Food parcels for families and children in need
Clothing for the children
School uniforms for the children

Guidance and Supervision

Prof, a young and enthusiastic resident of Gqebera, is very involved in the program. He provides guidance and supervision. He lives in the area with his wife and three children and will welcome you on your first day and will introduce you to all the people involved in the program.

During your time here, he will be your contact point, providing guidance and supervision concerning your work and activities. You will also meet with other volunteers on a weekly basis to exchange experiences and hopefully learn from each other. Please be aware that we expect volunteers to be independent and that our pricing does not allow daily supervision but we are there when you need us ofcourse!

Tasks

The project consists of several programs, suitable to be combined or to be adapted in order to fit your specific needs and to offer you a challenging and diverse experience. These are some of the options;

- Izizwe Afterschool programma; with our local staff Thabo and Florence and the local volunteers a daily programme of homework guidance to those kids that need it and then.....dance, theatre and sports to enjoy themselves in a positive way. In holidays this is a full programme with over 60 kids attending daily.

- Primary schools: You can help out at one of the two participating schools by offering IT lessons or organizing sport and game activities. Age group: 6-12 yrs

- Dance group; Helping with homework before the party starts! Daily 20-30 children work on their homework here and when they are finished they are taught traditional dances, great fun!

- Preschool: Helping out at a preschool or crèche caring for 20-30 children, giving individual care and assistance to children, organizing and playing games, going on walks, singing and dancing. Age group: 4-6 yrs.

- Pensioners; Help the old and fragile with a conversation, give them some attention and, for those who don’t mind, some physical care as well.

Prerequisites

It is important that volunteers of this project understand the importance of the following:

To be enthusiastic and independent, in order to complete (with guidance) a successful term
To show respect towards the people and culture of the local community. You might not agree with certain ways of conduct during your term here, but don’t forget that you are a guest, and you can’t change everything in a period of just a few weeks.
To show flexibility towards responsibilities, tasks and activities and you are expected to compile an individual program, with Prof’s help for the voluntary period.
To have own transport to/from Gqebera (when choosing for private accommodation), Khaya will help you with several options for car rental.
To be a Go-Getter!

Why?

To live and work in a township is an unique experience that very few projects offer. To be part of the Izizwe Township project means you can walk and work safely in this township with no reason to be afraid that something will happen to you as you will be part of the community.

The project is very diverse and challenging, you’ll be directly dealing with the local community and be part of that community as well. You will get acquainted with the circumstances in which 70% of South Africans live today, and experience their culture and situation. Be prepared to face misery and poverty, but also see lots of smiles and happy faces despite the poverty. For this reason it is of absolute importance that volunteers are relatively independent and mature individuals. Age does not matter but you will need to be independent enough to get busy and start helping where needed. You will be singing and dancing with the children, you will make them laugh, help them with schoolwork and teach them there’s a whole world waiting for them. This way you can hopefully contribute a little to a better future.

The coordinator will work with you on a daily basis and supervision and guidance are always available throughout the voluntary term.

Accommodation

We offer two options with regards to accommodation, depending on your preference.

Home stay

We offer a unique Home stay opportunity. You will move into the home of a local family in the Township. These families are carefully selected considering safety and sociability, and are recommended by Prof. This way you are supporting a local family with extra income whilst going through a unique experience; being part of the community. You’ll have your own room in a brick-built house with running water and electricity. Hot water might not always be available and there won’t be any luxury but you will be in a well-kept and, most importantly, safe environment.

Home stays include meals and beverages (excluding luxury items e.g.: soda, candy, alcohol etc.) You will be part of the family, and are therefore expected to do your share and maybe perform domestic tasks in the house, like all the other family members.

Private accommodation

Another option is sharing a house with other students and/or volunteers. You will be responsible for your own transport to/from the project. It is advised to share private transport with others to keep the costs as low as possible. A rental car will cost around €250/$ 270/£ 200 per month.

You will obviously be responsible for your own meals and beverages.

This option enables you to distance yourself from work after a long day, and share your (sometimes very intense) experiences with others.

Depending on availability you will either have your own room or share a room with another volunteer. Private accommodation offers the luxury of space, a cleaning lady, easy access to nearby facilities (restaurants, pubs etc.) and in some cases a swimming pool.

Fees & Dates

The fees for joining this project are:

1 week R3000

2 weeks R 4400

3 weeks R 6000

4 weeks R 7600

All extra weeks will be charged R 1400 per week.

An extra booking fee of R500 is required if you need Khaya to arrange transfers, accommodation and bus tickets as well as external travel arrangements. This fee lets Khaya handle your travel arrangements completely.

Currency Converter

Amount:

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Your fee will be used for the costs of the use of the classroom, food for children, the organization of activities and for the direct donation of 15% of your fees to the project of course.

Costs will cover the following:

Information and assistance before departure
Personal collection at arrival
Information guide and free SIM-card at arrival
Accommodation (any of the 2 given options)
Meals and beverages (Home stay option only)
15% direct donation to the project
Guidance and supervision during your stay
Contact point for family and friends
Opportunity to join in planned excursions, trips and activities

Costs exclude the following:

Transport to/from the projects (private accommodation option only)
Food & beverages (private accommodation option only)
Air tickets
Insurance
Expenses for excursions, trips and activities

Cost Breakdown

Accommodation costs	40 %
Coordinating and pick up costs	15 %
Direct donation to project	15 %
Admin and Marketing costs	20 %
Staff costs	10 %

Gallery

Testimonials

Jennifer – U.S.A
"The unique experience I had in Walmer isn’t comparable with anything else I participated in till this moment. Thank you people of Walmer and thank you Khaya!"

Frank - The Netherlands
"My Walmer experience was intensive and reinventing in many ways. This is the perfect place to go if you feel involved with developing communities! I’m looking forward returning to the project as soon as possible."

Barry – U.K
"I have had a fantastic experience and am so glad that I could volunteer and contribute to the development of the Walmer community during my holiday. Hope to be back in the future!"

Vincent - France
"I’m really impressed by the way you can make yourself useful in many ways at Walmer Township. The people accepted me instantly and I felt part of their community for the entire three weeks I spent there. Thank you Khaya for giving me this unique opportunity!"

Laura - SA
"Walmer is a place you must have been if you’ve got volunteering and developing in your blood. The people are just too nice and the supervision is great! Very hard to leave here! We will be back & look forward to a long mutually beneficial relationship to the community."