Projects

Calabash Tours Volunteer Projects Description:
Calabash Tours currently has three programmes. These are based on our assessment of community needs in the townships of Port Elizabeth. The three programme areas are School Support and Advancement, Pre School Support and Advancement, and HIV Community Support.

1. HIV Community Support: Emmanuel Advice and Care Centre:
This community organisation in Port Elizabeth provides health care, advice, nutrition and education to HIV sufferers and vulnerable children through self help groups, advice centres, community and pre-school care.

The following skills are needed on this project 
•    Organizational and administration
•    Nurses, social workers, health visitors and counselors
•    Nutritionists
•    Early childhood development practitioners
•    Life skills education and development
•    The programme would also welcome pro-active people to help with feeding, caring for and playing constructively with the young children, mainly under 6 years old.

The Emmanuel Advice and Care Centre (EACC) needs skilled and experienced volunteers to help in:
• building the administrative capacity of the organisation
• capacity building for community carers who support HIV sufferers
• working with orphans and vulnerable children
• the feeding programme

The project
As the pandemic of HIV and AIDS is being addressed on all levels within South African society, a large burden of care is shifted to the (often poor) communities themselves.

For some people, the reality of the situation has been a call to action. Refusing to ignore what was happening around the people she lived with; social worker Lydia Koopman started the EACC in Kwa-Noxolo, Port Elizabeth a few years ago. Along with like-minded people, the EACC continues to bring much needed relief and assistance to people infected or affected by HIV in the communities of Kwa-Noxolo, Nceba Faku, Jacksonville and Kleinskool.

The team includes many unpaid volunteers, and continues to build an effective, caring, learning organization which now directly supports over 1300 adults and children.
EACC has more than 30 care givers, each of whom currently visits approximately 80 homes where the families are affected by HIV/AIDS. All the carers are drawn from the community and are the backbone of support for these families who they visit on a bi-weekly basis. The carers provide education on positive living and prevention, and refer people to relevant agencies which can provide support, be they government or other NGO’s, helping people to understand what grants they may be able to access. They also provide a listening ear, offer love and care, and try and encourage and help the people they meet who are in need. The centre has at least 600 clients, and also assists in supporting nearly 700 orphans and vulnerable children in the main centre and satellites.
EACC is very much a grass roots, community based NGO, and as such, it is continuously identifying needs, and trying to address them holistically. It is constantly trying to support more people, and has a wide range of programmes which include:

1. Care and Support through the Home Based Care Programme
2. HIV Prevention through one to one counseling and education initiatives
3. Support Groups for the Elderly, Orphaned and Vulnerable Children, people living with    HIHIV/AIDS and their carers
4. Creche provision for pre school children
5. Life skills for 9 to 16 year olds
6. Nutritional Programme –  including its owns small vegetable garden
7. Advocacy work and developing relationships with other NGO’s and agencies.
8. Economic Empowerment through small business initiatives and support groups

Context
The 4 different communities served by the EACC are home for over 150,000 people. Like most townships in South Africa, they are characterized by a history of poverty, underdevelopment and segregation. Today they comprise ‘coloured” and African (Xhosa) families, living in shacks, older apartheid “matchbox” houses and newly developed housing.

What is uniform is poverty, unemployment, social problems such as alcohol- and drug-abuse, and HIV and AIDS. Many households are headed by single mothers, grandmothers, and a few child headed households.

Minimum Duration
Duration: 4 weeks minimum.
Placements of longer duration are also welcomed.

N.B. placements of 3 weeks have been arranged for volunteers with appropriate levels of skill and experience.

Living Conditions
Homestay is available near the project, with a host family in a safe township community environment, with your own room. Breakfasts & evening meals with your hosts are included, as well as packed lunches and daily transport on work days.
Other accommodation, such as hotels or guesthouses, is also available – please ask.

            

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2. School Support and Advancement Programme
This programme supports hard-pressed teachers in township schools. Though desperately under-resourced, these teachers are working in schools where the pupil to staff ratio is in excess of 50:1.

The following skills are needed on this project
The schools' principals have identified the following needs:

•    Basic literacy in English is essential - for nearly all of these children, school is their first exposure to English, and is at least their second language
•    Quality educational materials are seldom available, and even if they are, schools struggle to organize and account for them
•    Lesson planning and teaching methodologies – these are fundamental areas of modern education in which many teachers have received no training
•    Information Technology – whilst some schools have computers, computer literacy among teachers cannot be taken as read
•    Sports, arts and crafts practitioners are needed to work with the children to build confidence and enhance life-skills
•    The nutritional needs of students can be addressed by programmes to establish food gardens
•    Principals are burdened with rampant bureaucracy - they have little training and even less support in appropriate administration.

The project
This project involves far more than teaching! The project currently involves 7 primary schools which formally provide education for children from the age of 4 to13 - from Reception to Grade 7. However, many children have their education interrupted for various socio-economic reasons - this result in classes where the ages of the children differ considerably from that of the official Grade. This is particularly true of two of the schools where children up to the age of 17 are still attempting to achieve the required level for their primary school certificate, without which they cannot attend high school. However, the majority of children are of the expected primary school age.

In post-apartheid South Africa, the education system is in a state of transition. Over-burdened teachers, whilst committed to change, struggle to adapt, and need support and training.

The schools involved in this project have been identified for their innovation and dynamism. Previous volunteers have observed that despite the deprivation, they are joyful places to work, where the vast majority of teachers are professional and committed, and the children are eager to learn.

"I find it so hard to put into words what this means to me. I really enjoyed going back to somewhere familiar. Their amazing warmth and friendliness makes me feel I have a second place on this earth that I belong." Returning volunteer 2009

Context
Port Elizabeth is not only an attractive tourist city, it is also a fantastic example of the new emerging South Africa. The ANC started its struggle against apartheid here and the city was the first in South Africa to accept a black mayor. Port Elizabeth and its surrounding area is being renamed ‘Nelson Mandela Bay’ to reflect these strong local links.

While South Africa is becoming one of the power houses of Africa, the apartheid legacy remains – one of the greatest challenges is the growing gap between rich and poor.

Though many of the township teachers are qualified and professional, the education system is in a state of transition. At the end of apartheid, South Africa had 17 different education systems, with different levels for different 'races', different training institutions and expectations for different teachers. It was an education system designed to maintain social divisiveness, prevent critical thinking, and was based on rote learning and minimal participation. Then, in 1994, it all changed – to an education system premised on democratic human rights, outcomes based, critical thinking and experiential learning – but still with the very same teachers, who have had to adapt radically and the disparity in resources between formerly white and township schools still exists. The education system is in transition, constant flux, and teachers operate with varying levels of skill and confidence.

Coupled with the challenges inherent in this change are the problems of large classes, social deprivation, HIV/ Aids and the resultant breakdown of the family. Teachers do their best under the circumstances, but often just need a bit of support and encouragement – and this is where you can make a meaningful contribution.

"Teachers try to follow the National Curriculum - this has been written for English-speaking children and some of the exercises and stories are far too difficult for Xhosa-speaking children. Teachers seem unable to adapt. I was able to give teachers some ideas for their Grade 2 and Grade 4 classes." - Volunteer, 2008.

Minimum Duration
Duration: 4 weeks minimum.
Placements of longer duration are also welcomed - please ask.

N.B. placements of 3 weeks have been arranged for volunteers with appropriate levels of skill and experience

Living Conditions
Homestay is available near the project, with a host family in a safe township community environment, with your own room. Breakfasts & evening meals with your hosts are included, as well as packed lunches and daily transport on work days.
Other accommodation, such as hotels or guesthouses, is also available – please ask.

          

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3. Pre-School Support and Advancement – GAP Project
Work with vulnerable pre-school children and orphans from some of the poorest communities in South Africa. Give them a real start in life and give them FUN!


The following skills are needed on this project
• Help to deliver “learn through play” educational modules, as developed by a qualified    pre-school educator
• Make basic educational resources – from sustainable sources
• Work with local preschool teachers and assistants
• Help with after school groups on Lifeskills, IT, sports and crafts
• Develop a food garden or some basic improvement to the children’s facilities

Introduction
people and places was conceived to ensure meaningful experiences for volunteers and communities working together.
There is much debate about the validity of volunteering by the traditional "Gapper" - post school or university, but we believe that you DO have real skills to share, and that with good management and planning, your skills can help to make a real difference in the communities we serve.
We've worked with our local partners and communities with whom we already work to design volunteer placements for "Gappers" that will be meaningful, responsible and sustainable. You can be sure that you’re not replacing local employment and that your work will be part of a larger programme that is helping vulnerable communities build the future they would want for themselves.
A placement in this project will be challenging, rewarding, meaningful, frustrating ... and fun! It will help you develop your personal skills too - but that is not the priority - the priority is to help local people create a better future.

The project
The Minister of Education recently admitted that South Africa is still plagued by the scourge of sub standard education - 15 years after the end of Bantu Education and Apartheid. Funds have been allocated primarily to Adult Education, Tertiary Education and High and Primary school. Very little money is paid for Early Childhood Development. As a result many small, self started pre-schools are set up all over the township, with very little local knowledge of early childhood development. These pre-schools are often run in shack structures, community halls, or even converted shipping containers.
You will work together with qualified professionals in early childhood development on a pre-designed development programme. In small teams (maximum 6) you will work with township pre-schools and after school clubs improving their education and child development skills by example. This is an opportunity to work with local people for local people.
The content of your placement will vary slightly depending on the needs of each organisation. You will however know where you are working and the goals of your programme well before you arrive. There will of course be orientation and training days on arrival.

Context
In the township areas of Port Elizabeth, nearly 25% of pregnant women are identified as being HIV positive. Added to this, the ravages of apartheid, poverty and rural migration patterns have had a devastating impact on families. Only a small minority of children grow up in 2 parent households, with close to 50% of children being raised by grandmothers, and the impact of AIDS has seen a steady increase of this percentage. The standard approach in dealing with the 4 million South African orphans is for them to be cared for within the community, through extended family structures and community based care.

The major issues and challenges affecting these children are:
• food insecurity
• lack of support with school work
• few, if any, appropriate activities in the community
• lack of life skills, self awareness & self confidence
• patchy or inadequate emotional support
We have been operating a sustainable Volunteer Programme for the last 4 years with people and places. Our focus has been primarily on more mature, highly skilled volunteers. The reason has been that it was our understanding initially that we needed to facilitate skills development within local communities.

While we still maintain that responsible volunteer programmes are about the transfer of skills, we have also come to understand that the traditional volunteer market, or Gap Year Market, has much to offer and can have profound impact.

This is based on two primary facts:
1. Young people from the developed world have meaningful skills, and can be used effectively, if carefully selected and diligently managed.
2. Volunteers from the developed world undergo a profound change of life on well-structured, well-managed volunteer programmes. They develop a realistic understanding of poverty and development issues, and can in fact become profound agents of change within there own communities, societies and the world.

Placement Duration:
Duration: 4 weeks minimum.
Placement dates are available on application. If you are planning to travel as a group of 4 to 6 people, dates can be tailored to your requirements. If you wish to travel independently, placement dates will be fixed.

Living Conditions
You will live in simple clean and safe accommodation, sharing rooms and bathrooms. All meals are self catering.

           

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