Teaching & Youth Development Project

Community Pre-schools And Educare Centres

We partner with pre-schools caring for children between the ages of 6 months and 7 years. These schools offer children from disadvantaged backgrounds an Invaluable head start to their education and future, with a specific emphasis on helping them to prepare for their next step to primary school.

Unfortunately, understaffed and lacking in essential resources, these schools struggle to meet the needs of the children. Volunteers help the classes come alive, assisting teachers with lesson planning and making real progress for the next step to enter school. This is often through one-on-one attention developing educational opportunities with the daily school routine dedicated theme-based lessons, structured play, story time and music, and movement.

Educational Support

Abuse against children is most common in the immediate after-school hours when caregivers are not yet back from work. With this in mind, African Impact have partnered with organizations that facilitate after-school care programs. Volunteers help to plan and implement fun and educational games which always have an emphasis on developing important life skills such as teamwork and leadership. Some examples of the types of activities include fun games like ‘Capture the Flag’, ‘Buddies up Buddies Down and ‘What Time is it, Mr. Wolf?’ Other activities include homework support, craft-making, gardening and reading clubs.  Your input and ideas are always welcomed as new inspiration

You may also be involved in workshops which aim to provide a platform for sharing information and skills with the wonderful team of Grandmothers that help to run the aftercare programs. In return, you will also be taught a skill or craft which you can take home with you. This encourages our ethos of cross-learning and is based on the ‘Each One Teach One’ model what was implemented by Nelson Mandela and his inmates during their time on Robben Island.

EITHER ……. ORPHANED AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN

Enrichment Program

Khayelitsha and the surrounding areas have been hugely affected by HIV/AIDS and are thought to have the highest rates in the Western Cape. You will work at a variety of after-school care programs where your focus will be on the children’s development and to give them vital attention during a very vulnerable time of the day before parents or caregivers get home. At one particular center, you will be working with older children who come from a variety of disadvantaged backgrounds – your patience, intuition, and creativity with activities will be rewarded with smiles and a willingness to learn.

OR ……. SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

After-school Care

In 1994 post-Apartheid, the South African government removed Physical Education from the school curriculum.  Whilst this has now been reintroduced, it only forms a small part of the Life Orientation syllabus and as a result, student involvement in physical activity is very low. Organizing sports activities at several after-school care clubs is therefore fundamental to children’s development and improves essential skills such as team work and leadership. Some examples of the types of activities include fun games like ultimate Frisbee, baseball, cricket and American football. This is a great chance to bring your interests to South Africa and teach the kids, grannies and your fellow volunteers a new talent. You may also participate in workshops which aim to provide a platform for sharing information and skills – in the past we have had a session on nutrition as well as on Kayleigh dancing.

YOUR 4^TH OPTION ……. THE GIRL IMPACT

“Goals that work for women and girls are goals that will work for the world.” – taken from the Global Goals website

The evidence is clear – investing in adolescent girls will not only help them realize their human rights, but is essential to reducing poverty and improving health, and future economic growth. Securing the rights of adolescent girls and their access to health, education, and protection from violence and abuse, ensures they have the chance to achieve their potential and can go on to become empowered women who can support their families, communities, and countries. In post-Apartheid South Africa, girls are in real need of support; issues surrounding access to and staying in education restricted access to healthcare, high abuse rates and a patriarchal system where men hold primary authority all mean that girls are often left behind.

The Girl Impact initiative aims to provide opportunities for girls and create support networks within their communities, so they can make more informed choices as they grow up, have the chance to achieve their potential and go on to become empowered women who can support their families, communities, and countries. Volunteers will be involved in three main areas to help achieve the UN Global Goal of Gender Equality. Youth support group for a mixed group of 10 – 19-year-old adolescents, exploring key issues the youth face today. Girls’ and boys’ club, building positive relationships with vulnerable children and helping to create a space that encourages trust. English language lessons for the ‘Mamas’ at an emergency care home, offering invaluable support. This is fundamental in enabling them to communicate more effectively with social workers, visitors to the home, volunteers and the wider community, as well as educating the children in their care in English.