Yomps, Adventure Travel Experiences

South African Community Volunteer Project
Full Itinerary

Volunteer on this award winning South African community project for 4, 8 or 12 weeks helping with the sustainable development of a small rural South African village, to become a valued member of the community and experience South African culture firsthand.

South Africa

- Work with local communities, use your own personal experiences, hobbies, skills and interests to be part of a hands-on project that promotes sustainable practices and community development.

Your South African adventure begins in the largest and most populous city in South Africa, Johannesburg, where your plane touches down. Here you will be met by a Yomps representative and taken to your accommodation – a purpose built guesthouse situated within the Mapoch Ndebele Village. With a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and a location in the heart of the South African community, the guesthouse is ideal accommodation for your time volunteering. Equipped with electricity, hot and cold running water, an en-suite bathroom, and a television; you will have more than you need for a comfortable stay.

This volunteer project serves the Ndebele village and its nearby rural communities. The village inhabitants still live in a traditional manner and practice their age-old customs despite the influence of modernisation. The houses and enclosures are painted with the colourful geometric patterns for which the Ndebele are famous, often incorporating modern aspects such as telephones and the South African flag. Designed and painted by the locals to decorate their surroundings, the wall murals symbolise a multitude of beliefs, practices and values.

The Mapoch Ndebele Village is at the centre of all of your activities during your time in the community. Each day you will rise early, have breakfast in the multi-centre and will be met by the people responsible for the day’s activities. The beauty of this volunteer project is that it matches the needs of the community with your experience, meaning you and the community get the most out of your time in the village. On application to the project, we will ask what skills, hobbies or interests you have which you might be able to contribute to the project. Therefore if you are good with children, a day working in the South African community might see you taking a class on a subject that you know something about (such as English speaking lessons) or helping out in the crèche on one of a number of activities that you have chosen. Or if you like working with your hands you might help to build new facilities for the pre-school for the day.

The tasks and activities involved in the volunteer project vary considerably, and depending on your skills, hobbies or interests, you will find yourself working on a variety of things. Yet the project also has three main ongoing activities:

• Helping with the rural Bokamoso bicycle project – run by the local Pastor, Peter, the Bokamoso Bicycle project is an attempt to encourage local economic development. The introduction and maintenance of eco-friendly transport in the form of bicycles within the community is one of our main focuses. The manufacture and development of load-carrying trailers has been revolutionary in the area. You could also assist in developing bicycle routes and tours.
• Teaching support in the crèche – examples of the community work include taking or assisting lessons, teaching the children about fire safety, or working with the children to build a set of swings or play equipment for them to play on during their breaks.
• Life skills development - this includes assisting with educational tutorials for school children and basic adult education for village elders – the village has a low level of adult literacy and employment (for example, some of the elders within the community still sign their name by putting an ‘x’), which is something that we are helping to improve. Today, thanks to the community work by past volunteers, educational levels and income have increased as a direct result of our work and more people are in employment. Activities also include helping the school children with academia, arts, drama or sports after school hours.

Whatever activities and tasks you work on, there is always something to keep you occupied and always a way for you to contribute to the village community.

The village remains relatively un-commercialised, giving you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the traditional culture and experience life from a unique perspective. During your time on the volunteer project you can learn the intricate art of Ndebele beading, assist with the painting of ongoing traditional mural paintings and can even ask the local Sangoma (traditional healer) to throw bones and tell you what he sees in your future! You will also be able to witness actual traditional ceremonies and rituals; partake in village life by tending to the livestock; learn some of the traditional dances, poems and oral history; make traditional African beer; and even get to spend an evening in an authentic traditional Ndebele hut or ‘rondawel’!

As well as learning a variety of new skills during your time at the village, any skills you already possess will be fully utilised to ensure that you get the most out of your time away and the community gains the full benefits that you can offer. Whether you are a doctor, can draw, are a keen gardener, have an interest in animals or are a whiz with marketing, you will be able to reach your maximum potential helping to educate some of the planet’s underprivileged people and communities. If you are here for 4, 8 or 12 weeks, you are bound to have a rewarding, exciting and unique experience aiding this worthwhile volunteer project.

Yomps encourages economic growth in the South African community in a multitude of ways. In addition to paying the local volunteering organisation for all costs (such as accommodation, food, transfer costs, etc) there is also a volunteer project donation included in your fee that funds current and/or future projects and this is often used to purchase much needed resources.

- Extra activities available (at your own expense)

Volunteers have two days off a week to explore the surrounding area. Being close to the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg there is a variety of things to do and places to visit, including:

Cheetah Country
The De Wildt Cheetah Farm is a must for visitors situated north-west of Pretoria. This well-known centre is renowned for breeding cheetah (including the rare king cheetah), as well as the brown hyena and African wild dog.

Water Sports
Hartebeespoort Dam is about a 45 minutres drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, and is something of a weekend Mecca for water sports lovers. The perfect spot for a weekend getaway and close enough for a quick day trip; the area boasts wonderful picnic spots and the opportunity to windsurf, sail, canoe, body-board and catch some welcome sun!

Gold Reef City
Spend a day at the famous Gold Reef City, where you can go underground on a mine exploration and relive the old gold rush days of Johannesburg, or have your adrenalin fuelled on the rides in the Theme Park.

The Apartheid Museum
Dedicated to South Africa’s darkest days, this incredible world-class museum in Johannesburg documents the forced removals, political executions, the rise of black consciousness, and the 1976 Soweto student uprisings and its triumphs.

Township Tours
Experience township life in Soweto, visiting the Regina Mundi Church, Hector Peterson Memorial site and Nelson Mandela’s home. You can stay for the night at any of Soweto’s famous bed and breakfasts, backpackers lodges or enjoy any of the keen hospitality offered by township dwellers around Pretoria. There are also township tours offered in Alexandra and many of the other township areas.

Walk on the Wild Side
All around Gauteng, there are opportunities to experience wildlife and nature at its most abundant. The much-loved Lanseria Lion Park is a must and Krugersdorp Game Reserve offers a safari-type adventure, close to both Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Museum Heartland
Pretoria offers volunteers the chance to visit a number of fantastic museums, which are grouped together as museum park.You could visit the Natural Cultural History Museum of Science and Technology, the Transvaal Museum and the GeoScience Museum, to mention just a few.

- Application Process

At Yomps we don’t just accept everyone that applies for a volunteering position. Every effort is made to ensure that the project is suitable for the volunteer and the volunteer is suitable for the project. On applying for the project you will be emailed an application form, which once completed will be sent by us to the Ndebele village to be vetted by the Elders prior to acceptance.

- Project Donation

As well as paying the volunteering organisation for all costs (such as accommodation, food, transfer costs, etc) there is also a project donation of 10% that goes directly to the volunteering project towards current or future projects.

- Prices

	Pound sterling (£)	US Dollar ($)	Euros (€)
4 weeks	1451	2,829	2,060
8 weeks	2902	5,658	4,120
12 weeks	4353	8,487	6,180