IVHQ South Africa

I did not know what to expect when I boarded my plane to Cape Town. The first day we had an orientation that gave all the volunteers extremely useful information about the program, the country, things to do for weekend travel, and more. Each volunteer got to say where they were from and a fun fact about themselves. This was a good opportunity for everyone to get to know one another better. We then had lunch and walked through Cape Town where we were given more useful information about city center and transportation. The team and all the volunteers then had dinner that evening and had more opportunities to get to know everyone.
The first day of our volunteer experience was better than expected. The team made sure each volunteer was comfortable with their placements. IVHQ South Africa has different projects you can chose from. I was on the teaching project, and got to work along side with a teacher teaching grade R. Each and everyone one of the kids had so much love to offer. I got to help them with their school work and help the teacher organize and get work done. All the kids were intelligent and had a lot of offer. In the two short weeks that I was there, I believe the kids have taught me more than I was able to teach them in a short amount of time. I really enjoyed my teaching program experience.
The volunteers had plenty of time for weekend travel and activities. The team helped us organize things to do. I was able to visit so many places around Cape Town and in South Africa including Cape Point, Boulders Beach, Table Mountain, and more. I even got a chance to take a safari and to bungy jump!
Some tips for future volunteers is to bring warm clothes. It can get windy and cold during the winter months. Another tip is to not over pack and to bring the important stuff like adaptors, vitamin C, cameras, a blanket, etc. If you're thinking about volunteering with IVHQ South Africa, do not hesitate. It's an experience of a life time!
My favorite part about the trip was meeting all the great people along the way. From IVHQ, to Dreams to Reality, to all the other volunteers, and people I met throughout the country, they were all so welcoming and humble. For me, it was all the great people who made the trip special. I would recommend this trip to my friends, family, and future volunteers!