Volunteer experiences from an elementary school in South Africa

Three months teaching children in Cape Town

It was always clear to me that I would go abroad for a while after graduating from high school to gain experience and to get to know new cultures. In the end, I spent a total of four months in South Africa (Cape Town) doing voluntary work at an elementary school. During three of those months I was staying in the country with RGV, and the last month I traveled a lot, including a two-week road trip through South Africa with other volunteers that I will probably never forget.

Preparation and arrival
RGV was very supportive and helped me a lot before my stay and answered all my questions without any problems. I felt well prepared and so my flight to South Africa took off at the beginning of October. The transfer at the airport went off without any problems, even though I had to wait a bit (African Time, you have to get used to that). I also had a very warm welcome at the Student House and was immediately embraced by the volunteers there.

My work in the project
It was an incredibly nice time. I liked the work in the project very much. Now and then I would have liked to be given more responsibility. I worked as an "assisting teacher" in a fifth grade class. As soon as the children had questions or couldn't cope with one of their math problems, it was my turn and it was my job to help the children as much as possible and introduce them to the subject matter. A couple of times I even got to take over a lesson or two doing math and geography with the kids. The kids in my class were very lovely, open and interested. In fact, I already miss my class again now.

Extension for two more months
My original plan was to be back home in Germany a few days before Christmas. However, since I enjoyed my time in Cape Town so much and unfortunately it went by way too fast, I decided to extend my stay for another two months. I spoke with the RGV team on site and also sought email contact with the German-speaking staff. I was answered immediately and various suggestions were made. My wishes were taken into account very precisely and so it worked out very well with my extension. I also received my visa within less than three weeks.

My conclusion: A breathtaking and versatile country!
Overall, I enjoyed my stay very much. Cape Town is a beautiful city and South Africa is a breathtaking and diverse country. RGV was a very big help for me with the arrangement and especially with the extension. I made a lot of new and good friends and also got to know very different and interesting people. I will stay in contact with many of them. Various meetings in Germany have already been planned. For everyone who is still thinking about it. Stop thinking about it, just sign up! ;)