St. Lucia is situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a beautiful area that was declared as South Africa’s first Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and which is called by many “Africa’s premier bush-and-beach destination”. Encompassing almost half a million acres, it is a stunning and ecologically diverse area, where five different eco-systems join, and where you find savannahs, wetlands, swamps, beaches, and a great wealth of wildlife.

The area is home to the Zulu tribe; a group of people with a very lively and colourful culture. It is within this impressive setting, we offer you the opportunity to interact with and educate AIDS orphans and other children in need of care in an orphan day care centre, as well as to get involved in educating the local community about the HI virus along with other community assistance tasks.

Project Highlights:

• Educate and play with small children some of whom have lost their parents as a result of AIDS.
• Help raise awareness on preventing the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus in the local community.
• Help build, refurbish and paint important community building e.g. schools, day care centres, etc.
• Immerse yourself in the local Zulu culture.
• Make friends for life.

“The iSimangaliso Wetland Park (formerly known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) must be the only place on the globe where the oldest land mammal (the rhinoceros) and the world’s biggest terrestrial mammal (the elephant) share an ecosystem with the world’s oldest fish (the coelacanth) and the world’s biggest marine mammal (the whale)” – Nelson Mandela.

Project Achievements so far:

From January 2008 to May 2009 African Impact volunteers contributed over 11,850 hours to community development in the St Lucia area of South Africa. Our project structures, together with the support and advice of our charitable foundation team at The Happy Africa Foundation, are continuously assessing our work and project strategies to ensure that these hours are meaningful with measurable outcomes.

The Orphan Day Care Project in St Lucia has succeeded in painting 5 buildings including the village information centre, the day care centre and a sick person’s home, sponsored an HIV Awareness event with the local High School, reaching over 500 pupils and with the Reading Club, our volunteers work with about 40 high school students twice a week on developing their English reading and comprehension skills.

Our volunteers have also individually touched the lives of about 200 children in 3 creches in Khula Village – the extent of their impact ranges from basic education and improvement in English, to feeding and nourishing the children, to care for their wounds and injuries, to simply providing one-on-one attention and playtime to children who would otherwise be ignored.

Each week, our volunteers meet with an HIV Support Group, consisting of about 15 regular members.  They discuss all aspects of positive living and encourage the members to support each other.  In addition, we have sold about ZAR30,000 of crafts made by members of the support group to our volunteers, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the maker of each craft.

Volunteers have also contributed to the completion of the building of a new day care centre to look after 80 children, some of whom are orphans.  The day care centre also has some swings and slides which the children love!!

More about our St. Lucia Orphan Care Programme:

Location: St. Lucia, North East Coast of South Africa. A comfortable and charismatic town within walking distance of the beach.

Age Limit: Minimum 17 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health.

Required Experience: For this project, no specific experience is required.

Orphan Day Care:

The St. Lucia area is heavily affected by HIV/AIDS. It is believed that in some communities, up to 70 percent of people are infected with the virus. As a result, many children are orphaned. Most of these children live with their relatives, but they are often left by themselves during the day, as their caretakers are at work. To keep these children off the streets, and to make sure they are well looked after and educated,  there are some Day Care Centres and creches in the local village.

Some days there are up to 80 children under 6 years old for the Carers to look after with little resources.  As a volunteer you will assist in taking care of the children at different Day Care Centres. This is a great opportunity to help many children in the Community through education and by giving them the individual attention they desperately need.

You will be involved in the following:

• Teaching the children basic lessons about different themes and subjects.
• Reading children’s books to them.
• Playing games, singing songs, and doing drawings with them.
• Helping with washing hands before meals and feeding children and babies.
• Helping to refurbish the  day care centre buildings.

In the school holidays volunteers will help run a holiday club for children aged 4-12 years old. This is a great opportunity to have fun as with the children as well as educating them about new and exciting things.  Examples of some activitites are learning about other countries, and sports and talent competitions.

HIV/AIDS Education:

In St. Lucia’s local community, many myths about HIV/AIDS still prevail. A large percentage of local South Africans believe that the virus is a result of witchcraft, and people infected with it are often rejected from their own communities and families. As a result, many people who are infected do not admit to having the virus. Not many people know how to prevent infection, and even fewer people know how to deal with the virus once they have it.

Working together with our Volunteer Coordinator with experience in teaching this subject you will be involved in teaching adults and children about the virus. During your placement, you will visit both schools and community centres, and do the following:

• Explain, through a simple method approved by the UN what the HIV/AIDS virus actually is, and how it affects a human body.
• Educate people about how the virus is transmitted, and how infection can be prevented.
• Explain how, after infection, life can be prolonged through medication, healthy food, and a more healthy lifestyle.
• Be involved in an HIV Support Group to help people affected by the virus.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of these peoples lives and to be able to help in even the smallest ways, the experience has been very humbling… I think the work on the community project is fantastic and feel African impact is a huge part of Khula Village, I have gained new perspectives on life in general and will take this experience and my memories with me forever” Katie Thompson, UK.

Additional Community Projects:

Besides looking after orphaned children and raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS virus, you will be involved in the following community projects:

Building and Refurbishment:Community buildings in the local villages tend to be run down, particularly in the more rural and remote areas. As a volunteer, you will visit these building which may be a school, day care centre, orphanage, community centre or the house of someone in need, by helping to fix roofs and windows, paint walls, and help build new rooms. You will find that the Community greatly appreciate your presence and support, and your work will be highly rewarding.

Farming: To help encourage positive living, volunteers will help local people create and maintain vegetable patches.  These will supply people with much needed healthy food and encourage them to be more self sufficient for them and their family.  The farming activities may include digging, weeding, fencing, planting and watering. Watching the vegetables grow and be used by more and more people is a great way to make a difference.

English Reading Club: English is extremely important for children in Kwazulu Natal, as all high school lessons are taught in English. Many fail their tests because they do not fully understand the language. To help high school children with their English volunteers are involved a Reading Club. It is a great fun way for the children to improve their English and much appreciated by the teachers and children to help with the communities’ education.

Project Cost:

2 weeks: GB£785 / 4 weeks: GB£1,255 / 6 weeks: GB£1,645 / 8 weeks: GB£2,030 / 10 weeks: GB£2,390 / 12 weeks: GB£2,745

Project Cost Includes:

• The project fee entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. Day Care Centre lessons, building and farming materials.
• Transport between Richards Bay Airport and St. Lucia.
• Orientation programme.
• All daily transfers to and from your projects during your stay.
• Full board and lodging, which includes 3 meals a day at our volunteer house (except Sundays).
• Laundry service during your stay.
• Assistance at your projects by African Impact staff and volunteer coordinators.
• Any visits to other African Impact programmes based in St. Lucia.

Project Cost Excludes:

• Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement, which must include cover for evacuation and repatriation. We recommend WorldNomads.com.
• All transport by air or bus to Richards Bay. We can help you arrange this, please ask.
• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other).
• E-mail / Internet and telephone calls.
• Soft drinks, wines and spirits.
• All visas for border crossings.
• Any excursions over-and-above your planned itinerary in St. Lucia (see below for more information on some of the great travel options available in and around the area you will be staying).

Project “Day in the life”:

Here is how a typical day in the life of a St. Lucia Orphan Day Care and HIV / AIDS Education volunteer might take shape. Please note that your itineraries may differ from this, depending on your own experience and the number of other volunteers on the placement at the same time; this is simply to give an example:

• 07:00 – Get up, eat breakfast, and start getting ready to depart for your project.
• 08:30 – Head off to the Orphan Day Care Centre.
• 09:00 – Start your work at the orphan day care centre. You may read books with the children or teach them some basic English, or play games and sing songs with them; you will be able to use lesson plans and ideas drawn up/created the previous week. . This bonding is essential to their development.
• 12:00 – Lunch break. You will be picked up from the centre, and taken to your volunteer house, where lunch will be waiting for you.
• 13.30 – Start of your afternoon projects. You may be visiting schools or community centres to teach people HIV/AIDS awareness, or doing farming, painting or refurbishment activities to help the local community.
• o16.30 – End of the working day. You will be picked up from your project and taken home, where we clean tools, evaluate the day’s work and discuss the schedule for the next day, including preparing lessons for the next day at the Day Care Centre.
• 18.00 – Dinner at your volunteer house. After dinner, you may wish to go for a few drinks in one of the local bars.

“I have enjoyed every aspect of the project, but especially working with all the adorable children at each of the 3 crèches! I have also really enjoyed Home Based Care, HIV Education in schools and HIV Support Group too!” Hannah Collins, UK.

Project Orientation:

Upon arrival in St. Lucia you will have a comprehensive orientation programme, which is included in your fee. This is facilitated by your project volunteer coordinator and includes:

• An introduction to St. Lucia and the surrounding area.
• An overview of the Day Care Centre and some basic teaching skills to prepare and deliver lessons to the children.
• An introduction into the syllabus we use for HIV/AIDS education.
• An introduction and visit to the projects to see where you will be working.
• A basic language course. You will learn some basic words and sentences in Zulu, the local language in St. Lucia, so that you can communicate with people in their own language. In addition, you will learn some of the local cultural nuances.
• At the orientation, you will also receive and be taken through our detailed “Welcome Pack”, which will contain further useful information for your time with us.

Project Support:

Throughout your placement you will have the support and guidance of our experienced Volunteer Coordinators. They are part of our greater African Impact support team, which will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance.

Project Meals:

You will be provided with three meals a day except Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch. Our cook has Saturday evening and Sunday lunchtime off so we invite volunteers to try the local restaurants for dinner and there is a small supermarket and cafe available for lunch. Dinner costs around GB£ 5 – 7 so is very reasonably priced. Please allow for this in your budget.

Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked for you by our cook at the volunteer house.

Project Accommodation:

During your placement, you will stay at our large and comfortable project house situated in the middle of St. Lucia. It is a fully furnished house with a large lounge, satellite television, barbeque area, garden, and a swimming pool. The house is staffed with cooks and laundry / cleaning ladies. All bedding is provided, so you will not need to bring a sleeping bag with you, although sometimes it is useful in the colder months (June – September) or if you are planning going on excursions. You will however need to bring your own towels please. You will be sharing a bedroom with one to four people. Members of our African Impact team will be staying on the same property, so that they are always available to assist you with any questions or issues you may have.

We find that volunteers living together and working closely together with their volunteer coordinators is the surest way of ensuring their safety, and of being able to attend to their most pressing needs. For this reason, we expect all volunteers to stay only in the accommodation provided for them and do not allow volunteers to spend nights away in the town or nearby villages, unless they are away on pre-arranged sightseeing excursions.

How to get there: We will meet you at the airport!

The nearest airport to St. Lucia is Richards Bay Airport, which is about a forty five minute drive from St. Lucia. There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Richards Bay and these can be booked online at www.flysax.com.

One of our representatives will meet you at the airport upon your arrival in Richards Bay. You will then be escorted to your volunteer base in St. Lucia.

“I think the aims and objectives of the program are absolutely wonderful, a life-changing experience with so many feel-good factors that I will take with me for a very long time, thank you so much to everyone involved for making my time here truly unforgettable!” Amy Herring, UK.

10 Reasons to volunteer in St. Lucia at our Orphan Care Project:

1. The KIDS!!! – they capture your heart and make you want to stay forever.
2. Knowing you may have saved a life from HIV – by doing that, you may have saved their children, friends, partners…
3. The variety – while your friends are at home sitting behind a desk, you have cared for babies, taught children how to write their names, performed condom demonstrations, made building blocks for a school, and saw a baboon walk down your street, just to name a few.
4. St. Lucia – the house is just a short walk from the Indian Ocean and its beautiful beaches, an estuary housing large populations of hippos and crocodiles, and the iSimangaliso national game park.
5. Finding your inner child – refresh your memory on childhood songs, get covered with glitter, and sit on those tiny little plastic chairs again.
6. The friendships – the friends you make here and the experiences you share as volunteers will last a lifetime, transcending age nationality, and background.
7. Experiencing the Zulu culture – get a taste of Zulu cooking, sample the local beer, put your Zulu dancing skills to the test, and learn about their fascinating history and traditions.
8. The local wildlife – spot the Big 5 (elephant, lion, leopard, black rhino, and buffalo) plus birds, snakes, sea turtles, monkeys, giraffes, and so on!
9. The exchange of knowledge – you will have the opportunity to teach local children and adults in subjects like English and HIV Education.  In exchange, they will teach you as much as you care to learn about their language, medical concerns, methods of farming and building, and may even alter your overall perspective on life.
10. Spending some time outside – on the projects, on a weekend game drive, or relaxing on the beach.

St. Lucia Orphan Care & HIV/AIDS Awareness Project notes:

• We have found in the past that the more you as a volunteer put in to your involvement, the more you will get out. You are welcome to contact a member of staff to find out how you can best prepare for your stay to assist the local community.
• During school holidays volunteers will run a “holiday club”. Activities may not be as structured as usual but there will be plenty of work to do… The school holiday dates for South Africa for 2010 are as follows: *11 Dec 2009 -13 Jan 2010 / *27 Mar-11 Apr 2010 / *10 Jun-12 Jul 2010 / *2 Oct-10 Oct 2010 / *11 Dec 2010-11 Jan 2011.
• You will be living with the St. Lucia Medical Assistance and Photography & Conservation volunteers and the community sections are the same. You will thus be potentially working alongside them in the afternoons, depending on the need of the projects at the time.
• Please also understand that our projects are continuously evolving, being improved, and adapting to the needs of the local communities that we are involved with, so involvement areas do change from time to time. Rest assured your work will be necessary, rewarding and exciting. We invite you to be more than a tourist…

St. Lucia Travel Highlights:

These are not included in your volunteering fee, but our coordinators are able to assist you with making the necessary booking arrangements.

• Game drives in the beautiful Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks.
• Visits to the beach, and snorkelling at Cape Vidal.
• Whale, dolphin, and sea turtle viewing (seasonal).
• Hippo and crocodile cruises on the St. Lucia Estuary.
• Weekend trips to the stunning Phinda Private Game Reserve, Kosi Bay or Mozambique.

Here is a guideline of the prices for some of the most popular activities, in South African Rands:

Hluhluwe National Park – SAR 725 (About GB£ 58).
Hippo and Crocodile River Cruise – SAR 130 (About GB£ 10)
Whale Watching – SAR 750 (About GB£ 60)
Mozambique dolphin swim (overnight)  – SAR 2000 (About GB£ 160)

(Based on exchange rate of GB£ 1 = 12.5 Rand).

Experience Africa, have the most memorable time, and save lives.
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