Name: Michael Clive Dorning
Travel Date: Jun 2018
Country of Volunteer: South Africa
Project of Volunteer: Physical Education Program
Recommend to other volunteers? : Yes
I would like to thank you and your organization for the planning and execution of my stay in Cape Town. The three weeks have been exceptional. The Save foundation is one of the best ways to experience the lower ends of life and share compassion with those in need. This adventure was well balanced as it provides a chance to help those less fortunate as well as explore Cape Town as a tourist. This balance provides a great time. The staff at Save were very helpful with everything except more guidance to what you must do with the children and the school will be helpful. In all honesty this experience has changed me and my perspective about the things that us privileged take for granted. I would recommend Save to anyone willing to have a great working experience with children as well as a holiday. Thank you again for organizing this for me.
Name: Allison Poritz & Rebecca Egan
Apologies for the delayed response. We have been very busy. We spent 6 weeks in Cape Town volunteering at Place of Hope (crisis shelter for women and children) and De Hiede (day program for children with severe disabilities). It was an incredible experience and difficult to leave! We are now in Qwaqwa, Free State volunteering at a program for children with varying abilities. It's challenging and a lot of fun! We will send more info and pictures when we return to the states as internet access is limited.
Thank you!
Name: Becca
We are doing wonderful in South Africa, we are enjoying ourselves. The grounds staff have been more than supportive and we have no concerns at this time, everything has been wonderful. I don't have much time to provide more information at this time but will later.
Thank you,
Name: Aneeta Permau
Was the office staff at Global Crossroad courteous and helpful?
Very helpful and courteous. Welcoming.
Did you receive your airport pick-up?
Yes, it was helpful, especially being in a new and different country
Did you enjoy your volunteer project?
Yes, very much. It was the most rewarding experience of my life. It was great meeting all those wonderful and loving children.
Did you enjoy your overall experience?
I enjoyed the volunteer experience and my home-stay family (whom I miss).
If you had any questions or concerns did your coordinator address them?
Yes. They answered all my many queries. I was always assured and put at ease. The staff is efficient, but mostly, loving.
Would you recommend future volunteers go to South Africa and participate in the same HIV program that you did?
Yes. The people are amazing. The family i stayed with is loving and welcoming. the program was very rewarding. It was an eye-opening experience!
Do you have any comments or suggestions?
It was an amazing experience working with children and with people who have hiv. They are all very loving people who have a bit of 'bad luck'. My favorite times were making the children sandwiches for their lunch and knowing how much they all appreciated the lunch provided. I also loved and miss playing games with children. Watching them process card games and chess games. They are all so smart!!! Even though some of us didn't speak the same language, we all communicated very well. Most of all, i miss saying hello to the kids, gathering together, singing, talking about my home and their homes, and hugging them all. They are more loving than what they really portray. It taught me not to judge a book by its cover, and that a simple hug is the easiest sign of affection that can break a lot of barriers. It was amazing spending time with the children and i miss it everyday.
Keep up the amazing work!
Wonderful Time in South Africa
Orientation
The orientation was helpful and informative without being overwhelming. Thank you Simon, for the warm reception at the airport, you made me Feel immediately comfortable, and bringing Nikki with you also put me at ease. The orientation made me feel aware of my surroundings and sensitive to the circumstances in South Africa.
Host Family
My Host Family is awesome. They are probably the main reason I would Like to stay longer if only I could. They have brought me into their home, their school, their church, and their community. I'm so lucky to be staying with such a pleasant family who has done nothing but make me feel right at home.
Project Placement
From the project outline I received from Global Crossroad, I was under the impression that I would be working at an orphanage, but I didn't have any other details. As it turned out, I was volunteering at a school. I do enjoy helping the kids at the school and getting to know the educators there, they have taught me so much about life hear and reminded how blessed I am to have the education that I have. So, while I can't complain a bit about the placement, it is not at all what I expected from the details I received before my arrival which may be disconcerting to some future volunteers should they end up in the same situation. Also, I worry that I have not helped the school as much as they have helped me. Part of this is due to the fact that I am here for such a limited time that I have not been available for more training. Overall, I have greatly enjoyed my placement thus far and will always remember my time spent at Reiger Park.
Overall
This has been an awesome experience. My only issue lies in the scheduling. From the beginning it was unclear what I would actually see during my stay and while I was hear there was constant confusion over which times meetings would be held and tours would start. Of course, that has also afforded great possibilities as I have had flexibility in arranging visits to such great places as the Pilansberg reserve, but it has made planning with other volunteers and my host family difficult. This organization offers a great opportunity that I would not trade in.