South Africa Children's Hospital Volunteers

Minimum age

Minimum age 17 years with parental consent, maximum decided on health and fitness of participant.

Accommodation

During your time in Cape Town you'll be staying in our lovely volunteer house in the small seaside town of Fish Hoek. The house has 4 bathrooms that include western style toilets and hot water. Bedrooms in the house are dormitory style with up to 8 volunteers sharing a room. There are also a number of communal areas including a comfortable lounge with sofas, table where you can eat your meals and a lovely balcony and garden area with BBQ! While in the house you will be responsible for keeping the place clean so please tidy up after yourself, especially in the kitchen.

There are lockers in the accommodation where you will be able to store valuable but you will need to bring your own padlock and keys. Additionally you will need to bring your own sleeping bag, pillow case, towels as these are not provided. You should also make sure you bring warm clothes with you, particularly if you are travelling during the South African winter months, when it can get particularly cold.There isn't a washing machine at the house but there is a laundry close by where you can get your clothes cleaned at your own cost.

A Supermarket, shops, internet cafe, laundry and bank are all close to the volunteer house so you’ll be able to shop either in your lunch-break or after your days volunteering.
 

Meals

Your time in Cape Town is on a self-catering basis (apart from the evening meal on the first night). There is a kitchen complete with cookers, loads of fridge space, microwave, toaster and other kitchen utensils you can use to cook tasty meals to enjoy in the large dining area. However if you are feeling a little lazy why not order takeaway instead!

We recommend that you budget around R600 (South African Rand) per week for groceries, as prices are similar to home. However if you choose to eat out or buy takeaways regularly, this will be more expensive and you will need to budget accordingly.

Programme requirements
Please note that you must have a clear CRB check in order to participate on this programme. A copy of the check must be given to the project coordinators before you begin your programme.

Advice & Safety

Throughout your programmes you will have the support and guidance of the programme co-ordinator and team. You will be provided with competent assistance and help with any questions or advice you may need during your stay.

You will be assigned a personal travel advisor who will co-ordinate your programme with you. Feel free to contact them at any time before you go, or when you are on your travels.

In addition, you will have access to a 24 hour emergency contact number so you can contact one of our UK staff at any time should you need to.