Project summary

Your chance to make a positive difference to the people of South Africa whilst living in the beautiful city of Cape Town.  Join us to coach football and other sports to township children.

We've created an amazing chance for football fans  to engage with local people and share their love of sports.  You'll coach football to kids from disadvantaged townships in Cape Town whilst living with like-minded volunteers.

No experience necessary – just bring enthusiasm, energy and a sense of fun – we’ll provide the rest.

A typical day

Your mornings will be a relaxed time where you can head down to the beach for some surfing or take time out for yourself.  After lunch you'll travel to your school where you'll meet up with the local kids for the football training sessions or you'll go to the beach to work with the children on the skate board sessions or surf school.

The location

You'll live in Muizenberg, a 20 min drive from Cape Town. It is a very well known, beautiful holiday destination on the shores of False Bay. The project base where you'll work is located in Capricorn which is approximately 20 mins walk from the lodge where you live.

How you can make a difference

By volunteering with us you'll play your part in ongoing projects working with township children to build their confidence and develop their abilities.  This is a great way to lay the foundations of hope in the children's lives by teaching them 3 exciting sports.

Not only do we develop the children's sporting skills through coaching but we also address their mental, emotional and spiritual needs through mentoring and life skills coaching.  Many of the kids we work with have very little education or guidance on how to approach adult life and work.

What's included

• A comprehensive information booklet
• Travel advice and assistance
• Being met on arrival at Capetown airport
  
• Accommodation (shared room)
• 3 meals a day provided
  
• Ongoing support, help and advice from our local team

What else to budget for

The following items are not included and estimates are given as a guide for your budgeting:

• flights - normally £600 to £800
• travel insurance
• personal spending / living costs - allow £20 to £50 per week
  

 Other projects you might also be interested in....

* Surfing volunteering in South Africa

* Teaching English in Tanzania

* Summer charity camp in Tanzania

* Building projects in Tanzania

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More details

Background information about the project

Cape Town’s townships are incredibly disadvantaged places where the poor of South Africa survive in cramped ramshackle housing with unreliable electricity, open sewers and no hopes for a better life.  This project has grown out of a longstanding surf project that we have been running as a way to support the children of the townships.  The surf school has provided a strong positive focus for the children and has given us the chance to mentor them mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  We have an amazing fun time with the kids and our volunteers provide strong positive role models for the children to aspire to.

Recently the project has expanded into local township schools where a team of volunteers work with the local kids to coach soccer during school hours and after school.  We’ve also introduced skateboarding sessions at the beach front after school.

You’ll be coaching football on the pitches and open spaces at the schools where we work, the skateboarding lessons will be down on the beach front and the surf lessons will be in the waves of False Bay.

We have start dates on the first and third Monday of every month also with a minimum duration of 2 weeks.

In your first few days you will have an introduction to the area, a free surf lesson and preparation training for your volunteer work.  Thereafter you’ll work with the team of volunteers having an amazing time getting to know the children, developing their sporting abilities and enjoying the sports yourself. 

In an nutshell:
•    we'll give you accommodation near the beach in Cape Town  - you'll be making a genuine contribution to people in need
•    we'll provide you with support and an unforgettable experience - you'll help to give under-privileged kids a focus and a goal for their lives

Volunteer accommodation and food

Volunteers will be staying at a clean modern lodge in shared rooms.  You will be supplied with bedding and a towel on arrival. Food is cooked for you each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

The lodge is located a 10 minute walk from the beach.

Freetime and travel opportunities

In your spare time you can relax at the lodge, go surfing, hang out at the local beach or there are many fantastic local activities, such as hiking, kayaking, wine tours, safaris and trips to see the Garden Route. These can all be arranged for you on arrival.  You'll have free time every morning and on Saturdays and Sundays.

Challenges

As this is a physical project volunteers should be reasonably fit and healthy.  You will also face a degree of emotional challenge as we are working in extremely poor townships, supporting children who have been born into poverty and hardship.

It is core to our approach to use our contact with the children, to provide guidance and care to help them on the path to a better more fulfulling life.  So it is essential that all volunteers act as good role models.

Where does your money go

PoD is run as a non-profit organisation and does not receive any external funding. We charge a fee for all our placements to cover the overseas costs of volunteering and the costs of running our organisation in the UK. 

For this project approximately 70% of the fee you pay is passed to South Africa.