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Host rating
100 %
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26 Mar 2024
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Description
Our charity is a challenging place that changes lives of the children that it helps and changes lives of the volunteers who help them. We need to emphasise that in becoming part of our team, children should never be left alone. Their safety and happiness is a group responsibility and our priority. Additionally people from other countries need to please listen carefully to local customs and safety advice. We do not accept cigarette smokers or drug users.
From September to March it is warm enough to swim in the large garden at nearly 2000 metres above sea level, but Johannesburg is sunny almost the entire year (though VERY cold part of the day and all night in June July and August).
The charity helps the most badly-burned children to access reconstructive surgery in southern and central Africa, sometimes in Kenya or Tunisia, sometimes in Europe including the UK, and even in North America. Every child is unique and comes with unique issues. They are from poor homes; some are even from war zones. So the psychological input is as important as the surgery , because the children have to learn to cope with a society that shuns people who are disabled or disfigured. For 27 years we have been repairing children and they have gone on to excel in such diverse fields as sport (gold medal for running, Paralympics 2012; representing South Africa internationally in table tennis), microbiology, public health, engineering, law, baking, plumbing, singing, gardening, TV presenting, social work and more. Every step of the road had been hard but the happiness of the children and their successes, make it all worthwhile.
We live on two sites with two dogs and teach children at a primary school, help the ones in high school and prepare others for tertiary or vocational education. Hospital visits are less frequent in 2023 as the provision of public hospital reconstructive surgery in Johannesburg has sharply declined. Medical research is an important focus, but having fun through music, art and hiking is important too. There are varied subsidiary projects like getting a teen burns survivor's artwork printed on cloth, rural upliftment knitting and farming projects, community safety initiatives in shanty towns (squatter camps), literacy projects and a big dream of designing our own hospital in Botswana, deemed the "least corrupt" African country. Located between two universities, there is a young vibe to the area with street cafes but older volunteers find a niche too. There is some live music nearby and theatres and art galleries are within a few kilometres. Depending upon numbers and the time of year, volunteers live and eat on site but some choose to rent locally. The chance to travel within the country is high and to travel within southern Africa is likely. There is a steady stream of local and international volunteers of all different ages and abilities. It helps to have a driving licence for a manual (stick-shift) car and a clean driving record. We have teachers, administrators, some part-time cleaners. Some people come to volunteer for a few weeks and are still with us a year later. Honesty is key. In 2021 a pseudo-volunteer maliciously stole the main internal hard drive. We were scarred by that experience. Look at our website so that you understand the level of injury before applying please and then come with a full heart to help Africa's poorest injured children. Do not bring expensive cellphones, jewellery or electronic equipment and please have medical insurance for "what if" scenarios.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Teaching
Gardening
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
They can learn one of the eleven or more languages of South Africa. They can understand the history of the Khoi and San original inhabitants, the ingress of central and east African tribes who then became the dominant populations of Southern Africa; they can learn the good and bad aspects of the Europeans who colonised after the Africans; they can engage with a vibrant musical scene; they can learn what squatter camp (shanty town) life is like for the inhabitants who are our friends; they can find out how important and noisy soccer games are for South Africans; they can meet people from a range of African countries especially the adjacent ones .. and they can teach all those that they meet, about their own countries, cultures, traditions, music and foodstuffs. Most workawayers have been really delightful, interesting people but a minority have been disrespectful towards impoverished people that we work with. We also follow the African tradition of respect for age and wisdom, so take a deep breath before you try to "improve" everything that we already do... because 27 years down this medical rehabilitation road for children who were left for dead - but rise again - our track record of success is based on a plan that works. Please tread gently, thoughtfully, in our land and chances are that we'll become life-long friends.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
There are a broad range of ways in which people can help, from teaching primary school subjects to burns survivors, to tutoring older children. They can use media skills to write or film the children's experiences, but image copyright remains with the charity unless specifically agreed in writing beforehand. They can help with human rights legal research so that children who have been intentionally burned, have a chance to achieve justice. They can accompany children to hospital and help them through their medical procedures and therapies. They can help children to learn tennis, table tennis, swimming, cycling, trampolining.
People who can draw, design, paint, are needed. People who can e.g. help a child returning to Congo to re-learn his native tongue of French, will play a vital role in his reintegration. People who can studiously decipher the scrawly handwriting of doctors to type up medical notes are essential. We help at fire scenes when a handful of people or as many as 3000 people have lost everything that they own - we arrange food, blankets, shelter, medical help. Travellers need compassion, integrity, industriousness, and a reasonable education to be able to make a difference. A bright teenager can make a difference; an 80 year old can still tell stories and guide the youngsters. All faiths and cultures are welcomed and all eating styles can be accommodated, though if you're very faddy, you might have to prepare your own food that we can provide. Medical Students interested in research would be valued in 2023 along the lines of the internships outlined on our website.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: Intermediate
Sesotho: Intermediate
Zulu: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
South Africa has 11 official languages, especially in the Sotho and the Nguni groups. Kenya has 42 languages. Learning a little of these languages will help you to understand the related cultures and history, because they are intertwined. The migration of people from central and eastern Africa to the south, left echoes or linguistic footprints along the way. South Africa is the Cradle of Humankind so learning its earliest history will link you to your deepest roots
Accommodation
Our accommodation is basic. A single bed or bunkbed in a cottage shared with some of the children. It is a notch up from camping but it is simple. There is running water, warm showers weekly when there is electricity, toilets, small communal kitchens, basic bed linen. WiFi is available for work emails only and research but is otherwise easily accessible at the local shopping centre and internet cafes. Two to three meals a day are usually available when you are working but not usually when you are off duty. Washing machines can sometimes be used but the children's washing takes priority; most volunteers hand-wash their own clothes. At the main house there is a high wall topped with an electric fence and two dogs; at the school site there is simply a tall fence; the school site will not be available after December 2023. We advise people not to bring high value phones, laptops, watches or jewelry.
What else ...
When travelling to children's biological family's homes across South Africa, it is often possible to include a trip to conventional tourist sites at the same time. Within Johannesburg there is Museum Africa, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, the Market Theatre, many art galleries, many other theatres and some cinemas. There are open air markets with African curios and cloth and there are historic sites e.g. Winnie and Nelson Mandela's homes, the Hector Peterson memorial. There are lots of bars with live music, cafes, restaurants and the national television broadcaster is a few minutes walk away. Most world religions are represented in Johannesburg, from churches to temples, mosques and synagogues. Further afield, it is possible to drive to the Pilansberg for a safari (that is expensive) or to catch a BazBus to the Drakensberg Mountains, to the Kruger National Park, to the coast at Durban, Plett, Amazimtoti or to travel to the winelands of Cape Town (12 hours by bus). The potential for crime exists so it is very important to have medical insurance and to listen to local knowledge before setting off on adventures .. and to leave items like gold watches or family heirlooms at home! Do not ever catch taxis late at night. The countryside is amazingly beautiful in places, especially the stars on deep rural outreach. Electrical powercuts are frequent now, so if you have solar devices, they'll be useful. We also have long water cuts, so it is good to think ahead and to use resources sparingly.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (5)
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I have spent a month in Joburg in this place.
They are in a difficult situation without teacher and with few volunteers .
They have only one paid worker, the housekeeper.
I worked about 11-12 hours/day. But I loved it : teaching, playing and cooking together with small children. My fault was, I know that I… read more
I had a lovely time at Chifi considering it was during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The accommodation was great & afforded me privacy, especially as we could not leave the premises.
During the 6 weeks I truly enjoyed spending time with the younger kids- they are warm, respectful & keen to learn. They were worried about their family but still had the… read more
There are two sites, very close from each other. One is the school which burned children attend along with the blind and the poor undocumented children from a community called Joe Slovo. All the meals are… read more
