For volunteers with an interest in making a real difference to the lives of some very special South African children, the Wild Coast Schools Project will see you playing a vital role in the introduction of Computer Literacy Skills and a Sports Program to a growing number of rural schools on the Wild Coast, the land of Nelson Mandela’s birth.

As a volunteer you will enjoy an exciting and varied program, which includes a comprehensive orientation week and a wide range of adventurous and cultural activities for your spare time. All meals and accommodation are included in a beautiful setting on the shores of the warm Indian Ocean amongst lagoon dune forest.

Situated between Durban and East London on the east coast of South Africa, the Wild Coast region forms the coastal belt to the former Transkei homeland. Under the National Party’s apartheid government, initiated from the early 1950’s – 1994, a segregated society, based on race, was the system of rule.

Homelands, such as the former Transkei, remained deliberately under-developed regions in which the dominant white economic sector could draw on a consistent labour pool who were largely denied access to equal opportunities within society. The region today remains for the most part an un-developed, rural enclave within the greater South Africa.

Access to effective education, resources and equal opportunities are leading challenges facing the communities of the Wild Coast.  The Wild Coast, with its strong amaXhosa culture, vibrant population and environmental significance, is a destination of recognised developmental importance in the newly established democratic South Africa.

Interactive Sport’s Development
The projects’ sports initiative is an exciting drive to introduce and develop on-going growth and appreciation in the sporting arena in socio-economically challenged areas of the Wild Coast. For the most part, schools lack the resources and the capacity to provide effective sports opportunities for their learners. It is into this void that volunteers will be employing their energy, enthusiasm and skills.

Computer Literacy Skills Development
Computer Literacy, considered in today’s developed societies as a basic human right, is only in its infancy in the Wild Coast region.  In the few schools that have electricity, very few have computers, and those that have computers have been left to develop in a vacuum with inappropriate and non-existent support structures for the maximising of the resource potential they have.

This project is committed to supplying schools with computers and putting into place the necessary training and continued support for these schools to allow them to produce competitive learners for the demanding technological world of adulthood.

What's included?

• Cape Town Airport collection and drop-off.
• A Welcome Pack complete with many useful items that will help you settle in, and an opportunity to let your family or friends know you have arrived safely.
• An embroidered AVIVA Fleece.
• Accommodation at one of our AVIVA Houses in Cape Town before and after your project, with self-service breakfasts.
• Return flights between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape to join your project.
• A comprehensive welcome brief from a member of the on-site team.
• Accommodation in a cottage close to a lagoon bordering the Indian Ocean.
• All your meals during your project.
• Project orientation activities.
• Transfers to and from the rural schools.
• Advice and support from our experienced team during your stay.
• Our booking service for all attractions and events.
• An attractive certificate recognising your contribution to the Wild Coast Schools project.

If you are adding the optional Cape Town Week, the following will also be included:

• An extra 7 nights’ accommodation at one of our AVIVA Houses in Cape Town with self-service breakfasts.
• A full-day Peninsula tour which includes lunch, visits to Hout Bay, Chapman’s Peak Drive, Cape Point, Simon's Town, Boulders Beach Penguin Colony and much more. An incredible day rich with history and some of the world’s most beautiful scenery.
• A half-day Cultural tour, a fascinating introduction to South Africa’s recent political history before and after Apartheid, includes highlights of Khayelitsha, South Africa’s second largest township after Soweto.
• A full-day tour to the Cape Winelands including the Paarl, Franschoek and Stellenbosch regions. Wine tastings and lunch included.
• If required, extra nights can be added to your stay to meet your flight dates for only R120 per night. This may help you to take advantage of any cheaper flights that arrive in Cape Town before your planned arrival date.