Cape Town Medical Assistance & Community Project
In a city of contrasts, Cape Town's private sector health care and provision is extensive, but it is the rural communities that suffer from an immense lack of facilities. Whilst there are some structures in place or an effective health service, there is an enormous deficit in terms of staff and resources. This is why the volunteers' help is very much appreciated by the nurses and doctors we work with.
ACTS Volunteers in partnership with Living Hope have created this placement that will give you the opportunity to make a positive impact on the people in these underprivileged areas on the outskirts of Cape Town, by being part of the medical home based care teams that go out and serve the sick people’s needs at their homes. This project was initiated by Living Hope for trained medical Christian volunteers that are willing to sacrifice their time and expertise to serve sick poor people in their homes. Volunteers will also be involved with working in different community projects, helping to uplift their basic resources.| Location | Southern Peninsula of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| Project Length | Minimum 4 weeks (28 days) |
| Age Limit | Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants health |
| Project Fee | US$1595 for 4 weeks. Thereafter $1495 for 4 Weeks (or $375 per week) GBP£995 for 4 weeks. Thereafter £945 for 4 weeks (or £235 per week) |
VOLUNTEER PROJECT INFORMATION
The following links will jump you to different sections on this page, which provide all the information you will need for the Living Hope volunteer project.
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MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Home Based Care – Our volunteers accompany community workers as they visit bed ridden or immobile patients across Ocean View, Red Hill, Capricorn and Masipumelele. It is their duty to provide basic advice, comfort and assistance to members of the community with little to no access to clinics or hospitals. This may mean basic First Aid or chatting to patients about the importance of hygiene, a healthy diet, in some cases assisting with bathing and exercise. Home Based Care is also about assisting those incapable of taking care of themselves by making a patient’s bed, doing a bit of simple house work for them, and generally trying to improve their circumstance in the most basic yet effective way. Visiting the sick in their homes will also give you the opportunity to share the Love of Christ to these that might have lost their hope.
Please note:
You must ensure that you bring originals or certified copies of your medical qualifications in order for you to be allowed to work in specialized sections of this programme.
As a volunteer, you will spend each morning of the week preparing for the days Medical care before going out to the different communities where we do work. The home care runs from 08h00 –14h00 daily and you will be involved in the following:
•Visiting patients at their homes, serving them with love and kind words of encouragement, helping the nurses were possible with their tasks
•Assisting the clinic supervisors with the many people requiring medical help, especially sick children whose only support is through these clinics
•Assist in sorting medications in the clinic pharmacy as well as labelling these medications. •Administration work in the clinic would also form part of your volunteer work as there are plenty of patient files that need uploading onto the clinic computer system. The accurate data capturing of this information is of great importance and thus this is an essential activity.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, after having spent the morning at the clinics or at a patient’s home, you will be involved in local community projects. Below are exaples of community projects that you might be getting involved in.(please note that a full day working in the clinics/home based care may differ from day to day):
BUILDING & PAINTING As a volunteer, you will assist with fixing fences and windows, rebuilding, painting, gardening and general maintenance in and around the local communities we serve. This may also include helping a local family to fix their little house(shack).
EDUCARE CENTRE Volunteers will assist teachers with after school care by helping with game playing, reading (both one-on-one with the kids and to the group during story time), and with other activities they engage the children with i.e. art, music, and dancing.
Project Notes
We have found in the past that the more you as a volunteer put in to your involvement, the more you will get out.
‘Adopt a Child’ initiative forms part of the Edu-Care community project – the children’s school fees are such a minimal figure to us, but a huge amount for a family with one working parent, or in some cases, even no parents at all. When you arrive we will go through how you can sponsor a child’s fees for the year and receive updates on them, their families, progress and leave a lasting impression in the community.
You will be living with the Edu Care and Living Hope Projects Volunteers and the community sections are the same. You will thus be potentially working alongside them in the afternoons, depending on the need of the projects at the time. These projects are also through Living Hope.
Please also understand that our projects are continuously evolving, being improved, and adapting to the needs of the local communities that we are involved with, so involvement areas do change from time to time. Rest assured your work will be necessary, rewarding and exciting.
PROJECT ORIENTATION & SUPPORT
Upon arrival at your accommodation in Cape Town, you will receive a detailed briefing on basic cultural aspects of your working environment, as well as further information on the current status of the Project and our other programme involvements in Cape Town.
You will also spend time with your coordinator familiarizing yourself with local surroundings, staff that you will be working with as well as the community centers at which you will be based.
Throughout your stay at your placement in Cape Town you will have the support and guidance of our project staff and coordinators. They are part of our greater ACTS support team, and will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance.
ACCOMMODATION & MEALs
Accommodation
Our volunteer house is a comfortable and safe home shared with other volunteers during your time here. You will be sharing a twin room in the Cape Lodge, ACTS Volunteer House. Nestled under the Mountains and Fynbos the house is situated in the Southern Peninsula of Cape Town, very centrally located within the peninsula, only 40 minutes drive from the Airport and 30 minutes from the centre of Cape Town. The house is within walking distance of the Living Hope headquarters, King of Kings Baptist Church and also to the nearby mall with numerous shops, restaurants and movies. The property is very private and secure with 08 spacious en suite (shower, toilet and basin) bedrooms.
Facilities include:
• Wireless Internet
• Swimming pool & entertainment area with braai (barbeque)
• En-Suite (shower toilet and basin)
• Satellite TV
***Please Note: The only thing that you will have to remember to pack is your own towels.
Meals
You will be provided with three meals a day. Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis consisting of cereals / porridge, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch you will need to prepare yourself, all the ingredients needed, will be provided. Dinner will be cooked or prepared for you by one of our chefs at your volunteer house. On weekends you will need to cook your own meals (we will provide ingredients) as our staff will need to be given time off. Weekends are usually a good time for tourist activities and exploring the surrounding area, so this is the time that a lot of volunteers are out and about. Please advise us of any specific dietary requirements before you arrive!
getting there
We will meet you at the airport! Fly into Cape Town International Airport, where you will be met by our project coordinator or a representative from ACTS Volunteers, who will transfer you to the project accommodation.
When booking your flights please book them so that you arrive on the first or third Monday of the month. The only exception to this will be the months of June and July 2010, the arrival dates will be 31 May 2010(for June) & 28 June 2010 (for July). This is due to the fact that our projects will be running slightly different because of the Soccer World Cup being held in South Africa. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 9PM.
project costs includes
• Project Fee: this entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. This project fee facilitates funding for items such as teaching materials, sports equipment, supplies, etc.
• Transfer from the nearest airport, bus or train station in Cape Town to the project accommodation
• Orientation and introductions to project work upon your arrival
• All daily transportation to and from the project
• Full board and lodging which includes 3 meals a day at your accommodation
• Assistance in your projects by various Living Hope and ACTS volunteer co- coordinators. Full support from ACTS and LH and your coordinator throughout your time at your Cape Town placement
• Transport arrangements to church (King of Kings Baptist) on Sundays (we strongly suggest that church be attended every weekend while on project, even if it is the church in the community you work in)
project costs excludes
• Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement (expected to include cover for repatriation)
• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other)
• Email/Internet, telephone calls and soft drinks (internet available at lodge or within walking distance)
• All visas for border crossings (on extra excursions)
• Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in Cape Town and within South Africa
• Transport after hours and on weekends
day in the life of a volunteer...
This is a typical day in the life of a volunteer working on the Medical Assistance & Community Project:
Please note that your itineraries may differ from this, depending on your own experience and the number of other volunteers on the placement at the same time, school holidays etc and this is simply to give an example.
07:00 Get up, eat breakfast of cereals, toast, tea/coffee, and start getting ready for your project
07:45 Head off on the short drive to your project
08:00 Start work at the clinic preparing and assisting the nurses for the days schedule. You will be out in the community helping assisting the nursing staff with their treating patients in their homes.
13:30 Enjoy your packed lunch or have lunch back at the volunteer house
14:00 On Tuesday and Thursdays you will leave for one of your afternoon community projects. You will spend the afternoon playing with the children at the schools or building, painting and general maintenance.
16.30 End of the working day. You will be picked up from your project and taken home where we evaluate the day and discuss the schedule for the next day, or you can opt to be dropped off in town to check your emails.
18.30 Dinner at your volunteer house. After dinner, volunteers are free to do as the please i.e. movies, malls etc
outside of ministry
The volunteers plan their own evening and weekend activities but what we do get involved with is a daily morning devotion and prayer time where we go through a chosen book of the bible and each person leads a morning. And once a week we have volunteer bible study lead by a senior company staff member but people who cross paths with the volunteers in some way or another are invited as a guest speaker on the occasional week. On Sundays they attend King of Kings and every other Sunday they go to a more traditional African service in one of the townships they work in. Cape Town has so much to offer in terms of activities, from the extremes of Shark Cage Diving, Sky Diving, to hiking Table Mountain, Winelands Tours, sight seeing to Cape Point and penguins at Boulders Beach. Other attractions included SA’s biggest tourist attraction, the V&A Waterfront, visits to neighbouring towns such as Stellenbosch, Hermanus, visited Robben Island – and the prison cell of Nelson Mandela through to the tranquil sunset walks where you can see whales and seals playing in the water. Volunteers often build strong relationships with the communities and Living Hope staff, that they often socialise with them on weekends too.
"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart"
- Bob Pierce, World Vision founder
