The information below has been provided for you by the supported placement organisation running the placement. You can contact the company for more information using the links at the bottom of this page.
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This placement would suit... People who want to work in a high-achieving school in South Africa, which places a strong emphasis on helping less well-off children in the surrounding communities.
 This teaching project is to help a school located in the tranquil Limpopo Province bushveld in the Northern region of South Africa. The school we work with in the North has a 40-hectare campus nestled peacefully on the lower slopes of Man'ombe Nature Reserve.
This project is quite unique in that the school also has many outreach programmes in the local disadvantaged sections of the community. This means that you can get involved in any or all of these projects and thus get a very broad and diversified experience while on your placement.
You don't need any qualifications to participate in a teaching placement in South Africa.
There are three very different categories of work available on this project:
Teaching Assistant, where you'll help teach English and various other academic subjects, such as Maths, Geography or IT
'Total Sports', where you can coach Sports not only in the main school, but also in the surrounding schools that don't have their own facilities but use the excellent facilities at the main school - includes Football, Athletics, Netball and many other sports
'Total Music & Drama'. The school has a music room and a variety of musical instruments, but a shortage of people to teach the children. If you'd like to teach music here, you will be highly appreciated!
And finally, you can combine your work with additional activities in the School's various Outreach Programmes
Teaching Assistant
For volunteers wishing to teach general topics and assist wherever needed. This can include all subjects from English and mathematics to Geography and IT in the pre-primary to primary classes, with an age range of 3-13 years. If you have a subject that you particularly like and have some knowledge of, the school would be very happy for you to teach that subject.
You will mainly help in the primary section of the school and act as an assistant teacher. However, if you are a qualified teacher then you will be able to take classes on your own.
There are approximately 350 children in the primary section and 345 children in the secondary, with 37 teachers. There are usually around 28 to 30 children in a class, but sometimes classes will be split into smaller groups. You'll most likely work with children who range in age from 3 to 13.
English is not the children's mother tongue, but the general standard is fair to good. Other subjects that you can teach include Maths, Geography, Science, History, Life Skills, Health and Hygiene, Accountancy, Biology, etc. IT is another subject that can be taught and the school's computer room is fantastic. They have lots of high spec computers. Volunteers are allowed to use the school's broadband connection to access the Internet, send emails, etc., which means you can be in constant contact with home!
The facilities in this school are of a very high standard - and lots of them! (The school received money from the Lottery Commission!) In particular, the school has excellent Sports facilities. What makes this school different is that there are many poor schools in the area that come to this school to use the facilities and make use of the sports grounds and equipment.
Total Music and Drama
You can also get involved with either Drama or Music - or both! You can contribute positively to development of children in this region. If you have a passion and drive in creative development, this would be a good placement for you. Drama and Music has always been an important part of development and learning for children as it enables children to become free thinking, creative and helps them to actively use their imaginations. The performing arts talent coming out of this school is remarkable and encouraged greatly by the school. You can be actively involved in the continual development of these subjects, pairing your work with general assistant teaching and thus having the best of two worlds!
Total Sports
Here you can coach Sports not only in the main school, but also to children in the surrounding schools that don't have their own facilities but use the excellent facilities at the main school - includes Football, Athletics, Netball and many other sports
Sport has always been an important part of development and learning for children as it enables children to work as a team, build self-confidence, self-esteem, and to develop communication and leadership skills. Most importantly, sport helps to keep children fit and healthy.
 Khanyisa is by far the frontrunner in the Limpopo region for their sporting achievements. With a recent donation from the National Lottery, they have been able to build the most beautiful sports grounds complete with football pitches, athletics track, netball courts, etc. The wonderful thing is that they allow ANY school in the area to come and use their grounds and even join in their sports coaching sessions. This means that even the poorest learners in the area have the opportunity to participate in proper coaching!!
People with a drive for sport are warmly welcomed and also encouraged to ‘take over’ the logistics of forming teams, and even Leagues within the surrounding area’s schools.
As a Travellers Sports Coach at Khanysisa, you might find yourself involved in any number of sports like soccer, cricket, netball, basketball, volleyball, swimming, tennis, track and field athletics, and cross country running.
Combine your Placement with the School's Outreach Programmes
While teaching Khanyisa you can also get involved with the many outreach programmes the school is involved with. Many of these projects are located in the neighbouring rural areas.
The programmes are conducted by 'mentor groups' made up of volunteer pupils from the school who want to help. They go out to the projects, which are diverse in nature, and generally interact with the children to help improve their standards. The school also makes donations to the projects, as well as the hands-on work done by the volunteer children. Below is a list of the projects that the school currently works with, and a short description of each:
Iris House Orphanage in Giyani:
The school’s mentor groups visit this Orphanage with the aim of encouraging the orphans to develop by reading to them and playing with them. There is social interaction between the school volunteers and the orphans that often takes place very informally in social settings, like over a braai (barbecue). For the past two years, Khanyisa has also taken the orphans for a Christmas party in town where they have been treated to a meal as well as some shopping for Christmas presents.
HIV-AIDS Orphans Project:
The Makosha Village where this project takes place is immediately adjacent to the school. Here Khanyisa School identified the need to assist orphans whose parents have died from HIV-AIDS and they fundraise money to pay the school fees for these orphans. They also buy them school uniforms on an annual basis.
Nhletelo Crèche:
The school has 'adopted' a number of crèches in the Giyani area and at Nhletelo Crèche, over the course of the past year, they have painted the classrooms. Some of the mentor groups gave up their free time over the weekends to do the painting.
Maswanganye Primary School:
Khanyisha assisted in the painting of this school’s classrooms. The Rotary Club provided paints and brushes, while the school children did all the painting. There is plenty of ongoing support of this nature at this Primary School.
ABC Crèche:
Khanyisa has developed a partnership with the ABC crèche in Giyani that has resulted in the crèche children taking part ina joint musical and drama performance (very exciting for the kids!). Khanyisa has also aided staff development with the educators at the crèche.
Avelanani Crèche:
Here the volunteer students socialise and also give the children some additional learning opportunities. Khanyisa has also donated toys, clothing, books and food.
Hospital visiting:
Both the primary and secondary schools have an active programme of hospital visitations at the Nkhensani and Evuxakeni hospitals in Giyani. Always a lovely treat for patients to receive this attention from such bright young individuals!
Yingisani School for the Deaf:
Khanyisa has very meaningful interaction with this School for the Deaf in Tzaneen. During the course of the year, they had a wonderful cultural exchange with the school as well as a joint sports day... along with a R1000 donation.
These are, in brief, just some of the wonderful things that Khanyisa is involved in as extra curricular activities - and you would be very welcome to get involved in these projects and help make a difference to the lives of the disadvantaged children.
Most of the outreach programmes run in the afternoon, so between the school assistance and these activities, there really is plenty to do here.
About the school and staff
Although this is not a typical 'struggling school', Khanyisa's focus is to give other, poorer schools in the area the oppurtunity to be coached in, amongst other things, sports. They allow the children from the other schools to join in on coaching lessons and matches... even going to the length of driving out to rural schools and collecting the kids! As a volunteer at this school, it is important to understand that it (and you) are doing an enormous amount for the surrounding communities - a very worthwhile focus!
The school is incredibly well run with learners having an enormous respect for the staff, teachers... and each other. Adjacent to the cluster of school buildings is the hostel (boarding house), presently accommodating 50 full time and local boarders from the school from Grade 4 and up. The gardens in and around the school grounds are neatly kept and watered, despite the occasional visit from locals' cattle that cause absolute havoc! There is an almost Olympic sized swimming pool, two football fields, two netball courts and athletics tracks.
Accommodation and living in South Africa
All volunteers will live together in a house owned by the school which is situated in the residential area of Kremetart, about a 10-minute drive from the school. The house consists of three bedrooms with bunk beds, a bathroom with toilet, a separate shower room, a kitchen and a lounge/diner area with TV. A few of the teachers from the school also live nearby.
In Kremetart there is a basic grocery shop as well as a small local pub with a big screen TV. Other than this, socialising revolves around the many braais - the name for the legendary South African barbeque!
In the evenings (due to the hot weather) no one really sits inside, but rather they mill around the streets chatting, playing games and just generally being social. This way of life is very rare, but is wonderful.
Being pretty isolated from major towns and cities, there is not all that much to do besides visiting the small local pub in the area (which has a big-screen television for sports matches etc), or having a braai (barbecue) with whoever is around. The peace and tranquillity of the Limpopo Bushveld rather lends itself to beautiful mountain hikes, game viewing, and generally enjoying nature as God intended it.
Many of the teachers do regular trips into different towns like Tzaneen or Phalaborwa, where you will have the chance to visit malls, movie houses etc, but these cannot be counted on as regular weekly trips, but rather a go-with-the-flow attitude. You are literally on the doorstep of places like Kruger National Park, monkey and elephant sanctuaries etc, so take advantage while you can!
 About the location
Limpopo Province is situated at the North-Eastern corner of South Africa and is renowned as the province of peace. It is endowed with bountiful natural resources, including 54 provincial game reserves and many private ones as well. The Province boasts the Waterburg mountain range, supporting the thriving farming and game ranching communities, nature reserves and resorts. Heading further north into the Province there is Polokwane (Pietersburg) - the capital of the province. Polokwane is about an hour's drive from the school. Polokwane has an excellent growing infrastructure, a modern international airport and offers a wealth of diverse cultural experiences.
Climate
The hot climate makes Limpopo a pleasant year-round holiday destination. During summer - that is in the months October to March - it is hot with brief afternoon showers, providing a cooling effect for evenings. In winter - from May to September - the mornings are crisp, the days are dry and sunny and the evenings cold and clear.
Immediate surroundings of the school
Opposite the school is the Man'ombe Nature Reserve. This reserve has various antelope and grazers, but is perfectly safe to go hiking in because there are no predators. From the top of the hill, you get a wonderful view of the total surroundings. About 1km away is an enormous dam where the headmaster is happy to take volunteers canoeing on weekends!
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0845 344 7585 |
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