Voluntary service abroad from already 2 months upwards: Get involved as a sports coach in social projects!

As a volunteer in Manenberg at a primary school I spent one year in Cape Town staying with my host Family. In cooperation with a Mentor of “Arise” I developed a sports program which the students of the school could use daily. With setting the focus on handball specific trainings in close collaboration with “Play Handball” we managed to give many children the possibility to get regularly active. The priority of our program was to give the children the chance to get to know the feeling of a team. Thanks to the good cooperation between Arise and Play Handball we imparted many children to have fun during sports. I enjoyed the twelve months a lot, especially the fact that I got involved in the usual life of the area and the people so that I got to know an amazing culture.

You are directly on site in the communities and are allowed to help shape the children and support them. During the time I was able to spend there, I really took the children, leaders and my host families to my heart, was able to gather new experiences and also grew beyond myself!

I had a very caring host family, which showed a lot of interest in me and wanted to share time with me. The school and the pupils were happy that I’ve been there and participated with lots of effort, what gave me even more motivation. I had enough time and possibilites to explore the beautful surroundings of Stellenbosch and went to Cape Town quite often, too. Stellenbosch for it’s own is relativly safe, you can walk around in the city and take the taxi-busses everywhere, which are cheap. Of course there are parts of the town, .e.g. Kayamandi, where you have to be careful. All in all it was a time I don’t want to miss and I would do it again everytime!

Besides a nice host family, where I felt really welcome, I worked a lot around the community. It was easy for me to get a connection to the people and a lot of them are still in my heart. It’s great to be a coach in stellenbosch because this place is really open for new experiences and activities, especially the kids love the sport. You are always welcome to join the school in other projects or even create some. You get to known other sports and a lot of people who appreciate to learn about handball. Stay open minded and bring a lot of ideas, then Stellenbosch is the right place for you. I really miss it.

A great team which gave me support in every situation. I’m thankful for the nice, amazing and unforgettable experience. The kids deserve to be trained in handball and they will show all their appreciation.

In my three month with Africa Jam I not only had the opportunity to see how children are given hope and joy in the midst of chaos but also how communities are brought together. But most importantly my time in South Africa really influenced myself in every aspect of life. Through Africa Jam I got the chance to find family and friends on the other side of the world who definitely changed my life forever!

I spend 3 months in Manenberg with PlayHandball & Arise. The community area around the School is welcoming and the host Family took very good care of me. The work with the Kids at School and after School Program was challenging and fun at the same time. With a good preparation how to make a Training within in the age groups you can achieve lot of progress in the Kids abilities and learnings in a short time. Furthermore, the connect to other volunteers from the organisation is organized from time to time. In addition, the teachers also supported me during my stay. In the free time on Weekends the City Centre of Cape Town is in easy reach, incl. the Airport if longer distances need to be covered. I really enjoyed my time there and gained a lot of experiences and found new Friends. Highly recommend it.