People who want to make a difference to children, want first-hand experience of African culture and who have initiative. No qualifications or previous experience are necessary, just a good dose of enthusiasm!

Worthwhile Care & TLC to Children in Hospital

Children need every bit of love and attention they can get. The Matron says, “the kids love having volunteers from overseas around because they’ll be new faces who can tell them new stories about their own country”. Even something as simple as entertaining the children with stories lifts their morale and helps the healing process. As the staff at the hospital have mentioned many times, having the volunteers give the children some extra love and care is wonderful … but the extra hands are very welcome as well.

Requirements

This is a care project whwere you can give the children love, care and entertainment. This placement is not suitable for medical undergraduates or graduates unless you are prepared to accept the limitations of the project.

What you'll gain from doing this Project:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into South African culture.


• The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and knowing that you made a difference to them


• New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.


• An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market


• And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

About the Children's Hospital

The Red Cross Children's Hospital is the centre at which undergraduate and postgraduate medical students receive their core training in paediatric disciplines. Specialist paediatric nurses and allied paediatric health care providers, such as physiotherapists, child psychologists, speech and occupational therapists are also trained here.

The Hospital is equally active in preventative health care, and plays a critical role in educating community health workers, thereby facilitating the exportation of models of good practice to the community. Several services are provided, including education of children, parents and community health care workers in, for example, HIV, Aids, family planning and contraception, rehydration and nutrition. The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital performs many operations on children, e.g. Conjoined twin separations, liver and kidney transplants, to name a few. The theatres are busy 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. 

Project Overview

Some of the work at the hospital at times can be overwhelming as some of the children suffer from AIDS/HIV, which is even more reason why the children need love and attention. Your main tasks and responsibilities will be to visit the children, hand out toys, play and interact with them, and give them lots of comfort and love.

You may also asist with general non-medical support, e.g., accompanying a patient to another department, collecting folders and fetching food, etc, or assisting the pharmacy area or clinics where patients wait for their medication (which can often be for long periods of time) You may also assist in various out-patients departments as administrative support, or assist in the fund-raising shop where your duties would be to sort out and sell a range of donated goods, such as household equipment, clothing and books, that cannot be used in the wards.

Your hours may vary insofar as they will be subject to shift rotas. Therefore, you may sometimes work evenings or nights, sometimes over weekends, etc., but your time off on other days instead. During the morning you'll generally be in the toys room to pack your toy trolley. Your supervisor at the hospital will inform you which ward you'll be in for the day. They will also inform you of any wards that are out of bounds due to infection diseases. Once you have determined which ward you are going to, you will be able to stock your trolley with the appropriate toys.

You'll then join the ambulant patients in the play room where you'll distribute the toys. After that, you can give individualised attention to specific children. This is where volunteers are so valuable to both the Hospital and the patients - the personal care and attention. And you'll find that the children crave the attention and fun you can give them.

This session will usually last for most of the morning and afterwards you will be expected clear up and return the toys back to appropriate place.  Sometimes the Hospital will hold concerts and events to entertain the children. Children love these performances and you will play an important role by escorting the young patients to these events.

Additional Activities you can do while on this Project:

Add to your travel experience in Africa by doing some additional exciting activities, such as:

• A 5- or 7-day Safari from Cape Town up the renowned Garden Route, taking in Dolphin and Whale Spotting, visits to many tourist attractions, such as a visit to a brewery(!), the Bloukrantz Bungy Jump (reportedly the highest in the world), and a guided tour of the Cango Caves


• Surfing Courses: In the buzz city of Durban.


• Paragliding Course: Soar over the impressively beautiful Drakensburg Mountain. You'll get a licence at the end of the course which qualifies you to do solo paragliding around the world.

Travellers' placements are very flexible and you can combine this project with any other Travellers project, either in the same country or in different countries.

What to do next

Talk to us - We're there to help you. Call 0845 3 447 585

Most of our team are ex Travellers volunteers and are ideally qualified to offer advice and guidance because they know what you're looking for. They'll help you find your perfect project - and then make it all happen!

If you’d like more information about this or any of our projects, please email or call us!

If you’d like to apply for this project, please go to our website and complete the application form. As soon as we receive it, we’ll liaise with you and then start making your travel adventure happen.

It’s as easy as that.

0845 344 7585

YOUR ADVENTURE STARTS HERE! Help children, animals and conservation around the world. Gain valuable work experience and new skills. All ages & nationalities welcome. EXPLORE a new culture from the inside on worthwhile, well-structured projects. FLEXIBLE: From two weeks to one year - you choose your dates and duration.