Stephanie Smith writes her final report on her experience volunteering in Ngcizela, South Africa. My life in Ngcizela Yho, (this kind of loosely translates to a sigh in English) is the first word I think of to begin summing up my life in Ngcizela! Firstly, I would really like to take this opportunity to thank the community for having us live in and amongst them. It was such a different way of life. However, it is not so much the tangible things in the sense […]
Nov
21
2016
Stephanie Smith: 3rd report from South Africa
So at the end of my last report I said that the end of the third term would show the fruits of our labour and I believe that is just what happened; the whole ‘whatever you put out to the Universe it will respond’ thing. In terms of TETA, our reading programme, the third term brought a new Foundation programme, a library system at Isolomzi and the conversion of a classroom to a library at Soga JSS. The July holidays (the fact that it is […]
Sep
30
2015
Anna Haas final footprinter report
The last couple of months at our project, Mitchell House were very busy. We had a June/July holiday that lasted about three weeks so by the time we arrived back, only three weeks remained! During the holiday my family decided to come and visit which was lovely. We took part in a Nomad Tour and travelled round Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe in a truck for two and a half weeks. It was a fantastic experience – my personal highlight was flying over the Okavango Delta […]
May
11
2015
Anna Haas footprinter report from Polokwane, South Africa
Last August I started my gap year in Polokwane, South Africa. Polokwane is a city situated in the Limpopo province of the country and isn’t a very well known place, but since arrival I’ve made it my home. Both my partners and I live in the outskirts of Polokwane in a school called Mitchell House – our work placement for the year – so we are slightly cut off from the city, having only travelled into it a few times. Mitchell House has boarder accommodation, […]
Mar
02
2015
Anna Haas in South Africa
One of our footprinters, Anna Haas, is volunteering for Project Trust at Mitchell House in South Africa. She’s sent us this description of what she’s up to on a day to day basis: I work with three different classes in the enrichment centre here at Mitchell House – Juniors, Seniors and Lifeskills. I’ve chosen to copy a passage I wrote about the Lifeskills class, as I believe it gives a clear image of the children and the work environment I’m surrounded by daily. ***************** Lifeskills: […]
Nov
10
2014
Footprinter report: Tim Hibbin – September & October Newsletter
I’ve got a lot of thinking to do… The last couple of months have been a very busy couple of months. September started off with 5 new volunteers coming to the YDC where I live, so I was living with 6 other people. It was pretty chaotic at times, and as you can probably imagine it was a rush as to who got to the bathroom first in the mornings! I also had a weekend away with the church that I am a part of […]
Sep
24
2014
Final Report: Lewis Murray in South Africa
This is my final report about my volunteering year in South Africa. I have been home for a few weeks now and I think I am just about getting used to everything again. Although pleased to be home amongst family and friends, there are many things I miss about South Africa, most of all the people I worked with in my projects. Before I start to explain the things I have learned from my year in The Hamlet, I thought I would bring you up […]
Aug
10
2014
Footprinter report: Tim Hibbin: July & August Newsletter
The last two months have been a bit of a crazy roller coaster; there have been good times, bad times, and even a few alarming times. I’ve been getting myself into more of a weekly routine by working with the Outreach team who work with the children and young people who live on the streets. The Outreach team is where most of my focus will be while I stay in South Africa, along with working at the boys shelter once or twice a week. […]
Jul
08
2014
Tim Hibbin: footprinter report from South Africa
Pietermaritzburg Sunset by Pieter von Marion At the beginning… I have been in South Africa for almost 3 weeks, and already I have seen lots, learnt lots, have been challenged lots, and am also the talk of the town because of all my tattoos! The weather has also not been what I was expecting. Today it is raining, and as it’s winter here it has been much colder than I thought it would be though we have had some sun too! I have had to […]
Apr
13
2014
Footprinter Report: Lewis Murray in South Africa
Time is flying and by since I last did a report so decided it was time to give you an update. In this report I will be covering some of the travel I have done in South Africa, both with friends and family as well as an update on project life and let you know about the new projects, I have managed to set up. The month of December was jam packed. I managed to fit in some travelling in which I had some of […]
Jun
13
2013
Lewis Murray: Initial report
Gap Year: working with adults who have mental and physical health problems and learning difficulties in a charitable residential centre in Johannesburg (Jo’burg) In 9 weeks’ time I will be at Edinburgh airport bound for South Africa and the start of my year long adventure. I am still busy with fundraising activities and now that my final exams are over (yippee!) I will have more time to concentrate on upcoming events. I have recently been learning a bit more about the project in which I […]
Jan
02
2013
Harrison Dax Nash: Initial report
As I write this report, I am overwhelmed to think that it is almost 6 years since my first trip to South Africa, a trip that undoubtedly changed my life! As an 18 year old I had always been set on a career in marketing; I had a University place in London and my life had been motivated by materialistic gain. Something in me told me that I had to broaden my horizons, and so in 2007 I set off on my first Gap Year […]
Apr
11
2012
Half Way Mark by Maya Walker
The Half-way Mark! It’s February and the half way mark has now passed…I can’t believe how quickly the last 6 months have flown by! Since my last newsletter a lot has happened. I will start by adding an extra lining of gold to the edge of that canvas of mine. The exam results at the end of last year were better than I could have hoped for with lots of A*’s and A’s. Although I must say what I found most rewarding was seeing the […]
Mar
14
2012
I’m Not Sure I Ever Want to go Home by Amy Sked
I never really understood how people could claim to have ‘fallen in love’ with a country- I totally get it now. It’s kind of an insane feeling actually, full of overwhelming new things and experiences that somehow just feel RIGHT. Ah man, I’m not sure I ever want to go home. Things in this project are pretty much perfect for me- we’re about 20 minutes drive from Cape Town (which might be the most amazing city ever, by the way) I live with about 35 […]
Dec
01
2011
Marriage Proposals by Emma Campbell
My first week in South Africa was pretty chaotic, but very exciting! After a 7 hour flight from Heathrow to Dubai, then a 8 hour flight to Johannesburg, then a two day stay in Johannesburg visiting Soweto, the Hector Pieterson and Apartheid museums, last minute training and finally a 1 ½ hour flight on a rattling 27 seater plane into Mthatha airport. The plane journey was beautiful, soaring over the mountains of Lesotho and down into the outlying areas of Mthatha. The so called “airport” […]
Nov
05
2011
The Karate Kid by Maya Walker
A Blank Canvas… I’ll start with a blank canvas. I think that is the best way to start any journey, and to make it easier for you to get a feel for what the first 12 weeks of my year in South Africa have been like. A blank WHITE canvas, in fact. I can’t choose a colour for it to start with as there are no colours to describe the mixture of emotions I was feeling at that time, saying goodbye to my friends and […]
Jul
15
2011
Time to Panic Yet? by Amy Sked
I’m the kind of person who leaps before they look. Applying to Project Trust was the work of minutes, I went on selection the next week and it’s only now that this whole ‘Gap Year’ thing is feeling very, very real. I have around two months to go until I leave and as I get closer to reaching my fundraising total it’s getting harder and harder to stop thinking about the MASSIVE challenge I’m about to launch myself into. I’m going to be living in […]
Jul
14
2011
Maya Walker: Initial report
Me – “Mum…I’m off to Cambodia for a year.” Mum – “Oh, are you? That’s nice. Bye, then – have fun!” I announced this proudly to my Mum exactly a year ago this week, after coming home from our ‘Post 6th Form Opportunities Fair’, at which I attended a talk from a returned Project Trust volunteer…I never really thought or believed that this brief, joke-like conversation would actually materialise into anything (let alone that Mum and Dad would agree to it)… It was just by […]
Jun
03
2011
Enriching My Life by Ysabelle Thackery
Right, so I think I’m well due another report and here it is! I can’t believe I’ve been here 9 months now; the thought of going home in just 3 months is exciting but still surreal. I’m really settled into the Enrichment Centre and Mitchell House now; everyday I grow more and more confident and my responsibilities become greater. For example I now provide learning support twice a week for the pupils in the mainstream college; I assist students who are struggling in classes with […]
Feb
02
2011
Settling In Report by Ysabelle Thackery
So, I’ve been in South Africa for about 2 months now and I think it’s about time I give you all an update on my experience so far. I arrived in Joburg on the 28th of August with 32 other volunteers who were placed all over South Africa and Swaziland. We spent a few days there, in a lovely backpacker called ‘The Ritz’. Along with a meeting with our country representative, we were treated to a tour of Soweto, the largest township in South Africa. […]
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