Remember that YOU can make a huge difference in a child’s life just by being there, showing love and helping them to complete basic tasks successfully. Most importantly, your spoken English in conversations will enhance their language skills and give them confidence. At the same time, it will be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone.
Thank you Fara and Linda for coming all the way from USA to help our wonderful Grade 4 children. They learnt so much from you and are now able to more easily access the curriculum. This is the first year for them learning in English and not their mother tongue, isiXhosa, so your help as teachers’ assistants was invaluable.
The children wrote beautiful thank you letters too. They will miss you.
We continue to welcome our volunteers who are staying in Plett. Your contribution is so much appreciated and we thank you for your commitment and passion.
Thank you, Andrea, for the wonderful contribution you have made. By working as a teacher’s assistant in all the Grade 4 classes during the term and also in our Learning Centre with the Grade 3’s, she has helped these children in so many ways . We will always remember you and look forward to your return one day.
We were blessed with 4 volunteers who gave up their holiday time to help the children in Grade 4. They built strong relationships with the staff and children and we look forward to their return when they are next in Plett.
We welcomed back our “Ticket to Ride” surfers who came to help at the school while they were in Plett. The staff and children always love their visits. Thank you all for your passion and commitment.
Thank you, Emily, for choosing to come to the school during your last week in South Africa. You were a blessing to the children and they wrote you such lovely farewell letters.
Volunteers assisting with Maths and English in the classrooms have really helped these Grade 4’s. Thank you for your help.
Our new Reading Programme for the Grade 3’s is in full swing with volunteers from the community giving their time each week to help the children learn to read in English. We are reaching 80 children twice a week with this exciting programme.
The Zoe Learning Support Centre has been renovated and opened. This will be our base for both overseas volunteers and our local volunteers who are helping with a reading programme for the Grade 3’s.
Welcome back to our ‘Ticket to Ride’ surfers. This new group of surfers volunteered at the school, bringing with them their enthusiasm, fun and worthy role models. Thank you for giving these children your time and helping them with their English skills. These volunteers kindly donated 4 large bins for the school playing field. We initiated a Rubbish Collection Game with all the Grade 4’s and managed to fill 22 large bags of rubbish. Awesome!
A very generous Plett Resident has offered to renovate an empty and dilapidated building adjacent to the school for us. This building will house a VolunteeringSA room and we plan to use it for a Remedial Reading Programme for the Grade 3’s and for some extra curricular activities. This room will also be used by our volunteers for many of the activities that they are involved in. It will be named The Zoe Learning Support Centre and is due to be opened in March 2015. Watch this space for the new centre!!
A group of Gap Year surfers from ‘Ticket To Ride’ volunteered at the school. They brought so much joy to the children and helped them with their English. They donated sports equipment which was very gratefully received.We hope to see you back here soon. Thank you so much.
In August, a group of 6 students from Balliol College, Oxford, will arrive to volunteer with Project Plett. They will be assisting the teachers at one of our more disadvantaged Primary Schools. They will be helping in the classrooms, teaching computer skills, sport and other after school activities of their choice. We are so pleased to welcome these guys from such a famous institution. More to follow later on their visit. Remember – all you need is enthusiasm and energy to be part of Project Plett’s wonderful work. Pippa will design a programme for each volunteer which will suit your particular skills and interests so that your contribution will be most effective.
A huge THANK YOU to these Oxford University Students – you were amazing!
ANYONE CAN DO IT! In order for unqualified volunteers with no experience to be most effective with Project Plett, some help is being kindly provided by Blossom House School in London. These volunteers will be with Pippa in the schools initially and pave the way for YOU, with simple, easy to follow ideas. A huge THANK YOU to Blossom House School. These wonderful volunteers have now left having had an awesome time. They have won the hearts of all the children and staff. The photos show them in the school and also having fun in Plett!
