Sawubona,
heute haben wir mal einen etwas anderen Blogeintrag für euch.
In unserem Zwischenseminar, Anfang des Jahres, haben wir über unsere Arbeit als Volunteer gesprochen und wie wohl die Menschen vor Ort über diesen Dienst denken.
Aus diesem Grund haben wir uns gedacht, wir fragen doch einfach mal nach.
Und das, was ihr gleich lesen werdet, ist die Antwort unserer Arbeitskollegen.
Also viel Spaß dabei :)
Ilka und Pia
Why do you think Sizanani (SOP) works with volunteers?
It's a way to getting extra pairs of hands to fill in where needed. NGO's like SOP depend on external funding to cover all running costs, and don't always have the funds to pay people to work for them. Having volunteer assists the organisation in completing tasks that they wouldn't have been able to pay someone to do. It's mutually beneficial to experience life in a differnet country, a differnet culture, and to do something different befor they go back to their regular lives.
How does SOP benefit from them?
SOP benefit from their flexibility and availability to fill in wherever they are needed. Some volunteers come with skills in particular areas and are able to use those to benefit the organisation, eg computer skills, nursing, or with new activities/games for the SCYCC children.
Which experience did you do with volunteers?
The volunteers helped with preparations for the Christmas party; with Saturday community playgroups twice each month (i.e. preperation of refreshments for the children and taking part in activities with the children), and helping to prepare and gather information on children for the next Christmas party that the new volunteers will assist with.
In which specific areas are volunteers helpful?
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Looking after, and doning activities with the children who are too young for school
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assisting school-going children with homework and after school activities
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being a friend and support to the children
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helping with admin and computer work if needed
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helping with “odd jobs“ that might seem menial but which are very helpful eg tidying out storerooms, cutting pencilis etc.
Do you think working with volunteers can help to prevent prejudices in South Africa and in the countries where the voulunteers come from? Or is there a risk of confirming prejudices?
I think there's the possibility of both. As a South African I tent to raise our security issues and worries with vistitors/volunteers from other countries, so I could be reinforcing negative sterotypes of South Africa as being an unsafe country. If the volunteers have enjoyed their time here and had good experience, made friends with South Africans, they will take a postitive attitude about South Africa back to their own countries.
Would it be better to employ South African volunteers?
I don't necessarily think it would be better to employ South Africans, altough the advantages would that South Africans have the same or similar language, culture, and practices. However with forgein volunteers the children are exposed to other cultures, they hear other languages, the older ones learn a bit more about the world outside of their enviroment, so it's enriching for them, and for the volunteers. Also foreign volunteers have helped the organisation in many ways once they have returned home, through fundraising and encouraging others to support our work.
Might employing volunteers who have just finished school cause problems? Is it better to have volunteers who have finished some training and have already gained job experience?
It deepend entriely on the outlook and expecatiations of the person applying to be a volunteer, and on how well a potential volunteer has been prepared for this experience. A school-leaver might be less 'set in their ways' and more open to 'going with the flow'. Someone who has already got work experience might find it difficult to adapt to a differnet way of doing things. But, it depends entirely on how flexible and adaptable a person is. It can be helpful to have volunteers who are skilled in particular areas that may be of use to the organisation. But ultimately the most helpful volunteers are ones who see themselves as supporting the existing work of the organisation and being prepared to help out in different ways that may seem insignificant or 'boring', but which are vital for the effictive running of the organisation.
Isn't it hard for the children to always adapt to new people, to develop love for someone and then to have to say goodbye again?
It definitley is, especially when the children have formed close bonds with volunteers. Despite that difficulty for the children, it is still worth them having had an uplifting and positive time with someone, rather than not having it. Children also leave the children's home as it always the aim of the Social Workers to try and reunite families, so eventually many of the children will end up leaving too.