Overview

Do you need a little more color in your life?

As a volunteer in the South Africa Team Challenge, you will spend your days immersed in a sea of colors. Your working hours will be spent painting and renovating a nursery school in a township. Aside from brightening up the walls,  you will also play games and read stories to brighten up the faces of the children. On the weekend, you will enjoy the various colors of nature from the top of Table Mountain and also have some free time to explore the magnificent Cape Town region.  If you love spending time with children, breathtaking scenery, sharing your 'artistic' vision and working as a team, this challenge is perfect for you.

If you are keen to work with a group of friends or colleagues on the South African Team Challenge please give us a call - we can run a challenge for a group with a minimum of 6 participants and can promise you and incredible experience in a wonderful location! 

Trip Highlights:

• Finishing the challenge in time and making a real difference!
• Experiencing a range of what Cape Town has to offer - brilliant
• Getting to see the 'real' South Africa and, hopefully, making friends for life

Itinerary & Details

Challenge Details: 

The Challenge will be to renovate a nursery school in a township near Cape Town. You will spend your first few days getting to know South Africa and your team by participating in an orientation, an outdoor adventure course and a tour of the township. Once fully acclimated to Cape Town and team life, you will begin your work renovating the school. Over the course of your trip you will transform a dilapidated school into a beautiful center of education. You will also have chance to spend time playing with the children and seeing some of the most beautiful places in Cape Town including the remarkable Table Mountain!    
Note: all materials required for the challenge are funded through the fee you pay to participate in the project

Itinerary:

Day 1: Monday - Arrival day
Arrive at Cape Town (CPT) airport and meet an i-to-i representative at the International Information Counter. You will be taken to your accommodation site where you will meet the i-to-i team and the rest of the challenge group. You will have orientation and enjoy a traditional meal with your team.

Day 2: Tuesday - Outdoor adventure course and township tour
You will spend the morning getting to know your team and having fun on an outdoor adventure course. In the afternoon you will have a tour of a township.   

Day 3-5: Wednesday - Friday - Project Activities
You will spend the next few days preparing the school for its makeover. The preparation work will include sanding, sugar coating walls, removing old paint, filling holes etc. You will also have some time to play with the children.   

Day 6: Saturday - Table Mountain visit
You will spend today hiking or riding the cable car up the marvellous Table Mountain. From the top, weather permitting, you will see incredible views of the city and the sea.

Day 7: Sunday - Free day
This day is free for you to use however you see fit. For the more adventurous types, you can book excursions for shark cage diving or parachuting etc. If you are looking for a more relaxing day, a wine-tasting tour may be better suited to your taste. Please note that any optional excursions are not included in the challenge price.

Day 8-12: Monday - Friday - Project Activities
You will spend your final week painting and redecorating the school. By Friday the school will be completely transformed!

Day 13: Saturday - Free day
You can spend today however you desire. Some may want to hit the beach, go surfing, or simply rest after a long week of hard work.

Day 14: Sunday - Free day
Today is a chance to see and do anything you didn't have a chance to do yesterday. You will have a celebratory dinner with the team and say your goodbyes.

Day 15: Monday - Departure day
You will be transferred back to the airport in time to board your flight. You won't believe how much you accomplished in just two short weeks!

Where you'll be staying:

You will be staying in a volunteer house or hostel with all the amenities including hot water and western-style showers. The rooms are shared, dorm style, with 8 volunteers to a room. 

NOTE: Minimum numbers apply to this challenge - please call our travel team for further information

What kind of skills you need:

You should be in reasonable physical shape as you will be getting involved in physical work and you must be willing to be 'hands on', willing to get dirty (!) and to get involved in whatever is required.

What you'll be eating:

All meals will be typical South African cuisine.

What you should pack:

Books & playing cards
Cold/wet weather gear 
High factor water proof sun block
Light weight rain jacket
 

Other information:

What's included:
- All project activities detailed in the above itinerary
- Group Leader
- Transfers from/to airport/hotel
- All accommodation
- Three meals per day
- Farewell meal
- Excursions as detailed in the above itinerary

What's Not included:
- Services not detailed in the above itinerary
- Any relevant visa fees
- International flight(s)
- Airport departure taxes
- Personal expenses
- Vaccinations and travel insurance

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you fora the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching project then a 60-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time - especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country team will arrange a pick-up for you at the airport and will conduct your orientation upon arrival. All coordination teams are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country team you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by our response team in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. We also fly in our in-country coordinators to the UK regularly for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly from the project fee that you pay us. Instead we choose to support a number of projects every year through a grant scheme for tangible long-term initiatives. In the last 3 years we have distributed over US$250,000 to our most needy projects to help them in the great work they do. 

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

Next Steps

What we will do after you've booked:

Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account

We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know

Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course

Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant)

We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.

We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with confirmation of your project and accommodation 2 weeks after you've booked

We will ask you to complete your forms and pay your final balance if they are still due when required

We are available for any questions you may have on 800 985 4852 or support@i-to-i.com

What you need to do after booking your place with us:

Book your flights

Arrange suitable travel insurance

Fill out some extra details through our online interface:

1. Application from
2. Travel details
3. Insurance details
4. Medical information
5. Emergency contacts

Complete your police check if requested

Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)

Make final payment at least 90 days before you go

Make sure you have a visa for your trip if it's needed

Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention

Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip

Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!

Get on the plane!

Orientation Information

The following information details what will happen during the first few days of your arrival.

We aim to provide you with a safe and soft landing into your destination by picking you up from the airport, giving you an orientation that helps you to settle into the country as quickly as possible. It’s also the best time to ask any questions you have about your time in South Africa.

You will arrive on the Arrival Date – Monday and will be met at the airport on the specified arrival date (we recommend you arrive between 8.00 and 16.00 in order to attend your orientation at 17.00). You will be taken to your accommodation and then you will have an orientation to introduce you to life in Cape Town as well as important information about staying healthy and safe.

Flights & Insurance

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

EU Customers – find out more here >>

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.