Volunteer
OHS Stories
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Mentorship
Gifted
Cape Town
Zanzibar Jungle
Zanzibar Coast
One Heart Source runs several volunteer programs each year designed to effectively attack the cycle of HIV/AIDS, an ineffective education system, and poverty that is gripping many communities in sub-Saharan Africa. We recognize that this is a daunting challenge – the scope of the problem seems boundless – so in order to actualize this vision, OHS has created a multi-faceted volunteer program to move forward at the grassroots level. By seamlessly integrating into the community, One Heart Source volunteers and staff create an atmosphere of trust necessary to best gain and exchange knowledge.
In 2013, our two programs in Zanzibar Tanzania – one in a central jungle region and another on the coast – will continue to grow and build off of the past five years’ work. This year also sees the continuation of One Heart Source in South Africa, with the second year of our program in Cape Town. We offer 4-week and 6-week volunteer placements, with the program dates and projects occurring successively to ensure a consistent and effective OHS presence in our community. Volunteers build upon sustainable projects implemented by past volunteers, while also developing new projects to pass on to future volunteers.
Throughout their experience, volunteers live and work in villages, becoming an integral member of their local community. At each program site, volunteers organize English, community health and/or HIV/AIDS education initiatives in local schools and the surrounding community – the emphasis will depend on which program you select, as each program has a specific focus geared towards the local environment. Volunteers also implement extra-curricular programs, such as art and sports programs after school for students, and may engage in hands-on work in agricultural projects. Every volunteer is expected to completely immerse his or herself in the Tanzanian or South African way of life upon their arrival by learning, exploring, and deepening their understanding about this unique region in sub-Saharan Africa.
Passion, education, empowerment and determination are the driving forces behind our volunteers’ work. We like to say that your work will be “hands on, with no hand-holding”. Whether you are pick-axing under the beaming sun one afternoon, demonstrating how to use a condom to a class of giggling students at the local secondary school, or individually tutoring kids in your home-stay before going to bed at night, it is all an interconnected effort to create social change on a small to large scale.
