Charlotte in South Africa

My story

It was the first time I’d be going abroad on my own for so long, without familiar people around me, without my family. I found it incredibly nerve-racking but I was really looking forward to it! Once I’d booked my flight there was no turning back and all the preparations began. I bought a backpack, got my vaccinations and applied for my visa. For a visa you have to sort out an unbelievable amount of paperwork, lots of stress, but once it finally works out, that’s it: counting down to the day you fly to South Africa. My flight was on 1 February 2019. My parents, sister and grandma took me to the airport, and there I said goodbye and set off on the adventure. I flew from Amsterdam to London Heathrow, London to Johannesburg and Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth. After an incredibly long journey you finally arrive in warm South Africa! A UTS coordinator is waiting for you and together you drive to the accommodation.

The bond you build with the children is indescribable.

The accommodation you stay in is really big. The office is based there, there’s a kitchen where the African mamas cook for you, you also have your own kitchen where all the volunteers eat and can cook, 3 houses with different rooms and numbers of beds, a swimming pool, a football/ volleyball pitch and the boma: a chill-out spot with table tennis, table football and a pool table. On my first day I hadn’t met any of the other volunteers yet, because they were away together on an overnight safari trip. I found it nerve-racking: what kind of people would they be? Where are they from? What are they like? Will I fit into the group? Once they got back from their weekend away I met everyone and it immediately felt right. Everyone was friendly and had come here for the same purpose: working with the children in the disadvantaged neighbourhoods and discovering South Africa. During my internship I got to know an incredible number of people, people from all over the world. I think I saw and got to know more than 70 volunteers. From the Netherlands, Germany, England, Scotland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Australia, America, Venezuela, Canada, Africa, etc. A brilliant experience, we learnt a lot from each other and I’ve definitely made friends for life.

It’s a brilliant experience, we learnt a lot from each other and I’ve definitely made friends for life.

But what’s actually the difference between a volunteer and an intern, you might ask? A volunteer comes to UTS for 5 to 8 weeks. Volunteers give sports lessons 5 days a week at various schools in the townships. 4 schools a day, so 20 schools a week. You get to know an unbelievable number of children during your time at UTS. At each school you teach sport for an hour, and you really have your own session that you have to prepare and lead yourself, so lots of responsibility! The sports UTS offers are football, hockey, rugby, netball, basketball, tennis and cricket. There’s always something you can throw yourself into. Working with the children is amazing. They dance, they sing and they’re incredibly enthusiastic. The bond you build with the children is magical and truly something never to forget.

A wonderful week in which you help the children, during their school holidays, not to play on the streets surrounded by crime but in a safe environment where they can develop

An intern also gives these sports lessons; I did this on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays were my office days. On those days you’d find me in the office, and I had plenty of time to work on my school assignments and internship projects. I got to do various projects for UTS. My first project was a 4-week football tournament in which about 20 teams took part. I organised everything for this tournament: I made sure the volunteers were there and had tasks, I made all the fixture lists, kept track of all the scores and emailed them every week to all the teams with the standings, and arranged prizes for the winners. A big tournament that I learnt a lot from.

Another project is a 1-week holiday camp. I got to organise this twice, once in March where we did all the sports and once in June where it was all about football. Both were a great success: a free camp attended by more than 100 children, with lunch and certificates included. A wonderful week in which you help the children, during their school holidays, not to play on the streets surrounded by crime but in a safe environment where they can develop, thanks to the international volunteers and the African staff at UTS. I also helped with a fundraising event for the last holiday camp, made promotional videos and set up a new partnership between UTS and another similar organisation from Walmer, PE.

South Africa and Namibia are incredibly beautiful; there’s so much to see that you could just keep on travelling.

Besides the work for UTS, I was also able to travel a lot. I went away for several weekends, to Jeffrey’s Bay, Plettenberg and Kenton on Sea, and did several safaris. I did the Garden Route together with UTS and the volunteers, stayed in Cape Town for a few days and travelled back to PE. At the end of my internship I went on one more big trip: together with others I did a road trip to Namibia. We started in Cape Town and drove north, ending in Swakopmund. South Africa and Namibia are incredibly beautiful; there’s so much to see that you could just keep on travelling. One of my favourite places really was Cape Town. The city has so much to offer: beach, sea, mountains, nature, culture. You can find everything there, rich, poor, etc. Really impressive and a city you never get tired of, so definitely recommended!

All in all a very educational internship, and I can honestly say it’s been the time of my life. I look back on it with enormous pleasure, and I even miss it a lot. I’d have loved to stay even longer. The months flew by. Saying goodbye to my new international friends was hard, but luckily we keep in touch and several plans have already been made to visit each other.

All in all a very educational internship, and I can honestly say it’s been the time of my life.

The very hardest thing was saying goodbye to the children, my new friends in Port Elizabeth, the African staff at UTS and simply the country itself, South Africa. It’s a special place to live and work. The country and its people stole my heart, and I hope to go back one day to see everyone there again. The children will always have a place in my heart; they really made an impact on me. So cheerful and positive even though the environment they live in isn’t always great. I miss the dancing and the singing, and I hope I’ve been able to inspire the children to stay on the right path. Hopefully they’ll make their dreams come true!

I’d have loved to stay even longer.

If you were still in two minds about choosing to go to UTS in South Africa, I hope I’ve convinced you. It taught me an enormous amount and I can recommend it to everyone. Want to know more? Then get in touch with me! I’m happy to share my experiences of my time at United Through Sport.