Environment, Arts and Sustainability Support

Us and the volunteers work closely together with the locals of the township Motherwell, who want to improve life in the township and ensure a better future.

Your main task will be to help our locals in Motherwell beautify the township with art and creativity, bring hope into the community, teach them how to live sustainably, create or build new spaces for the kids and locals (like playgrounds, soccer fields, communal gardens and more), organize events and workshops and inspire locals and communities with your own ideas and skills

Besides this we have a diverse program in which you can participate as well (please note: if you want to work with small children, you need to stay at least 4 weeks):

• we organize afterschool activities like sports, arts, planting, practising English, playing games and environmental activities
• we do art with the kids at the Hand in Hand Art Studio and Art Academy
  
• we help out at a soup kitchen run by Nwabisa, the 'Mama' of the neighbourhood
• we do the 'Flowers for Africa' project once a month, where kids paint huge flowers on the walls of their shacks
• we organize events in our artistic park, which we created out of a dumpsite

Besides the weekly program, we organize different events in the township where everyone can show their art and do music, dancing or theatre performances on a little stage. We also offer workshops for sustainability, gardening, English, maths and art and we hold meetings with the locals to discuss environmental and social issues with them.

Once a month we do the 5 days ‚Flowers for Africa‘ workshop initiated by the artist Luc van der Walt and the non-profit organisation ‚Art to uplift‘ which provides underprivileged children with the therapeutic experience of art.  With a group of artists, the children are painting flowers bigger than themselves on the murals of their communities. The children are left proud, educated and more confident in themselves and the community is inspired to make other improvements. 

The volunteers are accommodated in a nice homestay in Uitenage and are working with the locals in the township Motherwell 5-6 hours daily from Monday to Friday.

After breakfast in the morning, you can relax in the garden, go for a swim in the river, go surfing, go to the beach, go for a hike or take a SUP on the river. Around 1am our project initiator Luc takes you to the township Motherwell.

Your main task will be to help the locals to beautify the township with art and creativity, do English, art or sustainability workshops, help with our environmental projects (planting, organizing no-waste campaigns), create or build new spaces for the kids, organize events and workshops and inspire kids and communities with your own ideas and skills.

If you plan to stay for a long time period, you are welcome to help out with the other Community Upliftment Projects in the area (as mentioned above).

Around 6pm you go back to your lovely accommodation and enjoy the amazing vibe on our terrasse at the river or at our fireplace together with the other volunteers and project facilitators. Usually the project facilitators cook together with the volunteers a Pojke or another healthy meal. We offer fresh veggies, rice and noodles for you to use. The dinner is always a nice way to reflect the day and have some beers together.

• The guesthouse has a lovely garden right at the river where you can swim and use our Standup Paddleboards, the perfect place to relax in your free time
• Do Yoga or Meditation in our guesthouse
• Port Elizabeth is known for its pristine beaches: You can have a beach day, take a surf lesson with our Surf Instructor Luc or go surfing by yourself
• PE is a windy area, so it's great for kiteboarding, windsurfing and sailing.
• Go camping on the beach with us and cook delicious meals on the fire
• Visit the Addo Elephant Park, it is just 40 minutes away
• Other game reserves are also close by
• Go hiking in the mountains and swim in secret lagoons
• Experience a real township Braai and a real township party at a Shabeen
• Do some art with the artist Sakumzi at his Hand in Hand art gallery in the township
• Go out in the city of Port Elizabeth
• Visit the different festivals, events and markets in PE
• Surf the longest wave of South Africa in Jeffreys Bay
• Do a weekend trip to the picturesque area of Natures Valley and the Garden Route
• We offer unforgettable 2-6 days Surf tours around the Wild Coast or the Garden Route with our Van