Loes Van Hest teaching Mvutjini NCP children about sustainability

I began by measuring BMIs at the NCPs in Ekuzukekeni and Ezulwini, where I discovered a significant difference between the two. After measuring the BMIs, I also focused on a school in a rural area, Lamgambhi. Despite their different environments, Ezulwini and Lamgambhi had one thing in common: around 40% of the children in both schools were underweight. I wanted to find out why, as the conditions at these two NCPs are very different.

Loes measuring BMIs at Lamgabhi NCP

I gathered information from teachers, staff, and other people I met during my internship in the neighbourhood. After identifying the reasons for the underweight issues, I created a suggestion report. In this report, I provided advice and suggestions that All Out Africa can implement in the future.

I learned a lot from my internship. I developed skills in creating effective schedules, setting priorities, and establishing boundaries. I was given the freedom to determine what I needed to achieve my goals while receiving the necessary guidance and support.

Ekuzukekeni NCP children having their lunch

I experienced the culture in various ways, observing the differences between city life, peri-urban areas, and rural areas, and how these environments affect the residents. I learned that each environment has unique challenges, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. However, one thing remains important across all areas: raising awareness about issues like healthy living, especially understanding what is and isn’t healthy and the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle. There’s no better place to start than at an early age, at the NCP.

Written by Loes Van Hest – Early Childhood Health and Nutrition intern 

I am from a small town in The Netherlands

What project did you sign up for?

I signed up for the Kruger to Cape project. During this project, I will do four weeks of volunteer work. The volunteer work I do is doing sports with children at local Neighborhood Care Points in Eswatini.

What do you do for a living?

Currently, I am in a gap year. Last year I graduated with a bachelor of Business Administration.

What does volunteering mean to you?

Helping other people who need it the most. Getting experience in a field that i like. Also getting to know the local community better.

Reason for choosing All Out Africa?

I booked this program at a Dutch organization called ‘Activity International’. All Out Africa and Activity International are partners.

How is your experience as a volunteer, what is your day like as a volunteer?

It is great to be a volunteer because every time I go to a school the children are always happy. It’s great to teach sports and teach children to be social. Every morning myself and other volunteers go to an NCP where we help the sports coordinator with activities for the children. In the afternoon we have a homework club, here we help primary school children and teens with their homework and play games.

Swimming lessons with the Mvutjini NCP children

Sports day at Mlindazwe NCP

Want to know more about Bjorn van Heertum’s volunteer program? Click HERE to read more about the program. Click HERE to check out Bjorn’s travel blog! 

Enough about one’s Christmas month upbringing and let me share what a wonderful morning I had with our NCP children, spreading around all our 8 Neighbourhood Care Points. As an All Out Africa staff member, my colleagues and I managed to create an amazing Christmas spirit atmosphere with a for these less privilege children that we Love and Support.

With the traditional Christmas spirit “roaming in the air”, we felt that the prefect venue to hold this year’s children Christmas party would be a place called “Mantenga Cultural Village”, which has great Swazi traditional values and cultural experience. The cultural village is located in a peri-urban area in Ezulwini, an area centered between our NCPs’, so logistically it was the perfect venue. 

What an awesome decision our team made in securing this venue because all our NCP children and majority of the NCP teachers ventured into a cultural exploration that they had not experienced before. Seeing those faces when we entered these grounds, made one’s emotional nerve feel a kind of “pain of happiness”, if that makes sense, which obviously made me smile throughout the morning. 

The incorporation of a cultural village, where Swazi history, culture and traditional dance is brought alive for visitors was just awesome to see and watch. We all had a great time and most importantly the children make it even more especial for us as an All Out Africa, community outreach project team.

Written by Tjengisa Dlamini, Social Projects Coordinator 

Where are you from?

Denmark

What project did you sign up for?

Brian: Building

Camilla and kids: Sports education

What do you do for a living?

Brian: Building consultant

Camilla: High school teacher (biology and sports-science)

What does volunteering mean to you?

Making a difference for people in need, and in this case, as a bonus, experiencing and learning about another country and culture.

Reason for choosing All Out Africa?

Inspired by the information we were given by our travel agency, Travel Alott. As a family with 2 kids, we thought it was meaningful to work with and help, other kids.

Your experience as a volunteer, did it had any positive impact on your life?

Travelling and experiencing other countries and cultures, will almost always have long term positive impact. It is in our opinion essential, in order to learn and understand the world we live in. Through volunteering for All Out Africa, we were given the privilege of meeting many local people, hearing their story and learning about their life. Yes, we as Europeans, have many privileges, but do we live a happier life? Not necessarily!

Click here if you would like to know more about our SPORTS DEVELOPMENT and Build A Future

Charmaine is one of these students. She contacted us this year looking to collaborate on a research proposal that targets volunteer tourism, and how it is assisting conservation efforts. This is a perfect fit for us!

She is joining our projects in Mozambique in August where she will spend time with our marine conservation volunteers. She has also now opened up the opportunity to be a part of her research to our entire network of volunteers!

If you would like to assist AOA in its mission to support research, and researcher students, and also aid Charmaine in the perusal of her PhD project, we invite you to participate in an online survey that would allow her to understand your experience with All Out Africa as a volunteer. This survey will help us promote our projects and encourage more volunteers to have “Adventures that change lives.”

The survey will take approximately 5 mins.

If you  have volunteered in our Marine Conservation Project, please use this survey: https://forms.gle/Gdwigj7mN4rwq6ay6

If you  have volunteered in any of our other volunteer Projects (in any destination), please use this survey: https://forms.gle/PEDHHrV1NgUk4JvA7

If you have any questions, feel free to email AOA at marketing@alloutafrica.com or the researcher at charmaine.danielle.cilliers@gmail.com

Thank you for helping us make a difference!

If you have a research project you would like to collaborate on with All Out Africa, please email bookings@alloutafrica.com for more info on how to get started!