Thousands of refugees from surrounding war-torn and destitute African countries flock to South Africa in hope of a better life, or just a means to at least feed their children.  However, life is not easy for them when they get to South Africa, a country that itself has huge levels of unemployment and poverty.  The refugees are faced with dealing with Home Affairs to get their asylum papers, a lengthy and difficult process. They are often faced with xenophobia from South Africans in the communities they are trying to stay in, who see them as unwelcome and a threat to their employment.  They find themselves, having escaped the horrors of their home countries in a desperate situation, now having no access to basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and water, let alone employment and a positive future for themselves and their families.

In order to make this difficult transition easier, there are several non-profit and human rights organizations in Cape Town that aim to assist this needy population.  Connect-123 has partnered with these organizations that include refugee centers, orphanages, activist organizations, legal aid clinics, and organizations that offer humanitarian assistance, and skills training and development.  Our interns and volunteers come and apply their skills to assist these organizations in helping these desperately needy people.

This is an area that needs great assistance and we look forward to welcoming more people to help in this area.  Whether you have an interest in human rights, are able to speak French, have a legal background, social work skills, are interested in research around issues of migration, or you simply want to help, we need you!  Many of our program participants volunteer their extra time to assist refugee orphans with their homework, and even donating unwanted clothes and toiletries goes some way in helping to give these people at least some dignity and a chance for a better life.

During my time in Cape Town I completed a 4-week internship for an NGO partnering with big business in order to progress goals set under the Sustainable Cape Town 2030 Vision. The internship provided me with an opportunity to explore how sustainable initiatives are being implemented from both bottom-up and top-down approaches. It also highlighted the challenges of achieving sustainability in a country with different political concerns than what I am used to. Through my host organization I was able to make contact with a range of stakeholders including government, renewable energy developers, advisory bodies, regional action groups and other NGOs. Connect-123 helped to make the experience memorable, the organised social events were great and I found the team to be energetic and helpful. Overall my internship allowed me to gain valuable practical skills in applying learnt theory to real world situations. Cape Town is a great place to better grasp the intricacies behind realizing sustainable development.

Looking back, I would not trade my experience in Connect for anything. It was a beautiful opportunity to befriend and live with people from all over the world while still becoming part of the local South African community. I worked at a literacy organization for at-risk children. The organization operates in five schools around Cape Town. I became a “link” at one of the schools, which means that I ran the daily operations of the Literacy Centre at that school. I coordinated over 50 incredible volunteers and 76 adorable children and had the time of my life. The children are tutored twice a week and usually have more one-on-one time with their literacy mentor than with any other adult in their educational life. It was amazing to see the changes in the children over my six months and to be given such great responsibility in the organization. Sometimes significant responsibility can mean a stressful working environment, but I always felt supported and loved as part of the team. Connect led me to what truly was my perfect internship situation, and I know that my experience will follow me throughout my life.  If you’re questioning coming to this incredible place, don’t. There is a depth here that sinks into you, and I’ve met so many people that come here and end up staying. Whether or not you decide Cape Town is the place you wish you could spend your life, however, I promise you’ll have a blast, grow in ways you never imagined and go home with amazing stories to tell.

Overall, the experience was something I would not trade for anything.  Though I only interned there for 6 weeks, I feel I made a lasting impact on many of the entrepreneurs who I mentored there.  Moreover, I made lasting friendships with many of the staff, students, and other interns who were part of the school and entreprenership centre.  Without the help of Connect 123, I would never have been connected to this amazing organization.

In addition, working through the Child life project at RCCH was amazing. Traveling to South Africa to assess the needs of child life within hospitals definitely shaped my career goals, as well as personal goals. At the beginning of the experience, I expected to be the teacher, implementing methods and techniques of a Child Life specialist, but instead, I also came away from the experience with more knowledge of interacting with people in general than I could have ever imagined. Working at the hospital and interacting with such a diverse population forced me to stretch my limits and go beyond my comfort level to the extreme. Being in a place where I wasn’t always familiar definitely was not easy at times, but personally and professionally, I would not be where I am today if I had not been a part of the Connect-123 Child Life team. It has definitely given me that extra step towards being better at practicing the profession of Child Life. I would HIGHLY recommend Connect-123 internship programs to anyone considering it.

Throughout my stay, Mugged became a usual and the sites of Cape Town became my adventure along with child life as my job. I felt more than welcomed during my stay by all the individuals involved in connect123, and by the end of the month, it actually started to feel like a home. I began to know my way around as well as feeling more comfortable, but my time in Cape Town fell way to short.

Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital was the place where we piloted Child Life on various units, including mine on the surgery ward. It was difficult to adapt at first to such a diverse setting as well as a diverse population in which I had no previous experience with before. However, the experience there has taught me so much more about myself, Child Life and how to value even the smallest things. I feel confident that we made an impact on all the staff, families, and children’s lives just in that one month, and am hopeful that one day the child life program there will be able to expand even more.

As for my experience in general, it was just something that is unexplainable until you go there. I learned a lot within my hospital experiences, as well as got to enjoy just being in Cape Town. I think the highlights of my trip, were going on the safari, bungee jumping, and the feeling I got when I reached the top of Table Mountain. It’s absolutely beautiful there, and I hope one day I will be able to return for a more extended amount of time.

Having a large number Child Life students working in the hospital over this period opened up the possibility of extending Child Life services beyond the burns ward, the site of our original pilot study. Part of their work involved assessing the wards where Child Life services would be most beneficial as well as leaving behind materials that would benefit their allocated wards or the greater hospital on a more long-term basis. In addition to all their hard work at the Red Cross, the Ohio group also contributed their time and skills to a pediatric HIV clinic and a pediatric convalescent home, engaging children in activities from singing and crafts to medical play.

The volunteers were also fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to visit a clinic in the township of Khayelitsha where they were able to experience a community healthcare setting, greatly enriching their understanding of the South African healthcare system – several of the volunteers even witnessed babies being born during their visit!

During their stay, the high-energy group also managed to squeeze in a safari, bungee jumping, a soccer tournament, a trip to the beautiful Cape Point, an African-style dinner, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and plenty of trips to the beach!

A clear message rang through the group’s final presentation to the Red Cross medical staff at the end of their stay – Child Life services significantly improve the quality of care and support provided to patients and their families. Based on the students’ work, the decision was taken to extend permanent services to the oncology wards with continued expansion planned throughout the hospital’s in and outpatient wards and operating theaters as the program grows and develops. With the Cape Town Child Life program celebrating its first birthday in February, the program is looking forward to the meeting new challenges that lie ahead for 2010, not to mention welcoming plenty more passionate and energetic volunteers to Cape Town.

Before they left we asked the group what advice they would give to future volunteers – here is what some of them had to say: “Just to keep an open mind about the Child Life lens and to do the best at what we have learned with the resources we are given. It’s about the creativity and the ability to adapt to new settings. That little things make a big difference”. “I loved having the close one-on-one involvement with the patients. In the States this would not be possible as a student in a practicum. This helped me to gain confidence. Take advantage of every single day here. The time flies by. Don’t be afraid to jump in, feet first. Many sisters and doctors are very accepting and helpful.” “Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. It may be frustrating and scary at first but it’s well worth it.”

Past blog entries for Child Life Cape Town:
Child Life Healthcare Project in Cape Town
Child Life Program Update

The New 7 Wonders Foundation is taking international votes to nominate the New 7 Wonders of the World with the philosophy that “Our Heritage is Our Future”.  Table Mountain has made it to the final 28 contenders to take the superior title of truly being one of the World’s Wonders, and rightly so…

Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains on earth, six times older than the Himalayas and five times older than the Rockies. Its story begins eight hundred million years ago when sandstone began to form underwater. Around 300 million years ago the mountain was still at sea level during an ice age. It is the ice sheets that flattened the layers of sandstone creating the flat surface that gives the mountain its unique shape and name.  When the continents split apart, the layers of rock were forced to rise, slowly becoming the kilometre high mountain Cape Town prides itself with today.

It is not only the mountain’s iconic flat surface that gives it the right to contend for a position as one of the 7 New Wonders.  In addition, Table Mountain National Park has more plant species within its 25 000 hectares than the whole British Isles or New Zealand!

Only one other African site – Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro – made the list of finalists, which include some of the world’s most spectacular natural attractions including the Grand Canyon in the USA, the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador, and the Amazon Rainforest.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign aims to raise awareness of the incredible variety and beauty of nature around us.  Votes for the 28 finalists will continue throughout 2010 and into 2011 to result in the New 7 Wonders of Nature.   Make sure our beautiful mountain receives the recognition it deserves and cast your vote now!

In the meantime, be sure to hike up one of the spectacular routes to the top so that you can say you made it to the top of one of the 7 Wonders of Nature!

Needless to say, I got some pretty amazing medical experience, not only with the scientific aspect of medicine but the social aspect as well. I learned to communicate with parents and caregivers (especially those who didn’t speak English as a first language) as part of my research project and continued to gain knowledge and skills in the anesthetic arena, including completion of a successful intubation during my last week at the hospital. I now feel incredibly prepared to be in a clinical setting as I begin Physician Assistant school. Outside of work, I formed some pretty amazing lifelong relationships with other program participants and was able to explore many different aspects of South African life, thanks to the Connect staff. I can’t express the true value of the things I learned in Cape Town, but I know that I will carry them with me for the rest of my life and have become a better person because of them.

Connect-123 were fantastic. They organised the perfect internship and right from the start they were so friendly and pro-active making me feel confident about moving to Cape Town.

I remember arriving at Perspectives, not knowing what to expect yet after a couple of weeks it felt like home, and the friends I had made felt like family.

I learnt so much from my internship, and was given opportunities to impact and contribute to the success of the organisation.

The staff at Connect were great and my experience in Cape Town would not have been half of what it was without them. I had the time of my life, thank you.

My advice to anyone thinking about studying or interning abroad: do it!  Post-Cape Town, I am not only more marketable in my field, but also blessed with amazing memories and many new friends.  I find little things every day that remind me of my time in South Africa, and know it won’t be too long until I’m back!

Medical shadowing doesn’t add much weight to your resume or value to the doctor you work with, so how do you get around this? Research work and volunteer experiences are the best way to demonstrate your commitment to healthcare, but trying to obtain pre-med healthcare experience is a bit of a Catch-22 – those who want clinical or research experience the most are in the worst position to obtain it.

An international experience in the developing world is certainly one way to make you stand out and pre-med students increasingly seek opportunities to work in healthcare settings and systems that differ vastly from those in their home countries. The value added by qualified international medical volunteers is obvious, but how can we ensure that interested students are able to make a meaningful contribution to hospitals, clinics and communities abroad?

Connect-123 has overcome this problem by creating opportunities in Argentina and South Africa for both students and local healthcare providers to gain from medical internship placements. We do this by identifying specific projects where students with the right skills and experience can add value in a non-clinical way. By making a contributions to research projects, students are able to build real relationships with the doctors they work with, bringing about a host of opportunities to spend time with doctors – observing surgeries and attending ward rounds or patient consultations.

In a resource constrained healthcare system, doctors have limited time to spend on research or extra projects. Interns who are able to dedicate time and energy to these projects are therefore able to make a huge contribution to the work of local doctors who are interested in undertaking research or creating programs to improve standards of care.

These are just some of the research questions addressed by our recent interns: Do burns patients have different requirements from other patients when exposed to blood transfusions? How do you effectively manage pain in children? What is the most effective way to manage idiopathic frozen shoulders? How will the introduction of a pneumococcal vaccine reduce the number of new pediatric pneumonia cases in Cape Town? How has economic development and urbanization impacted on the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in South Africa? How effectively are healthcare professionals communicating with the parents of paediatric patients?

Other interns have been able to add value through assisting in healthcare education and program development, leading fundraising initiatives and providing non-clinical psychosocial support and care to patients.

Students, professionals and the international healthcare community as a whole stand to gain an enormous amount from this kind of globalized learning and Connect-123 is excited to be playing a key role in developing platforms for global healthcare education.

With that said, my time in this wonderful city would not have been half of what it was had I not come through Connect-123. The Connect-123 staff made my stay here just that much more comfortable. They were there to greet me when I arrived, they took me to work on my first day, they introduced me to all the other students visiting, they showed me the ins and outs of the city, and they were readily available to help me with anything throughout my entire visit.

I decided to contact Connect-123, because it is not the same to travel to such an amazing country on your own or being sure you will be with other young students with same interest as you. It was one of the best decisions I took in my life! Today I still dream about those amazing days.

Everything has something special, Table Mountain, white sandy beaches, people, food, parties, etc. I wanna enjoy all of them again!

The organization of the activities, workers from Connect-123, the people I met and the internship were stunning. I made really good friends with whom I will keep in touch a lifelong! If I had time, I would enjoy a Connect-123 experience again!

100% recommended. It’s a new experience for people that love to be in touch with the African culture, make new friends, improve the CV and enjoy.

Thanks Connect-123 for that opportunity!

President Jacob Zuma has recognized the poor state that the education system is in for the majority of South Africans, and has put Education on top of his agenda.  So too have we at Connect-123. We are firm believers in education as key to progress and opportunity, and we are partnered with many schools, literacy projects, and tutoring programs in Cape Town, providing not only experiential education opportunities for our volunteers and interns, but also creating a positive impact in the important field of education.

With the help of our interns and volunteers, and fantastic partner organizations, we are striving to improve education and the future of children’s lives in South Africa. This is no small task; there are a lot of hurdles to overcome, lack of resources, 11 official languages, the legacy of Apartheid, poverty, and social ills.

However, by gathering those who are passionate about education, whether it be qualified teachers, those studying Education, Educational Policy, or just those with a love of children, and partnering with schools and education programs we believe in, we feel that together we can make a real difference.

One of our partner organizations that promotes reading and literacy in schools was recently awarded the Reconciliation Award by The Institute for Justice & Reconciliation, citing that the organization…

“…fosters reconciliation through the contact between its volunteers and the learners, as well as between the learners who participate in the programme. In the longer-term it highlights education as an important means to overcome structural inequality and build a more inclusive society, as well as the leading role that community-based initiatives will have to play in this regard.”

One of our interns has facilitated a partnership between her Maths & Science School in Australia and the Maths & Science School where she is volunteering in Cape Town, opening up opportunities for resource and curriculum sharing, funding, and even the opportunity for some of the students from South Africa to attend a Science Fair in Australia!

These are just some examples of the positive inroads being made to improve education in South Africa.

Having seen what is possible with our Child Life Program, where we are bringing invaluable psycho-social support skills for children into the hospitals of Cape Town, where before there were none, we are confident that we can continue to bring skilled international students, graduates, and teachers to South Africa to make a real difference.

Not only are our volunteers helping to educate the children and youth of Cape Town, they are in turn learning a lot about themselves and their career paths, and widening their horizons. We hope to welcome more teachers, students, and graduates to work in Education in 2010 and beyond, as we at Connect-123 firmly believe in education and its potential to transform lives.

During my stay Connect-123 stayed connected by following up with how my internship was progressing and planned many social activities to get to know other interns with the program and experience all South Africa has to offer. This was the best part of the experience. I had a phenomenal internship with a women’s rights NGO and was given more responsibilities than I could have expected as an intern. I had the chance to explore South Africa and share the experience with people who have become lifelong friends. Without Connect-123 none of this would have been possible, or at least not have come as easy.

If you want to do something off the beaten path, pick Cape Town. I can’t imagine a type of person that wouldn’t fall in love with the city quickly. The people I met and the contacts I made were all incredible. Can’t imagine a better place and way to spend a semester or summer or however much time you have to spend. The more the better.  Cheers and good luck.