Pienaar
South Africa, Pienaar Schools Project, 2008
Volunteers work in the township of Pienaar on one of Tenteleni’s most established projects. Pienaar is one of the more poverty-striken townships in the area and as such, the schools lack many basic resources. Many pupils are orphaned or grow up in broken homes and there is little sense of local community outside the schools. This makes for a challenging and often intense project. Volunteers are based in hostel accommodation in the small town of White River, just north of Nelspruit and close to the Kruger National Park. Volunteers assist in primary school placements from Monday to Friday and will travel to the placements by bus. The project facilitates placements for approximately 16 volunteers.
Pienaar
The township Pienaar borders onto KaNyamazane (approximately 20km to the east of Nelspruit) so that it is difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. While housing is mostly formal, there are some mud huts and shacks, especially around the boundaries of the town. Although most homes do have water and electricity supply, low or non-payment for these services is common, and many people resort to illegal connections. In Pienaar, sanitation is usually provided in the form of pit toilets and communal standpipes.
Placements
The schools, suffering from the legacy of apartheid, are
under-resourced, under-staffed and over-crowded. Teachers are
forced to contend with the relatively new Outcomes Based
Education system and curriculum for which they are unprepared, and
lack the materials to facilitate effectively.
Conditions do vary from school to school, however most have the
basics such as electricity, running water, tables and
chairs, and some textbooks. Sanitary conditions are far from
desirable and undoubtedly contribute to the poor health of many
children. Classrooms can contain between forty and ninety learners,
which can often be amalgamated or left unsupervised due to absent
teachers.
Volunteers act as teaching assistants within the placement schools. The aim of the volunteers is to inject imagination and enthusiasm into education; provide the basis for cultural exchange; support youth issues including HIV and AIDS awareness (where requested); provide invaluable English language tuition (pupils sit exams in English despite this not being their mother tongue); utilise small group learning techniques to target those children falling behind in class; and share skills, ideas and experiences.
Though Tenteleni does not expect volunteers to teach
independently some organisations do request it. However, by
encouraging volunteer-staff partnerships, volunteers will have a
more sustainable impact. After school volunteers will aim to
initiate or assist with existing extra-curricular activities such
as sport, music, art and drama.
Tenteleni has volunteers in the following school
Placements:
·
Bongani Primary School (2 volunteers)
·
Shishila Primary School (2 volunteers)
·
Sibuyile Primary School (2 volunteers)
·
Sindsawonye Primary School (2 volunteers)
·
Siyakhula Primary School (2 volunteers)
·
Somcuba Primary School (2 volunteers)
·
Tiboneleni Primary School (2 volunteers)
·
Tiga Primary School (2 volunteers)
“Working in Pienaar is a real eye-opener for all: both volunteers and locals, and volunteers have a real opportunity to change the lives of the children they work with - beyond their eight weeks in Africa”
Pienaar Volunteer, 2006