Only volunteers older than 21 are accepted as volunteers. We do however accommodate school groups for a specific time/ undertaking, but only directly with the school concerned and not individually with scholars.
Individual Volunteers
All individual volunteers engaging directly with the children, will have to provide 2 certified copies of their ID’s/passport and be checked against the Child Protection Register (local) or present a Police Clearance Certificate (International).
Individual volunteers working directly with the children are not accepted for periods of less than six months.
No volunteer is allowed to share their contact details or connect via social media with the children in our projects.
Companies or groups of volunteers
We do encourage companies and other institutions to volunteer their time to help, be it doing a special event, painting a dormitory, doing a sports day, helping in the garden, etc. In this regard please note:
Volunteer groups will not have to be vetted against the CPR, but must agree to provide identification and to be monitored by the Homestead staff at all times.
The Homestead cannot accommodate exceptional large groups, more than 20 people at a time, or any unsupervised interaction with the children.
The Homestead is not able to provide airfares, accommodation, transport or any form of payment for volunteers.
What is important
Continuity of service helps to build a relationship between the children and the services we offer, as well as reconnect the children to the wider community.
We want volunteers to help empower the organisation and the children we work with. Volunteers are not there to get into our children’s hearts and disappear. It is vital that the children understand your role as volunteer, why you are there and that a proper exit strategy with the children is followed.
Consistency is key, rather volunteer once a month like clock work, than irregularly or on an adhoc basis.
Volunteer according to your strengths, skills, interests and personality. Don’t try and be something you are not.
You don’t have to work directly with the children, some volunteers prefer to/ are better at helping out in the background with administration/ operations/ fundraising/ Marketing/etc.
Don’t work through your issues by volunteering. While volunteering is very rewarding, and you will get a lot out of it, we need volunteers who are emotionally balanced, sensible, and able to maintain strong adult boundaries. A strong sense of humour, love for life, and empathy for the children is key to success.
Don’t make promises to the children you cannot keep. Sometimes volunteers make promises without thinking “Oh we will do that next time”. Unfortunately next time the children will expect you to do what you promised. Rather just say No.
No matter how tempted you are, please do not share your contact details or link up via social media with the children. Apart from being illegal, as the children are on court order, this might also raise unrealistic expectations and place you in a very difficult position.
While the Homestead strives to be the best there is, we are not perfect and need your input/help to improve/ pick up problems. If you come across any problems or have any serious concerns, even ideas of how we can improve, please forward these to the director in writing.
The children are not toys, they are very real people with normal emotions and feelings. They need your respect just as much as you need theirs. Ask a child before doing something for/with them, they might have reasons for not wanting to do something.
Please do not take photographs of children without permission of the director and do not share on social media. It is illegal to identify Homestead children (they are all on court order) on social media/publicly. This is for their own protection.
Application
Requirements
Short CV and two contactable referees
The completed volunteer application form
Certified copy of your ID
Complete CPR form (Obtainable from the Homestead).
Signed affidavit stating that there is no reason why you should not be allowed to work with children.
