Community Engagement at Rhodes University is recognized and respected nationally and internationally as a leader in community engagement; and for its commitment to social and individual transformation, sustainable community development, student civic responsibility and scholarship of engagement. 

The Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) office coordinates the student volunteer programme (SVP) within the university. This programme trains, places, and supports all registered students who are willing to volunteer for a minimum of one hour a week at any of our community partner sites. The Community Engagement office does recognise that many of our volunteers will be international exchange students who may only be attending Rhodes University for one semester periods. For this reason we arrange for the volunteer periods of such students to run for five months, and assist our community partners within the handover period while we train new volunteers to take over their responsibilities.

In the first semester of 2012 the RUCE office worked with 12 short-term international students, who were placed in the following community partner sites:

Home of Joy

Home of Joy is a township based “Safety Home”, for orphans of HIV/Aids and children from abusive homes. There are 18 children in total and their ages vary from 3 months to 18 years. Volunteers help with everything that needs to be done. There are volunteers who assist the children with their school work and others who organise games with the young ones.

St Mary’s DCC

St Mary’s DCC provides care and regular meals to children in need between the ages of 6 and 18 years old. Parents apply for their children to take part in the programme. The children are selected from some of the most poverty stricken parts of Grahamstown. Once the children have joined the programme, they remain with it for the duration of their school life. The children go to St Mary’s in the morning and get changed into their school uniform. After school, they go back to St Mary’s and take part in a number of extra mural activities. As a volunteer at St Mary’s the students help in the after school programme. The project co-ordinator works with students to identify their individual strengths and interests and the best place for each individual to contribute.

Amasango

Amasango Career School offers accelerated bridging education to street children. Children are assessed on arrival using a very basic tool, which the school has developed, which allows them to place a child in the correct class for his/her current academic level, irrespective of previous schooling. The initial curriculum is limited to English, Xhosa, maths, art, and educational games. i.e. basic literacy and numeracy, underpinned with pre-school activities to give the foundation these children have never had. 

Little Flower

Little flower is one of RUCE’s preschool partners. The preschool children are vivacious and volunteers are soon caught up in their enthusiasm. The schools have a number of basic resources such as paint, crayons, beads, etc. but volunteers can also source other resources from CSD’s Eyethu Project, which can be used in assisting children in making beautiful handicrafts and other creative activities. Students also assist in the classroom with educational games. There is huge value in having students visit the schools not least of which is the crucial importance of giving them the opportunity to hear spoken English.

Eluxolweni

The Eluxolweni Shelter is one of five shelters for street children in the Eastern Cape. Eluxolweni means 'Place of Forgiveness and Peace' and provides residential care, rehabilitation programmes, counselling, meals three times a day, medical and dental care, access to schooling and church activities as well as clothing to local street/homeless children. Eluxolweni’s mission is to initiate, sustain and encourage schooling and life skills development for these poor, needy and often neglected children.

Jabez Centre

Jabez Health Centre is a Community-based Organisation that was set up in 2005, and has been a registered NPO since 2007. Working in the Catchment area it assists people from Joza, Tantyi, Fingo Village and Hoogenoeg, and provides care and support for those living with HIV/AIDS.

All of these partners have given feedback on the international student volunteers and appreciate the support they bring.

As international exchange students are not with us long enough to create and sustain their own community engagement programmes, the vast majority of the work done by the student’s takes place within the SVP system. The SVP system is a sustainable programme as is functions as a core purpose within the Rhodes University Community Engagement Centre.

All volunteers are needed and provide invaluable assistance to our community partners. Students provide their time and skills in support of the work done within each partner site; while each student gets the opportunity to share their skills and expertise with those who need them most, while they build relationships with local NGOs and causes within Grahamstown.

Last Modified: Fri, 19 May 2017 12:11:25 SAST