What do you do as a general volunteer
Rehoboth is looking for a special person who can come and serve at Rehoboth. We need your help in a variety of ways:
- Driving children to sports, outings, shopping, school activities, church, etc.
- If needed, helping out in the ‘shop’ with the weekly and monthly grocery distribution to the houses.
- Sorting and organizing clothing, shoes, toys, bedding, etc.
- Providing administrative support if needed.
- Assisting with sports for groups of children.
- Helping children with homework.
What do you need as a volunteer
There are 4 main components you will need to become a volunteer at Rehoboth.
Time
Volunteers come for a minimum of 3 months but we would prefer to have volunteers for a period of 6 months to a year. We cannot take people on for shorter time periods than this as there is a lot to learn in order to be effective in your work here. We also want to protect these vulnerable children as they already struggle to form healthy bonds and attachments to people. By not having too many people come in and out of their lives too quickly we can help foster healthy attachment and bonding. On the other hand, if you are able to come for longer than 3 months, then we would discuss your options during the application process. Please understand that any volunteer goes through an initial 3 month probation period which includes an evaluation after the first month.
A Heart for Children and Serving God
You do not need specific skills or experience to come and volunteer at Rehoboth. You do need to love children and have a desire to serve God through caring for them.
Finances
We provide volunteers with on-site accommodation (including lights and water) and the use of a Rehoboth vehicle for local transport. The cost for this is R1000 (ZAR) per month. In addition to this amount, you will need your flight costs, plus money for food, outings, internet use etc. Based on previous volunteers’ experience, we suggest you raise R3500 (ZAR) per month to cover all expenses. If you plan to do lots of tourist activities or go on a holiday then you will need more funding. See www.xe.com for conversion rates to different currencies.
Driving Licence
One of the biggest tasks that all volunteers are needed to help with is transport of children. (To school activities, church, hospital appointments, sport, outings etc.). You need to have a valid driver’s license with at least 1 full year of driving experience. You need to be able to drive a vehicle with a manual gearbox. You need to be able to drive on the left side of the road. The condition of the roads in South Africa requires confident, experienced drivers. Unfortunately we cannot take on volunteers who do not meet this requirement, as Rehoboth is far out of town, and it places a large burden on other members of the team to always be driving unlicensed volunteers around for groceries and outings.