Holidays with a purpose

A huge hug from Mama Thandi was my generous, and unexpected, welcome to the Cape Town township of Kayamandi. Mama’s home would be the base for my “voluntourism” trip. Five days of work at a centre for orphans followed by two nights in a five-star luxury lodge out of town, which is used by stars such as Brad Pitt and Halle Berry.

Voluntourism is becoming increasingly trendy. A chance to visit somewhere exotic, work and stay with local people, while giving something back. Though most of Kayamandi’s 20,000 residents live in shacks, Mama Thandi’s home was brick built, and thankfully cool. I soon felt at home, alongside her daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters.

After a welcome cold drink and snack, it was down to business and I was taken to my place of work: the Kuyasa project. During my five-minute journey, children ran up to chat or stare at this white stranger, sometimes slipping their hands into mine. Kuyasa (meaning “the sun rises” in local language Xhosa) is a symbol of hope in this community – a non-governmental organisation run by Christians.

It opens its doors daily to hundreds of children and young adults aged 6-18 years, offering them a meal (perhaps the only one they’ll get that day), an education, and also provides a monthly sponsorship programme for orphans. In many cases, the parents have died of Aids or children are abandoned because they have the disease themselves.

On the first day, I met children, staff and other helpers in the group who had travelled from Britain. We ate home-cooked food together most nights, feasting on chicken, lasagne, salad, steamed bread (a cheaper way of making bread), meatballs and a braai (barbecue). I also dared to try the local delicacy, walkie talkies – boiled chicken’s feet – but wouldn’t recommend it.

During our stay, half of us tackled painting doors, window frames and the exterior of a building in white, with a trim in traditional green, while the rest dug foundations for a new playground. I split my time between physical work and helping with lessons. At times, I thought my arms would drop off from painting, scrubbing, sanding, sharpening pencils, sweeping the yard and endlessly washing brushes.

I would occasionally dream of home and my soft, comfy sofa. But then a child would run through the centre, shrieking and laughing, and I’d come back to my senses. The feeding scheme took place in the middle of the day. One afternoon I dished out 150 plates of food and while the dishes didn’t look too appetising, each serving was carefully designed to ensure it provided the nutrients a child needs.

After lunch I would give lessons to about 40 six and seven-year-olds, encouraging reading, and the learning of times tables and vocabulary. Not an easy task when the children are excited, loud, free-spirited and often naughty, trust me. By the end of each afternoon, I’d wearily trundle back to the homestay, past the hair salons and mechanic shops which line the streets of Kayamandi, for dinner and a chance to relax. All shops are advertised by rudimentary hand-written signs, and all play Rihanna, gangster rap or Justin Bieber, as if each is trying to be louder than the shop next door.

On some nights, our group tried the local bars. The one most of the local men frequented, called a shebeen, set me back 80p for a bottle of dry cider. The atmosphere was pleasant, but I wouldn’t have gone alone or with only women as companions.

Usually, I was in bed by 10.30pm, shattered from hard work. Being tired felt good though and a world away from my office job. But I only really became convinced that painting walls and sweeping the yard would help this community in the long-term, however, by a chance meeting on my final day.

Abongile Khwaza, 21, joined Kuyasa in 2004 at 14, with no direction, hopes or dreams. Now she’s off to college to study social care and is keen to go on to university. She told me how small actions are part of a bigger picture, and that volunteers make Kuyasa a little brighter while improving young lives in a big way.

Nineteen-year-old Monde Ntoyanta was another success story: once a drug user, thief and school dropout, he joined Kuyasa and within a year won awards in physics and maths. He, too, plans to go to university. I left knowing the good work would carry on. And while I should have gone to Grootbos nature reserve with a spring in my step, I could barely stand up after so much work.

Grootbos is a private reserve that overlooks Walker Bay, about two and a half hours in a car along the coast from Cape Town, and is a haven for whales, penguins and sharks. Within these 2,668 hectares of beautiful rolling hills, which celebrate the best in terms of flora and fynbos (local shrubland), is a high-end holiday resort. My private cabin had stunning views across the Atlantic Ocean through a glass wall, and a terrace beyond that housed an outdoor shower. Taking a bath, while looking out across the reserve and the beach, provided a view I will never forget. The food was good too, although the chef tried a bit too hard to impress on occasion, with bizarre concoctions such as beetroot and white chocolate ice cream.

Over two nights, we had the choice of activities, from walking tours and safaris, to picnics on the beach and tours of ancient caves. I took the Jeep safari, led by a resident expert. He drove through the landscape for two hours, pointing out flowers of significance, birds, insects, fynbos, and explained South Africa’s fragile ecosystem. But although the resort was luxurious, this part of the trip was still about giving back to local communities. The Grootbos Foundation runs two schemes, a horticulture and life skills programme and an organic farming project, with entrants mainly from local disadvantaged communities.

GETTING THERE

Caroline Davison was a guest of Virgin Holidays Human Nature Collection, which offers six nights in Cape Town, including flights from Manchester with Emirates from £1,775.

Reservations: 0844 573 8346 and www.virginholidays.co.uk