Whether you want to work with neglected animals over weekends or help out at a children's home, volunteering often demands more than you think.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Nicole*, 23, wanted to help ease the burden of piles of paperwork at her local police station, but the extensive training procedures proved more than a little challenging.
'During my varsity break, I went to my nearest police department to apply to become a reservist. I didn't want to go out in the field; I just wanted to do the administrative work the officers didn't have enough time to complete. But in order to qualify as a
Category B Reservist (Support Services), I was told I would have to study hundreds of pages before completing entrance exams as well as go through an extensive training course as if I were training to be an actual gun-wielding police officer myself. All I wanted was to help out with a little bit of admin!'
The Organisation Says: 'A Category B reservist is a support reservist that may not be utilised in an operational environment,' says SAPS representative, Brigadier Phuti Setati. He says Nicole was incorrectly informed that she would have to go out into the field. As a category B reservist, your duty is to perform support services, for example, processing leave, finalising injuries on duty, assisting with typing, or performing administration responsibilities for operational reservists, says Setati. You don't even wear a uniform, won't be issued with a firearm and won't attend any operational training, he says. 'You will only be trained for the tasks you are required to perform.' However, be aware that you will go through an indefinite orientation programme and your job-specific training will be a continuous process.
Tip: While you will only be trained for specific tasks, this process can take time. So sticking it out through the training will pay off in the end.
WORKING WITH ANIMALS
Jaime*, 21, wanted to volunteer at bird welfare organisation
SANCCOB in between work and studying, but found working with injured birds more difficult than she imagined.
'When I started volunteering at the centre, I cleaned the penguins' pens and mats and helped get the centre ready for their rehabilitation. But seeing these birds in pain because people had burnt off their feet, or because they'd been caught in barbed wire or had plastic bags stuck in their throats was heartbreaking. I still wanted to help as much as I could, but I really couldn't bear to see animals suffer.'
The Organisation Says: SANCCOB chief executive Venessa Strauss says their organisation relies heavily on volunteers. What most people don't realise is that there are many other aspects involved when you work at the centre. 'Some people only clean pens, or defrost the fish – you can choose not to work with the birds. Either way, when you volunteer at centres like ours, you walk away feeling like you have made a huge difference.'
Tip: If you'd rather not work at the centre itself, there are other ways you can help. At SANCCOB you can adopt a penguin for R500. You'll receive a letter as to why your penguin needs treatment, an adoption certificate and a photograph of your penguin. Your donation will help rehabilitate at least one animal before it's released back into the wild.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN
Volunteering at a centre for orphaned or abandoned children isn't something you can do sporadically for a month here and there; you need to be fully committed. For example, at
Cotlands (a non-profit organisation based in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town that cares for HIV/Aids orphans), you need to sign a one-year commitment agreement before you begin volunteering.
The Organisation Says: Commitment forms are there to limit the number of adults moving in and out of the children's lives, says Johannesburg-based social worker, Kathy Hawthorn. 'Abandoned or orphaned children already feel the loss of an adult, and if they continually form relationships with adults, only to have them leave every few months, this can impact on their ability to trust and bond with a new family when one is identified,' she explains. Ideally, she says, Cotlands would prefer an even longer commitment, but as people's life circumstances change, this becomes unrealistic.
Cotlands representative, Michelle Coetzee, agrees. 'Because the children placed in our care have experienced so much uncertainty and loss in their young lives, we try to keep Cotlands as consistent as possible... By committing to a year at the centre, the chances are great that if a volunteer bonds with a specific child, that that child will have been placed back in the community before the volunteer's 12-month period is over,' she says. There is a three-month 'probation' period at the start of the year, which allows volunteers to leave the programme if they don't feel they can make a proper commitment.
Tip: If you can't commit to a full year at a children's centre like Cotlands, consider the alternative. Cotlands allows you to buy books, cards and pins as well as donate money to the organisation via the website.
*Names have been changed