I went to my first ever board meeting. I had to arrange with my supervisor a couple weeks earlier before I promised to go. I say promised to go because I literally had to skip an entire class (where something important was due) to attend this meeting because it would be my last chance to experience such a thing. It took me a while to convince myself it was worth it to go. The meeting was on the 15th at 7pm so I emailed professor on the Sunday to tell him I won’t be attending class for a reason and send him my work through email. He seemed cool with it. 

So. The meeting. 

Only members of the VAB board are allowed to attend these monthly meetings so I guess it was a special moment for me. I arrived exactly 7pm and I was the last one to show up. The table was full of familiar faces and new ones. They all had papers in front of them detailing the earnings the organization got and what needs to be improved, taken away and added in terms of classes and other programs. It was extremely interesting because there were rice krispy squares and a discussion timetable to organize who would be speaking and at what time. With a table of well-educated adults passionate about the art community the conversation got a bit erupted from time to time but they pretty much stayed on course. My role in this meeting was to literally observe what goes on behind the scenes. I didn’t mind because I wouldn’t talk anyways even if I had the chance. The only time I talked was when my supervisor/president of VAB praised the work I did so far. That felt nice. I explained how I organize the future summer camp and other topics of research I did over the course of my internship. The board members seemed impressed with it. One actually said, “she does more than us combined!”. Well it sure as hell felt like it for a bit. All in all, meeting went well. I don’t regret going at all. 

Written by: Kate Murphy

It has often been said that a picture paints a thousand words. For Maria Bountali, a single photograph not only painted a thousand words; it changed her life. The photograph, which accompanied an online article entitled “The Horrors of the Sea,” showed a desperate, exhausted refugee, and touched Maria instantly. She didn’t read the article. She didn’t need to because the photograph told her everything she needed to know.

“His head was just above the water; it felt like his eyes were looking at me,” she recalls. “He was helpless. He was truly exhausted.”

At the time, Maria was struggling with her own personal issues, but she says that that the image, taken by a Spanish photographer named Juan Medina, gave her a new perspective and changed her way of thinking. That’s when she decided to look for a new volunteering opportunity. Maria comes from a family that advocates community service. Her grandmother and great grandmother were recognized for their generosity and philanthropic work, and she has observed her father, a paediatrician, offer his services for free to those in need since the 1980s. She discovered Translators without Borders (TWB), which gave her the opportunity to help people like the man in Juan Medina’s photograph.

This organization will help pay off your student loans in exchange for volunteer work.

Government sponsored German volunteers that will be staying in the country for 9 months. They have been placed in various projects from Education, Childcare to Environmental projects.  They will be staying at home stays around Cape Town. They will also be joining the Hotspots 3 Day Western Cape WOW tour.

 The idea behind the Weltwarts volunteer service is the successful formula of “learning by serving” and its aims are twofold: to achieve added developmental value for the partner projects in terms of help towards self-help, and to spark new interest in development issues in Germany.

The Weltwarts programme is basically a government funded programme and the volunteers are in country for 9 months. There isn’t much difference between this and our other programmes except that these volunteers get a 3 day tour, extra orientation sessions and a mid-way session to find out how things are going. Volunteers on this program need to write reports as well about their volunteer experience in South Africa as part of the program requirements.