Michel Roger

 

I have just returned from one month of voluntary work in Cape Town and it was a wonderful experience...  My work with South African Environment Project (selected from your list of NGOs) was extremely challenging and worthwhile. I worked with Norton Tenille and his associate Boyce Papu, as a tutor in a secondary school.  Sinethemba High School, in the poorest community of Philippi.

 

My job was to foster environmental awareness, team work, communication skills and to motivate 20 students, grade 10 to 12, with the Cape Peninsula highest failure rate in sciences. The end product was the (collective) design of the school Hall and a presentation to the school staff.  A model and plans were presented. I am now looking for funds to have this Hall built !

 

I had the opportunity to lecture this group on environment and architecture, pollution and waste. Students were extremely keen to start a "recycling business" and get some cash to fund school events and class outings. Lectures on photography and creativity, relation between music, poetry and sciences, (e.g.Mozart and Black poetry) .The world of architecture and looking beyond the books.  The students wrote the history of their family and their community.

 

A visit to a building site was organised. All the group, boys and girls attended the guided tour with the contractor's foreman who explained what his job was.  At the end of the workshop, a presentation was held in front of the teachers'staff and a member of parliament.  5 students made a speech and presented the workshop.  50 trees being offered by a South African NGO (TREES for Africa ), a tree planting ceremony was organised with the class who planted the first trees.

Thank you for your guidance. I sincerely hope to do some more work, on a voluntary basis, in the future.
Michel Roger, 59 years, architect, from France