Are you keen to volunteer but not quite sure how to go about it or where to get started? Well, MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet and Better SA have the answer for you. After a year of successful operations in Joburg, they’ve brought the volunteer bus to the Mother City. It’s become known as the ‘Uber of volunteering’ because they provide an innovative hop-on hop-off mini-bus service with meaningful volunteer experiences for us locals as well as visitors.
I had the opportunity to join Better SA for their Cape Town launch event and hopped on bus to Gugulethu to join a group to revamp and paint a library at Siyazingisa Primary School. It was hands down the best way to spend my morning. I painted in some Cat in the Hat murals that had already been drawn by a professional with proper skills (so I really can’t claim much credit) and helped hang the curtains while another group sorted a huge heap of library books and organised the room. It was a feel good experience as I got my hands dirty and saw the difference that a group of people can make if they just set aside the time to get up off the couch and get involved.
Scroll down for a before and after pic of the library – the transformation was incredible!
Painting a school library is just one of the kinds of volunteer opportunities you can join if you book a spot on the volunteer bus. The bus leaves from Pinelands every Wednesday afternoon (from 1pm to 4pm) and Saturday morning (from 9am to 12pm) and takes volunteers out to give their time at wonderful projects already happening across Cape Town. The service is free of charge and coordinated from start to finish so that volunteers can make the most difference with the time that they have available.
Each experience starts with an exact briefing at the bus hub that provides detailed information on the organization and the community they will visit and all resources needed to complete the volunteer activity are provided. Volunteer activities range from playing educational games with children to visiting the elderly; participating in community clean-ups to painting facilities; teaching computer skills to typing up CVs. New beneficiary organisations and volunteer opportunities are added to the Better SA event calendar on a regular basis to encourage people to become serial volunteers.
It’s so easy to sign up – just log on to www.bettersa.org to check out the calendar for yourself and complete the booking form for the event that most appeals to you. Then you just need to arrive at the bus hub and hop on the bus. The Cape Town bus hubs are at Mupine Golf Club, Forest Drive Extension, Pinelands and Old Mutual, Sports Field, Jan Smuts Drive, Pinelands.
So, see you on the bus? Let’s do this! Sign up with a group of friends or make a plan to take your school going kids along with you.
*This post was sponsored by Better SA.
What an awesome initiative! Megan xx