Blessed Gérard's Care Centre

Mandeni · kwaZulu/Natal · Republic of South Africa

Information for Prospective Volunteer Helpers

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for the interest, which you have shown in coming to us as a volunteer helper. May your proposed stay be as pleasant and fruitful as possible for both you and us. We would like to take this opportunity, through this letter, to inform you what you may expect from us and what we would expect from you.

MOTIVATION

Kindly examine yourself as to the true reasons for your proposed trip. If you want to utilise your talents to help the needy, you will enjoy your stay.

It is our experience, that people, who came here either looking for an adventure, or running away from personal problems, or wanting to change the world and people’s attitudes were deeply disappointed.

But if you have an open mind and are prepared to look and listen without prejudice and to contribute through your service to our work, you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of making the lives of the needy more worthwhile.

LEGAL STATUS

A volunteer is not considered a worker who is offered employment by us. We offer you free board and lodging and the use of our laundry and recreational facilities. You will not receive a salary from us.

Should your application be accepted, you would be required to apply for a visa at a South African consulate or embassy in your country. Please take into consideration, that the processing of such a visa application may take several weeks. Information on Volunteer Visa requirements and a Visa Application form is available on the website of the South African Consulate General in Los Angeles, U.S.A.

You will be requested to join the Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard as a member either on arrival or you may join on acceptance of your application, prior to coming to RSA.

SPIRITUALITY

We help …

because there is a big need for every helping hand in our area.
because we are convinced, that everybody should not just demand help, but offer it.
because we believe, whatsoever we do to the least of our brothers, that we do unto God (Mt 25.40).
because we want to extend God's loving care to those in need as instruments of God's love.
because we are overwhelmed by Christ's love (2 Cor 5.14) which is our mission (Joh 20.21).
because we want to work towards the alleviation of suffering and make the misery of the world more bearable.

The Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard is not a catholic organisation in name alone, but a community of the church, which executes its charitable service as a work of faith. Our work is essentially a fulfilment of the missionary task of the church, to proclaim the gospel in word and deed. The centre of our daily schedule is the celebration of Holy Mass as expression and execution of the redemptory service of the church. If somebody would be critical of or distant from the church and its missionary work, he or she would not feel comfortable in our community. If you can identify with our principles, you will find ample opportunities to have many wonderful experiences.

QUALIFICATIONS

It will be very useful, but it is not a condition for you to have any training in the wider medical, nursing or social fields, e.g. nursing assistant, paramedic, first aider.

LANGUAGE

If one wants to help somebody, he or she must be able to communicate with the person concerned. Most of the people in our area speak only Zulu, but there are many who speak some English. Therefore you will only be able to make yourself understood if you speak English well.

DURATION OF STAY

We recommend that you think about the cost-effectiveness of your stay, i.e. the relation between the cost of your air ticket, insurance etc. and the time which you have available to stay. It will take some time (about two to three weeks) to become orientated and to get accustomed to and comfortable with your task. A very short stay may not warrant all the effort and expense.

WHAT YOUR DUTIES WILL BE

Blessed Gérard’s Care Centre runs several projects in the same building. Two of these are suitable for non-local volunteers to participate in: Blessed Gérard’s Hospice and Blessed Gérard’s Children’s Home. There will be times when you are expected to help the patients in the wards of our Hospice and there will be times when you are expected to care for the children in our Children’s Home.

TRANSPORT

Durban International Airport is our closest airport. We will collect you from there and arrange transport where ever necessary as part of your service in our projects and at the end of your stay with us we would return you to Durban airport. However, we cannot provide you with a private vehicle and our insurance does not permit our organisation’s vehicles to be used for private purposes either. If you want to drive a vehicle in South Africa, you should bring along an international driver’s licence (you cannot get one, once you are in the country).

LOCALITY

The village of Mandeni itself is very small. It is situated on the banks of the Tugela River, 100 km north of Durban, approximately 14km inland from the Indian Ocean. In the village itself the inhabitants number about 8000, but in the township, semi-rural and rural areas which we serve there are more or less 250 000 people.

There is everything you need for day to day living locally e.g. a shopping centre, Post Office, hairdresser, pharmacy, doctors, supermarket, bank, travel agency, clothing shops etc.

LEISURE & RECREATION

Apart from the relaxing atmosphere of our volunteer’s accommodation we will give you advice on where to go and how to get there, to enjoy the many wonderful and various tourist attractions nearby. Should you want to travel to the areas of historical or natural interest, it would be wise to either hire a car or to book onto a regular tour, through a travel agency. Please be aware that there are no social clubs, pubs, movie houses or restaurants in the Mandeni area. There is also no recommendable public transport. Therefore, please prepare yourself for a life without all the entertainment, which is normally available in a town setting. The swimming beach is approximately 20 kms from Mandeni. There is a public swimming pool, which is open all year round. It is within walking distance of our Centre. In our accommodation for foreign volunteers there is TV & video machine, a CD player, Radio and cassette player, various books (some in German), puzzles and games. Please take an online pictorial tour around the Care Centre incl. the volunteer’s accommodation!

HEALTH

The WHO classifies us as a malaria area. Protective measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes are recommended. Insect repellents are readily available locally and are fairly cheap.
We have a sub-tropical climate. Summer (October to March) can be extremely hot and humid, which is a risk for people with cardiac and/or circulatory problems. Our winters (May to August) are mild.
If you are suffering from any disease, which necessitates regular medical attention, you should carefully discuss your possible stay here with your doctor.
Please bring along a sufficient supply of any medication you have to take regularly.
Make sure that you are fully covered by insurance for both illness and accident.
Our house including the volunteers' accommodation is a non-smoking area.

CONTACTING YOUR HOME

After you arrive we will give you the opportunity to phone your home from our office to inform them of your safe arrival. Subsequently you may use the public phone, which is situated in our entrance area. GSM type mobile phones will work in South Africa. Please make sure with your provider that international roaming will be enabled prior to your departure from home. SIM Cards from the South African Mobile Networks can be easily purchased. There is also a computer with Internet access and e-mail facilities in the volunteer’s lounge, which you may use free of charge. You may receive post via our postal address: P O Box 440 Mandeni 4490 Republic of South Africa Mail from Europe takes approximately ten days and from the USA about three weeks, either way.

DRESS

When a member of ours is on duty and helping in any way, they are required to wear our uniform. This consists of a white pilot shirt with our badge and epaulettes, which will be given to you on acceptance of your active membership, and either plain black trousers or a plain black skirt. We suggest that the ladies should wear trousers, as this is much more practical. We also strongly recommend that you wear closed shoes, even when working in the wards, for your own protection. Please bring suitable black trousers and / or skirt and comfortable black shoes with you.

INDEMNITY

You will be asked on arrival to sign an indemnity form stating that you will not make us liable in any way whatsoever should you have an accident or contract a disease in connection with your stay as a volunteer helper. Please arrange all necessary insurance yourself.