South Africa Women's Empowerment Internship (short-term)
Make your contribution to long-term initiatives in the field of gender equality, while visiting Cape Town, South Africa. Join a team of fellow international volunteers and assist with lessening the burden of intergenerational poverty, by working to assist women in township and rural communities to gain access to equal education, health care and income opportunities.


Program Focuses
The majority of people living below the poverty line are women. Many girls around the world are still denied a basic education and women continue to dominate the world's illiterate population. By supporting women in society and giving them access to equal opportunities such as an education, jobs and health care, everyone benefits. Infant mortality rates go down, more children stay in school, incomes increase and the cycle of poverty can be broken. By volunteering on this programme with GVI, you will join a dedicated team of international volunteers assisting on sustainable and invaluable women’s empowerment initiatives. Although gender equality has come a long way for women from disadvantaged communities in South Africa, there is still quite a lot that needs to be done to ensure women have equal opportunities and skills to participate actively and effectively in South Africa’ economy. In the traditional township and rural culture, gender discrimination stems from patriarchal cultural and religious beliefs. This has spilled over into the workplace, especially in senior management roles, with only 16% held by women.

Interns work one to one or in small groups with women in the local community to support them to gain knowledge and skills towards personal progress and gender equality. Currently, our programme's main focus is on teaching computer skills. Volunteers teach women in the community basic computer skills by guiding them through a simple computer course. This aims to help women to get better access to employment and other opportunities. In addition, the Women's Empowerment program involves running workshops with girls in the community (currently in Grade 5-7) on topics such as physical and mental health and hygiene, healthy relationships, communication and gender equality. Where the schedule allows, we also plan and deliver workshops to the women in the local community based on the community's needs and interests. This includes CV and job application support, interview practice, sewing workshops, first aid courses and health workshops.

Location:
South Africa is a country with an intricate history, deeply rooted in diverse nature, culture and tradition. The Republic of South Africa is a country in the southernmost part of Africa, with a coastline stretching across two oceans, the Atlantic and Indian. Interns can learn to speak some of its 11 official languages, visit its eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, see the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino that makes up South Africa’s Big Five, and try to spot the different plant species in the Cape Floral Kingdom, 70% of which are found nowhere else in the world. Volunteering in South Africa offers an opportunity to contribute directly towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) by working in the alongside the local communities that make up South Africa’s “Rainbow Nation”.


Program Highlights

• Contribute to impactful and sustainable women’s empowerment initiatives
• Explore Cape Town and revel in all its natural beauty
• Immerse yourself into a fascinating culture
• Enjoy life in one of the world’s most beautiful cities and make a serious difference in the lives of girls and women in the local community
• Hosting alternative income generation skills workshops
• Educating South African women on various health topics and prenatal care
• Providing additional educational support to young girls in local schools

If applying for this program to obtain credit from an institution, GVI can supply learning outcomes and support in the application. Risk assessment available upon request, please contact GVI for more details. 

For more information, check out our video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EN-s2O3C8I