Training Volunteers for Community Development in Africa

Our college trains people from all walks of life to participate in the development of communities in Southern Africa. You can join too...

 Our aim is to contribute to the humanisation of society by training adults who will work with development. We call them Development Instructors. They  are exceptional people who will take on positions of responsibility and leadership, they are teachers, mobilisers, organisers and problem solvers at the development projects of Humana People to People.

The program allows you to join forces with others to make a difference, to create development and to stretch your limits.

The KwaZulu-Natal Experimental College opened in November of 2000.  It is the 13th College in an international school tradition that started in Scandinavia in 1970. The College has sister colleges in Europe, USA, the Caribbean and Asia, with which it shares information and develops new ideas. The College operates in tandem with Humana People to People Development projects in southern Africa. (The second period of the course is undertaken at a project in Mozambique or South Africa).

Through working in the development projects, engaging directly with communities in townships or rural villages, running youth clubs, creating awareness about HIV/AIDS, or collecting used clothes for fundraising, the participants experience the reality of daily life for most in the world. These are lessons that cannot come from a classroom - lessons learned through extended personal involvement, cemented with newly formed friendships and an understanding of teamwork and capped by the certainty that your activities directly benefited other people.

World wide many thousand of Development Instructors have participated in the programme over the last 25 years. Many participants continue to use their experiences directly through some form of community involvement or humanitarian work, or as volunteers in other fields. Those following other paths seldom forget their experiences.  It continues to enrich their lives and the lives of those around them, wherever life leads them afterwards.

Programme Structure

The Development Instructor Programme consists of three periods, outlined in the table below, totalling 12 months of activity.

Program	Duration	Activity
Preparation Period At the College in PineTown, Durban	5 Months	Studies and training . This period consists of three main elements, -        Courses -        Studies -        Experiences each of these elements has its own requirements. Participants also undetake extra activities consisiting of: Responsibilty areas, Outreach activities and Fundrasing
Work Period In South Africa or Mozambique	6 Months	Work at a Humana People to People Project. Each gets a position in a project, where they get hands-on experience with development work within areas of Health (HIV/AIDS), Children, Education & skill Training, Fundraising, etc.
Evaluation Period – Camp Future At the College in Pinetown	1 Month	Evaluation and planning of the future

The education during the preparation period is designed to provide the participant with the necessary skills and knowledge, and the appropriate attitudes to take up the responsibilities and challenges of a Development Instructor position at a Humana People to People Project. The five-month training aims to guide the participant from the study of development issues and specialized fields of knowledge, through theoretical and practical training of skills in community work, to the implementation of community micro projects, campaigns and workshops in areas surrounding the school.

During the preparation period, the DI will select a position at a Humana People to People project, and start preparations for the position. The programme consists of a range of subjects which all aim at equipping the participant with the knowledge to carry out his/her development work

The Work Period (6 months)

 Participants who have completed their Preparation Period at the KNEC will work at one of the Humana People to People Projects in Southern Africa. About half of the students work at projects in South Africa managed by Humana People to People in South Africa. The remaining students work for ADPP (Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo) in Mozambique, which both are members of the International Federation of Humana People to People.

During their Work Period, the DI obtains a position, such as Promotion Officer in a Fundraising Project, Assistant Programme Manager in the Children and Youth Programme in Child Aid, Partnership Officer at Country Office and Teacher at a Teacher Training College.

The Development Instructors not only learn from their work at the projects, they also contribute significantly to the development of the project and the impact it has on the communities. Development Instructors in Southern Africa have helped standardize pre-school education, planned and implemented HIV education programmes, run awareness campaigns on topics such as “Child Abuse”, Positive Living, Women’s rights, helped build schools, dug wells and brokered food aid for farmers and the rural poor.

Participants acquire hands-on experience in management skills, practical experience about the challenges that poor communities face (HIV and AIDS, child abuse, unemployment, lack of education, crime) and experience working with people directly in challenging circumstances.

The Evaluation Period – Camp Future (1 month)

Traditionally called ‘Camp Future’, the Evaluation Period consists of a month partly spent back at the college in Pinetown, partly in “the field”, during which the participants concentrate on evaluating their experiences and planning their future.

This period consists of two parts, the first of which is 10 days at the college, spent in evaluation. The participants present their reports to the Teachers Council, prepare courses and deliver first-person accounts for the new teams of participants. They also develop information and promotional material for the DI programme.

The second part consist of 20 days during which the participant involves himself or herself in a specific task in order to gain a wider experience of Humana People to People's work and to pass on their gained experiences in full speed before they end the programme.

 Future prospects

The DI Education equips the participants with useful skills, which they can use after graduation. Many continue to work in the NGO sector, e.g. many of them take up positions as Project Leaders or Programme Managers in Humana People to People projects in South Africa or other countries.

Participants who have completed their Preparation Period at the KNEC will work at one of the Humana People to People Projects in Southern Africa. About half of the students work at projects in South Africa managed by Humana People to People in South Africa. The remaining students work for ADPP (Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo) in Mozambique, which both are members of the International Federation of Humana People to People.

During their Work Period, the DI obtains a position, such as Promotion Officer in a Fundraising Project, Assistant Programme Manager in the Children and Youth Programme in Child Aid, Partnership Officer at Country Office and Teacher at a Teacher Training College.

The Development Instructors not only learn from their work at the projects, they also contribute significantly to the development of the project and the impact it has on the communities. Development Instructors in Southern Africa have helped standardize pre-school education, planned and implemented HIV education programmes, run awareness campaigns on topics such as “Child Abuse”, Positive Living, Women’s rights, helped build schools, dug wells and brokered food aid for farmers and the rural poor.

Participants acquire hands-on experience in management skills, practical experience about the challenges that poor communities face (HIV and AIDS, child abuse, unemployment, lack of education, crime) and experience working with people directly in challenging circumstances.

The Evaluation Period – Camp Future (1 month)

Traditionally called ‘Camp Future’, the Evaluation Period consists of a month partly spent back at the college in Pinetown, partly in “the field”, during which the participants concentrate on evaluating their experiences and planning their future.

This period consists of two parts, the first of which is 10 days at the college, spent in evaluation. The participants present their reports to the Teachers Council, prepare courses and deliver first-person accounts for the new teams of participants. They also develop information and promotional material for the DI programme.

The second part consist of 20 days during which the participant involves himself or herself in a specific task in order to gain a wider experience of Humana People to People's work and to pass on their gained experiences in full speed before they end the programme.

The DI Education equips the participants with useful skills, which they can use after graduation. Many continue to work in the NGO sector, e.g. many of them take up positions as Project Leaders or Programme Managers in Humana People to People projects in South Africa or other countries.