Non-profit organisation Better SA specialises in organising and fully facilitating volunteerism in disadvantaged communities through weekly excursions that set off from designated bus hubs. Over the past four years, they have been mobilising volunteers in Johannesburg, and exposing them to life-changing and enriching experiences of giving back.
MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, already sponsoring a Johannesburg mini-bus, will now help Better SA scale up its services by also sponsoring its inaugural Cape Town mini-bus, which will operate from Better SA hubs in Pinelands every Wednesday and Saturday. The volunteer opportunities offered are specifically at organisations that are also MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet beneficiaries nominated by supporters. These include The Lucky Lucy Foundation, Soil for Life, ABC for Life, The Anna Foundation, SOS Children’s Village and many more.
The Better SA Hop on Hop off service aims to take the hassle out of volunteering. All the volunteer has to do is book their spot on the bus and arrive at the bus hub. The service is free of charge and coordinated from start to finish so that volunteers can make the most impact in the time they have available.
Each experience starts with an exact briefing at the bus hub that provides detailed information on the organisation and the community they will visit. 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.
“We’re delighted to build on the success of the MySchool sponsored bus in Johannesburg by helping Better SA bring the volunteer bus service to Cape Town,” says Helene Brand, MySchool Marketing and CSI manager. “This gives our Mother City supporters wonderful opportunities to give hands-on support to the causes that matter most to them in Cape Town communities. Instead of just having their cards scanned at till points, they can now enjoy spending their time and sharing their knowledge with children and individuals in very needy communities.”
Anyone wanting to volunteer can log on to www.bettersa.org, review the upcoming calendar of Cape Town events and then complete the booking form for the event that most appeals to them. The only other action they need to take is to arrive at the bus hub and hop on the bus.
The Hop on Hop off volunteer bus service runs every Wednesday (from 1pm to 4pm) and Saturday (from 9am to 12pm) from the Better SA hub at:
“We’ve had lots of requests from Capetonians to ‘bring the bus to Cape Town’ and are delighted to finally launch the Cape Town MySchool Better SA bus service,” comments Roberta Donovan, founder of Better SA. “Many people would like to give their time and expertise to improving lives but volunteering in South Africa can seem challenging. By eliminating the barriers to volunteering, and making the experience easy and fulfilling, we aim to boost volunteerism in the country because it is an incredible way to make a difference.”
