The Mashudu Projects
About Us
The Limpopo Province is situated at the North Eastern corner of South Africa and shares borders with Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The local people need help in many aspects of their education and health systems including home based care and education of the wider community. Help is offered by volunteers, who fund themselves, with specific skills. We have volunteers from the UK, Germany, New Zealand and the USA.
Volunteers are encouraged to live with local families and involve themselves with the community on every level e.g. sharing meals, sharing choir rehearsals, church on Sundays, visiting relatives or even attending family celebrations or funerals. In this way they begin to get an insight into the real lives of the communities in which they have chosen to live and work for a short time.
On a professional level all volunteers are asked to look at their own practice and particular strengths and prepare a training workshop to share with South African colleagues during their time in the Limpopo. Another good way of sharing practice and skills is to model lessons alongside their African colleagues. We can also organize an event e.g. rounders match so that larger groups learn to work together as a team.
Who are we? - One coordinator, five trustees and as many suitable volunteers as we can find each year who have the skills and temperament to survive in rural South Africa.
As time goes by the Mashudu Projects are gradually being recognised by the wider community of the Vhembe District of the Limpopo Province as a positive force that deals with 'Education' in the widest possible sense and is available for support when required. The mobile number is held by many on their cell phones and used often.