If you are interested in joining us at TLC you will need to read all the information here carefully. It would also be advisable to read as much as possible of the other pages on our site. Our philosophy is not typical of most organisations that care for children at risk, if you are intending to assist us in providing this care it is vitally important that you understand and agree with our philosophy.
Being a full time volunteer at TLC will involve you in a full range of child care responsibilities and will provide you with a wide variety of experiences most people would never have.
- What you will do?
- Where you will stay?
- What are the costs?
- How do you apply?
As a volunteer you would be intimately involved in daily care and development of every sort of infant, from the fragile premature babies to the rambunctious toddlers.
Childcare includes obvious tasks such as feeding, changing nappies, bathing and cuddling, as well as less obvious tasks like sterilizing bottles and teats; emptying nappy bins; mopping floors; washing, folding and packing away continuous loads of laundry; dispensing medications; nightshifts as well as occasional hospital visits which may involve waits of six to eight hours.
As a volunteer you would be assigned to various nursery duties on a daily schedule. You would be required to work approximately 10 hours a day, 6 days a week.
There is a mandatory meeting held once a week where volunteers and management discuss matters relating to the nursery, children and life at TLC.
The task of caring for our babies is demanding, rewarding and immensely satisfying.
Our full time volunteers are accommodated on the premises in cottages which house 8 people each.
Two volunteers are assigned to each room, and the volunteers are responsible for their own household chores in their cottages.
Three meals a day are provided and these are served in the main house. Meat makes up a significant part of the South African diet and TLC is not able to accommodate vegetarian or specialised diets.
Telecommunications at TLC are limited and can be unreliable. Upon arrival at TLC volunteers are allocated a TLC e-mail account, the volunteers do not have internet access at TLC and there is no land line telephone service. It is strongly recommended that volunteers acquire a cell phone while in South Africa for maintaining contact with family and friends back home during their stay in South Africa.
We require a programme fee from volunteers accepted into the full time programme. This enables us to provide a quality experience for our volunteers. We do realise that it is a challenge for young people to raise money, and so we have tried to keep the fee as reasonable as possible.
For stays of 6 or 12 months the deposit amount is payable to us 3 months before your arrival date, and is non-refundable. The balance is due on arrival.
For stays of 1 or 2 months, the programme fee is due 2 months before your arrival date and is non-refundable.
The fee includes training, food and accommodation. It does not include your travel expenses, spending money or toiletries. Volunteers usually spend approximately R 1 500 (South African Currency) a month on this.
| Period of Stay | Cost (ZAR) | Cost (USD) | Cost (Euro) |
| 1 year (2 consecutive 6 month stays) | 9 000 |
1 500 |
1 125 |
| 6 month stay | 6 300 |
1 050 |
800 |
| 2 month stay | 2 000 |
335 |
250 |
| 1 month stay | 1 500 |
250 |
190 |
The full time volunteer programme is open to applicants between the ages of 18 and 35 years. Should you fall outside of this age range, but feel that you would be able to contribute to TLC, while living and working effectively with a team made up of young adults, feel free to submit an application.
Volunteers in this programme are requested to come for a minimum period of 2 months.
Preference is given to people wishing to apply for a period of 6 to 12 months.
In order to work at TLC the Department of Health requires that you have been immunised against both Hepatitus A and Hepatitus B. You also need to provide a certificate indicating that you have been tested for Tuberculosis. It is further strongly advised that you are immunised against Tetanus, Measles, Mumps and Rubella, Influenza, Polio and Chicken Pox.
You will be required to submit a Police Clearance Certificate, indicating that you do not have a criminal record, with your application. You should be able to apply for this from your local police department.
To apply to join us you need to download the application form from the link at the bottom of the page. Complete the form and return it to the
TLC Volunteer Programme Manager , or fax it to us on
+27 86 504 2864.
Download Volunteer Application (MS-Word .doc)
Download Volunteer Application (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)
Volunteer