Team on South Africa mission
YOUNG people from Huddersfield went to South Africa to make a difference to children’s lives, as part of the Greensleeves Orphanage project.
Young people who were part of the National Citizen Service (NCS) worked with Huddersfield Giants Community Trust, based at The Zone in Huddersfield.
They took on the challenge of planning an international experience for a group who graduated from the scheme in 2018.
The young people worked over the course of six months to raise funds of £16,000. This involved, bag packing, random acts of kindness, car washing and a race night.
Huddersfield Giants Cheerleading Squad also got involved to support by raising funds through a bucket collection at one of the matches.
The trip was in partnership with Adventure for Students, a local organisation designed to give an international volunteering experience to strengthen skill set and employability of young people.
The NCS graduates spent 15 days of their summer in South Africa, working with a local orphanage named Greensleeves. Every day was action-packed from leading English and maths lessons to renovating homes and the orphanage.
They even got to create their own legacy project, by transforming an old, ruined boat into a safe space for children to play.
Graduate Anna Dominski said: “The project consisted of putting the boat into a dug up patch of ground for stability, using various materials to strengthen the structure and decorate the boat.
“Once we established that is was safe for everyone to use, we then decided to add our own little touches by personalising the decoration of the sides.”
As part of the experience the group then got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the sights of South Africa.
NCS manager Katy Stockdale said: “At first it seemed quite