Building a healthier place for preschoolers in South Africa
14 Aug 2026
Sharing his service project journey, Year 13 student Paddy Newton reflects on his visit to Tiger Kloof, Vryburg.
I have been fortunate to take part in an amazing Round Square International Service (RSIS) project in South Africa, helping to build a home for a long-running soup kitchen for preschoolers who often face malnutrition and major health issues.
Since 2015, Tiger Kloof Educational Institution has run the soup kitchen in the Huhudi settlement, providing meals for children aged three to six. These children have limited access to early childhood nutrition programmes. The programme also includes basic literacy and numeracy classes.
After a seven-hour bus trip to Tiger Kloof, Vryburg, with fellow service project members from different Round Square schools, we had broken the ice and were excited and ready to start on-site work. It proved to be physically demanding, and a steep learning curve for me. Faced with the need to step up to the tasks, we were soon mixing mortar and laying bricks. Putting in many hours, the walls of the soup kitchen quickly went up.
As the Round Square network highlights, our project is part of a “purposeful programme focused on service, cultural understanding, and personal development”.
Alongside our service project, we also enjoyed many interesting experiences, marvelling at the landscape of local flora and fauna, such as flamingos, springboks, giraffes, and ostriches. We also visited Soweto and the Apartheid Museum. It was a humbling reminder of South Africa’s harsh past, but also a motivating experience, showing that we could all drive change for the greater good.
My fellow service project students were from diverse backgrounds and a range of countries, including France, the United States, India, Canada, Australia, Germany, Namibia, South Africa, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Kenya. I know I have made many friends for life, and I hope to cross paths with them in my future travels.
Overall, it was a brilliant opportunity to satisfy my curiosity and grow my leadership and practical skills. You can fit in a lot of character building over 11 days, and, for that reason, I highly recommend a RSIS trip to other students. The difference you can make to international communities is genuine, and you will never regret doing so.
