How often do you get a possibility to come close to a Great White Shark? You are not much of a shark person? What about working with game capture and release elephant or buffalo? Always wanted to see the Big 5 in Africa's wilderness? Interested in surfing, kite surfing, hiking and swimming combined with spending time with kids? There is a possibility to work as a volunteer and experience all those amazing things. In Africa! As you are probably aware, Africa still faces a lot of problems with poverty, malnutrition, diseases, and environmental issues. Sadly, there are hundreds of children wandering the streets, their only other prospects being either in an empty house or at "home" where violence and drunken abuse tend to be the norm. However, there are NGO's, NPO's and other organisations that want to make a difference. Herby we present you two South Africa's Hosteling International members' organisations where you can work as a volunteer.
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This non-profit organisation assists communities in South Africa, Kenya and Ghana. They facilitate sustainable community and conservation development projects and provide willing volunteers access to projects they are interested in and arranges transport, accommodation and meals. How can you help? There are numerous of possibilities. We will just list them and if we draw your attention, you'll get all the further information on their
website.
Volunteer with Animals (South Africa)
Great White Shark conservation: Learn about the behaviour of Great White Sharks and other species; spend time at sea obtaining help, support and encouragement from Marine Biologists. Every volunteer gets involved in eco-tourism (cage diving) and conservation work.
Pre Vet Project: Interns will experience a real working conservation and wildlife management programme that includes game capture, rehabilitation, conservation and re-introduction of wild animals and assisting veterinary surgeons. It is recommended to anyone considering careers in animal research, veterinary medicine or wildlife management.
Wildlife Sanctuary: Work hands on with the big cats such as lions, cheetahs and tigers. Assist animals that once had no hope. Learn about conservation, Africa's wild animals and help with the daily running's on farm.
Hartees Animal and Community Projects: The program incorporates wild, rescued and rehabilitated animals to improve their living and environmental conditions. You'll learn more about animals through interactive hands on projects by interacting with elephants, monkeys and other animals.
Wildcat farm/Sanctuary: Opportunity to work (and live, as your flat will be situated in the middle of all the cat enclosures) face to face, soul to soul with Big Cats such as lions, cheetahs and tigers. Assist animals that once had no hope and learn about conservation and Africa's wild animals from people, who are very passionate about those animals.
Volunteer with Children (Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania)
Adventure Surf Club: is for children from disadvantage areas, where they can learn to surf (you will be their teacher). You will spend most of your time outdoors with children, taking part in various activities such as hiking, educational classes and teamwork.
Settlement project: Working with the educare centres in settlements with disadvantaged families, creating your own educational programs to teach children, helping educate them with valuable life lessons, helping with events, fundraising and running fun days, learning about running a non-profit organisation and South Africa's cultures.
School and Edu-care Assistance: Work in a school or settlement educare centre under the supervision of a teacher, giving lessons and managing the class, building relationships with the children in your class and watching them grow.
Skills Development Projects: Running your own class, scheduling a timetable, giving lessons, helping children develop skills and facilitating new experiences for them.
Disabled School Assistance: Learn about and work in a local township by assisting the people that the rest of the township does not understand or looks down on. Learn how to look after physically and mentally disabled children and make a large difference in a child's life.
Business Skills Development Project: You will mentoring with locals, teaching them business skills, assisting them to start a business or helping them to expend.
Kite Surfing Outreach project: Learn how to kite surf and teach disadvantaged children to swim and kite surf on the top 5 kite surfing destinations in the world with flexibility enabling you to choose your hours of work. You will receive 12 hours lessons to get your IKO certificate.
School and Computer Class Assistance: Work with the children and help them to develop their computer skills and provide support to a local orphanage.
Hartees Safe Home: Improve the quality of life of young victims of violence and sexual abuse and make a positive difference. The purpose of this project is to supply children with safety, clothing, food, security, housing, stability, life skills, time, love and emotional support so they can break the cycle of abuse.
Travel and Volunteer Package: Combine independent travel with volunteering in local communities; get a deeper insight of South Africa while teaching children computer skills or spending time with them doing sports. Travel between projects at your own pace.
Every project has minimal duration and requires some demands. Usually minimum age is 18; mandatory is basic level of competency in English and copy of return flight itinerary. Also, you have to pay to volunteer. However, the cost you pay to volunteer is only to cover unavoidable costs such as accommodation, meals, transport, shuttles and donation towards the project for running costs and material to sustain the program. Most of the projects are run only on the money that is donated by volunteer fees, without these donations and the physical help from volunteers most projects would not exist. All further information about costs, accommodation, visa etc.:
www.southafricavolunteerexperiences.org.za.
"Children are the heart of the Centre and our Gardens the lungs" says on their website. As you can imagine, it is all about children. Their aim with this volunteering project is quite simply, to give children, that are left alone, the opportunity to be just that - children. To provide them with a safe little oasis of their own, where they can learn and play, where they are loved, and cared for, where they have an ear that listens and a hand that assists when theirs cannot reach. St. Luigi Scrosoppi Care Centre/Sorgsentrum is located in Oudtshoorn, a small Karoo town nestled between the Outeniqua- and Swartberg Mountains. Not only rich in culture and history, this little town is also known for its exceptional weather - over 330 days of glorious sunshine!
The Centre's objectives are to provide access to tuition for the children, especially in the fields of numeracy, literacy and science and help them to reach their full potential through knowledge and life-coping skills. Also to nurture, nourish and sustain good health - physical, mental and spiritual. They help children who fall the cracks due to malnutrition, IAS, FAS, learning disabilities, neglect and abuse though social, welfare and therapeutic support. As a volunteer, you'll be helping by achieving these noble goals. At the Centre children get food, volunteers pray with them, play, teach, work, discuss, act, draw, sing, knit, run, skip, laugh, tell stories, build puzzles and do all kinds of activities children thrive on. Although the character of the Centre is distinctly Catholic as it is administrated by the two religious orders it is open to the entire community. Local, skilled and qualified workers are also involved.
How to apply? Visit their
website and fill out the Application form. You will have to pay for your accommodation; however, you will certainly enjoy your stay at Backpackers Paradise, family run hostel, with an amazing sunset balcony in the middle of ostrich country.
Be a positive change in a community, build your skills and your resume, enhance your education, improve your confidence, learn more about career options, make friends, garner new professional contacts, spend time outdoors with kids or animals, or just shake up your routine. If you give a little, you can gain a lot - by volunteering in Africa. And as H. Jackson Brown Jr. said: "Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more."
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