There is nothing more rewarding than helping those in need. South Africa is in many ways a first-world country. Yet in other respects it is very much a developing country. This dichotomy presents the country with some of its greatest challenges. As a volunteer, you get to experience both sides of South Africa. Volunteers are therefore able to gain much greater insight than the usual tourist into South Africa’s people, its cultures and its religions. A number of projects are available in and around Cape Town, and there are also projects available in other parts of South Africa and Namibia. There is the option of booking an English language course with Good Hope Studies before starting the Volunteer programme. However, a course is not compulsory. If you are able to converse fluently in everyday situations, you can go straight into the programme. There are limits on the number of volunteers each project can accept. Most programmes are available all year round, except for those that are not available during school holidays.
 Enter our animal kingdom - responsible conservation volunteering done right. |
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 Sport and play volunteer in refugee camp in Uganda |
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Verge believes in travel for change. International experience creates global citizens, who can change our planet for the better. This belief is at the core of everything we do.
When I think back on it, my first experience volunteering overseas kind of sucked. It's a long story, but the short version is that I showed up in Nepal thinking that I was going to save the world and found out that really I was on an adventure tour posing as a volunteer programme.