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South Africa is one of the most dynamic and interesting countries in the world. As South Africa makes the transition to becoming a first world country, there are many established, non-profit organisations that are making a tremendous difference to the lives of some of the country’s less fortunate individuals. These organisations rely on the help of volunteers like you to support the important work that they are doing by providing invaluable help to children and adults in deprived parts of the community.
Project Age Limit
Minimum 18 - 21 years dependent on the specific project. Maximum decided on potential participants’ health.
Volunteer Project
There are a number of wildlife and community options on this project and these options are outlined below:
Community Projects
Give Hope to Children: This Christian-based project was established in 1997 and offers a balanced weekly programme, where you will divide your time between 2 project areas. You will work in a children's clinic providing palliative care to HIV babies and children, whilst also offering support to their families.
You will also work at our School of Hope, providing special needs education to youth at risk, such as street children, young offenders and recovering drug addicts aged from 15-23 yrs, to succeed in developing people to a point of self-reliance.
Age Limit: 21 years
Minimum Project Duration: 8 weeks. Maximum Project Duration: 26 weeks
Youth Empowerment Project: This is a challenging programme for volunteers who want to help others change their lives for the better. You will assist at a home for men aged from 17 – 25 years old who are from troubled backgrounds and have lacked the necessary support needed for everyday life.
Your role will be vital in creating a positive atmosphere for these boys to provide them with the confidence they need to develop their social and educational skills. You will have the opportunity to help in teaching life skills, running educational workshops and becoming an encouraging role model for the men to look up to.
Age Limit: 21 years
Minimum Project Duration: 8 weeks. Maximum Project Duration: 26 weeks
Youth Outreach and Development: This is a combination project offering you 3 different options, working alongside youths from difficult and troubled backgrounds. You can help at a local soup kitchen, feeding street children, initiating educational workshops and extra activities.
Alternatively, work in the home for boys, playing games, sports and offering emotional and educational support. For a more challenging project, work on the educational programme, aimed at helping youth coming off the streets to develop skills that will help them find employment, through computer literacy and workshops.
Age Limit: 21 years
Minimum Project Duration: 8 weeks. Maximum Project Duration: 26 weeks
Woodside Haven: This Project is a residential home caring for 90 children; the largest home in the Western cape for children and young adults with profound physical and intellectual disabilities. You will take part in the intensive stimulation programme and help to care for and feed the children. You can start new projects (e.g. a Dream Room), help with the fundraising campaigns, assist nurses or prepare food: It all depends on your own skills. Woodside also offers help to parents, working alongside them in support groups.
Age Limit: 18 years
Minimum Project Duration: 2 weeks. Maximum Project Duration: 26 weeks
Healing Through Horses: This non-profit organisation provides free horse riding instruction and therapeutic activities for children with disabilities. Not only will you have hands on work caring for their 12 horses, but you will also be assisting with the riding classes and their riders, helping with vital fundraising campaigns and helping with the essential therapy that these young individuals so greatly deserve.
By riding, young disabled children can exercise muscles they don't usually get a chance to use. The children's determination to learn to ride is truly inspiring and while there is often fear and apprehension for a disabled child riding for the first time, very soon you and the horse will win the child's trust.
Age Limit: 18 years
Minimum Project Duration: 8 weeks. Maximum Project Duration: 8 weeks
Cape Town Home for Orphans: Volunteer either at an orphanage for babies and toddlers, aged between newborn and 4 years or enjoy a volunteer combination of working at a toddlers crèche in the mornings and spend afternoons at an orphanage for children and teens aged from 5 to 17.
This project cares for up to 60 abandoned, abused, neglected and HIV affected children. The orphanages try hard to be more like a family than an institution and there is also a strong focus on trying to reunite the child with its natural family if possible. Some children, however, will spend their entire childhood at this home, so ensuring they have a good quality of life is vitally important.
Age Limit: 18 years
Minimum Project Duration: 4 weeks. Maximum Project Duration: 26 weeks
Wildlife Projects
The People’s Animal Charity: The project is a welfare veterinary service provider to the owners of animals who are not able to afford private veterinary services. You will be able to assist the animal welfare officers in clinics at the animal hospital and in the mobile units that visit local townships in Cape Town. Not only will you work in the veterinary care, but you will also help develop the web and marketing campaigns and support general projects that are underway.
Through your help, you will ensure that these animals from poorer communities are properly cared for and treated, thus saving the lives of many.
Age Limit: 18 years
Minimum Project Duration: 2 weeks. Maximum Project Duration: 52 weeks
Marine Conservation and Penguin Rescue: In this program you will work directly with sea birds that are sick, injured, oiled or abandoned. Although this project is known worldwide for its success in rehabilitating African Penguins during major oil spills on the Southern African coastline, they also care for and rehabilitate many other species of seabirds including Cape Gannets, varieties of Gulls and Cormorants, Pelicans and even the odd Albatross.
You will be working hands on with these birds, alongside the staff members and the beautiful seabirds of Africa, attending releases, administering medication, catching, caring for and handling the birds and helping on the breeding schemes…and also taking part in the occasional spot of whale-watching.
Age Limit: 18 years
Minimum Project Duration: 6 weeks. Maximum Project Duration: 24 weeks
Project Support
Throughout your stay in Cape Town you will have the support and guidance of your experienced project coordinators and their team. They will provide you with competent field support and assistance and will be contactable each day should you have any questions. In addition, you will also have access to a 24 hour emergency number so you are always able to contact a member of our UK team should you need to.
Project Orientation
When you arrive at the project, you will receive a full 3-day cultural orientation, which will familiarise you with Cape Town, South African culture and the local area. During this orientation you will stay in a local backpackers hostel in Cape Town.
During your orientation we visit the following areas:
- Table Mountain - take the cable car or walk up this vast Mountain yourself
- Travel through quaint fishing villages of Kalk Bay and Houtbay
- At Cape Point, stretch your legs on a short hike and stop for a delicious lunch (avoid the baboons!)
- Get up close to Simonstown's most adorable Penguin population
- Cape Town City Tour
- Waterfront Shopping & Greenmarket Square Craft Markets
- Cape wine tastings & partying in Long Street
Accommodation and Meals
You have the fantastic opportunity to fully experience the African culture by living in local, modern home-stays with English speaking South African families. Normally, you will share a bedroom with another volunteer (of the same sex), and you will both share a bathroom, kitchen and lounge with the host family. These families have been carefully selected by the project leaders and will provide you with a very warm welcome to South Africa.
A help-yourself breakfast will be provided for you by your host family, together with a home cooked dinner each evening. You will be responsible for buying or making your own lunch each day on the project.
Alternatively, you do have the opportunity to upgrade to a shared volunteer house within 15 minutes walk from central Cape Town. The house can take up to 12 volunteers so it will be subject to availability. There is a large enclosed entertainment and dining area separate to the house, 2 dorm rooms, a double room and single room. You will have your meals prepared by a qualified chef in the evenings and the house will be cleaned daily and will have laundry facilities – though you will be expected to assist in keeping the house clean. The cost of this upgrade is £200 for 4 weeks, or £300 for the private rooms.
Project Transport
If staying with a host family, you will be responsible for making your own way to the project each day and we will try to place you in a host family as close to your project as possible. If you are unable to walk to your project, then you will need to take public transport, at your own cost. You can use either the public transport of buses, trains and taxis, or take a special volunteer shuttle bus, for just R150 (approx. £14 a week), which drops you off each day at your project from your house.
If staying in the shared volunteer house, all transport to and from your project each day will be included.
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