Volunteer Programs in South Africa with African Impact

I spent 2 weeks volunteering for African Impact in St Lucia, South Africa on their Community Project and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life! The volunteer house was brilliant and comfortable - absolute luxury compared to some places I have stayed in other parts of Africa where we had cold outdoor showers, long drop toilets and no electricity. The food was great - always enough, extremely varied (definitely not just rice and veg) and able to cater for a whole range of dietary requirements including one fellow volunteer who was both a vegan and ate Kosher! The staff were always very friendly, supportive and knowledgeable as were the other volunteers. The project itself was wonderful because we got to do a whole range of things that not only took into account an individual's skills but allowed them to develop new ones. For example, I never thought I would be able to make concrete and bricks by hand, and now I can! I loved being able to get to know members of the community and the gratitude they showed us for something as simple as weeding their garden was humbling. I truly believe that all the African Impact projects in St Lucia are making a difference in the surrounding communities and I would thoroughly recommend African Impact to anyone, regardless of age or skill.

I wish that I had better things to say about African Impact. I did not have a good experience with them, in many ways. First of all, the volunteer house itself is in need of repair. The showers were very unreliable and many people ended up finishing their showers in the sink. The food was low in nutritional value overall (rice and frozen veg was the regular meal) and generally very spicy. On the medical program, there was simply not enough for the volunteers to do, so we would be sent out in 4's to check on one person. The idea was to get quality time with the patient, but really it was just the Zulu social worker doing all of the communication, so the volunteers were left just to sit and stare at the person. Not exactly what I had in mind when I signed up for this experience. This leads me to believe that they are more interested in getting the money from the volunteers more than creating significant change or a valuable experience, at least for the medical part of the program. I began to disagree with management after they changed my assignment without my input. I specialize in teaching Human Sexuality and they gave the HIV class to people who had no training or knowledge of HIV, and no special desire to do the class. They were just randomly assigned the task. I didn't take this well and started to get depressed and sullen. The worst part came when, after 3 weeks of working with them, I was roused out of bed and told I had been terminated from the program. The initial reason was due to a stupid, generalized joke I posted on Facebook about smothering people, but then stated the official reason was that I had revealed, in an email to the lead coordinator, that I had an anxiety disorder (citing that as why I had trouble discussing with them that I was so unhappy with the recent change). I was told that I had not listed that on my application, so that was grounds for immediate termination. This was after a night of program sponsored drinking, so I was not in the place to take this well either. I left, even though they gave me the option of staying, in separate quarters--like a criminal. They put me in a very dangerous position, drunk, alone, having a full-blown panic attack on the darkened streets of St. Lucia . They did try to offer suggestions of hostels, but if you've ever had a panic attack, you know that it's unbelievably difficult to focus on anything besides the anxiety. I was rescued by a local woman and after a few days, I took responsibility for my actions and sent an email to them apologizing for my part in things and asked to come back. If you are interested in volunteering abroad, you want to do the work. That's why you're there and that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to finish the work that I started. I was denied that chance with no explanation of why. The majority of the coordinators are incredibly young and inexperienced. If you are over the age of 25 and have any actual skills that you want to employ, this is not the program for you. This rash decision, coupled with my own ill conceived behavior, has costs me almost $1,000, since I had to find my own lodging, food, and way back to Durban, 3 hours away. I am a school teacher and do not have that kind of extra cash, especially after paying $5,000 for the experience in the first place. I'm afraid this has killed any motivation for me to volunteer abroad or to encourage others to do so. That's probably the saddest outcome of all. I do want to note that this is not my first review of this organization. I was contacted by the lead coordinator and pressured to take down my initial feedback. This tells me that they are not interested in receiving honest feedback or others knowing their serious flaws.

I was a medical volunteer in St Lucia, and it was the best experience of my life. When i got to St. Lucia, everyone was so welcoming from the program that it made me feel like home in the first week. i can guarantee anyone that goes that they are going to love it there. The Zulu ladies that work with us are also amazing and they are really funny and lovely. The projects that i was on was clinic, home based care, home assistance, 10 families and then i was also rotated with projects from the education program and the community program so you can still try every project if that is what you want. Being a medical volunteer you can get attached to the patients and i am going to keep in contact with African Impact to ask about them. The food was really good too, and very healthy! Overall it was an amazing experience, and even if there is a post below that says "avoid", ignore that completely because i was with her during her stay and i had so much fun and i absolutely loved it.

I was on the education project in St. Lucia for 2 months, and it was easily the best experience I have ever had. I had a lot of expectations coming in, and I they were all exceeded. The staff is extremely kind and always willing to help. You can tell that they love what they do and truly believe in it. From the beginning of my trip, they made me feel extremely comfortable and at home. Since I was on the education project I participated in teaching at the creches, reading club, after school club, holiday club, adult english classes and other community projects such as gardening and brick building. I could tell that the different projects we take part in really do make a difference in the communities, especially since I was there for 2 months. I can't choose a favorite project, but I really loved reading club and holiday club. I feel like I really got to know these kids, and they had a huge impact on me. One of the things that was really cool is when people in the community talked about how much African Impact means to them, and how it has affected their lives. One experience that was really cool was when a kid wrote a poem about African Impact. That's when you know that the work you are doing is affecting people's lives. I will never forget the experiences that I had here, and I hope that I will return soon.

can't even begin to explain how amazing my time with the St. Lucia team was. The staff were so helpful and knowledgeable, and an absolute laugh! I had a great group of volunteers to work with, from all over the world. It was so rewarding teaching the children everyday and seeing them learn and respond, playing the hilarious apple game! I got to help teach English to adults within the community, partake in gardening, as well as having the absolute joy of working with and seeing the growth of the inkanyezi crèche, a look in at what the medical volunteers get up to in the clinic. It was the most insightful and -as cliché as it is- life changing experience to date. It's opened my eyes to so much and really broadened my prospects and aims for the future. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be coming back, hopefully to St. Lucia, as well as more of my beautiful home country. I cannot recommend African Impact enough. 10/10

I had a lot of reservations about volunteering in St Lucia. I'm pretty sceptical when it comes to humanitarian volunteer work in general. But St Lucia proved to be one of the most rewarding, worthwhile things I've ever done.
I left there knowing my work was beneficial and my time was spent well. The program is really well set up; it can easily rotate volunteers on a weekly or monthly basis through ongoing projects. Standard assignments included English lessons, gardening and HIV awareness. Those on the receiving end of the help are happy to receive it and free to turn it down; no one is forcing the issue. I feel as though I played my small part in something very worthwhile.

Never in my life I imagined myself doing anything of the sort as I ended up doing in St. Lucia. Had been to Africa before, but not the REAL Africa, only the touristy type of Africa where nothing is really Africa... When I arrived in St Lucia and saw the colours, the people and, mainly, the children, I felt I was home. It was quite daunting the first day (never I imagined that 10 kids running towards me could actually bring me down!) but it was a truly humbling experience. I've learnt to be happy, genuinely happy, with a brick or a tyre or with the simple fact that there's water to shower at the end of a very hard working day. The little African stars (and believe me, they really are stars) will make your money truly worth it, and you will experience things that you'll never experience again! The staff were great, great organisers and mainly friends, always ready to help you and to make sure that you are getting the best of your time there. The local ladies are a show of their own, and you'll never find people so lively and lovely as them. And if you can, travel around St Lucia and beyond, you'll find amazing people and scenery. And finally, don't think you cannot do something: I've built bricks, taught English, made tonnes of face paints, made friends and left a bit of me in St. Lucia. And, at the end of your time with the great staff of African Impact, you'll feel exactly the same, and you'll dream of the day to go back again.

I loved my time volunteering in St. Lucia. This experience opened my eyes to the epidemics of poverty and HIV/AIDS in a South African village while offering concrete and veteran projects that allowed me to feel like I was truly making a tangible difference in the lives around me. I can honestly say I learned and benefited as much or more than those we were helping, giving me deeper insight and perspective that I have been able to keep with me and share with others upon my return home. The volunteer house is beautiful, comfortable, and safe, and the staff are absolutely amazing. The programs are organized and structured without being "stuck in old ways," and are therefore constantly being reevaluated and improved upon. Additionally, there are plenty of opportunities for travel and memorable excursions so that you can be both a volunteer and a tourist in beautiful South Africa. I will never forget my time in South Africa or the amazing people I met there!